The state Gaming Control Board recommended approval of a slew of new licenses today from an all-star list of Southern Nevada’s biggest casino companies. In the process, regulators checked the pulse of the state’s dominant industry, finding it to be stagnant but improving.

CARSON CITY – The state Gaming Control Board wants disciplinary action imposed on the owner of a Las Vegas convenience store who sold Khat, an illegal drug, to customers.

Pure Management Group announced today that it has launched a regulatory compliance program to keep it out of trouble with state and county regulators.

Recent developments in both the UK and Sweden have again thrown the spotlight on the fragmented approach taken by different EU Members to online gambling regulation despite the best efforts of the European Commission (EC).

The Swedish Government are trying to impose restrictions on foreign online gambling operators from offering their services to Swedish residents. The proposed new laws will seek to restrict local resident access to such operators by imposing blocking obligations on ISP’s and payment processors alike – a kind of UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) on steroids.

Not surprisingly, the consultation process accompanying the proposed law’s drafting has resulted in numerous submissions from industry associations and corporations both within and outside Sweden voicing a concerns, including the practical enforceability of the laws and their legitimacy against the backdrop of the EU’s freedom to provide services provisions.

The freedom to provide services provisions are a central tenet of the EU Treaty, included with the purpose of discouraging EU Members from enacting protectionist laws and encouraging cross border trade in services. Where laws permit local operators to provide a service to the exclusion of foreign operators they are arguably breaching overarching EU law and open to EC scrutiny. Sweden’s proposed ban on online gambling services will not apply to locally licensed operators, and as such arguably breaches EU law and may yet earn the ire of the EC.

But in the meantime, it is the type of measure that is leading the UK to consider a rethink of its approach to online gambling regulation. The UK is currently an open online gambling market. Both locally licensed and foreign operators area able to accept bets from UK residents. Further, operators licensed in jurisdictions included on the UK Gambling Commission’s ‘White List’ are free to advertise and promote their services within the UK just as locally licensed operators are. Jurisdictions afforded ‘White List’ status include all European Economic Area Members, as well as Gibraltar and Antigua Barbuda.

While other EEA Members like Sweden continue with attempts to ban foreign operators despite the best efforts of the EC, UK based operators subject to those bans are wondering why they should have to compete with foreign operators for a slice for a slice of the UK market. A number of major UK based sports betting operators have voiced this precise concern to the UK Government and Gambling Commission and it seems their voice is being heard. A review of the current regime is underway – planned for completion by the end of 2009 and to be tabled in Parliament in early 2010. Until such time as the review and any resulting amendments to the current Act are complete, the UK Gambling Commission has announced no new additions will be made to the ‘White List’.

Successful free trade arrangements are very much a multi-lateral animal, and will never exist successfully with only one willing participant. Presumably this is why the European Commission seems to be fighting so hard to stamp out protectionist online gambling laws through Europe – otherwise the result could be a collection of fragmented, insular markets rather than one large, competitive and open one.

This summer may yield the biggest party season in Las Vegas history, with seven new or expanded pools poised to offer visitors more excuses to drop inhibitions and money.

Regulators say Nevada casinos won a little more than $912 million in March, a slight decline compared with the same month a year ago. The state Gaming Control Board reported Tuesday that Nevada casino winnings were down less than 1 percent year-to-year.

When you are planning on using online casinos, for fun or for money, you need to learn online casino dos and don’ts. One of the dos when it comes to online casino dos and don’ts is to use eCOGRA casinos. ECogra casinos are those that are internationally regulated by a gaming commission. When considering online casino dos and don’ts, eCOGRA casinos is the most important of the “dos.” 

Anyone can create casino software and market a site like an online casino.  But this does not mean that you can actually win money. You may end up paying into an account and then seeing the casino disappear. This is why it is so important to use eCOGRA casinos that operate under ecommerce rules and offer you security as well as protection from fraud. 

Going online and finding an online casino where you can play your favorite casino games can be fun and exciting. But you have to first learn online casino dos and don’ts before you begin. The best way to learn about eCOGRA casinos as well as online casino dos and don’ts is to read online reviews about casinos. This can not only tell you which casinos are eCOGRA casinos, but they can also give you pointers about individual online casino dos and don’ts. For example, an online casino can tell you how to use a casino bonus and what not to do if you want to keep the bonus. 

There are many rules when it comes to online casinos. Some of them are imposed by the casino regulators and some by the casinos themselves.  Most of the legitimate online casinos govern by the same type of rules, although there may be variations when it comes to bonuses as well as accounts. Some of the eCOGRA casinos also restrict certain players from opening accounts. This is especially true when it comes to American players, due to the laws in some states regarding internet gambling. One of the basic online casino dos and don’ts for American players is to make sure that your money is good in the casino. 

Other online casino dos and don’ts regard conduct when playing in the online casino. Learning as much as you can about the eCOGRA casinos by reading reviews will give prevent you from making a mistake and getting penalized on the site, or getting banned.  Your conduct while playing at these casinos should be the same as if you are playing at a regular casino and be in the interest of fair gaming. Of course, one of the most basic don’ts of the online casino dos and don’ts is not to try to use software to cheat the system. 

You can have a lot of fun playing at eCOGRA casinos online, but you have to understand the rules before you begin. Read casino reviews and study the online casino dos and don’ts before you sign up to play at any online casino so that you get the most enjoyment out of your internet gambling experience. 

Renewed concern about the influence of organized crime in Macau, where three Las Vegas-based gaming giants own casinos, has raised questions about the ability of Nevada regulators to monitor or act on what takes place on the other side of the world.

Regulators say casinos on the Las Vegas Strip did better in February, pushing gambling winnings up almost 14 percent statewide compared with a dismal month in 2009.

Regulators say casinos on the Las Vegas Strip did better in February, pushing gambling winnings up almost 14 percent statewide compared with a dismal month in 2009.