Police are hunting 12 armed robbers who stormed the Emperors Palace casino, holding several employees hostage.

In the latest of a series of armed raids on Gauteng malls and casinos, the gunmen stormed into the Kempton Park casino at 5.30am on Sunday and made off with a trolley with a substantial, but undisclosed, amount of cash.

The robbers did not open fire and no one was injured.

On Friday, armed robbers hit the First National Bank branch at Johannesburg's Rosebank Mall, leaving empty-handed after they killed a guard and wounded two others who had tried to stop them.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc., a prominent operator of casinos, recently announced that it reached an agreement with the management of the Imperial Palace casino, according to which, Harrah's will acquire the facility. The agreement will expand Harrah's' presence on the Las Vegas strip and give it ownership of four neighboring casinos.
Company officials were reported as saying that, in the near future, they do not plan significant operational modifications for the Imperial Palace

All casinos built in the United Kingdom will in future have the potential to host live stage entertainment, says one of Britain’s leading experts on gaming law.
John Hagan, partner at Harris Hagan solicitors, rejected claims that the one regional “super casino” permitted by government would be the only site large enough to house performances. The lawyer, whose firm has advised global giants Kerzner International and MGM Mirage, insisted all 17 British sites to be licensed over the next two years, including those in the new “small” and “large” casino category, can opt to do likewise.

They are no ordinary gamblers. Many of these Malaysian high rollers in the gambling clubs here include businessmen, politicians and members of royalty.
The stakes run into millions of pounds and in some cases when the gamblers lose heavily and failed to pay up, legal action was taken against them.
Located in the city centre's Marble Arch and Mayfair areas, these gambling establishments, known as clubs, abide by a strict rule – discretion.

Tony Blair is facing calls for a promise he will not weaken money laundering laws to attract foreign casino operators to the UK.
The Conservative demands come after papers about government talks with casino firms about the rules last year.
The Tories say there are "clear discrepancies" between the documents and what ministers told Parliament.
The government denies the claim and says there is no question of diluting money laundering rules.

Blackpool's bid to build the UK's only super casino has been backed by the North West Development Agency (NWDA).
Only one pilot casino will be built, after the government backed down on plans to build eight, in order to save the Gambling Bill.
The NWDA said Blackpool was its chosen location as it would reap the greatest economic benefits.
Steven Broomhead, NWDA chief executive, said the casino would secure the town as "a UK premier tourism destination."

AUSTRALIA'S world poker champion, Joe Hachem, is on his way to becoming a very rich man. Only days since winning the World Series of Poker, the former Preston chiropractor is negotiating to triple his $10 million winnings through a series of commercial contracts.

Hachem, a father of four, has spent the past week in a $3600-a-night suite in Las Vegas sifting through dozens of business proposals including a plan to become Crown Casino's poker ambassador, an offer to star in a series of TV commercials in the US.

LUCKY punters contributed to a 4% drop in Stanley Leisure's annual profits, the gaming giant announced. The firm said unfavourable soccer results offset strong trading at its casinos.
The Liverpool-based group reported that underlying profit at its betting operation fell 17% and were down 54% at international outlets.
The UK's biggest casino operator, saw profits soar at its London venues and unveiled plans to spend more than £100m on these.

In the world of steady continuous advances in casino gaming technology, such as Poker Tournaments in which hundreds participate and millions watch on taped television broadcasts, now comes Roulabette Casino Table Game Tournaments in which every television viewer can participate from their homes, at horse/dog racetracks, restaurants, hotels and off-track betting parlors. Roulabette is a system that allows casino enthusiasts to wager on live in-progress casino table games, made possible by the patented microprocessor to be installed in the television equipment.

This is a tough one. How can we in good conscience run what is essentially a free advertisement for an online betting company?
But then again, how can we not report said online betting company's prediction that Mike Tyson is a 3-2 favorite to be the next celebrity guest of the American justice system?
BetUS ponders the possibilities of the next big celebrity arrestee as Lil' Kim readies herself for 366 days of corset deprivation.