The renowned Cirque du Soleil revealed this week that it will present its first permanent show at the Venetian Macau. The performance is part of the strategy of casino operators to attract a new and broader segment of the public to the Chinese enclave, especially through high-level entertainment like this.

In the last few years, Macau has aimed to reinvent itself with luxurious casinos and gaming venues built by foreign investors, such as the Venetian Macao, the Wynn Macao and the MGM Grand Macao.

Lord McNally, who represents Blackpool, informed the House of the Lords that his city could be granted those gambling licenses rejected by other cities, which revived the discussion about a Blackpool casino.

“If all 16 are not taken up is there enough flexibility in this legislation, or can the Government use enough common sense, to reallocate those licenses to other areas?,” Lord McNally said. "I believe some of the benefits, which would have come from a resort casino, could still be won by Blackpool.”

The new President-elect of Taiwan has informed that he intends to encourage the casino business in his country, as a way to enhance economy. Ma Ying-Jeou said he is prepared to open the doors to the gaming world, since it could be the only solution for Taiwan’s financial problems.

Ma Ying-Jeou has made his intentions clear: when he takes office in 20th May, a new gaming era will start in Taiwan. “Local governments will have the right to issue gambling licenses,” the President-elect said.

The Jamaican government has decided to issue the license for the first legal casino of the country. According to a government spokesperson, the gaming venue will be inside a new hotel to be built in Montego Bay, St. James by international investors and casino operators.

The same spokesperson said the hotel will have more than 3,000 rooms and will employ thousands of Jamaicans but did not give further details. Prime Minister Bruce Golding is expected to announce the government’s decision soon and reveal the identity of the investors.

In spite of the announcements made by Harrah’s Entertainment a few months ago about the development of a $1.2 billion casino in Slovenia, the company has decided to withdraw from the project. A spokesperson for Harrah’s said the decision was made because they were unable to reach an agreement concerning a management contract.

“It was really coming to an agreement on how we could have management strength and they could have ownership control,” Jan Jones, Harrah’s senior vice president of communications and government relations explained.

Luck seems to be smiling at the English supermodel Kate Moss, who was seen stepping out of a London casino carrying a package containing an important wad of money, estimated in 50,000 pounds (approximately U$S 100,000) on her hand, after winning on roulette.

The 34 year old model was seen coming out of Aspinalis casino in Mayfair, carrying an envelope with a wad of money, where she was photographed by the main tabloids of England, who estimated the prize contained in the envelope.

Casinos Austria International announced its plans to cross the oceans during 2008 in two spectacular ships: the Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager and the Silversea’s Silver Shadow. The cruises will navigate through the Panama Canal and the Mexican Riviera, following a route that will lead passengers to tropical hideaways in Hawaii.

In only 110 days, the Silver Shadow will visit 26 countries and 52 harbors, including the mysterious islands of the Pacific, the amazing desserts in Egypt and the millenary Far East. On the other hand, the Seven Seas Voyager will visit 26 countries and make stops in 51 ports.

TransSend and Intercash, two companies dedicated to provide payment solutions, have announced this week that they will launch a prepaid card that will provide important benefits for gambling operators as well as for gamblers and that could be used to place bets at the casinos which operate in the Old Continent.

The card, which is a MasterCard product, will allow its users to take away money from a million of ATMs around the world, make payments in more than 24 million authorized points or use it to make online transactions.

In the middle of a great debate and controversy regarding the possibility of building casinos in England and therefore increasing the gambling offer in the country, it was announced this week that the English government would finally be willing to give the green light and permit the construction of big gambling centers.

Gordon Brown, England’s Prime Minister, has always showed interest in reaching a solution to the conflict over the advantages and disadvantages that the construction of gambling centers will carry.

This week Holland Casino received the international award “Socially Responsible Operator of the Year” granted by the gaming industry. Johan van Kastel, Security and Risk Control Vice President, attended the Gaming Awards 2008 celebrated in London on behalf of the casino.

“We are very proud to receive this international acknowledgment,” Holland Casino’s spokesman Dick Flink said. “Holland Casino has adopted the Responsible Gaming Policy as part of its strategy, with the aim to put the organization ‘in the center of society’, visible to the whole world.”