British Ministers are set to perform a giant U-turn and allow up to 10 new Las Vegas-style super-casinos in Britain.

The current legislation allows only one mega casino, but Richard Caborn, the minister responsible for gambling, indicated that the Government could allow more if there was clear demand.

JackpotMadness, part of Jumbo Jackpots of Curacao, has had a record payout on its King Cashalot progressive slot game. The jubilant winner, Tim F. of Jackpot Casino City, scooped a whopping $1,218,306.82.

The King Cashalot Game has been running since July 2004, on the Jackpot Madness network and Microgamming sites. The concept is that the prize money is accumulated from all of the sixty plus sites, continually being topped up until it is finally won in a big jackpot payout.

For the sum of $13,000, Viva La Bam wrestlers Leatherface and The Executioner will get Golden Palace Casino tattoos on their forearms.

The online casino won the bid after ‘Leatherface’ started the auction a few weeks ago, failing twice to capture the attention of any potential ‘advertisers’ before grabbing the attention of Golden Palace.

Madonna has reportedly turned down a lucrative $150million deal to star in her own Las Vegas show.

Sources say the pop queen was offered the chance of a long-running residency at one of the city's top hotels - similar to Celine Dion and Elton John, who perform at Caesar's Palace.

But when Vegas entrepreneur Jack Wishna tried to set up the deal for her, Madonna declined.

Buffalo Catholic Bishop Edward Kmiec recently sent a letter to the Mayor urging him to oppose a casino for downtown Buffalo, even while many diocesan churches still run bingo and other games of chance.

Diocesan spokesman Kevin Keenan tells the two are not the same. He says casino gambling has higher stakes; that the money does not serve a higher purpose as Church-sponsored gaming does; that "lives are ruined" by casinos when people who can ill afford to gamble bet their money away; and that the casinos are available 24-hours a day, where Church games are limited.

Beginning with thousands of hopefuls from coast-to-coast, Canadian Idol has been narrowed down to just eight remaining finalists competing for a major recording contract and the adoration of millions of fans.

With millions of viewers making Canadian Idol the country's most-watched (English-speaking) Canadian series ever, the show's loyal fans remain captivated by the search for Canada's next Kalan Porter.

Storm watchers, listen up. If you think you have the weather knowledge and financial fortitude, you'll soon have the chance to bet on where hurricanes will make landfall.

A trio of professors at the University of Miami is launching an electronic futures market on hurricanes. Traders who buy or sell the right spot at the right time can cash in, maybe clearing enough profit to buy a small generator.

Amusement arcade chain Quicksilver yesterday moved to attract a new type of player to its slot machine games by launching a mobile phone casino.

Quicksilver, which runs 142 high street arcades and is owned by stock market-listed group Talarius, unveiled its "on the move" service offering games such as casino, roulette and blackjack to mobile phone users.

Isle of Capri Casinos’s Biloxi, Mississippi, property sustained no damage due to Hurricane Dennis and reopened today at 11:30 am Central Time. The property was closed Saturday at 10:00 pm as a precaution due to the uncertainty of Hurricane Dennis’ landfall.

Timothy M. Hinkley, president and chief operating officer, said, "Tropical weather is a part of life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; our first priority is the safety of our guests and team members..."

Researchers have identified a strange side effect to a treatment for Parkinson's disease: excessive gambling.

Some patients taking medications known as dopamine agonists developed the problem within six months of starting treatment, even though they had previously gambled only occasionally or never at all. "This is a striking effect," remarks J. Eric Ahlskog of the Mayo Clinic, a co-author of the new study. "Pathological gambling induced by a drug is really quite unusual."