The UK government has unveiled its new three-year strategy for reducing the potential harms of gambling that will include a “firm regulatory enforcement approach” toward gambling operators.

On Thursday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) released its new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, a three-year program involving health bodies, charities, regulators and businesses that will focus on two main areas: prevention and education, and treatment and support.

UKGC chairman William Moyes said the new strategy will allow the government and its partners “the opportunity to make faster progress to reduce gambling harms,” not only for those directly impacted by gambling but also their friends, family and society at large.

Last year, the UKGC released a report detailing its ‘framework for action’ on measuring gambling-related harms, which aimed to assist the government and gambling charities in determining how best to allocate their resources in the fight to better protect consumers.

Nevada casino sportsbooks set a new monthly record for basketball betting handle in March, which helped push the state’s overall gaming revenue over the billion-dollar mark.

Figures released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show statewide gaming revenue of $1.023b in March, which, despite topping the magical billion-dollar threshold for the second consecutive month, actually represents a 0.12% decrease from the same month last year. The billion-plus result also came despite gaming revenue at Las Vegas Strip casinos falling 3.8% to just under $552m.

The state’s slot machines had a solid month, with revenue up 5% to $675.3m. It was a much different story in the ‘table, counter and card games’ category, which reported revenue falling 8.75% to $347.7m. Most of that decline came courtesy of baccarat, which saw its revenue cut by more than half to $53.6m, thanks in part to volume falling 42% and a below-average win rate of just 11%.

By contrast, most of Nevada’s other table games were in positive territory, some of them dramatically so. Blackjack led the way with $108.4m (+13.8%) and craps improved 1.9% to $34.8m but roulette shot up a weighty 43.5% to $41.7m, the game’s second-highest total on record.

The Seminole tribe in Florida has been putting together a new gambling package with state lawmakers and that package has now been presented to Governor Ron DeSantis. It will now most likely sit on a desk until the next legislative session, as Florida lawmakers are going on recess in two weeks and DeSantis has already said that he has strong reservations about some of the provisions contained in the new gambling agreement.

The Sunshine State and the Seminoles have been battling for the past several years to create a new compact that would be amenable to both side. A compact created in 2010 expired in 2015 and, since then, no progress has been made on a new version. This has the potential to cause Florida to lose valuable revenue payments, while the tribe continues to rake in the cash with their almost exclusive control over gambling in the state.

Rick Scott, who preceded DeSantis as governor, had reached an interim agreement with the tribe when he controlled the state. That agreement gave the Seminoles an extension of their control over blackjack in exchange for millions of dollars in revenue payments. The Seminoles have argued that the agreement has already been compromised by certain card clubs in the state and, with that agreement expiring at the end of May, Florida could lose over $350 million in gambling revenue if a new solution isn’t found quickly.

Under the new draft compact, the Seminoles would be allowed to offer sports gambling. However, DeSantis isn’t convinced that one aspect of the activity, in-play betting at professional sports venues, could jeopardize the integrity of the games and added that being able to “place a wager on whether the first pitch of a game is going to be a strike or not … [is] a big moral hazard.”

The Seminole tribe in Florida has been putting together a new gambling package with state lawmakers and that package has now been presented to Governor Ron DeSantis. It will now most likely sit on a desk until the next legislative session, as Florida lawmakers are going on recess in two weeks and DeSantis has already said that he has strong reservations about some of the provisions contained in the new gambling agreement.

The Sunshine State and the Seminoles have been battling for the past several years to create a new compact that would be amenable to both side. A compact created in 2010 expired in 2015 and, since then, no progress has been made on a new version. This has the potential to cause Florida to lose valuable revenue payments, while the tribe continues to rake in the cash with their almost exclusive control over gambling in the state.

Rick Scott, who preceded DeSantis as governor, had reached an interim agreement with the tribe when he controlled the state. That agreement gave the Seminoles an extension of their control over blackjack in exchange for millions of dollars in revenue payments. The Seminoles have argued that the agreement has already been compromised by certain card clubs in the state and, with that agreement expiring at the end of May, Florida could lose over $350 million in gambling revenue if a new solution isn’t found quickly.

Under the new draft compact, the Seminoles would be allowed to offer sports gambling. However, DeSantis isn’t convinced that one aspect of the activity, in-play betting at professional sports venues, could jeopardize the integrity of the games and added that being able to “place a wager on whether the first pitch of a game is going to be a strike or not … [is] a big moral hazard.”

The Monticello Raceway in New York has shut down its electronic gaming racino. The move comes as the venue’s parent company, Empire Resorts, wants to put all its efforts into the Resorts World Catskills (RWC), which opened about a year ago. The raceway at Monticello will remain open—at least for now.

Empire doesn’t anticipate having to close the entire venue, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a company has changed its mind. According to Empire CEO Ryan Eller, “We’re eager to explore various options to preserve the Monticello Raceway operations, and relocating the raceway video-gaming machines to Orange County would definitely go a long way to that goal.”

The video lottery terminal (VLT) business at Monticello has fallen substantially, while Resorts World continues to see an increase in all of its businesses. Eller adds, “There is not enough business that remains at that VLT facility to justify the cost of operating it.”

Up to 160 employees are affected by the closure, but Empire has said that it will help as many as possible find positions at RWC. Fortunately, the two venues are only about 10 minutes apart.

The Monticello Raceway in New York has shut down its electronic gaming racino. The move comes as the venue’s parent company, Empire Resorts, wants to put all its efforts into the Resorts World Catskills (RWC), which opened about a year ago. The raceway at Monticello will remain open—at least for now.

Empire doesn’t anticipate having to close the entire venue, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a company has changed its mind. According to Empire CEO Ryan Eller, “We’re eager to explore various options to preserve the Monticello Raceway operations, and relocating the raceway video-gaming machines to Orange County would definitely go a long way to that goal.”

The video lottery terminal (VLT) business at Monticello has fallen substantially, while Resorts World continues to see an increase in all of its businesses. Eller adds, “There is not enough business that remains at that VLT facility to justify the cost of operating it.”

Up to 160 employees are affected by the closure, but Empire has said that it will help as many as possible find positions at RWC. Fortunately, the two venues are only about 10 minutes apart.

For the first time in two years, the Liberation Carnival will be allowed to include casino-style card games. However, the Mayor’s Council of Guam is still awaiting the rules and regulations that will govern the activities related to gambling, as they have not been provided and the carnival is now just about six weeks away.

Bill No. 101-35 is a measure that will set forth the policies and guidelines that will be used during the two-month-long festival. However, hearings on the bill are not set to begin until April 29, giving vendors and carnival officials a very small window to prepare for the upcoming event.

This would not be the first hearing related to the measure. The country’s lawmakers already met to discuss the bill since gambling was permitted, something that is disturbing many of the members on the Council, including Executive Director Angel Sablan. “If they have another hearing next week we’re going to say the same things we already said.” He added, “It’s going to be a race against the clock,” as the event is set to begin on June 5 and will run until August 3.

Earlier this month, Bill No. 29-35 allowed for the return of gambling to the carnival. It was signed into law on April 4, but the new rules and regulations governing gambling were not included as part of the legislation.