| So, another year begins and everyone I talk to is getting pretty fired up by ICE and in particular the new venue. Many visitors are still opting for staying in central London to enjoy the nightlife but I think all that means is perhaps a slower start ... Elsewhere in the world Europe seems to be slowing to a snail's pace whilst to the Far East the casino boom is still continuing. The latest place to be transformed is the Philippines, buoyed by strong economic growth and a stock market that has been among the top performers in the world this year and which sees the $1.2 billion Solaire Manila property opening in March. read more online... CLSA, an investment brokerage firm based in Hong Kong, estimates that the Philippine gambling market will reach $3 billion by 2015. While Macau raked in more than 10 times that amount in 2011, the Philippines is expected to line up more closely with Singapore, which made $5.7 billion in 2011. Where next? Well, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are also considering legalization of gambling so they will undoubtedly soon follow. To see how Australia is going to cope with yet another VIP competitor market I will be dropping in on Crown Melbourne in March to seek their views. To this issue and it's another jam packed edition where we take you from Tanzania to Lisbon; get the lowdown on DRGT's successful year, preview some of the ICE exhibitors and catch up with the gaming legislation for Luxembourg and Monaco. Please drop by and visit us at ICE... Casino Life and Bingo Life will be on display at stands SE5c and SE5d as well as throughout the show. We would be pleased to see you! read more online... Glyn Thomas Editor My blog | 
