UNITED STATES GAMING
The Hancock County, Pennsylvania Health Board has proposed banning smoking in businesses including casinos. MTR Gaming President Joseph Billhimer said that means Mountaineer Casino could lose revenue and jobs....
Illegal Gambling Bust at Caesars Palace
The FBI arrested eight people for allegedly running an illegal gambling ring, using Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as its base of operations. The suspects, who have been linked...
LEX Opens at Reno’s Grand Sierra
In a bid to draw high-spending clubbers to the Reno market, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino has opened its luxe new LEX nightclub. The $15 million watering...
New York: Hurry Up and Wait
Last month, 17 gaming partnerships formally submitted their casino proposals to the state of New York (Nevele proposal for Catskills at left). The winners will not be chosen until...
Boston, Mohegan Reach $18 Million Casino Agreement
Not a “host” city, Boston is trying to outline deals with the two developers of casinos in the region, neither of them located in the city. Last week, the...
Affinity Braces for Default
Affinity Gaming is warning investors it expects to default on a portion of its $382.7 million in long-term debt. Affinity has 11 properties in four states, including one in...
Experts Call New Jersey’s Sports Betting Play a Long Shot
After losing a bid to overturn a federal ban on sports betting in federal court, the New Jersey Legislature has passed a bill to allow unregulated sports betting in...
R.I. Casino Referendum Fight Expected to be Robust
The Rhode Island legislature has placed a measure on the November ballot that would allow the Newport Grand Casino (l.) to add table games. A robust election campaign is...
Iowa Supports Isle’s Land-Based Plan
The Iowa Gaming Commission supports a proposed land-based Isle of Capri casino along the waterfront in the city of Bettendorf, Scott County. The Bettendorf City Council also has thrown...
Florida Dog Tracks Struggling
In 1990, wagers on live dog races in Florida totaled nearly $1 billion. Last year that figure dropped to $258 million. Some greyhound tracks try to survive on casino...
Maryland Blamed For West Virginia Losses
New racetrack casinos in Maryland and Ohio are luring gamblers and taking revenue from West Virginia's four racinos, where revenue is down 11.5 percent for the fiscal year. Those...
Keno Divides Arkansas Legislators, Lottery Director
Arkansas lawmakers recently approved a moratorium on keno monitor games until next March. State Senator Jimmy Hickey said that allows time to review "any and every aspect" of the...
Is Detroit Casino Tax Revenue City Property?
Bond issuer Syncora Guarantee Inc. is appealing a bankruptcy judge's ruling that casino tax revenue--$15 million a month—is the property of the city of Detroit and protected by the...
Siegel to Invest $300 Million in LVH
Timeshare king David Siegel (l.), the new owner of the LVH Las Vegas (now Westgate Las Vegas), promises to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the property....
Agency to Study Atlantic City Cruise Ship Feasibility
New Jersey’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will study the feasibility of Atlantic City becoming a stop for small cruise lines. Cruise line analysts, however, say the resort is too...
Puerto Rico to Add Casino
In a bid to improve the island economy, Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce and a local redeveloping authority are considering new tourist attractions, including a casino...
County Officials Oppose State Bill to Regulate Atlantic City Beach Bars
Two Atlantic County officials have come out against a plan to have Atlantic City enforce noise regulations at the city’s beach bars. With Atlantic City struggling, they say this...
Gulf Coast Casino Breaks Ground July 15
Five million fewer people have visited Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos in the last two years, but building and renovation moves forward. D'Iberville's first casino, the $250 million Scarlet Pearl...
Illinois Gaming Revenue Drops—Again
Analysts forecast continued declining revenue in Illinois' regional casino markets, with a 10.8 percent year-to-year drop in June to $117 million, and a 9.7 percent decrease from May to...
Revenue Off At Southern Indiana Riverboats
Casino industry officials in southern Indiana said Horseshoe Cincinnati, owned by Caesars Entertainment, caused riverboat casino revenue to drop 10.9 percent to $64.3 million. Only Pinnacle Gaming's legacy riverboat...