Prime
Minister expected to support
Eilat casino
As reported by The Israel Business Arena
Hebrew
daily "Yediot Ahronot" reports that a casino
will be opened in Eilat within 18 months, at the recommendation
of Prime Minister's Office director-general Avigdor Yitzhaki.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to support the
plan and the Ministry of Finance also supports establishing
a legal casino in Eilat.
Pressure
has been increasing lately to establish a legal casino
in Israel, in view of the popularity of illegal gambling
and the flood of Israelis to casinos around the world,
including at Taba, in Sinai, outside Eilat.
Tax
authorities believe there are scores of illegal casinos
in Israel, especially in the Dan region, costing hundreds
of millions of shekels a year in lost tax revenues.
Another
reason for establishing a casino in Eilat is to encourage
domestic tourism in the city. There is concern that the
tourism crisis, caused by the security situation, is liable
to cause Eilat to lose a major share of the domestic tourism
market, unless a casino is established in the city. Senior
officials in the Prime Minister's Office believe that
the establishment of a legal casino under state supervision
will encourage Israelis to take holidays in Eilat.
It
is still unclear who would operate the casino, if the
cabinet approves it. Possibilities include Mifal Hapayis
- Israel National Lottery, the Toto sports lottery, foreign
or Israeli investors.
Consumer
gambling magazine
to launch
As reported by The Herald
UK
- This week sees the launch of a new glossy lads'
magazine called Inside Edge, from the publishers of Maxim.
It will, it claims, teach its readers to "turn the
odds in their favour" to beat the bookies. Editor
James Hipwell says: "The whole culture of gambling
in the UK is about to change and we think our readers
will be savvy gamblers who want to bet more skilfully,
using their knowledge, not luck.
"Online
gambling in the past two years has also allowed for much
easier access to betting, while at the same time the image
has totally changed. This is a high-tech, high-revenue
industry which is only going to get bigger, and I would
like to think people buying the magazine can't really
lose."