From Investors – Shares of Las Vegas-based casinos rose Monday after a report that table gambling revenue in Macau for July is on track to climb 19% from the same month a year ago. Sterne Agee said it expects gross gambling revenue take for Vegas casinos Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts International (MGM) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN), and the three Hong Kong casinos with operations in Macau, to total $3.68 billion. That would continue a hot streak for Macau, the world’s largest and fastest-growing casino gambling locale. The report comes on the heels of an upbeat report last week for…

A Connecticut casino lawsuit over taxes is over. The lawyer who argued successfully to prevent an Indian tribe in Connecticut from blocking collection of local and state property taxes on slot machines at the largest casino in the Western Hemisphere said the ruling Monday by a federal appeals court sets a good precedent for other Indian-run casinos across the country. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled Monday against the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which operates the Foxwoods Resort Connecticut casino. The decision overturned a lower-court judge who had earlier ruled for the tribe over the town of…

From Commercial Appeal In just a decade, the center of gambling has migrated from Las Vegas to a tiny Chinese territory an hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong. The gambling mecca of Macau now handles more wagers than all U.S. commercial casinos put together. But as U.S. gambling companies have remade Macau, Macau has also remade them. Amid a soft regulatory climate in America, U.S. gaming companies have been hit with allegations of improper conduct, including allowing Chinese junkets linked to Asian gangs into Las Vegas. Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal. Each month, 2.5…

Bally Technologies has agreed to acquire SHFL Entertainment, a maker of casino games, for nearly $1.3 billion in cash. Formerly known as Shuffle Master, SHFL makes products like automatic card shufflers and roulette chip sorters, as well as proprietary table games and electronic gambling machines. The company, based in Las Vegas and founded in 1983, went public in 1992. In its most recent quarter, about 45 percent of its revenue came from Australia and Asia. Bally is paying $23.25 a share, which represents a premium of 24 percent over SHFL’s closing price on Monday and a premium of 37 percent…

Calcasieu Parish authorities say a 1 1/2-year drug and horse racing investigation as part of were funneling “lab quality” methamphetamine into the area has resulted in 18 people being arrested. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Havana Speed,” involved several people with ties to horse racing. The American Press reports (http://bit.ly/15ol8kn) the operation’s results were announced this week. On Monday, officers began arresting suspects in Louisiana and Texas. Lake Charles Police Chief Don Dixon says 11 search warrants resulted in the seizure of “pounds” of crystal meth, several weapons and the discovery of three active meth labs. Of the suspects arrested, most…

From iGaming Business Australian interactive lottery firm Jumbo Interactive Limited has announced that it has been awarded five-year licenses enabling it to sell official lotteries via the web and mobile in every one of Germany’s 16 states. Awarded through its German subsidiary, the licenses will see Jumbo Interactive permitted to sell lottery games including the EuroJackpot, Lotto 6 From 49, Keno, Plus 5, Super 6, Spiel 77 and GlucksSpirale to the nation’s estimated 68 million eligible players on a non-exclusive basis. “Jumbo Interactive now has all the licenses it needs to start selling across the entire country,” said Mike Veverka,…