A disagreement has broken out between the horse racing and gambling industries about how much bookmakers should contribute to the sport.

The British Horseracing Authority says racing in other nations gets a greater share of money gambled on the sport.

But the bookmakers’ body, the ABB, says it will only pay a “fair value for the racing product, not an enhanced value”. Read the rest of this entry »

JIMBARAN: The Ayana Resort and Spa Bali was voted one of the top 25 spas and resorts and top 25 leisure and conference hotels by Smart Travel Asia magazine’s Best in Travel Poll 2009.

Ayana was third in the poll, while Bali was once again voted Asia’s top holiday destination.Ayana was also the only hotel in Bali - and Indonesia - to make the list of Asia’s top 15 resorts in Travel + Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Awards 2009 readers’ survey, and was ranked Bali’s number one resort by leading Japanese travel magazine AB-Road. The honors come just months after Ayana rebranded to become an independent property under the management of the US-based West Paces Hotel Group. Read the rest of this entry »

The Registry Collection®, the world’s largest luxury exchange programme and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), today announced the affiliation of Absolute Developments to its programme, adding six new resorts to its global network of luxury properties.

“We are delighted to welcome Absolute Developments to The Registry Collection,” said Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO, Group RCI, parent company of The Registry Collection. “This relationship not only provides us with an opportunity to work with one of the leading developers of mixed-used resort operations in Asia, but also marks a significant achievement in securing the first properties for The Registry Collection in Asia. Thailand in particular is home to a wealth of five-star resort developments and idyllic beach locations which have succeeded in attracting international jetsetters for some years, and these six properties will help to give our members the luxury travel experience they expect from The Registry Collection.” Read the rest of this entry »

A residence club in North Lake Tahoe named Tonopalo has sold out with 1/7th chapter fractional ownerships bought from $350,000 (£218,695) to $850,000 (£531,117).

Opened in 2003, the resort is managed by ResortCom Elite and is a 19-unit luxury private residence club.

All of the 3 and 4-bedroom homes are fully furnished and come with large living and dining areas as well as fireplaces, double master bedrooms and gourmet kitchens. Read the rest of this entry »

Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) — Wynn Macau Ltd., the casino company led by billionaire Stephen Wynn, raised HK$12.6 billion ($1.63 billion) in a Hong Kong initial public offering.

Wynn Macau sold 1.25 billion shares, a 25 percent stake, at HK$10.08 each, the company said today in a statement. The IPO values the business at 14.5 times next year’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization as estimated by banks involved in the sale, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Read the rest of this entry »

ONLINE BETTING AND GAMING is a fiercely competitive business.  But it is also one where William Hill has a huge opportunity – as long as we are able to compete on a level playing field.

That is why we have taken the decision to move William Hill’s online sportsbook to Gibraltar, a logical step in the evolution of WilliamHill.com and our online entity, William Hill Online.Any company which wants to be a leading online betting and gaming business on the international stage has to take every competitive advantage possible. And it was simply impossible for us to compete from the UK, as the current 15% gross profits tax regime and 10% levy on all UK horseracing bets accepted discriminates against onshore operators. Existing offshore operators don’t have those costs, giving them more capital to invest in growing their businesses.

Although that was a point which we made repeatedly to the UK government, who has always claimed that it wanted to be an international centre for gaming, we got no response. The decision to move was one we could no longer avoid making. Our online operations now have a really bright future. Read the rest of this entry »

MAKUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan’s Penghu group of islands held a referendum on Saturday on whether it should host a new casino following the repeal of a law banning such gambling facilities.

A total of 73,651 residents of the outlying archipelago in the Taiwan Strait are eligible to vote while the outcome is expected around 1000 GMT, the Penghu county government said.

The vote came after the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party pushed through a controversial bill in parliament in January to lift the decades-long ban on casinos. Read the rest of this entry »

Alan Thomas has been promoted to the position of Managing Director, Maldives and Sri Lanka, from his previous role as General Manager of Six Senses Hideaway and Evason Hua Hin, Thailand.

In his new role he will oversee the Soneva Fushi by Six Senses, Soneva Gili by Six Senses, and Six Senses Latitude Laamu - which is scheduled to open early 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

The launch of the Autumn and Winter 2009 Collection from IJP Design has two over-riding themes that will surprise no-one who knows anything about Ian Poulter.Celebrating British Heritage and individual choice, it is another statement of intent from a golfer with a strong sense of elegant lines, vibrant colours and distinctive style.

Poulter himself is in no doubt that IJP Design have come up trumps: “Yet again I feel that my team has produced another exceptional golf and lifestyle apparel range that allows you to be seen, be smart and most importantly be yourself.” Read the rest of this entry »

Horsham, PA, September 24, 2009 –(PR.com)– The Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key) today announced that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has committed its portfolio in the United States to becoming members of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. Read the rest of this entry »