Sat, Nov 05, 2011
MGM Mirage and Boyd Gaming enter a joint venture with Bwin.Party to work together on an online gaming site once it becomes legal in the U.S. MGM will own 25 percent of the business, while Boyd takes a 10 percent piece. Jim Ryan (l.), co-CEO of Bwin.Party, says the companies have been working toward this agreement for 18 months.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
All eyes are on Japan to step up as the next big integrated resort project destination in Asia. The presence of Caesars Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman (l.) at a recent meeting of a pro-casino Japanese Diet members association could be a sign things are getting more serious.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The most recent nominees to the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame were inducted last week in a ceremony at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Joining the list of HOF members are the Blue Man Group, represented by co-founder Philip Stanton, restaurateur Charlie Palmer, Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson, University of Nevada Reno professor Dr. William Eadington (l. to r.).
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Resorts World at Aqueduct opened with a bang, drawing 65,000 people in its first weekend alone, creating lines around the building. The casino is expected to generate $800 million in revenues in 2012.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The early October holiday, Golden Week, launches Macau into record territory once again. The SAR’s 33 casinos posted their highest revenues ever for the month. Analysts believe that economic issues in China are having no impact on the VIP business. The new Galaxy Macau (l.) led parent Galaxy Entertainment to a healthy gain in market share for the month.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The head of French company owned by Bernard Tapie (l.) says a deal has been struck to take over Full Tilt Poker and to repay player deposits through the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Mega-casinos in the Sunshine State could prove disastrous to tourism in the Bahamas, warns a resort executive. At risk are Kerzner’s Atlantis (l.) and a new mega-resort under way, Baha Mar.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes (l.) says the Obama administration wants to do everything it can to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Carcieri v. Salazar ruling that severely hampers some Indian tribes, a high level Interior Department official said last week.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Georgia Lottery Commission recently commissioned a study that showed three casinos could bring in about $1 billion in annual revenues to the state, beginning in 2014. A total of 10,000 video lottery terminals would be located in casinos at metro Atlanta, Savannah and Jekyll Island. Governor Nathan Deal (l.) has his concerns, however.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The U.K.’s first “large” casino, as defined by the Gambling Act 2005, is preparing for a December opening. The Aspers property won the prime location in the newly built development being prepared for the 2012 Olympics.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
You might not know it from the doom-and-gloom headlines, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for the gaming industry. Increasing gaming revenues coupled with higher room rates and upgraded growth prospects look good for gaming worldwide.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
This week, the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Sue Schneider (l.), the owner of eGaming Brokerage and Mark Balestra, the managing director at BolaVerde Media Group, about their insights on possible legalization of online gaming in the U.S.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
With all the multi-billion dollar resort proposals being floated in Vietnam, some are bound to fall through. One such recent case involves a mega project from Hong Kong firm Polo Beach. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (l.) ended discussions about the project last week.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Given the proliferation of huge casinos, restrictions on small slot parlors would not seem to be a big issue for Macau. The goal of new legislation, however, is to keep such businesses away from residential areas.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Macau government’s desire to diversify the SAR’s economy seems to be working as retail sales improved markedly in 2010, up almost 30 percent over the previous year in properties like the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Macao (l.).
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson gloats on positive returns; Steve Wynn buys more Chinese crockery. Both casino giants rebounded from losses in October.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The good news is that the number of young people who gamble in Macau is down significantly over the last year. The bad news is the ones who are still gambling are playing longer and betting higher.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
British horseracing has reached an agreement with operators of betting forms that profit from the sport on a funding plan for the 2012-2013 racing year. As usual, not everyone is happy with the result. William Hill, Ladbrokes and Gala Coral have agreed to the levy.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
A new effort by unnamed interests and the National Casino Industry Forum is seeking to have the U.K. city of Peterborough make special application for a casino license. The city council has not yet said no.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Realistic or not, Greece appears to be clinging to as much of its pride—and state-owned assets—as possible. Those disappointed by the postponed OPAP stake sale may find some interest in this more modest license tender.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The GM of the Grand Palladium Suites & Spa Hotel (l.), a large, sprawling resort on Jamaica, recently announced plans to break ground for a large casino. The only problem is, the property falls a little short of the required number of rooms for a casino gaming license—about 950 rooms short.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The sides have long been drawn in the Australian battle for and against mandatory pre-commitment for slot machine players. A new report has stirred up the anti-gaming hive again, while an opposition commission taking up a study of alternative measures guarantees to keep the issue alive through January 2012.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
A fast-tracked bill is moving through the Ontario Parliament in support of amending the criminal code to allow gambling on one sporting event at a time rather than the current system.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Germany is in danger of getting a restrictive and possibly illegal online gaming law from 15 of its 16 state governments. The drama of whether one lone state can persuade all the others they are on the wrong track will play out over the next several months.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Vegas casino titan, Steve Wynn reportedly is eyeing the same downtown Miami tract of land being ogled by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. Three licenses may be up for grabs in the city and county.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois didn’t literally say, “It’s my way or the highway” regarding the casino expansion bill passed in May, but some lawmakers are reacting as if he did. Senate President John Cullerton (l.) says a new bill addresses some of Quinn’s issues.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Developers of casinos for Ohio’s four largest cities are running into some issues that may cause two of them to be delayed in opening next year. The proposed skywalk would be built at this corner of the Higbee Building (l.).
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Granite State, which has long harbored a rock-like opposition to casinos, may be cracking a little. A bill is moving through the state that would authorize two slots casinos in the state, one most likely hosted at the Rockingham Park racetrack (l.).
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Six Massachusetts lawmakers have begun to meet to work out a compromise on the gaming expansion bill passed recent by the House and the Senate.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Clark County Commission recently approved a plan to renovate and reopen the 60-year old Sahara, located on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel’s iconic roller coaster would be dismantled and the Morocco theme will disappear.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
An old-fashioned but updated form of gambling—pull-tabs—could bring in significant tax revenues to help fund a new Vikings stadium in Minneapolis. Nearly 2,900 bar owners throughout Minnesota hope electronic pull-tabs can help bring back business lost to the recession.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
A report of a panel of racino operators and state officials will recommend that Delaware cut the table game tax and eliminate table license fees.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened the first retail complex in a Pennsylvania casino with a soft opening of the Shoppes at Sands.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Downtown Vegas casino, acquired by the owners of the Golden Gate, will change more than its name in the months to come. A $15 million renovation will add two bars.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Pinnacle Entertainment may sell Boomtown Reno, its only Nevada property, to improve its balance sheet and revenue outlook.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Venetian in Las Vegas has unveiled its new sports book, a 10,000-square-foot facility that features state-of-the-art technology by Cantor Gaming. Sports betting can now be accessed from Google's Android, and the casino declares it the most impressive book on the Strip.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Flooding occasionally threatens the riverboat casinos that in Missouri are tied to the river. Some lawmakers would like to change that and allow the casino boats to move inland.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
With a majority of New Jersey voters supporting the sports betting referendum, the question will be decided at the polls November 8. But will it be the remedy the Atlantic City casino market?
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
A bill moving through Pennsylvania’s legislature would require casinos to issue monthly win/loss statements to all player’s club members to battle problem gambling.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Voters in the poverty-stricken Gadsden County, Florida, will vote in January on whether to allow a Las Vegas style casino at the Gretna racetrack.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended a private equity partnership to take over the Palms hotel-casino and adjacent Palms Place condos. The new owners will invest $30 million in improvements. CEO George Maloof and current employees with be retained.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Two casino jurisdictions a facing challenges from unions representing casino workers. In Atlantic City Caesars Entertainment and Local 54 of UNITE-HERE has signed a new three-year contract that includes no drastic wage cuts or dips into health care and pension benefits. The union still needs to negotiate with other casino operators. In Detroit, MGM Grand employees short-circuited a citywide casino contract, but a deal is looming.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and consulting architect Rolf Jensen & Associates are battling in court. The resort had to spend $20 million to fix 3,000 room doors that did not comply with federal disability laws and says Rolf Jensen should have known better. Rolf Jensen said Mandalay can’t sue the firm. The Nevada Supreme Court will decide.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Atlantic City’s name brand shopping mall, the Pier Shops at Caesars, has sold to its lenders at auction for $25 million. The new owners will downscale the property.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Minneapolis continues to take up the question of gambling on downtown Block E. Mayor R.T. Rybak supports the idea of a casino backed by ambitious development plans. Though the proposal is appealing, city council members and business leaders are still weighing the issue.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
With several casino questions on the November 8 ballot, Maine is poised to make some important decisions on the direction of casino gambling in the state. But territorial factions and in-state maneuvering is beginning to muddy the playing fields.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Average room rates at MGM Resorts International have slowly but steadily been rising. In the third quarter, rates rose $11 to $151 compared to one year ago. Every $10 increase in room rates equals a $100 million increase in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Northwest Indiana’s five casinos posted a 3.7 percent loss for the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2010. The New Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, may be partially to blame.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe in Idaho is supposed to pay 5 percent of its annual net gaming income at its Coeur d’Alene casino (l.) to support local education, but it stopped making payments after 2009. In New Mexico, gaming officials say most of the state’s 14 casino-owning tribes are underpaying the state by $13-$20 million.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Twin River casino (l.) is hoping to intervene in a case brought on by the Narragansett tribe challenging the constitutionality of their casino referendum. Rhode Island’s premier racino is hoping to settle the case and stay ahead of gambling expansion in Massachusetts. The tribe lost their own bid to build a casino in 2006, brought about mostly by Twin River opposition. The two rivals face each other in court.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Florida, which is considering a massive gaming expansion, OKs a new jai alai fronton and possibly a new racino. That could breach the state’s compact with the Seminoles.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
A statewide referendum on the November 8 ballot would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine to build a racino. It has the support of more than 500 area businesses and the state’s leading newspapers.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recently voted to allow a referendum on the issue of reservation-wide alcohol sales. Currently alcohol sales are allowed only at Harrah’s casino.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Local governments and organizations recently had been expecting a payment from the Seneca Nation. However, the Nation withheld the payment, just like it has done since January 2009, and now has withheld $330 million. At issue is casino gambling at racetracks.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The Indians funded a multimedia war against a proposed racino in Onondago County, New York. It seems to have worked: lawmakers turned thumbs down on the plan.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
California’s River Rock Casino, owned by the Dry Creek Pomo Indian tribe, is restructuring its $200 million debt.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Armen Yemenidjian recently was promoted to vice president of player development at Tropicana Las Vegas, where he has worked since 2009. He will develop and implement new programs designed to attract new players to the resort.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The world’s largest slot manufacturer has signed an agreement to place premier products at the casinos of the Hit Group in Slovenia.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Analysts say WMS Industries, trading at half its high price of the year, is one of the best investor values in the gaming industry.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Table Trac, Inc. will provide a suite of casino management systems for the Crow Nation’s Apsaalooke Nights Casino in Crow Agency, Montana.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
GLI’s Latin American Regulators Roundtable will bring the regional gaming industry’s leading experts together on November 8 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And GLI Test Labs Canada will perform game and related system testing, as well as quality-assurance testing, for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Jim Kelley’s Tahoe Nugget Casino will utilize the Joingo mobile application to launch a customer loyalty and mobile marketing campaign.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The new agreement will allow American Gaming Systems to access any of GameTech’s library of video slots developed for video lottery markets.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Bally Technologies’ custom mobile application created for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel 7 casino has earned a tourism award in Florida.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
The suit-fest continues as Joe Francis, creator of soft-porn “Girls Gone Wild” videos, has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleging Steve Wynn’s lawsuit amounted to malicious prosecution, among other things. Francis’ attorney also will ask the Nevada Supreme Court to reconsider its recent ruling ordering Francis to pay $2 million.
Sun, Nov 06, 2011
Frank Stronach wants to change the deal he made on live racing. He made the deal hoping that slots would be permitted at the two tracks owned by the Maryland Jockey Club, but now says he’s going to lose money.
GGB Magazine | GGB News | RD&E Magazine | Casino Design | Tribal Government Gaming | GGB iGames | Casino Connection
RSS 2.0 Feed