LAS VEGAS, Nevada Six Americans, two Canadians and an Italian on Sunday became the nine finalists in this year's World Series of Poker, the globe's most prestigious and lucrative gambling event. Now the card sharks can put away their sunglasses and good luck charms while the tournament takes a four-month break.

While the land down under has over a dozen land based casinos, there's only three that both rate highly and grab the majority of headlines on a global stage. Enter James Packer's Crown Casino in Melbourne, Tabcorp's Star City in Sydney, and Jupiters Hotel & Casino on the Gold Coast. Media Man and Gambling911 take our eye in the sky look at the landscape of the Aussie land based casino sector and bring you up to speed with what's news down under...

RINGGOLD, Ga. -- What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but when Vegas comes to Catoosa County, word gets out. Friday, just three days after Catoosa County prosecutors failed in their bid to convict Tonya Craft on 22 counts child sex crimes, the agency that played a key role in building the prosecution's case, held a Vegas-themed fundraiser.

Casino Gambling Southern Style by Guide Bill Burton For the last few years I have been hearing great reviews about Tunica Mississippi as a gaming destination. It is currently the country's third largest behind Las Vegas and Atlantic City. One common remark I constantly heard was that in Tunica you were treated with true "Southern Hospitality." I had been planning on visiting Tunica to see for myself.

On paper, Oklahoma shouldn't be such a big deal in the poker world. The Midwestern state ranks only 28th out of 50 in the U.S. in terms of population, and it is known to outsiders mostly as a Bible-Belt state with a propensity for tornadoes. As recently as 2004, Oklahoma didn't even have legal poker rooms.

Michael J. Broderick, Director of Marketing of Lake of the Torches Resort Casino, with History's 'Pawn Stars' Chumlee, Corey and Rick Harrison LAC DU FLAMBEAU, WI-It may have seemed like a gamble, but the odds appear to have been stacked in favor of Lake of the Torches Resort Casino when they became the first casino to book the Pawn Stars from the mega successful History show "Pawn Stars." The trio made their first ever promotional appearance at the property last Saturday.

One can compare SKYLOFTS experience with living in a gorgeous apartment in the sky, far above Las Vegas and the lights of The Strip. The SKYLOFTS, luxurious boutique property located on the top of MGM Grand, Las Vegas, is sophisticated choice for the guests who look for top-level service, newest technology and superb urban design.

Web Extra: Inside The HorseshoeLongtime Binion's Horseshoe employee Mark Burstein gives "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Peter Van Sant a tour of the legendary Las Vegas casino. Sandy Murphy and Ted Binion (CBS)Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish (Las Vegas Police Dept.)Binion's Horseshoe Casino, Las Vegas (Las Vegas News Bureau)Previous slide (CBS) It's been more than a decade since gambling tycoon Ted Binion was found dead in his Las Vegas home, but the questions still remain: how did he die, and where is all his money?

EST in a game that can be seen on CBS. Many sports betting handicappers are saying that the Chargers are just too tough for the Jets in NFL picks. Online sportsbooks agree favoring San Diego -9 at home in NFL playoffs odds against New York with a betting total of 43. Much of the reason why the Chargers are heavily favored in NFL odds is the experience that quarterback Phillip Rivers has shown throughout the season.

There are winners and there are losers, but the old axiom is that they don't build those huge skyscrapers in places like Las Vegas, Reno and other major gambling markets because they consistently pay out more than they take in. With that as a preface, today we'll talk about a story of one of the biggest losers in gambling history.

Oil and gas giant Apache yesterday lost its bid to block Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore from getting a copy of a potentially damaging report into the Varanus Island explosion, which crippled WA's gas supplies. The West Punch-up sets scene for Kennedy's Sandfire exitSandfire Resources, whose stunning WA exploration success has propelled the tiddler into a $400 million stock in just eight months, has parted company with veteran chairman Miles Kennedy only weeks after a restaurant punch-up involving him and managing director Karl Simich.

Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack opened the doors on Friday to its new, permanent gambling venue in Bensalem, Pa. "I know Christmas is next week, but really for these people, it's today." Hundreds waited in the cold for the doors of the new the Parx Casino to open at 6am. Leroy James was right there with them -- getting his first look at the imported chandeliers, marble floors, and huge video screens in the $250-million facility on Street Road: "This is my nightclub now.

LAS VEGAS (MarketWatch) -- Many casino operators are increasingly -- albeit not always confidently -- ready to call a bottom to their current woes, but another group of industry players is almost certainly in for a winning run over the next few years: slot machine makers. Visitors may be staying away from Sin City in droves and, to a lesser degree, cutting back their time and money spent at regional casinos.

Inc., a provider of interactive marketing services for the U.S. regulated gaming industry, today announced integration with popular social networking site Facebook, for its PlayAway TM , PlayerVantage TM and New Play TM suite of products. These programs extend GameLogic's Internet player/database marketing platform to the rapidly growing world of social media.

Ahem. This week's adventure has the Winchester Boys battling a He-Witch who's gunning for the World Poker Tour. Instead of playing for money, the He-Witch ("Patrick," a.k.a. Hal Ozsan) plays for years. Frankly, with his skills, I'm not sure why he chose a rinky dink little town instead of Las Vegas.

Any adult can go to Las Vegas and bet his life's savings without fear of federal agents coming in and slapping the cuffs on him. Even closer to home, any adult can bet it all on the horses at Balmoral Park in Crete, and the only risk is the money handed over to the teller. So why can't people sit in front of a computer and place an innocuous bet on a favorite pro or college sports team?

THE "KISS ALIVE 35" 2009 North American Tour pulls a one night stand at the Pearl in the Palms Saturday, Nov. 28. Named after their 35 years of Rockin' and Rollin'All Nite, the tour will feature the band's biggest hits and songs from their first new album in 11 years called Sonic Boom . Get it tomorrow exclusively at WalMart and Sam's Club along with KISS-branded merchandise that includes everything from condoms to Mr.

includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning. But for those who can't wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Aug.

The $235 million hotel tower addition at the Ameristar Black Hawk in Colorado is scheduled to open Oct. 8. The tower is the tallest structure in the area. CENTRAL CITY, Colo. It's a typically wonderful summer morning in the Rocky Mountains where the temperature has hit about 70 and around 50 people are climbing off a bus after an hourlong drive from Denver.

Las Vegas is a bubble full of money, hookers, doughnuts and no information whatsoever. I have not seen a newspaper for three weeks. I have seen nothing but spinning wheels, cards and dice. I have no idea what is happening in the outside world. I like this news vacuum, but I am looking forward to coming back to London just to enjoy some cool weather, a relaxing meal at Harry Morgan's and the excitement of Michael Jackson's imminent comeback concerts.

The 7,000-room, US$11 billion CityCenter resort is about to open in Las Vegas. But its timing could not be worse By Andrew Clark THE GUARDIAN, LAS VEGAS Monday, Jun 29, 2009, Page 9 The lavish US$11 billion CityCenter complex will boast a casino, four hotels, luxury apartments, a fire station and even an on-site power station.

We're off to Vegas next week and thought we'd share some of our general planning approaches along with our choices of hotels and events for this specific trip. One intent of this article is to indicate that we attempt to practice what we preach here on this site regarding budget - oriented Vegas travel with links to several of our previously published Examiner articles.

LITTLETON, Colorado - (PRESS RELEASE) - The National Pub Poker League (NPPL), announced today its first player who qualified for the $1 Million Mansion Poker Dome Challenge in Las Vegas. This weekend, Jerry Schrader, 36, a locksmith from Woodbridge, Va., won the second round of the Challenge and took home $50,000, bringing his total winnings to $75,000.

LAS VEGAS - President Obama set aside his call for bipartisanship in Washington and staked a strong investment in Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, as he headlined a multi-million dollar fundraiser here Tuesday evening on the Las Vegas Strip. "It's hard to get things done if you don't have some great allies in Congress," Mr.

If there's really one anyway.With Spanish La Liga and English Premiership stars like David Beckham joining the MLS soccer league in the United States, the thought of having one MLS team in Las Vegas are just driving some Vegas locals crazy. A thread in one major soccer website entitled, ''Las Vegas MLS plan ($35 Million on the Table)'' became one of the most popular threads in the said soccer website.

Closed captioned for hearing impaired ALPHABETICAL LISTINGA The Abandoned '06. Anastasia Hille. Ghostly doppelgangers and horrifying events plague a woman and her twin brother at their family's deca

Lisa Hawkes wins London Poker Circuit Main EventUnfortunately it was another disappointing weekend for the London Poker Circuit, who once again experienced a low turnout for their main event. Just 15 players played the Lisa Hawkes winning the main event, as women's poker is becoming more and more high profile this can only be a good thing.

WELCOME TO Kimo's Vegas ... The Player's Edge! THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR ... "I really owe it to my friend. I wanted to stay home, but he wanted to gamble and convinced me to join him. I said to myself, 'Why not? If you're gonna win big, you have to play big and take a chance.'" That's what Rachael Renee Romanick had to say about winning the second-largest jackpot in history.

The list of 200 internet gambling sites that have come under fire by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has been released. Many of the websites identified do not accept players from the United States, leaving leaders in the industry scratching their heads. Headlining the contingent of targeted sites is Party Casino, which is owned by the same publicly traded parent company as its online poker room counterpart, Party Poker.

PowerRating www.buyins.net, announced today its proprietary Market Maker Friction Factor Report for April 7, 2009. Since late October market makers are now required to be on the bid as much as they are on the offer and for like amounts of stock. This "fair market making" requirement is designed to prevent market makers from manipulating stock prices.