Finns are among the most enthusiastic about their slot machines in Europe, but there are wide regional differences in levels of gambling. Our interactive map, which uses data from the state slot machine company RAY, shows exactly where people play the most. Finns are exceptionally enthusiastic about gambling. In the first six months of this year they spent an average of 61 euros per session on slot machines, which is around 50 cents more than during the same period last year. Virolahti spends the most per capita on RAY games, with more than a hundred euros spent per resident in…

iGaming Business – The World Lottery Association has revealed that global lottery sales increased by 4.6% in the first half of 2013 thanks to strong growth in the Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions. The association said that participating Latin American lotteries registered an aggregate increase in sales of 24.6% for the first six months of 2013 in comparison with the first half of 2012. Argentina’s Lotería Nacional Sociedad del Estado was a star performer, continuing its upward trajectory with a 31% sales increase for the six months until the end of June. Brazil’s Caixa Econômica Federal also enjoyed healthy growth…

There’s a new Sri Lanka casino, approved by the government for investments worth around a billion dollars. The giant foreign-funded casinos in the capital Colombo on Thursday, including one involving Australian gambling mogul James Packer. Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the cabinet granted the projects a partial 10-year tax holiday and approved the “mixed developments”, a euphemism for casino hotels. A Sri Lankan company set up to build a US$350-million resort with investments by Packer was given a prime lake-front property in the capital three months ago, while the second casino will be built nearby by local firm John Keells…

ABC News – Authorities in Las Vegas have installed 37 high definition cameras along the Las Vegas Strip in an effort to catch criminals and deter crime. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department bought the cameras with a federal grant. They will monitor areas concealed from patrol cars, and will be watched by police currently working desk jobs because of on-the-job injuries. The cameras have been placed about two stories off the Strip. Police hope the prominent cameras will serve a deterrent, and also allow them to monitor large crowds. SOURCE

IB Times – The Chinese gambling haven of Macau is booming as VIPs spend cash more heavily and rapidly, while Singaporean gamblers slow down and Japanese politicians back groundbreaking casinos, according to an industry report by Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) Monday. In Macau, record revenues in August and March earlier this year could help the city achieve revenue growth of 17 percent for 2013, or $44 billion for the year overall. Fresh infrastructure, like a new intercity railway completed in December 2012, or the new Chimelong casino due in late 2013, will attract more visitors from China, who represent the vast majority of…

Card Player – The poker room at Circus Circus Las Vegas just closed recently, according to reports. Card Player spoke on the phone with an individual from the casino and she said it has been shuttered “indefinitely,” but declined to provide any other information. The poker room was located near the entrance of the main casino and offered just five cash-game tables. The casino itself was most recently renovated in 2013. Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and 126,000-square-foot casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. It opened in 1968 and now is owned and operated by MGM Resorts…