Calvin Ayre – Singapore’s self-exclusion option, which allows citizens to voluntary ban themselves from entering the country’s two casinos, has now been expanded after the launch of a new centralized self-exclusion system. With this new system, Singaporeans can now voluntarily exclude themselves from other gambling establishments in the country, including jackpot clubs and sports betting clubs. Under the old program, citizens could only have themselves banned from entering the Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands casinos. More than 200,000 casino exclusion orders have been issued to date, of which around 153,000 are the self-exclusion variety. Currently, Singapore has 73…

NWF Daily News – An effort to relieve greyhound track owners of regulations requiring them to throw money at a losing venture failed in Tallahassee this legislative session. So too did an attempt to better protect the animals at Northwest Florida’s Ebro facility and the state’s 11 other racing parks. State Sen. President Don Gaetz was disappointed in the failure of the animal welfare bills, but said efforts to clean up greyhound racing could be considered again if a special session is called to discuss gaming issues. “The governor is shopping right now the idea of a special session dealing…

Bloomberg – MGM China Holdings Ltd., the Macau casino operator, said first-quarter profit jumped by a third as mass-market gambling increased. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, increased to $257 million from $193 million a year earlier, according to a statement yesterday from MGM Resorts International (MGM), the company’s Las Vegas-based parent. That compares with the median estimate of $258.5 million from six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. The numbers exclude a branding fee of $16 million this year and $13 million last year. MGM China will continue to redeploy more gaming tables to mass-market gamblers,…

Joystiq – Since China temporarily lifted its ban on foreign video game consoles in January, it was a matter of time before the government offered new rules to regulate console and game distribution. According to a Shanghai government release translated by Games in Asia, those rules will dictate the kind of content that won’t be allowed to be sold in the country, such gambiling-related game features. Additionally, anything deemed threatening to “China’s national unity, sovereignty, or territorial integrity” and content that “instigates racial/ethnic hatred” won’t be distributable in the country. Games also may not promote “obscenity, drug use, violence or…

Sydney Morning Journal – Emily, a 30-year-old economist, became so addicted to Candy Crush Saga, a free iPhone game, that she would lie awake at 1am imagining her finger swiping across the screen to line up rows of brightly coloured lollies. Three in a row would deliver a satisfying squelch as they burst and moved the ­Melbourne mother-of-two closer to the next level. Candy Crush Saga is a simple game but the hold it has over its devoted followers is complex and incredibly strong. They are reminiscent of gamblers who can’t help but feed another $20 into a poker machine…

Casino.org – Questionable goings on in the Low Countries this week, as the Blue Gem Gaming website flat-lined while its third-party gaming software disappeared from its clients’ casinos, all of which points to a crackdown by the Dutch authorities. Blue Gem took over some of the assets of disgraced Eindhoven-based slots software developer Sheriff Gaming just last month, claiming to be unaffiliated with the bankrupt company. Blue Gem began to market and license Sheriff’s game titles to online casinos, but it seems that the authorities just aren’t buying it. Sheriff was a successful 3D games developer, producing popular titles such…