Exactly one year ago on 26 August CasinoCompendium started its news service on the day that the Peru Gaming Show 2004 opened in Lima. It was a time of promise in the gaming industry. The draft Gambling Bill in the UK was expected to open new and exciting avenues leading to casino complexes as seen in South Africa and the USA; Chile was considering rewriting its casino laws; Macau was breaking records; Singapore was facing a culture shock destined to alter four decades of a no casino policy; and Mexico was dragging its heels in the fight against illegal gambling.

What has actually happened over the last twelve months has been well documented. Chile is at the final stage of assessing casino projects for its authorized 17 new licences, and Singapore has given the nod to two prospective integrated resort casinos. Mexico is still dragging its heels, and losing millions of dollars annually in untaxed revenue from illegal gambling operations, and Macau is still breaking records. The UK Gambling Bill 2005 finally arrived but has become somewhat of a damp squib as far as casino development is concerned.

The gaming industry supplies plenty of controversy, interesting developments and, at times, humour. The CasinoCompendium website has moved from bilingual with English and Spanish to trilingual with the addition of Russian. Over the last year the Russian industry has grown fast and is now facing tightening controls. Gambling markets continue to expand within the US, while Australia and New Zealand have added new constraints to their well-established gaming laws. Responsible gaming is constantly in the limelight and, of course, online gambling’s increasing popularity is always a hot topic.

Future trends, technological innovations, new jurisdictions and legal battles will doubtless provide food for thought over the next twelve months. We look forward to the challenge of continuing to provide relevant global news coverage and take the opportunity to thank our readers from around the world for their support.

Happy Birthday, CasinoCompendium! (E-08.26.05)

© Copyright 2005 CasinoCompendium



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