Jon Bruford, Casino International editor, has entered the 2007 Las Vegas marathon to be run on December 2. He has entered to raise money for the charity Kidscape, a UK-based anti-bullying charity which offers bullying victims assertiveness training to avoid future bullying, runs a helpline for the parents of bullied children and a whole lot more besides.

If you're not already aware, Casino International is now available every month as a digitized magazine, viewable through a traditional web browser. Sign up for your free copy by following the link from www.casinointernational-online.com, and every month you will get an email containing a link to the magazine.

Capping an incredible year that has seen the company selected as the preferred supplier by the big six gaming manufacturers, and by equipping nine casinos exclusively with its products, JCM American has now claimed the honor of having one of the year’s Best Productivity-Enhancement Technologies in the fourth annual Gaming & Technology Awards.

The gaming and gambling industry pooled their resources at a December charity event hosted by Bullet Business.

A new regime for Britain’s gambling operators starts this month (January), as the Gambling Commission opens its doors for licence applications.

Ainsworth Game Technology has been granted approval for the issue of a casino service industry licence by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (NJCCC). The commission voted unanimously to approve AGT’s licence at a mid-December meeting.

More than 14 months of unprecedented cooperation between gaming manufacturers and operators across the globe has resulted in the Gaming Standards Association’s being named best in show at the recent Global Gaming Expo.

MEI has appointed Mark Staudt as their Eastern Americas Sales Director for gaming. Staudt joins the team replacing Mark Greenawalt who was recently promoted to Director of European Sales.

Work is underway on Stanley’s brand new £7million Nottingham Circus casino. The 30,000 square foot development, on Burton Street, will open during Spring 2007.

Astrosys International, supplier of the Microcoin and GBA range of currency validators, has announced the appointment of Debbie Robb to the position of General Manager of its European regional office, Astrosystems Ltd.

3M has announced the extension of Jon Temple's responsibilities as Gaming Sales Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa to include new business generation and management of key casino and gaming accounts in Spain and Portugal.

Cyberview Technology has been named one of the winners in the fourth annual Gaming & Technology Awards.

Cashmaster International, manufacturers and distributors of cash counting machines, have officially launched their new website.

Last December my husband Norman and I vacationed in St. Thomas in the Caribbean - one of the three islands in the US Virgin Islands. Every day, several cruise ships dock in St. Thomas.

Con el temor de empezar el año poniéndome un poco pesado, pero para corresponder a quienes me han solicitado la publicación grafica de un editorial preparado para el medio electrónico CasinoCompendium.com sobre los incidentes de errores operativos y tecnológicos en casinos, lo único que me queda decir, como complemento a la siguiente nota, es que el desarrollo tecnológico también compete a la capacitación del personal operativo:

Ricki Chavez-Munoz brings you the latest news from South America in his regular Latino America column.

After signing an agreement with Aristocrat for the distribution of their superb PokerPro tables, the sky is the limit for PokerTek – but they're not resting on their laurels, as Jon Bruford discovered.

In fairly innocuous surroundings outside Charlotte, North Carolina, PokerTek is shaking up the world of the casino table game with their dynamic, exciting PokerPro product.

Poker is fueling huge growth in casinos, and Birmingham, England's Broadway Casino is fully embracing this explosion. Jon Bruford attended a charity poker event to find out how they do it…

Fournier Playing Cards, the leader in manufacturing playing cards for casinos, powered the final of the German Poker Tournament hosted at Spielbank Berlin. Fournier Playing Cards, the leader in manufacturing playing cards for casinos, powered the final of the German Poker Tournament hosted at Spielbank Berlin.

Jon Bruford, Casino International editor, has entered the 2007 Las Vegas marathon to be run on December 2. He has entered to raise money for the charity Kidscape, a UK-based anti-bullying charity which offers bullying victims assertiveness training to avoid future bullying, runs a helpline for the parents of bullied children and a whole lot more besides.

GPI finished 2006 with much fanfare with several major orders for its renowned ranges of chips and plaques. Amongst them and in addition to the huge order of 956,000 B&G chips delivered to Holland Casino late last year, GPI was also selected by Spielbank Hamburg from Germany to supply the new Casino Esplanade with its new generation of innovative “S2” gaming chips along the traditional plaques and jetons.

AGI has announced David Orrick appointment to the team to head up the company’s Communications & Business Development activities.

So much is going on at the moment, it’s hard to know where to begin. At the end of January, we may finally get an answer about the location of the UK’s ‘supercasino’ – but then who knows, we may not.