New Playboy Casino in Cancun, Mexico

Let us take a short break from online casino updates and just for a moment, let's take a look at what is happening in the industry of land-based casinos. Last Saturday (December 4), a new Playboy Club Casino has opened its doors at the Caribbean Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico that marked the next step in Playboy's expansion into the gambling world.

This newest casino that was named Playboy Club Cancun is a boutique gaming and entertainment venue with a restaurant, nightclub, casino, sports gaming and sports lounge. They conducted a private red carpet event on the same day of the opening which invited many VIPs including the former Playboy Model Carmen Electra.

Playboy Club Cancun was a 12,900 square foot casino which was reported to cost Playboy Enterprises around $7.5 million (£4.79m). Aside from catering various casino games such as roulette, blackjack and poker, this Playboy casino also have a big sports betting parlour that is expected to capture the attention of its visitors, with sports such as soccer, American football, baseball, and basketball being offered.

As proudly stated by Playboy creator Huff Hefner, “I am pleased to bring the Playboy Club to Mexico for the first time and to combine the sexy sophistication of the Playboy brand with the international allure of Cancun. With the opening of Playboy Club Cancun and the arrival of the Playboy Bunnies, nightlife there will never be the same!”

The launching of this newest casino does not only gave opportunities to the casino industry, but also to beautiful and sexy ladies. Playboy has indeed received at least 1,500 applications from hot and busty models to work at the Playboy casino in Mexico. But in the end, only 25 lucky young women were chosen to be the face of Hefner's iconic creation. Those lucky girls or Playboy bunnies will work as hostesses, cocktail servers and dealers, coming to Cancun from locations such as Argentina, Cuba, Canada, Russia and Mexico, joined by an international mix of DJs and musical entertainment.

"With the opening of this striking new venue, both Cancun residents and international visitors alike will now be able to experience the energy and excitement that the Playboy brand generates”, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Scott Flanders, said. He also uttered that Mexico is far from the end for Playboy's attempts at global domination. "By working with this calibre of strong local partners we have at Playboy Club Cancun, we will continue to grow our successful licensing and location based entertainment businesses around the world. We look forward to bringing the Playboy brand to life at additional Playboy venues in select global markets”, Flanders commented.

The first Playboy Club was opened in Chicago in 1960 by Hefner. Since then, 2.5 million membership keys have been sold. Playboy Clubs, including its hotel, casino and resort facilities, has 40 properties in 25 states and seven countries.

Critics Call For A Lower New Zealand Lotto Pot

If the critics have it their way, New Zealand's lotto draws would be limited in the amount of their prizes. This came after the jackpot for the Big Wednesday draw hit more than $26 million.

Graeme Ramsey, chief executive of the Problem Gaming Foundation, said that larger prizes easily encourage players to gamble more on tickets. Ramsey said that it would be better if the current $30 million upper limit is lowered to only $12.5 million, which he adds is below the limit at which many people get too excited.

“Surely $12.5 million as a prize is already big enough for anybody in the country,” he said.

Ramsey calls the continuously increasing jackpots as a”fuel for a gambling environment in New Zealand, where only a few are winners.” He further adds that it creates problems that cost many people greatly.

According to Foundation analyst Graham Aitken, the jackpots increase by only $2 million a week during the first runs. However, he said, once the pots reach $15 million, the prizes also increases more quickly, growing by at least $5 to $6 million per week.

The jackpot cap has since risen from $15 million in 2004 to its current level.

However, not a few seemed ready to fix the prize cap to a lower limit. New Zealand's Lotteries Commission have expressed that they are even considering to the idea of increasing the pot cap for higher prizes.

The commission said in a paper given to then Internal Affairs minister Richard Worth, that it may be necessary to raise the limits as part of a move to join a proposed “world lottery” to be headed by the British National Lottery. “It is very likely that participation will entail lifting the $30 million prize limit set in our games,” the paper assessed. However, the commission said that the proposal is still being studied and it is not yet final.

Casino Bill To Help Out Kentucky Schools

As the debate over Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's controversial gaming program rages on, supporters presented a proposal which they hope would sway public opinion to their favor.

Democrats came out of the a close door meeting on Tuesday and presented a new proposal to the public. The new scheme calls for the allocation of more than $700 million worth of casino income to help replace and restore schools in bad condition in the state.

In a list being presented to lawmakers, several Norther Kentucky schools are considered as candidates for the project. The schools proposed include those in communities like Fort Mitchell, Covington and Erlanger.

According to House Speaker Greg Stumbo, while the bill is still on the lines of expanded casino gaming, this one is of a different thrust. “It is about stabilizing and recapturing some of the income Kentucky is losing,” he said in an interview ofter the meeting. “It is about a plan that would perhaps improve our economy, stimulate the economy,” he further adds.

For his part, Representative Dennis Keene said, “There are some opportunities for us to help schools in this bill, fixing buildings.”

Under the list, schools that are in need of help the most are filed under Category 4 or 5. Beechwood Independent is listed as the most in need, being the only Category 5 school in Northern Kentucky. Around 160 schools were included in the list that was circulated to lawmakers.

The expenses that repairs would required will be paid off by the money generated from new casinos if Beshear's proposal pushes through. Projects on higher education and other proposals are also expected to be presented by next week.

Critics however, said that the move was made to present the bill in a more positive light. Beshear's plan was originally intended to assist the state's ailing horse industry.

They also fear that the funds for projects in the various districts would be caught off if their representatives refused to support the bill.