Bloomberg – MGM China Holdings Ltd., the Macau casino operator, said first-quarter profit jumped by a third as mass-market gambling increased. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, increased to $257 million from $193 million a year earlier, according to a statement yesterday from MGM Resorts International (MGM), the company’s Las Vegas-based parent. That compares with the median estimate of $258.5 million from six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. The numbers exclude a branding fee of $16 million this year and $13 million last year. MGM China will continue to redeploy more gaming tables to mass-market gamblers,…

Joystiq – Since China temporarily lifted its ban on foreign video game consoles in January, it was a matter of time before the government offered new rules to regulate console and game distribution. According to a Shanghai government release translated by Games in Asia, those rules will dictate the kind of content that won’t be allowed to be sold in the country, such gambiling-related game features. Additionally, anything deemed threatening to “China’s national unity, sovereignty, or territorial integrity” and content that “instigates racial/ethnic hatred” won’t be distributable in the country. Games also may not promote “obscenity, drug use, violence or…

Sydney Morning Journal – Emily, a 30-year-old economist, became so addicted to Candy Crush Saga, a free iPhone game, that she would lie awake at 1am imagining her finger swiping across the screen to line up rows of brightly coloured lollies. Three in a row would deliver a satisfying squelch as they burst and moved the ­Melbourne mother-of-two closer to the next level. Candy Crush Saga is a simple game but the hold it has over its devoted followers is complex and incredibly strong. They are reminiscent of gamblers who can’t help but feed another $20 into a poker machine…

Casino.org – Questionable goings on in the Low Countries this week, as the Blue Gem Gaming website flat-lined while its third-party gaming software disappeared from its clients’ casinos, all of which points to a crackdown by the Dutch authorities. Blue Gem took over some of the assets of disgraced Eindhoven-based slots software developer Sheriff Gaming just last month, claiming to be unaffiliated with the bankrupt company. Blue Gem began to market and license Sheriff’s game titles to online casinos, but it seems that the authorities just aren’t buying it. Sheriff was a successful 3D games developer, producing popular titles such…

Aljazeera – Gambling has been illegal in Pakistan since 1947. But the ban has not stopped the industry from thriving. There are hundreds of illegal gambling shops across Karachi. The punishment for breaking the law include a $10 fine and up to one year in prison. These lax penalties, combined with poor enforcement, allow illegal betting to thrive. LISTEN TO FULL REPORT

Have you played Atari gambling today? The interactive entertainment publisher and producer is set to enter the real-money gambling market under a new strategic partnership with software company Pariplay. The two companies will work together to launch Atari’s video game brands across real-money gambling formats including iLottery, social, online and mobile. Due to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year, the Atari real-money gambling website will feature games from the company’s robust portfolio such as Asteroids, Pong, Tempest and Missile Command. Pariplay will also distribute the Atari gambling branded games throughout its network to enable operators to run…