Card Player – According to a report from ktrh.com, there has been “growing pressure” on Texas lawmakers to authorize casino gambling. For years, the state has been home to efforts at such legalization, but nothing has ever passed thanks to fierce opposition from opponents. There is really no indication that 2015 will have any better chances than in the past. The Texas Legislature doesn’t meet in 2014. According to the report, among the biggest advocates of legalized casino gaming in Texas is the horse racing industry, which says money is being lost to other states. In 2013, some Texas lawmakers…

The Japan Times – Japan’s government is considering legalizing gambling in Japan, one of the world’s last untapped markets for gambling. Two billionaire casino operators are pushing to open casino resorts and turn Japan into the third-largest center for gambling after the United States and Macau. Gambling will bring problems. The examples of the U.S. and the United Kingdom should be sufficient to show that legalized gambling exacerbates problems. The evidence gathered from those two countries over the last several decades of removing prohibitions on gambling shows huge increases in gambling addiction, crime, personal debt and mental health issues, while…

WKBN Ohio – Casino gambling is about to pay off for some area college students. About 2,500 students statewide will get paid internships and co-ops through a program funded by casino license fees. The Ohio Board of Regents reported that $11 million of those fees is going to 10 community colleges, 15 universities and 11 technical centers over the next two years. Locally, $660,000 is available to Youngstown State University, Eastern Gateway Community College, and career centers in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Schools will use the money to create new or expand existing co-op and internship programs in fields…

Cincinnati.com – Churchill Downs executives say they remain “heavily engaged” in the pursuit of casino gambling in Kentucky. In a conference call Thursday with stock analysts about the Louisville-based racetrack and casino company’s 2013 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, Churchill Downs Inc. Chief Operating Officer Bill Carstanjen said that it’s “getting to crunch time of the session. We have some cause to be optimistic, but our issues are wrapped up in other issues that can affect us that are hard to predict.” Representatives of Kentucky thoroughbred tracks and racing commission member Frank Jones met with state House Speaker Pro Tem Larry…