Later today, Senate Democrats are expected to push a vote on a financial regulation bill that limits how easily Wall Street firms can play shell games with taxpayer money. Republicans are bitching and moaning and threatening to block it. [Politico]

The early gambling line on the Oscars is tracking the irrestiable storyline of dueling exes James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. Intrade has Avatar as the favorite for Best Picture, followed closely by The Hurt Locker, with no one else mattering.

Were you aware that Sex and the City slot machines are coming soon to Las Vegas' classiest casinos? They are. (And they pump out lines from the show—like "Hello, lover!"—every time someone hits a jackpot. Cool!) Chris Noth made a personal appearance in Sin City a couple of weeks ago to unveil the new machines. The speech he gave in honor of the momentous occasion appears after the jump for your viewing pleasure.

A casino could be coming to the Hamptons in the near future. Washington indicated yesterday that it's prepared to grant official recognitition to the Shinnecock Indian Nation, a tribe that occupies 800 acres in Southampton, "not far from some of Long Island's wealthiest communities and expansive celebrity-owned estates."

Terry Watanabe, a big wheel in the Asian party favor import business, lost nearly $127 million gambling in Vegas casinos in 2007. But he gave fantastic tips. Call it even?

The Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is taking bets on which celebrity will be the next to turn their backs on L. Ron Hubbard. John Travolta leads the pack at 9:4 odds, and Tom Cruise is at 50:1. Place your markers.

This year, Conde Nast hired McKinsey, folded several magazines, and instituted across-the-board budget cuts and layoffs. Clearly, the fancy days are over. Right? No, says the company. This is just a temporary blip.

The Way We Live Now: Well we ain't living like astute professional money managers, that's for sure. We won the lottery but spent it all at casinos and now our personal "Financial plan" reads "Cash4Gold." Is that bad?

The Way We Live Now: Misprioritized. We blow our emergency cash on suits. We spend all our time thinking about the lottery. We acquire stress ulcers while our wealth actually grows. Straighten up and fly right—for America.

The Way We Live Now: Making the hard choices. Maserati or Benzo? Expensive Yankees tickets or very expensive Yankees tickets? Hamburger or the whole cow? Macaroni or less macaroni for the same price?

The Way We Live Now: Too close for comfort. Hell is other people, and it's getting hot in here. The vaunted income gap—that which protects us from dirty inferiors—is shrinking. You poors aren't buying enough scratch-off tickets!

The Way We Live Now: Bartering. And gambling. Bartering and gambling. We've regressed.

The Way We Live Now: Splendidly! Assuming we're in one of the right fields: Wall Street trading, administration of 501(c)3 canine charity groups, or lottery ticket buying. Everyone else: buzz off, brokies. That means you, Jesus!

The Way We Live Now: Still unemployed, why the fuck do you keep asking? Hamptons parking sticker theft can only keep us going for so long, ya know. If New York doesn't get a Wal-Mart soon, it's panic time.

Being a gambling mogul in the internet age is apparently just as dangerous as it was in the mob-infested Casino age: The 36 year-old founder of an online poker site was murdered in his home in Sweden last week.

CNN: Bennett: Sanford needs to stop 'embarrassing himself.'" And if there's anyone who should know about embarrassing yourself, it's Bill Bennett! So it's just a little weird that CNN doesn't mention Bill's own experiences with public embarrassment.

Monte Carlo was built as a haven for wealthy, cultured Europeans. But the Monte Carlo resort in Vegas must attract the dregs of illiterate American new money. It does so with ads phonetically spelling out what awaits them. Botch, Teat.

Good news, gambling addicts with houses in the Hamptons! The Shinnecock Indian Nation is one step closer towards gaining official recognition from the federal government, a designation that would permit the tribe to open a casino. In Southampton. And they've already reached out to Gov. David Paterson to get the ball rolling!

Oh some casino called, quote, "Indiana Live!" thought it would be so cool to have an ad with a fake Barack shilling for their casino, called, again, "Indiana Live!" It was not cool with Barack.

Looks like you won't be hitting up the video slots in Queens anytime soon. The Buffalo-based company that was set to install the 1,000 machines at the Aqueduct Race Track—and contribute $370 million to the state's coffers in the process—has dropped out of the deal because they can't come up with the cash. The good news? Thanks to the recession, bus tickets to Atlantic City have never been cheaper! [AP]