2009 August 17 Gambling News, Events and Happenings

ELBURN The village has moved closer to becoming the first community in the region to ban video gambling.

NICHOLS — Tioga Downs Casino expects to more than double the amount of “free play” credits it gives its video gaming customers as part of a New York Lottery pilot program to battle increasing competition from gaming facilities in Pennsylvania.

The Kansas City casino market took in nearly $61.47 million in July, down 1.1 percent from a year ago, as it continued to navigate the recession. It was the second straight down month for area casinos, but for 2009 to date they remained just slightly ahead of their gross revenue for the first seven months of 2008.

The November election is just more than two months away and voters will decide whether to allow casinos in Ohio.

Gordon Graves, the Austin millionaire who rolled the dice in 2005 when he founded a gambling enterprise of uncertain legality, agreed on Monday to plead guilty to a single felony charge of tampering with evidence as part of a sweeping deal to end three separate criminal prosecutions against his company, Aces Wired.

The future of bingo is a point of contention between the mayor and the city council in Bessemer .   Bessemer Mayor Edward May says he plans to veto the charity bingo ordinance that was recently adopted by the city council at tomorrow’s council meeting. Supporters of the ordinance say bingo will bring in new revenue, but the mayor says it will hurt residents and ultimately cost the city as much …

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Ohio Lottery Commission has approved proposed rules on racetrack slot machine that have drawn criticism from church leaders.

MONSON - This town’s Board of Selectmen has reiterated its neutral position on casinos, but some people in neighboring Palmer aren’t buying it. “We really don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing …

Strickland says he is in favor of race-track slots but not a proposed gambling initiative on the November ballot. The Ohio Lottery commission is due to vote on racetrack slot machine rules that have drawn criticism from church leaders.