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GGB News Vol. 69 Vol. 8 • No. 9 • March 8, 2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:11:00 -0000

GGB NEWS March 8, 2010

COVER STORY:

Reaching the Pinnacle

Missouri now has 13 casinos with the recent opening of Pinnacle Entertainment's River City Casino, a $375 million facility that opened near St. Louis. In addition, Pinnacle will have a chance to defend the lifting of its license for St. Louis' President Casino, and have a shot at moving the license to a new location. At left, Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director Gene McNary (l.) delivers River City's gaming license to General Manager Todd George.

FEATURES:

WEEKLY FEATURE: Compromise Possible for Seminoles, Florida

A proposed gaming compact could be amended to include an escape clause for Florida, allowing the state to get its hands on millions from the tribe. Governor Charlie Crist has urged both sides to seek a resolution.

Genting Hitting Stride in Singapore

Analysts believe that Resorts World Sentosa, the first casino to open in Singapore, is winning between $7 billion and $8 billion a day, easily meeting levels that would make the parent company, Malaysia's Genting, comfortable.

No Casinos for Hawaii

Island state rejects two bills that would have established casinos in Hawaii, one of only two U.S. states that don't offer any form of gaming. One would have opened a single casino in the Waikiki area of Honolulu.

Commercial Casinos On the Table in Michigan

The Racing to Save Michigan and Michigan Is Yours groups are petitioning to place two constitutional amendments on the November 2 ballot that would allow more casinos to be built in the state, including at the Detroit Airport.

FANTINI’S FINANCE: Rating the Recoveries

Regional casinos post best numbers in months, giving hope that the mid-American casinos will return soon rather than later. The same cannot be said, however, of the slot manufacturers. Hope that the long touted replacement cycle would begin in 2010 is slowly fading.

ALSO:

B-I-N-G-O in Brazil

Kentucky Mulls Skill Games

GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Patti Hart, President & CEO, IGT

Chile Casinos Affected by Earthquake

Wynn Details Philly Plans

Accor to Sell Stake in Barriere Casinos

Tropicana Sale Closes in Atlantic City

FANTINI’S FINANCE: Rating the Recoveries

Frank Fantini — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:23:00 -0000

Commercial Casinos On the Table in Michigan

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:38:00 -0000

B-I-N-G-O in Brazil

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:28:00 -0000

Lower house affirms intention to vote on the legalization of bingo, which will then need Senate confirmation. The government is not opposing the measure at this time because it may put the illegal bingo halls (l.) out of business.

Quotable Quotes

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:41:00 -0000

New & Notes

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:36:00 -0000

Wrong Side of the Deal?

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:35:00 -0000

Trying to win control of three Atlantic City casinos, the billionaire TV star testifies that he changed partners to be in the winner’s circle.

Canada Keeping Score

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:33:00 -0000

Students in Canada have the opportunity to educate themselves about the dangers of problem gambling thanks to the Responsible Gaming Council’s Know the Score program.

Stopping Scalpers

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:32:00 -0000

As tickets were released for the next set of Garth Brooks concert dates, ticket scalpers attempted to take advantage of the sales, but were halted by Wynn policies.

Belgrade Expo Offers Slot Regulation Info

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:29:00 -0000

The 4th annual Gaming Expo Belgrade is being held at the end of April this year. New regulations for slot machines in the Balkan nation make a trip to the show crucial for those with interest in the region.

GLI Announces Regulators Roundtable

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:24:00 -0000

Gaming Laboratories international will hold its ninth annual Regulators Roundtable event at the South Point in Las Vegas.

IGT Clicks at Resorts World Sentosa

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:21:00 -0000

The manufacturer says Genting’s Resorts World Sentosa opened with a sizable contingent of IGT games and system products.

Octavian to Create Games for Spielo’s Italian VLTs

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:19:00 -0000

Game developer Octavian and machine producer Spielo have joined forces to take advantage of the Italian ruling that every street slot machine in the country must be connected to a central monitoring system.

IGT, Parlay Sign Content Deal

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:18:00 -0000

International Game Technology’s WagerWorks division will provide its game library to Alderney’s Parlay Games Limited.

GTECH Online Chief Moves to Parent

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:17:00 -0000

The head of GTECH G2, the online division of GTECH, will move to parent company Lottomatica, to be replaced by Lottomatica’s sales director.

PokerTek Names New CEO

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:16:00 -0000

Mark Roberson is named as the company’s new chief executive officer, and will continue his role as CFO and treasurer.

SugarHouse Names new GM

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:15:00 -0000

Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino has named Wendy Hamilton as its new general manager, replacing original GM Bob Sheldon.

MGM Mirage Promotes Biloxi Execs

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:10:00 -0000

Two experienced gaming industry executives, Pete Brascia (l.) and Brandon Dardeau, have been promoted within MGM Mirage’s Mississippi operations.

GSA Creates Internet Gaming Panel

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:09:00 -0000

The standards organization created the Internet Gaming Study Committee to help operators determine the needs for standard internet gaming protocols.

Florida Could be First State to Legalize Online Gaming

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:05:00 -0000

No state has yet legalized internet gaming. Florida may well become the first to take advantage of a loophole in the federal law that bans such activities if a law sponsored by Rep. Joseph Abruzzo passes.

GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Patti Hart, President & CEO, IGT

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:03:00 -0000

This week, the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Patti Hart, the president and CEO of IGT, on her year at the helm of gaming’s largest slot manufacturer and technology company.

Vote Nears on California Mega-Casino

Staff — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0000

In April the city of Richmond, located along San Francisco Bay in Northern California will vote on whether to sell the land of the old Point Molate navy fuel depot to a consortium that wants to build a $1.2 billion mega-casino there.

Oregon City Protests Casino

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:58:00 -0000

Amidst turmoil on the Klamath Tribal Council, the city of Wilsonville, Oregon is protesting a casino on Klamath land.

California Casino Hotel Will be Smaller Than Originally Planned

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:57:00 -0000

Southern California’s San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians just topped off its seven-story luxury “hip” hotel. The hotel was planned to be 12-stories, but economics and the aesthetics of the neighbors took a hand.

Maine Indians Try Again for Casinos

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:52:00 -0000

The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes hope to place a casino proposal on the November ballot. It would compete with another casino proposed by Black Bear Entertainment.

Oklahoma Casino Draws Texans From Louisiana

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:46:00 -0000

Louisiana casinos face steep competition with the opening of a new Choctaw casino in Durant, Oklahoma (l.). The tribal casino could lure Texas gamblers away from Louisiana.

Texas Tribe Finds Ways to Survive Casino Closure

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:43:00 -0000

The Tigua Indians of Texas have found ways to thrive and build their economic base despite the fact that the state government forced them to shut down their tribal casino in 2002.

Deal Between California Tribe and City Legal Says Court

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:41:00 -0000

A California appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling and upheld an agreement between the Bay Area city of Richmond and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, who want to build a casino in the city.

Financing Expected Soon on Arizona Tribal Casino

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:38:00 -0000

Financing backed by a gift of land is expected to make it possible for the Navajo Nation to start building a $180 million casino near Flagstaff, Arizona by the end of the year, with the Grand Canyon (l) as an additional draw.

Tribes Dispute Keno in Connecticut

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:28:00 -0000

The game, already offered at the state's two tribal casinos, has been proposed for 600 to 1,000 bars, taverns and restaurants as a way to balance the budget, but the state could lose the tribal payments if it’s not careful. The Mohegan tribe, owners of the Mohegan Sun (l.), would consider it a breach of faith.

Minnesota House Holds Hearings on Casino Bill

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:22:00 -0000

Four gaming expansion bills have been introduced in the Minnesota House, which has begun committee hearings. The include a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow racinos, an electronic pull-tab measure, a bill to allow non-collegiate sports betting and a bill to allow slot machines at the regional airport.

Black Gaming Files For Bankruptcy

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:20:00 -0000

The struggling owner of casinos in Mesquite, Nevada has filed for bankruptcy protection with a “lock-up” agreement with the majority of its investors.

Nevada Gold Announces Agreements in Vegas

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:17:00 -0000

The Nevada casino company has contracted to manage and provide technical services for a new hotel and casino to be developed near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (l.).

Alabama Fails to Vote on Bingo

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:15:00 -0000

A new bill was proposed to set the tax rate on electronic bingo at 27 percent, bringing in an estimated $225 million per year for the state.

Cordish Sues Over Maryland Petition Drive

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:12:00 -0000

Cordish Cos. says a petition to overturn a zoning law permitting its Maryland casino was the product of misleading hype and bonus signatures.

Ohio Casino Relocation Campaign Begins

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:10:00 -0000

Barely four months after Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment that authorized four casino resorts in the state’s largest cities, a campaign has begun to convince them to change the location of one of the casinos, away from Columbus’ Arena District (l.).

No Promises yet as Massachusetts Prepares to Debate Casinos

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:07:00 -0000

A bill that would address both casinos and racinos may be introduced on the Massachusetts House floor within the next two weeks, according to Speaker Robert DeLeo (l.).

Gaming Escapes New Taxes in Nevada

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:03:00 -0000

The Nevada legislature held a special session recently in order to resolve the state’s budget crisis, but new taxes on gaming were not part of the final deal, despite attempts by Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford (l.) to force it on gaming.

Aqueduct: Back to Square One?

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:59:00 -0000

Governor David Paterson (l.) has announced he will not seek reelection. With rumors of corruption surrounding his Aqueduct choice, will his racino choice fall through?

Controversy Continues in Station Bankruptcy Case

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:56:00 -0000

A former manager at Station casino Green Valley Ranch Resort (l.) is being called a liar by Station Casinos after he provided information to Resort co-owner GCR Gaming. The information led to a lawsuit against Station.

Adelson: No Sale in Bethlehem

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:52:00 -0000

The Las Vegas Sands Corp. chairman moved to quell rumors of an impending sale of the company’s Bethlehem, Pennsylvania property (l.) while gearing up to restart hotel construction.

Tropicana Sale Closes in Atlantic City

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:46:00 -0000

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn officially takes over the Tropicana casino and hotel (l.) with an interim gaming license from the state of New Jersey.

Wynn Details Philly Plans

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:43:00 -0000

Casino mogul Stephen Wynn presents his case to Pennsylvania regulators for his proposed takeover of the Foxwoods Philadelphia project. Foxwoods’ original plan (l.) will no longer be used.

Kentucky Mulls Skill Games

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:42:00 -0000

Just as it seemed no gaming bill would pass the Kentucky legislature, a bill introduced last week would allow electronic games of skill including video poker, blackjack and Instant Racing machines (l.) at state racetracks.

No Casinos for Hawaii

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:35:00 -0000

Island state rejects two bills that would have established casinos in Hawaii, one of only two U.S. states that don’t offer any form of gaming. One would have opened a single casino in the Waikiki area of Honolulu (l.).

Consistency Key to E.U. Court Opinions

Frank Legato — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:33:00 -0000

E.U. nations that have elected to maintain gaming monopolies have been fairly well supported by recent opinions from E.U. Court of Justice attorney generals. That support is expected to continue for now, but only if the governments involved treat all competitors the same.

Gambling Still Going Strong in Russia

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:30:00 -0000

All the existing casinos and slot arcades in Russia were reported officially closed within a few weeks of the ban going into effect in July 2009. Now, it appears that what everyone expected would happen—the existence of widespread illegal gaming establishments—has come to pass.

Gran Scala Timeline Pushed Back

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:26:00 -0000

When Gran Scala was introduced in late 2007, the Spain location and the size of the project seemed ambitious but not impossible, given similar if not smaller developments then underway in Singapore. The developers are now giving 2014 as the potential opening date.

Accor to Sell Stake in Barriere Casinos

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:24:00 -0000

One of the top five hotel operators in the world, Accor is getting out of the casino business. The move comes just one year after the company spent money it probably shouldn’t have to build its stake in casino operator Lucien Barriere, which includes the casino at Biarritz (l.).

Guyana Casino Reawakens Controversy

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:23:00 -0000

Guyana’s first legal casino is already causing some concern among citizens worried about locals being drawn to the action. It turns out that what seemed to be a ban on locals entering the casino is not.

Betfair Set for 10 years in Tasmania

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:21:00 -0000

Betting exchange operator Betfair first brought its alternative to bookmaking to Australia four years ago. Depending on certain decisions by the Tasmanian government and gaming commission, the operator is prepared to make Tasmania its local home for the next decade.

Major Poker Event for Casino Canberra

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:35:00 -0000

Despite some reports to the contrary, poker appears to be growing in a number of markets around the world, including Australia and New Zealand.

Chile Casinos Affected by Earthquake

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:32:00 -0000

The new casino-resort industry of Chile suffered mixed degrees of damage in the recent earthquake there. Although reports on the extent of damage are still coming in, in general only a few properties seem to have been seriously affected, including the casino at left.

Macau Revenues Spike Again

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:27:00 -0000

February revenue figures in Macau showed a continue boom, up almost 70 percent over February 2009.

Goa Freeze on Casino Growth

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:25:00 -0000

For several months, a quiet had settled in around the casino ships of the Indian state of Goa. Now, an attempt to launch a new ship there threatens to revive the combatants, even though most competitors remain closed—including the Pride of Goa (l.)—due to a high entry fee imposed by the government.

Genting Hitting Stride in Singapore

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:24:00 -0000

Analysts believe that Resorts World Sentosa, the first casino to open in Singapore, is winning between $7 million and $8 million a day, easily meeting levels that would make the parent company, Malaysia’s Genting, comfortable.

WEEKLY FEATURE: Compromise Possible for Seminoles, Florida

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:17:00 -0000

A proposed gaming compact could be amended to include an escape clause for Florida, allowing the state to get its hands on millions from the tribe. Governor Charlie Crist (l.) has urged both sides to seek a resolution.

Reaching the Pinnacle

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:12:00 -0000

Missouri now has 13 casinos with the recent opening of Pinnacle Entertainment’s River City Casino, a $375 million facility that opened near St. Louis. In addition, Pinnacle will have a chance to defend the lifting of its license for St. Louis’ President Casino, and have a shot at moving the license to a new location. At left, Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director Gene McNary (l.) delivers River City’s gaming license to General Manager Todd George.

GCA Renews Wynn Contract

Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:20:00 -0000

Global Cash Access will continue to provide ATM, credit card advance and other cash-access services to Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.