Courier Journal – Support for a constitutional amendment on casino gambling appears to be waning, even among those who are for it. Champions of casino gambling aren’t saying much, although the issue is unlikely to disappear completely from debate without being put on the ballot. The reasons are varied: • More racetracks are embracing the slot-like Instant Racing game as an alternative to casinos. The Kentucky Equine Education Project, once the leader of the horse industry’s pro-casino effort, spending about $1.4 million during the 2006 legislative session alone, says it is focused on other issues — though it remains pro-casino…

The internet has always been a catalyst for change…. but Bitcoin betting? Well, you needn’t look past any industry to see the effect it has had in bringing change about. Television has been revolutionized by web-based players, the music industry has had a complete overhaul to deal with downloads and now we are starting to see the emergence of Bitcoins. So what is a Bitcoin? A Bitcoin is a virtual currency used to procure products and services online via a peer-to-peer marketplace – effectively circumnavigating a centralized bank. This direct marketplace between producer and client helps to diminish financial costs…

Cyprus Mail – NICOSIA yesterday launched its big push to secure the licence for the island’s first-ever casino resort, and like each of the other main districts, says the capital is the only location that makes the most business sense. The Nicosia Chamber of Commerce (EVEL) yesterday met with the city’s brass and other players to exchange views on how to boost tourism where it was decided to set up a steering committee to actively pursue the licence. Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis and his predecessors were also at the meeting, which was held at the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry…

Reuters – A Japanese opposition politician on Thursday submitted a set of demands to ruling party lawmakers who are proposing a bill to legalise casino gambling, pushing back much-awaited parliamentary debate to next Wednesday at the earliest. The delay raises the risk of the bill failing to pass parliament this year, which would dampen the hopes of global casino firms keen to unlock a gaming market expected to be worth up to $40 billion a year in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Pro-casino lawmakers had aimed to begin debate in the lower house this week – before the end…

For techies of a certain age, few brands inspire as much nostalgia as Atari. They remember the heyday in the 1970s and 80s, when its two-dimensional arcade game Pong was the epitome of fun and the Atari 2600 video game console was the epitome of cool. But for many young gamers today, their closest brush with Atari is in the retro T-shirt section of their local Urban Outfitters. Fred Chesnais wants to change that. As Atari’s new CEO and majority shareholder, Chesnais is leading what he hopes will be a turnaround of the 42-year-old brand, which emerged from bankruptcy proceedings…

News Maker – Poker machines accounted for 60% ($9.8 billion) of the $16.3 billion spent by Australians on gambling in the 12 months to March 2014, well ahead of race betting and lotteries according to the latest results from the Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor. Australians spent $2.5 billion on race betting and $1.7 billion on lotteries, or 15% and 10% of the annual gambling spend respectively. The other forms of gambling make up the remaining 15% — including sports betting ($0.9 billion or 5%), casino table games ($0.6 billion or 4%), Keno ($0.5 billion or 3%), and scratch tickets ($0.3…