Wayne Stenehjem, the North Dakota Attorney General, is letting local native Americans open an electronic bingo casino despite his personal objections.

Although he has reservations about the idea, he said that he cannot prevent the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa from going ahead with their planned action in Grand Forks.

Tribal officials moved from wanting to operate slot machines to wanting to operate electronic bingo devices because unlike slot machines, these are considered Class II gambling devices.

Class II gambling devices require no change in the state gambling compact, website dot-bingo.com reports.

Despite Mr Stenehjem giving his consent, he warned that Governor John Hoeven could veto plans to operate the video bingo venue anywhere near Grand Forks.

Clonie Gowen, a female poker pro, will turn her hand to modelling when she features as the centrefold in an upcoming issue of Maxim Magazine.

Ms Gowen, who is a Full Tilt Poker Pro along with the likes of Phil Gordon, Phil Ivey and Chris Ferguson, will star in the magazine as part of a special World Series of Poker (WSOP) insert.

The female poker pro is pleasing her legion of male poker fans in the name of charity as she looks to boost the fundraising efforts of a number of organisations.

Ms Gowen is widely regarded as the sexiest woman in poker at the moment and fans will be able to see her two-page spread in Maxim’s July issue.

A new $350 million casino resort will be built in Louisiana by Pinnacle Entertainment.

The new casino resort will replace the Harrah’s Lake Charles site which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Named Sugarcane Bay, the new resort will include 400 guest rooms and will complement the existing L’Auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino property which is located next door.

It aims to incorporate an idyllic island feel with a distinct blend of Caribbean cool and southern Bayou hospitality.

There will also be a single-level riverboat casino outside of the hotel which will house over 1,500 slot machines, a dedicated poker room and a variety of table games.

Construction on the resort is scheduled to begin in 2007.

Brian Fidler, the man who was coached by famous poker pro Daniel Negreanu, lost in the recent final of Lake Tahoe’s WSOP Circuit Championship.

Fidler, who had won a year’s worth of poker tuition from Negreanu in an online tournament, ultimately lost out to Clint Baskin on the final table.

In total 110 entrants took part in the $10,000 championship event, which was significant as being the last major event before the 37th World Series of Poker (WSOP) finals to be held in Las Vegas this summer.

Some of the big names that took part in the event included Dan Harrington and Chris “Jesus’ Ferguson, however, none of the big-name players made it to the final table.

Baskin, a 32-year-old plumber from California, managed to overturn his chip deficit in the final table to beat Fidler and take home the $372,240 first prize.

However, Fidler’s loss will be sweetened by his $206,800 prize for second place while Baskin will now take part in the $2 million freeroll WSOP Tournament of Champions.

Dennis Farina, the well-known US actor who stars in popular TV show Law and Order, will feature in a new poker film.

In the show Farina plays a New York Detective but he will now be turning his super-sleuth skills towards being a card shark in the poker-themed motion picture The Grand.

The actor is reportedly quitting his role in the popular TV series for an opportunity to hit the big screen and take Hollywood by storm.

It will not be Farina’s first foray into the movies though, as he has previously had roles in popular films such as Get Shorty, Snatch and Saving Private Ryan.

The 62-year-old will line up alongside Ray Romano, Jason Alexander and Woody Harrelson.

The biggest winner at this year’s Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge II in Cushing, Oklahoma was a local man.

Despite players rushing from all across the county to participate the plaudits went to Bob Coates from none other than Cushing, Oklahoma.

Mr Coates won $35,000 at the Cherokee Casino after competing in a $550 No-Limit Hold’em game and winning out over 203 other opponents with a total prize pool amounting to $93,355.

He told the Cushing Daily Citizen: “That was the most tired I’ve ever been after playing poker.”

The biggest win by a local man up until this point had been just $1,800. Mr Coates has only been playing poker for a few years but began to take part in smaller tournaments when he discovered his aptitude for the game.

Although stating poorly in the tournament, Mr Coates capitalized on a strategic hand to beat some top poker players.

Filming has started in Las Vegas on the big upcoming poker film The Grand.

It follows a succession of popular poker films including The Cincinnati Kid in 1965 starring Steve McQueen and also Rounders, which starred Edward Norton and Matt Damon.

The Grand will be an improvisational comedy set at a celebrity poker tournament and feature actors such as Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Jason Alexander and Ray Romano.

Zak Penn, who wrote the script for X Men 3 and Elektra, will direct the film.

It will be released in 2007.

Star of the US TV series The Apprentice, Donald Trump, may be set to build a new casino in Diamondhead, Mississippi.

Diamondhead Casinos has agreed a preliminary deal with Trump Entertainment Resorts (TER) to build a complex spanning a 40-acre space.

Deborah Vitale, Diamondhead chairman, told Reuters: “We believe a partnership with Trump Entertainment Resorts for this venture adds up to an ideal combination because of their experience, the value of the Trump brand, the location of our site on Interstate 10 and the vitality of the Gulf Coast market.

“We have the land, the location and the desire to pursue a master plan for the entire tract that should not only enhance long term shareholder value, but which should significantly enhance the surrounding economy.”

A new poker book has been released focusing on the many pros from the European scene.

Titled “Swimming With the Devilfish” and written by Des Wilson, the book looks at the fast-growing European section of the poker world, reports PokerNews.com.

Wilson focused on the European poker playing community in the book by traveling on the road with them while documenting their experiences and has received a number of plaudits for relating poker’s global reach to the reader.

The book also has some impressive sections on player biographies and background, which are sure to fascinate any poker fan.

Wilson concludes in his book: “Would I like to be one of them? Yes and no. I would love to sit down at the World Series with 10,000 chips in front of me. I would love to jump on a plane and fly to Paris and Barcelona and Las Vegas and Los Angeles…but I can’t do it…because I am not one of them and I never will be.”

Builders have begun work on the new Michigan casino facilities.

The new casino is scheduled for completion in 2008 and will include a hotel complete with 400 rooms, car parking space for 3,100 vehicles and around 25,000 square feet of gaming floor.

Greektown Casino complex in Detroit will also include a 1,500 seat entertainment theatre, a spa and a restaurant.

Aaron Payment, the casino owner, is the chairperson of the Sault Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

He said: “We celebrate more jobs and revenues for Detroit and our state, the start of a magnificent new resort destination in the heart of Detroit, and additional resources to support programs and services for members of the Sault Tribe.”