Rules may bring slots by August
As Reported by The Miami Herald

MIAMI, Florida - The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has decided how slot machines can operate at four Broward County parimutuels.

The state has released rules for operating slot machines at four Broward County parimutuels, paving the way for an August opening date for at least one track.

The draft regulations cover nearly every aspect of casino operation, including specifying the inner workings of the machines and the type of security the four parimutuels must offer at their facilities.

The 116-page rule book also governs the licensing process casino operators must follow to get into business and how they'll be audited once they are in business.

Now, the parimutuel division of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will conduct a final hearing on the rules, giving the public and the parimutuel operators a last chance to comment and offer suggestions before they take effect.

The rules could take effect as soon as 30 days after the May 23 hearing in Tallahassee, as long as there are no legal challenges. Once they take effect, the three racetracks and one jai-alai fronton authorized to offer slots can apply for licenses. The state has 90 days to grant or deny an application.

That means some tracks could probably be open late this summer, said Dan Adkins, an executive with the company that owns the Hollywood Greyhound Track. It's possible that his track could be open as soon August, Adkins said.

''For the most part, they did a good job,'' Adkins said of the Division of Parimutuel Wagering, which developed the rules this winter after several public hearings in South Florida and Tallahassee. ``They worked closely with the industry, with experts, and I think they've come up with a good start. Finally, we're getting there.''

Broward voters approved slot machines last year, with the understanding that the tax proceeds from gambling would go toward schools.

Four Broward parimutuels are authorized to offer slots: Dania Jai-Alai, Gulfstream Park thoroughbred track, Pompano Park harness racing track and the Hollywood Greyhound Track, now known as the Mardi Gras Gaming Center.

Gov. Jeb Bush signed the slot machine bill into law in January, ushering in the broadest expansion of the state's gambling laws since the Florida Lottery was introduced in 1988. The bill was passed in a December special legislative session.

Soon after it was signed into law, state regulators began drawing up detailed rules. The state already had broad outlines from the Legislature, including limiting the number of slot machines licenses in the county to 6,000, restricting operating hours to no more than 16 a day, prohibiting free alcoholic drinks to gamblers, and forbidding any gamblers younger than 21.

The hearing on the rules is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 23 in the Department of Business and Professional Regulation Professions Board Room, 1940 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee.

Singapore Could Name Winning Casino Bid By End Of May
As Reported by sg.biz.yahoo.com

SINGAPORE - The winning bid for Singapore's first casino resort could be named in May, Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang said Sunday.

Lim said on state television that the Cabinet will make its decision by the end of May, and it will unveil the winner toward the end of May or in early June.

The minister, who was meeting with his constituency ahead of May 6 general elections, also said campaigning hasn't hampered the evaluation process.

The Singapore Tourism Board, the government agency handling the bidding, has previously said that the Marina Bay casino resort decision will be announced in mid-2006.

The casino, which will sit on a 20.6 hectare waterfront site near the financial district, is expected to be the world's most expensive.

Genting International PLC (G13.SG), a unit of Malaysian gaming giant Genting Bhd. (3182.KU), revealed its bid is worth more than US$3.1 billion (S$5 billion), and Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) said its investment would be US$3.6 billion.

Singapore last year fixed the price of the Marina Bay site at S$1.2 billion, and said the winner would be selected based on the quality of proposals.

MGM Mirage (MGM) and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. (HET), which are leading the other two consortiums vying for the casino, haven't said how much their proposals are worth. Currently, the world's costliest casino is the US$2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas that was completed late last year.

Singapore last year reversed its decades-old ban on casino gambling and said it would award licenses to operate a casino resort at Marina Bay and another on the resort island of Sentosa to boost tourism and help the city-state shed its straight-laced image.

The tender for the Sentosa casino will be launched April 28, and applications will close Oct. 10. The government will likely decide on the winning bid for the Sentosa casino before the endof the year.