News from my Desk, Friday - YES ! Its Friday - February 22, 2013 @ 9.00AM AEST

Our BLOG Breaking News page is a means of keeping our readers informed on the latest news around the clock, the full release is not published below but will appear within an upcoming edition of the Daily News - we hope that our posts are enough to alert you to any breaking news within the Lottery & Gaming Industry

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 Insider Bites of News currently being prepared for todays edition follows:


China Sees Surge in Lottery Ticket Sales for January
BEIJING, China (February 21, 2013) -- China's lottery ticket sales surged 51.1 percent year-on-year in January to hit 24.86 billion yuan ($3.96 billion), official data shows.

Spanish Finance Ministry Issues Rebuttal on Claims of Favourable Treatment to Online Gambling Company
MADRID, Spain (February 21, 2013) -
Published in todays edition of Lottery Insider

New tool on The Market: the Advisory Council on Responsible Gaming
MADRID, Spain (February 21, 2013) -- The Spanish central government, through the national body game controller, the General Directorate of the Game (DGOJ), has finally given way to the formation of a new public entity that faithfully represent the interests of the major elements of the industry Game in Spain: the operators and players.

Calls for Councilmember to be Re-Remanded over Lottery Contract Process
WASHINGTON DC (February 21, 2013) -- D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is proposing that the council reprimand Councilmember Jim Graham over his actions related to the city's lottery contract.

Arkansas Senate Panel Advances Legislation Changing Amount Of Lottery-Funded Scholarships
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (February 20, 2013) - A Senate panel has endorsed changing the amounts of Arkansas' lottery-funded college scholarship program, a move that one lawmaker said was needed to provide stability to the program.

NPC Head Impressed by First Visit to Legal Gaming Enclave
MACAU, SAR (February 22, 2013) -- The head of the Chinese parliament is in town for his first visit to the country's only legal gaming enclave and he said that, as a first-time visitor to Macau, he was much impressed by the city's neat and prosperous image, and credited the success of the territory to the SAR government's "strict" implementation of the Basic Law under the principle of "one-country-two-systems."

Commission Approves New Rules For Casino Construction
JACKSON, Mississippi (February 21, 2013) -- Mississippi Gaming Commission has approved a new rule that would require new casinos to be sturdier and with larger gambling space larger and restaurants and hotels.

BRITISH GROUP INTERACTIVE (BGI) Joins the Association Of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers
(AGEM) ST JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Canada (February 20th, 2013) -- BGI has announced that it has joined the prestigious Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers BGI is a highly-integrated manufacturer and supplier of gaming products

BETCLIC Launches "The Amsterdam Masterplan" From Sheriff Gaming
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (February 21, 2013) -- Innovative provider of 3D games Sheriff Gaming, has today announced that large European operator and Quickfire licensee - Betclic, has successfully integrated one of its latest creations "The Amsterdam Master Plan" via the Quickfire platform.

Tatts Group Looking to Pursue Online Opportunities
VICTORIA, Australia (February 21, 2013) -- Lotteries and wagering operator Tatts Group says its online operations are growing strongly, and it is looking at further opportunities in that area

MGM Resorts International (MGM) Sees Rise in Trading After Announcement of Special Dividend
MACAU February 21, 2013) -- MGM China Holdings Ltd. (2282), the casino venture between a daughter of gambling mogul Stanley Ho and MGM Resorts International (MGM), rose in Hong Kong trading after saying it will pay a special dividend.

CeBIT 2013: adesso Presents Solutions For Content Management And Social Media
DORTMUND, Germany (February 21, 2013) -- IT service provider adesso will once again be present as an exhibitor at the CeBIT trade fair. Between March 5 and 9, 2013, the adesso professionals will be at the e-Spirit stand G32 in hall 6, where they'll be showcasing UX-Bridge, a system for integrating dynamic components in the FirstSpirit content management solution. The company will also demonstrate the SocialNetworking module - it allows users to easily publish FirstSpirit content on social networks.

Playscan AB Appoints New CEO
VISBY, Sweden (February 21, 2013) -- Andreas Holmström replaces Ann-Sofie Olsson in the role as CEO of Playscan AB. Andreas has untill now been active within Playscan AB as the COO and is one of the original creators of Playscan™.

Art Ristau Retires From Lottery Board
BERLIN, Vermont (February 21, 2013) -- As the Vermont Lottery explores adding electronic games to appeal to younger generations, commission Chairwoman Martha O'Connor, credits one person for pushing the idea.
That person, a Vermont Lottery Commission member since 2001, is Arthur Ristau, who was also a staple of Vermont state government under three governors. On Wednesday, he retired from the commission by attending his last meeting.