The new President-elect of Taiwan has informed that he intends to encourage the casino business in his country, as a way to enhance economy. Ma Ying-Jeou said he is prepared to open the doors to the gaming world, since it could be the only solution for Taiwan’s financial problems.

Ma Ying-Jeou has made his intentions clear: when he takes office in 20th May, a new gaming era will start in Taiwan. “Local governments will have the right to issue gambling licenses,” the President-elect said.

The tournament, which began recently and will end on 30th April, gives players the opportunity of registering free in the All Slots Casino. By doing so, they will be able to take part in the semifinal tournament, that will be held daily.

The best 50 players of each day will be given free tickets to the main event of the tournament, and once the event ends, 300 of the best winners of that day will be named and they will then split the sum of $100.000 between them.

In spite of the announcements made by Harrah’s Entertainment a few months ago about the development of a $1.2 billion casino, the company has decided to withdraw from the project. A spokesperson for Harrah’s said the decision was made because they were unable to reach an agreement.

“It was really coming to an agreement on how we could have management strength and they could have ownership control,” Jan Jones, Harrah’s senior vice president of communications explained.

This 2008, between March and December, the famous Conrad Resort & Casino of Punta del Este, Uruguay, will celebrate the Conrad Poker Tour. In the first encounter of the year, celebrated last March 7th, the U$S 345,000 jackpot was disputed by more that 140 players.

The tourney has 16 rounds, each of them celebrated in two days (Friday and Saturday). The last round was celebrated last Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March, in this opportunity, the casino contributed with U$S 1.000 for each one of the participants enrolled up to a U$S 100.000 top.

Casinos Austria International announced its plans to cross the oceans during 2008 in two spectacular ships: the Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager and the Silversea’s Silver Shadow. The cruises will navigate through the Panama Canal and the Mexican Riviera.

In only 110 days, the Silver Shadow will visit 26 countries and 52 harbors, including the mysterious islands of the Pacific, the amazing desserts in Egypt and the millenary Far East. On the other hand, the Seven Seas Voyager will visit 26 countries and make stops in 51 ports.

Jamaican’s opinions regarding casino gambling are beginning to change. More and more Jamaicans are in favor of legalizing gambling casino games such as roulette and blackjack and want the Government to lift the existing bans.

The increased income for the island and also the addition of jobs are two reasons as to why they are changing their minds towards a more permissive law.

In the middle of a great debate and controversy regarding the possibility of building casinos in England, it was announced this week that the English government would finally be willing to permit the construction of big gambling centers.

Gordon Brown has always showed interest in reaching a solution to the conflict over the advantages and disadvantages that the construction of gambling centers will carry. Since the beginning, it seemed that getting the approval would be almost impossible due to the lack of consensus at the Parliament.

This week Holland Casino received the international award “Socially Responsible Operator of the Year” granted by the gaming industry. Johan van Kastel, Security and Risk Control Vice President, attended the Gaming Awards 2008 celebrated in London on behalf of the casino.

“We are very proud to receive this international acknowledgment,” Holland Casino’s spokesman Dick Flink said. “Holland Casino has adopted the Responsible Gaming Policy as part of its strategy.

An Australian Superior Court finally reached a decision on the case of a cheating casino player, confirming the $600 fine and the measure by which the player cannot attend casinos, gaming venues and bingo halls for two years. The ruling aims to punish the player and help him overcome his addiction.

The punter was caught in February 2002 while he was cheating in baccarat and mini-baccarat tables. The man was a habitué of casinos and bingo clubs since 1988 and he had developed a strategy to place his bets when the hands had finished.

This week, it was announced that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is studying the possibility of building a gambling complex in Eilat, a city located in the south of the country. With that purpose, the Minister has organized a committee, headed by the treasury’s director general, Yarom Ariav.

The commission includes members of the police and the Justice, Interior, Tourism and Welfare Ministries who, in case of approving a casino, will also consider whether the gambling resort should be operated by a private company or the state.