Vol. 9 • No. 22 • June 6, 2011 - Print This Issue
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Vol. 9 • No. 22 • June 6, 2011, Featured Articles, PODCASTS
GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Bill Hornbuckle, Chief Marketing Officer, MGM Resorts International,
This week, the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Bill Hornbuckle, the chief marketing officer for MGM Resorts International, on how the company is developing a new players club with wide ramifications for the company and the industry.
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Bill Hornbuckle has been with MGM for more than 10 years after many years as an executive at Caesars Palace. He has operated several MGM hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, including MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, and also ran the company’s internet gaming operations in the late 1990s. New as CMO, Hornbuckle has taken charge of an effort to centralize some of the company’s marketing efforts, most important being the creation of the M life program, which is designed to reward customers for their gaming and non-gaming spend. He also talks about how social networking is impacting the marketing of MGM resorts and how the company plans to spread their marketing efforts throughout Asia. He also talks about internet gambling and how that may impact the entire industry over the next few years. He spoke with Global Gaming Business Publisher Roger Gros at his offices in Bellagio in March.
More Featured Articles
WEEKLY FEATURE: Tabcorp’s Echo
The anticipated demerger of Australia’s Tabcorp into separate entities for casinos and all other gaming has received a “yes” vote from shareholders and affirmation from the court. Now, casino operator Echo Entertainment and gaming and wagering company Tabcorp can settle into their new roles as objects of takeover speculation. However, the engineer of the deal, Tabcorp Chairman Elmer Funke Kupper (l.), is out of a job.
Genting Buys into Florida
The Asian gaming giant, now building the racino at Aqueduct in New York City, spent $236 million for 14 acres on Biscayne Bay in Miami, now home to the city’s leading newspaper (l.). While the resort is not contingent upon gaming, it will progress much faster with it.
Macau Sets New Records as MGM IPO Starts Trading
The May numbers are out for Macau and yet again, the SAR’s casinos have produced record revenues for the period. At the same time, the release of the MGM China IPO reached its peak, pricing at the highest level estimated.
Tribes Struggle With Online Gaming Role
The question of online gaming is becoming a crucial—and divisive—issue in Indian Country. Many tribal leaders are urging Native Americans to step up to their place at the table, but there is no consensus on the position they should take. A panel at last month’s GIGSE conference (l.) in San Francisco outlined the major problems.
Ohio Casino Tax Moves Forward
The Ohio Senate is likely to pass a bill that the House passed two weeks ago that would greatly increase the tax burden on the state’s four regional casinos that voters authorized in a constitutional amendment in 2009. The bill is being pushed by Ohio’s anti-gaming governor, John Kasich (l.).
Tribe Renews Harrah’s Contract Another 7 Years
Caesars Entertainment and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation signed a 7-year extension of Caesars’ management agreement for the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel at an event celebrating the completion of the first phase of the casino’s $650 million expansion project. But some say the tribe ought to diversify, especially as tribal distributions are down and a $1 billion debt looms.
FANTINI’S FINANCE: Political Animals
Politics is an important factor in many businesses, but nothing like it is in the gaming business. Savvy investors need to understand how the decisions made by politicians and public officials can impact their financial stakes.