The 2008 edition of the South American Gaming Suppliers Expo (SAGSE), which took place in the capital of Argentina last week, has been claimed to be a total success, full of luxury and that left every participant satisfied, remarking its status as the main Latin-American event on the matter.

With an important amount of public and a great share of expositors, SAGSE Buenos Aires closed its 16th edition last Friday. It received gaming suppliers from all over the world who set up all their products and services and showed them to the public, who came from the region mainly but also from all over the world.

Spin3, the leading full service mobile gambling solutions provider, powered by Microgaming, the world's largest online gaming software provider, has recently announced the launching of its newest service: play-for-real casino games for Apple's iPhone. With this move, the company aims to provide operators with the right tool to capture a very interesting portion of the mobile casino market.

The small Macedonian city of Gevgelija, located southeast of the country in the bordering region with Greece, is becoming a gambling paradise due to the construction of many large scale casinos on its territory.

Gevgelija has a strategic location in the region, bringing together the center and the south of Europe through a motorway which connects the city of Skopje and other 3 former Yugoslavian capitals (Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana) with Thessaloniki (the second largest Greek city).

Hollywood celebrities obtain huge profits thanks to complementary business besides their artistic careers. It’s common for stars to own restaurants or bars in Los Angeles and that is the reason why Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria have assured they are willing to start a joint venture.

The actress of Desperate Housewives and David Beckham’s wife are thinking big: they intend to open a casino. Their taste for gambling and spending money has driven Eva and Victoria to start this project, which they are still developing. The casino is expected to include the restaurant Beso II.

The Chilean city of Los Angeles, capital city of the Biobío province in Chile, has opened its first Casino this week, which will be named “Gran Casino Los Angeles”. It will have an international category and is integrated into a great project which includes also a hotel with gymnasium, conference center and spa, with a total investment of 20 million dollars.

The city, which currently has a population of 166,556 people, expects an avalanche of visitors after the opening of the casino.

A casino in the French city of Cannes held this weekend the opening ceremony of an outdoor gaming area, the first of its kind in Europe. The 800-square meter area offers poker, blackjack and roulette tables and guests are allowed to smoke, something that is forbidden in restaurants, bars and in every indoors public space in France.

“We took advantage of a 2007 law which authorizes games to become outdoors activities. However, we had to fight the opposition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to several regulations.”

The project for the construction of a new large scale Casino in downtown Budapest, the capital of Hungary, would be almost reality according to reports from the local press which circulated these last days. This announcement brings back the controversy for the construction of a Eurovegas in the western part of this European country.

According to the Hungarian press, the ministry of Finances could have already chosen a winner for the biding to the construction of the Casino in Budapest, to which they will provide exclusive operation rights.

The antismoking ban, which has been progressively applied since last January in Germany, is threatening the business of several casinos and favoring illegal gaming rooms and online bets. Matthias Hein, the spokesperson for the Federation of German Casinos, said that in the next three years between three and five large casinos will close.

“Four out of five casino habitués smoke. Smoking and betting are inseparable,” Hein commented and he added that, in view of the smoking prohibition, the industry is experiencing a surge of illegal gaming venues.

The French government has been considering for some time whether or not to legalize the online gambling market in France. Finally, the decision to legalize online gambling has been made; this will enable them to compete with other major European online casinos, allowing a general increase in the country’s income.

The French lottery Francaise des Jeux and PMU, have been monopolizing the entire gambling market. In their websites, they offer online betting and scratchcards.

Holland Casino registered a total of 7.5 million visitors in 2007. This means a 7.6 per cent more than in 2006 and makes of Holland Casino an extremely popular entertainment venue. The increasing number of visitors, however, did not represent better operational results, in terms of profits.

The net income of the company in 2007 was 85.6 million euros, 4.1 per cent less than in 2006 and the money spent per visitor was 104 euros compared to 101 euros in 2007. The decrease in the company’s profits is also due to taxes, which in 2007 represented 268.2 million euros.