Tobias Ellwood MP, the UK Conservative Party's spokesman on gambling and Shadow Minister for Culture Media and Sport, will be giving a keynote speech for the second year running at the Gaming Awards.

Google now permits gamblingrelated advertising to appear against search queries in Great Britain.

Aristocrat has strengthened its sales and marketing representation in Europe with the appointment of Milana Baysangurova to the post of Regional Sales Manager.

The International Gaming Expo (IGE) website is now live at www.ige-exhibition.com, and provides on-line free ticket registration alongside updated exhibition lists and floor plans, information on travel and hotels, a media centre, and FAQs. IGE, which runs from 27th-29th January 2009, brings together the ICE and ICEi exhibitions and the low-stake gaming element of ATEI.

Storm International has been acknowledged as the leader in the development of a responsible attitude to gambling in Eastern Europe, collecting an award during a gala dinner held in Sofia during the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo.

Net Entertainment, a leading B2B provider in the online gambling industry has been accredited by the player protection and standards body eCOGRA, following a detailed audit.

ELAUT NV has appointed Paul Heuvelmans to the newly created position of Product Manager.

IGT and Las Vegas Gaming (LVGI) have put legal rows about alleged copyright and other infringements involving LVGI's PlayerVision behind them, and are going forward in a new business relationship.

The US District Court for the District of Nevada has granted Bally's motions for a summary judgement in a patent case between Bally and IGT, ruling that IGT's two ‘wheel' patents are invalid, and that even if the patents were valid, the Bally games at issue would not infringe the patents. The court also ruled that IGT's touch-screen, playertracking patent is invalid and that, similarly, Bally's SDS and ACSC iVIEW player-tracking units do not infringe the two asserted playertracking patents.

PokerTek Inc. and Lightning Gaming have settled their legal engagements. While the terms of the settlement are confidential, the parties have dropped all present lawsuits between them, including Lightning's lawsuit alleging patent infringement filed this summer in Federal District Court in New Jersey. There is no material financial impact to PokerTek as a result of this development.

The Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse is the first French Casino to adopt a TITO system. All but 21 of its 250 slot machines now accept tickets.

Progressive Gaming has changed its President and Chief Operating Officer and engaged Capital Partners LLD to help conduct a strategic review process "including, but not limited to, the sale of the company", following an announcement that current market conditions are behind a shortfall in the company's projected performance.

Gala Casinos has introduced the UK's first casino-onwheels, the Casino Magic Bus, which is a custom vehicle designed to bring free casino games to people to give them a taste of roulette, table games, and friendly croupiers in a casino-like setting.

Peter Davies has joined Gamestec as Business Development Director. Davies, formerly Director of Business Development at Games Media, heads up a newly-established team responsible for developing commercial opportunities both in existing and in emerging markets.

Two legislative steps have been taken towards clarifying what will and won't be illegal under the USA's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Ritzio has opened two new Vulcan Stern gaming clubs in Germany, one in Erkelenz, North Rhine-Westphalia, and one in Osnabrueck, Lower Saxony.

Elixir Gaming Technologies has appointed Clarence Chung, the Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors, as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr Chung replaces Gordon Yuen, who resigned as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board for health reasons. The Board of Directors is engaged in a search for a permanent replacement.

Smart Voucher Ltd, owners of Ukash, the online cash payment solution, has launched UkashOut, a MasterCardendorsed prepaid card to replace cheques, bank transfers and other traditional payout methods.

With the new Russian Gambling Zones due to come into force in July next year, EELEX, the Eastern European Leisure Exhibition, is moving from its September slot and will take place in June 2009, according to organisers Smile-Expo.

Gross casino gaming revenue in Macau is slipping, with a ten percent decline in the third quarter of this year as compared to the second quarter, according to figures provided by Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

The Board of the Directors of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) has approved the membership applications of seven new companies, bringing the trade group's roster of members to a total of 58.

John Carroll, who set up Carroll Consulting in early 2008, has launched a new website that sets out the three core activities of the company: Consultancy; PR & Advertising; and Translation Services.

Following the publication of the report ‘Regulating Gaming in Ireland' by Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern in July this year, the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland (GLAI) has commissioned and published a report that illustrates the economic potential for regulated online and land-based casino gaming in Ireland.

Aristocrat returned from the first Balkan Gaming and Entertainment Expo (BEGE) with the title ‘Best Upright Slot Machine' given to its Viridian machine in the Best Gaming Equipment Industrial Design in the Balkans awards, which were presented during the show.

FutureLogic has shipped one million gaming printers since it introduced the very first TITO printer in 1999.

CryptoLogic is to provide PartyGaming with a suite of its top-branded casino games, which are likely to be launched early in 2009.

Weike Technology, Singapore's licensed gaming machine and electronic gaming table manufacturer, is continuing to work very closely with Waz Lian Gaming (WLG), which has the right to represent Weike products in the Vietnam market on a non-exclusive basis, thereby providing customers with a choice of who they would like to deal with for Weike products.

Ivobank, the UK's newest online bank is to provide online payment and banking services to the customers of online gaming specialist Unibet.

Jon Bruford has a brief word before jetting off to Vegas for G2E 2008...

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Ricki Chavez-Munoz brings the latest news from Latino America

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It's a name synonymous with bookmaking, and the Victor Chandler brand has extended to become respected and recognised worldwide as an online sports book and much more. Victor Chandler, the man behind the name, took the time to speak to Casino International at his office in Gibraltar.

A mobile perspective on casino customer retention by Matti Zinder, head of leading provider of advanced mobile casino systems, Spin3

Ross Ferrar of Australia's Gaming Technologies Association bemoans the lack of genuine high quality research in the country, where the anti-gambling lobby relies on outdated and inaccurate statistics for ammunition.

Euro Games Technology recently opened their new factory and office complex in Bulgaria, and the celebrations went on into the night…

In financially troubled times, is there really room for another exhibition in the gaming industry? Yes, it would seem there is – when it’s as good as the first BEGE was…

Visiting Kampala’s nightspots would not be complete without a visit to one of Uganda’s great casinos for a fun-filled evening, with great food and entertainment waiting to make your night a true pleasure. Chuck Swift investigates…