Gaming certification testing specialist BMM Testlabs has been granted permission to operate in Columbia after it received approval and final accreditation from the COLJUEGOS government regulatory body. BMM Testlabs will now be able to support regulators in the South American country under its new certification. “BMM will work closely with COLJUEGOS during the introduction of a formal homologation into the newly regulated gaming market in Columbia,” BMM TestLabs’ senior vice-president of business development Drew Pawlak said. “Through this collaboration of the two organizations we will be discussing how the homologation process will unfold for the future of gaming, for all…

iGaming Business – International casino entertainment company Century Casinos has moved to strengthen its presence in the Polish national market by opening a new facility in the Eastern European country. Through its Casino Poland subsidiary, the company has launched a new casino in the Polish city of Poznan. The move comes after Casino Poland opted to relocate its casino licence in Poznan from what it described as an “unfavourable” location to the Andersia four-star hotel. The new casino facility offers nine gaming tables and approximately 50 ‘ticket in – ticket out’ slot machines. Century Casinos is currently operating a total…

Sacramento Bee – The signs of decay linger on Virginia Street, the main casino corridor in “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Pawn shops and cut-rate motels line up alongside the high-end hotel towers. The strip is still pocked with shuttered casinos, victims of the recession and burgeoning competition from Northern California’s Indian tribes. But signs of comeback – slow and steady – are evident as well. Construction crews are turning the old Fitzgeralds casino, closed since 2008, into the outdoor-themed Whitney Peak Hotel. A small slot-machine parlor called Siri’s Casino soon will open next door. In nearby Sparks,…

Did you fill out a March Madness bracket this year? Do you understand the double standard on gambling from the Federal government? In many states, if you put money in a pool, that’s illegal! The NCAA website warns, “Fans should enjoy … filling out a bracket just for the fun of it, not … the amount of money they could possibly win.” Give me a break. Americans bet more money on March Madness this year than on the Super Bowl. Politicians can’t quite make up their minds about gambling: They approve certain casinos and promote state lotteries but crack down…

The Sydney Morning Herald – One-armed bandits are blamed for robbing Sydney of its live music scene, but pokies may be the saviour of the industry under a plan adopted by the City of Sydney. The council will lobby the state government to support the live music industry using money from gaming revenue. It is one of 57 recommendations in the City of Sydney’s Live Music Taskforce’s final action plan that were unanimously adopted at a meeting of councillors on Monday. A City of Sydney spokeswoman said a similar program in South Australia had become a valuable resource supporting live…

Sydney Morning Herald – Clubs NSW chief executive Anthony Ball claims: ‘‘Fairfield Clubs do a fantastic job in supporting local community groups that might otherwise notexist if it wasn’t for their support’’ (‘‘Punters in west pile money in pokies’’, March 23). That is all well and good, but even Mr Ball would have to concede that the $298 million the clubs raised from annual poker machine profits is quite a lot tohave taken from the local community in the first place. Both the NSW and federal governments justify their softly, softly approach to problem gambling by citing individual rights (‘‘Time…