Recent changes in British legislation that were initiated by Tony Blair are having a profound effect on the gambling industry. These new laws will have an impact as well on online casinos but right now they are directed at land based casino regulation. The impact could conceivably affect an online casino in the same way it affects a land based casino but taking into account that some of the regulations extend playing hours and opening times of land based casinos, these aspect will have no bearing on the online casinos since they are open 24 hours every day of the year.

As reported by the UK World Leisure Jobs: "The Gambling Bill Standing Committee has released details of a new system that will be used to decide the location and licensing regime for new casinos.

"The first phase of the new system will limit the number of regional, small and large casinos in the UK to eight each. This limit will not increase until at least three years after the award of the first premises licence for these initial casinos.

Christmas came early for one lucky online casino player when he won over £150,000 on the At The Races Casino site. Peter who plays under the username Sunera struck gold with a £5 side bet on Caribbean Stud Poker, the game displayed a Royal Flush winning him a staggering £125,000 on a payout of 25000 X £5. His main game bet of £150 won him an additional £30,150 to take his total haul with a single bet to £155,150.

He was so surprised with his win that he immediately placed a £1,000 bet to make sure it was true and he really had won that much cash.

Laser technology apparently used by a gambling trio to pocket more than £1m at London's Ritz Casino is the latest of many examples of punters trying to turn the tables on casinos with elaborate scams.

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em", advises Kenny Roger's The Gambler - but rather than "know when to walk away", many people over the years have tried to beat the odds stacked against them with an ace up their sleeve.

Hotels and gaming group Hilton may open a £200m casino in the north west of England, the group has confirmed.
The group has been in "positive talks" with local government officials in Blackpool, spokesman Alex Pagett said.

However, Hilton will only go ahead with the plans if the government agrees to limit the number of "super casinos" in the UK, he added .

The news comes as the government prepares to debate wide-ranging changes to the UK's gambling laws.

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGG - News) announced that it has entered into a Fourth Amended and Restated Loan Agreement which will provide for a $7.0 billion senior credit facility. The amended and restated facility will be comprised of a $5.5 billion senior revolving credit facility and a $1.5 billion senior term loan facility.

Upon its effectiveness, this agreement amends and restates in its entirety the Company's existing $2.5 billion senior credit facility. The new facility will be effective upon the consummation by the Company of the proposed merger with Mandalay Resort Group ("Mandalay"). Both the senior revolving credit facility and the senior term loan will mature on the fifth anniversary date following their effectiveness.

Australia's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd said on Tuesday it would spend $163 million on a joint-venture with Hong Kong's Melco International Development Ltd to invest in Macau's gambling business.

PBL, which has long harbored ambitions to break into the lucrative casino business in the Chinese enclave, said the 50/50 joint-venture with Melco, controlled by casino mogul Stanely Ho's family, would also be used to further expand the two companies' Asian gaming business in China.

The venture would initially invest in the Park Hyatt Hotel and Casino being developed in Macau where casinos and tourism are the main businesses, and would also manage and develop the Mocha Slot gaming business which manages around 25 percent of the island's slot machines.

The Labour party claimed that a £50,000 donation from an internet betting company had no influence on the controversial Gambling Bill now debated in parliament, The Scotsman reported.

The party said the money, given on 18 July by Peter Coates, who has interests in betting shops and the gambling website bet365.com, was not linked to the gambling legislation.

A Labour party spokesman said: "No donation to the Labour Party will give the donor any influence over party or government policy.

Labour MP, Tony Banks, has challenged the UK government to apply pressure on the US to rethink its Internet gambling laws, New Media Zero reports. Speaking at Monday’s debate at the House of Commons, Banks who sat on the original Gambling Bill scrutiny committee and is its vigorous supporter, stated: 'We should try to persuade the US to bring its gambling laws up to date.'

Banks, who praised the Bills efforts to regulate online gaming added, ‘It's wrong that the Americans should have the right to refuse a business operation based in London, Gibraltar or elsewhere, and we should push them hard on that. If they're to have access to our gambling industry, we should insist that they bring their laws in line with ours.'

A five-hour cyber attack on an internet betting site was followed by blackmailers threatening to send out child porn from the company unless it paid out 7000 euros to the extortionists this week.

Blue Square initially received a threat on Monday. The email claimed it would start a paralysing attack on the website if the cash wasn’t paid within the hour. The company refused to pay out and were subject to a bombardment of information requests, which stopped the website from working.