When New York voters go to the polls next month, they will be asked about a gambling referendum. Specifically, if the state constitution should be amended to permit up to seven casinos. Despite heavy news coverage about the plan, a voter still might ask: “Doesn’t New York already have casinos?” Yes, it does. New York has more than a dozen racetrack casinos or Indian casinos. Gambling has been here for some time. Because of that, we support the gambling referendum and a constitutional amendment. We believe the positive impact on economic development outweighs any concern over any potential increase in…

Card Player – One of the leaders of the firm that saw its subsidiary offer the first fully legal real-money online poker game in the United States has decided to step down. Station Casinos Executive Vice President Kevin Kelley reportedly resigned last month. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kelly was an executive at Station Casinos for a decade prior to leaving in 2003. He had stints with Hard Rock Las Vegas and Las Vegas Sands Corp. before returning to Stations in 2008. In April of this year, Ultimate Poker, an offshoot of Station Casinos, launched real-money online poker in…

Macau Business Daily – Loss-making Macau junket investor Amax Holdings Ltd says its attempt to operate a casino in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is back on the negotiating table. Amax said in a filing on September 19 “the parties could not compromise on finalising the terms of a formal sale and purchase agreement”. Now Amax says in a Hong Kong filing yesterday the proposal is “subject to further negotiation” and the deadline for talks has been extended until November 30 “or such other date as may be agreed”. In August an external auditor said in the firm’s annual…

Bloomberg – Australia’s Queensland state may issue as many as three new casino licenses as it seeks to spur tourism with integrated resorts modeled after Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. The state will welcome applications for redevelopment of a riverfront site in central Brisbane that includes an existing casino operated by Echo Entertainment Group Ltd. (EGP), and consider allowing two more licenses elsewhere in the state, Premier Campbell Newman said today in an e-mailed statement. The move challenges Echo, which has three of Queensland’s four current licenses and accounted for 97 percent of casino spending in the…

Miami Herald – Thousands of people came to Atlantic City to see Miss America last month, but not enough of them ventured into a casino to boost the gambling halls’ monthly revenue. Atlantic City’s casinos saw their revenue fall by nearly 13 percent in September compared with the same month last year. The city’s 12 casinos won $240.2 million from gamblers, a decline of 12.9 percent from September 2012. Table games revenue was $62.9 million, down nearly 19 percent from a year ago, and slots revenue was $177.3 million, down 10.6 percent from a year ago. State regulators said the…

An Internet cafe owner in New Jersey which provides technology to so-called internet sweepstakes cafes will cease operations in Ohio. Attorney General Mike DeWine and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said five defendants from the New Jersey company agreed to plead guilty to felony charges related to operating a gambling enterprise and money laundering. “This plea agreement is a significant victory for enforcement of Ohio gaming laws,” said Attorney General DeWine. “””Not only will VS2 cease operations in Ohio, but they admit that their facade of facilitating a sweepstakes was a front to conduct illegal gambling in violation of…