Sun, Oct 30, 2011
With a “destination resort” bill in the pipeline, which would permit three casino resorts, the real showdown is about to begin. Many businesses including Disney want to guard their turf; parimutuels, like Isle of Capri’s Pompano Park (l.), just want to survive.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
A House hearing on Rep. Joe Barton’s online poker bill demonstrates there are still some serious questions about the legitimacy of online gaming, raised by Rep. Mary Bono Mack (l.), and how it will impact the nation. While commercial casinos are rallying behind the issue, the nation’s Native American tribes are divided and many would rather see the issue delayed indefinitely.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The first casino in New York City opened last week when Genting’s Resorts World at Aqueduct debuted with more than 2,000 slot machines. The racino will feature a total of 5,000 machines when phase two opens by the end of the year.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
After being burned by an aborted partnership with Full Tilt Poker, Fertitta Interactive, controlled by the owners of Las Vegas’ Station Casinos, buys one of the leading companies producing and developing online casino sites. Company principal Lorenzo Fertitta (l.), says both organizations support federal regulation of online poker.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Macau’s announced controls on table game growth following the removal of the hard cap that will expire in 2013 may be more flexible than originally thought. A Macau newspaper says the 10-year total could be parceled out early in that decade.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
A Carcieri “fix” that would get rid of a problem that is stuck in the throat of the Department of the Interior like a chicken bone is also a number one priority among Indian leaders, according to Cedric Cromwell, the chairman of the landless Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts (l.), and other speakers at a recent gathering of leaders from gaming tribes.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Jamaica is moving ahead with its plans to create a casino resort industry. However, regulations stipulating 1,000 guest-ready hotel rooms before gaming can commence could give some investors pause.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
State senators are floating a scaled-down expanded gambling bill that keeps some provisions of the bill passed by the legislature in May, like allowing five new casinos, including one in Chicago, but eliminates others, such as slots at racetracks. Governor Pat Quinn (l.) said the new version does not fit his framework of what would be acceptable.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Proposed settlement in Detroit is short-circuited when workers at MGM Detroit reject contract after the other two casinos approve it. And in Atlantic City, labor problems may be avoided as Caesars Entertainment reaches an agreement with Local 54, the Atlantic City branch of UNITE HERE, the culinary and hotel union, and its leader, Bob McDevitt (l.).
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Slot makers have been buffeted and shaken during the economic downturn. Casinos were not buying and slots machines were not being replaced. But with new technology and new jurisdictions, things have changed.
Mon, Oct 31, 2011
This week, the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Glenn Walcott, the president of DoubleDown Interactive, the leading play-for-free casino site feature on Facebook, talking about this social media phenomenon.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Singapore’s self-exclusion option for problem gamblers has been used extensively by foreigners, much more so than by Singaporeans. The question is whether foreigners are having more problems resisting the lure of the IRs or if there are other factors at work.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
As visitor totals continue to rise, Macau is keeping an eye on the various sectors with which its guests interact. Not all of the various services and products are scoring well on the satisfaction scale.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Belgium is the latest European country to take action against what it perceives to be illegal providers of online gaming. Starting in January, any unlicensed gaming site will find itself on a black list provided to ISPs and financial institutions.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The anticipated sale of Greece’s 34-percent stake in lottery and betting operator OPAP appears delayed until sometime in 2012. The government is undoubtedly hoping the share price will rebound from its current level, off more than 50 percent in the last six months.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The battle over the future of Australia’s slot machine industry has been joined by James Packer and Crown Limited. Packer and Crown CEO Rowen Craigie laid out their case for those gathered for the company’s annual meeting.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
SkyCity Entertainment Group will ask shareholders to authorize more money for paying non-executive directors when the annual meeting is held in November. The New Zealand-based firm feels the increase is needed to maintain its ability to attract top talent.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Recent troubles at the Tel Aviv office of William Hill Online appear to be over. A combination of management dismissals with payoffs, plus affirmation of a continued presence in Israel, did the trick. Good news for William Hill and chairman Ralph Topping (l.), as the latest quarterly report indicates online business is the firm’s growth engine.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
A misstatement of the amount of funds seized by the U.S. DOJ was corrected by the Alderney Gaming Control Commission recently. Of perhaps greater import is the fact that, with the revocation of Full Tilt’s license, Alderney is no longer servicing complaints from duped players.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
France-based BetClic said it will not take a license to operate an online gambling site in Spain, the European Union’s newest regulating online gaming market. BetClic cited issues with Spain’s Gambling Act.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The Granite State doesn’t want to let its old rival Massachusetts get ahead of it in legalizing gaming. At least that is the message that some members of the House of Representatives are sending. The bill is the pet project of Senator Lou D’Allesandro (l.).
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Revel Casino, Atlantic City’s $2.4 billion project, may open at least month in advance of its May 2012 scheduled debut. The company has begun booking rooms and meeting space for dates prior to the scheduled grand opening.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The four regional casinos authorized by Ohio voters in 2009 are moving towards opening, beginning in 2013, when the $400 million Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati (l.) is projected to welcome players.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
A six-member committee composed of members of both the Massachusetts Senate and House will try to compromise the differences in the two gaming expansion bills passed and come up with a bill everyone can support. Gaming opponents, led by former attorney general Scott Harshbarger (l.), are already challenging some gaming relationships forged by legislators.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The first expansion of the Instant Racing product in Kentucky will take place at Ellis Park in Henderson, which was approved by regulators to add the machines.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Tom Gilbert, Atlantic City’s new Tourism District commander, has been reaching out to state and local agencies to ensure the safety of the general public. With 30 years experience with the state police, Gilbert is overseeing the transformation of the city as it struggles to shed its tainted image.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Las Vegas sister properties, Luxor and Excalibur, eschew upscale restaurants and fill vacancies with Italian and down-home eateries. The popular Buca di Beppo will open at the Excalibur.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Former members-only club, the Foundation Room, has recently opened its doors to the public. Located at Showboat’s House of Blues, the club will offer an “After Hours,” promotion that includes celebrity appearances and a shuttle service from Harrah’s The Pool After Dark.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Increasing its holdings in Downtown Las Vegas, Desert Rock Enterprises II, led by Derek Stevens (l.), becomes new owner of the iconic Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel. The group also owns another Downtown casino, the Golden Gate.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Celebrity attorney Gloria Allred has been granted permission to represent nine former cocktail waitresses in their discrimination suit against Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The Vegas casino company enlists a rainbow coalition of employees to respond to union allegations of mistreatment and discrimination.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Laguna Development Corporation and the Downs at Albuquerque both have submitted proposals to build casinos at Expo New Mexico at the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. LDC would build a $30 million, 36,000 square foot facility and the Downs, the current lease holder, proposed a $20 million casino.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The Colorado gaming commission is considering changing the casino tax structure, which would significantly impact Cripple Creek (l.) casinos housed in small historic storefronts. Now casino owners are allowed to have up to three licenses for adjacent properties and pay taxes based on the income earned at each. The new law would allow only one license.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The mayor of Minneapolis recently announced the city would help finance a new downtown stadium for the Vikings, and the City Council president said members would support a casino to also provide stadium financing. But Vikings owners prefer to take their business to Arden Hills.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The Casino Association of New Jersey has created a new website to keep the public informed on the progress of the Atlantic City gaming industry.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
The Arizona Supreme Court recently denied Glendale’s appeal of a state court decision that Tohono O’odham land is outside city limits. The court also ruled that Glendale must pay the tribe’s attorney fees.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
New Mexico gaming officials believe Native American casinos may owe $15 million more than the nearly $64 million they paid in state taxes in the past fiscal year. Officials said comps should be counted under the casinos’ revenue share. Currently the tribes will not turn over records that could clear up the situation.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
U.K. casino operators appear to have finally agreed on an approach to government to improve the state of their industry. The new chair of the National Casino Industry Forum, Malcolm Moss, spent more than 20 years as an MP, so presumably knows his way through the maze.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Maureen Siman, a highly respected executive with the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, has joined Revel Entertainment as the executive director of public relations. Siman has a long history in the Atlantic City casino industry.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Konami Gaming has named former IGT systems executive Clark Warren as its new director of system sales and marketing.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Software supplier NEWave has named gaming industry veteran Rob Jackson as its new vice president of sales.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Lisa Underwood, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, will step down from her post in November.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Mardi Gras West Virginia Casino was the first of the state’s four casinos to receive money from a new fund that will help casinos purchase new slot machines to remain competitive with properties in bordering states. The 10-year, $10 million-per-year fund matches $1 for every $2 a casino spends on upgrades.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Gaming industry veterans Michael Meczka and Michael McNabb have developed and introduced the Players Pulse. This casino player research program will provide critical shared and proprietary statistical analysis at 25-50 percent savings.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
OpenBet and Shuffle Master will provide licensed games to Canadian lotteries. The offerings include games based on Shuffle Master’s popular Three Card Poker, Casino War and Fortune Pai Gow Poker.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
American Harness Tracks announced that MeritManagement Group will oversee the development and operation of its new racetrack casino in western Pennsylvania.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Gaming Laboratories International has formed a new consulting group for the lottery industry, to advise on audit and security of lottery products, including VLTs.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
Cantor Gaming has launched a mobile sports betting application that is compatible with the Android smart phone, for use within Nevada casinos only.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
As the VLT market in Italy continues to grow, gaming platform supplier Quixant has launched its Italian-language website. The company is active in the market with its QXi-106 platform, which was custom-designed for VLT products in use in Italy.
Sun, Oct 30, 2011
A ruling has been handed down involving the ownership of the Black Bear Development's Oxford casino.
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