Casino banners cause flap in Natchez March 4, 2013 at 7:50 am NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - The president of a casino in Natchez says he plans to meet with Mayor Butch Brown about banners advertising the casino. The Natchez Democrat reports ( http://bit.ly/ZXFGSq ) that the city took down banners directing customers to the Magnolia Bluffs Casino at the bottom of Roth Hill in Natchez on Friday. But the casino soon replaced them. Natchez officials said the … [Read more...]
Genting buys Echelon for $2 billion Resorts World Las Vegas March 4, 2013 at 4:00 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal Malaysia-based Genting Group today will announce acquisition of the Echelon site on the Strip and outline plans to build a $2 billion hotel-casino complex on the 87-acre development halted by the onset of the recession almost five years ago. Genting, which operates casinos in Singapore and New York City, will pay Boyd Gaming Corp. less than $500 … [Read more...]
Ind., Ky. brace for new casino in Cincinnati March 4, 2013 at 2:45 am Amanda Lee Myers, Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) - With a glistening $400 million casino set to open in downtown Cincinnati, officials and casino executives in two neighboring states are looking at the development with trepidation as they prepare to watch tax dollars flow into Ohio. Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati is all but guaranteed to dip into Indiana's casino revenues, which have steadily … [Read more...]
NC lawmakers, gov looking at lottery changes March 3, 2013 at 3:38 pm Gary D Robertson, Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The North Carolina Education Lottery sold its first tickets in March 2006, but seven years later it appears the lottery's luck with state government could be wearing thin. Members of the General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory are interested in scaling back or altering how the lottery advertises. Doing so could hurt annual sales that … [Read more...]
Canada’s casinos face woes as NY considers halls March 3, 2013 at 11:16 am NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Casino operators and local officials in Canada say business is already hurting and worry that if New York approves casinos upstate, both sides of the border could face economic struggles. The Buffalo News reports (http://bit.ly/VXvlCj ) that competition, a weaker dollar and a more restrictive border since the Sept. 11 terror attacks have already cut into profits at … [Read more...]
NH Senate panel voting on gambling bill March 3, 2013 at 10:02 am CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A Senate committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday morning on a bill to legalize a casino in New Hampshire. The Ways and Means Committee is expected to make its recommendation to the full Senate during a work session on the bill. The bill would legalize up to 5,000 video slot machines and 150 table games. The proposal would tax the video slot proceeds at 30 percent and … [Read more...]
VictoryLand casino wins expanded liquor license March 3, 2013 at 8:19 am MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama casino has won its bid for an expanded liquor license. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board says it could not conclude that specific gaming and machines at VictoryLand are illegal. The panel says that question would be up to the courts to decide. The Montgomery Advertiser reports (http://on.mgmadv.com/15r1x3N ) Attorney General Luther Strange … [Read more...]
Gaming regulators to hear background check reports March 3, 2013 at 6:01 am SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - State casino regulators are scheduled this week to hear reports on the background checks done on applicants for a casino license in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/1615wVXhttp://bit.ly/1615wVX ) reports Sunday that the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to hear the results at a closed meeting on Wednesday. The commission expects to issue … [Read more...]
Tourism agency to promote Las Vegas in major league ballparks March 3, 2013 at 5:08 am Alan Snel, Las Vegas Review-Journal Ads luring tourists for a Las Vegas vacation can show up just about anywhere in America - including near the dugout at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago or behind home plate at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. With Major League Baseball spring training in full bloom and the MLB regular season set to start March 31, the advertising agency for the Las Vegas … [Read more...]
Bitter IGT proxy fight will come to a head this week March 3, 2013 at 5:08 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal On a recent airline trip, International Game Technology Chairman Phil Satre said he gained a better understanding into the slot machine manufacturer's $500 million purchase last year of a free play social gaming business. It came from spying on the person seated next to him. Satre, 62, noticed his much younger seat mate played casino games through … [Read more...]
Online PokerStars folds, then goes on a hot streak March 3, 2013 at 5:07 am Howard Stutz, Inside Gaming, Las Vegas Review-Journal Online gaming giant PokerStars folded its hand last summer after a 15-month legal battle with the U.S. Department of Justice. Since that time the company has been on a heater. It was the right call for PokerStars to accept a $731 million forfeiture to the federal government and shed a nine-count indictment. The settlement also absolved … [Read more...]
Las Vegas Sands says it may have violated U.S. laws on bribing foreign officials March 2, 2013 at 9:07 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal Las Vegas Sands Corp. may have violated federal law that bans the bribing of foreign public officials, the casino operator told the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. In a one-sentence statement within the company's annual report filing, Las Vegas Sands said its Audit Committee found possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices … [Read more...]
William Hill posts U.S. loss of $900,000, buys out online partner March 2, 2013 at 4:59 am Chris Sieroty, Las Vegas Review-Journal William Hill Plc, the owner of 180 sports books and kiosks in Nevada, said Friday it will pay $643 million for full control of its successful online business. The deal to buy out the 29 percent stake in William Hill Online held by software company Playtech Ltd., was the British bookmaker's second deal in the past three months. The company paid … [Read more...]
Christie says NJ will appeal sports betting ruling March 1, 2013 at 4:22 pm David Porter, Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Gov. Chris Christie indicated Friday he would appeal a judge's decision upholding a ban on sports gambling in New Jersey, a ruling that dealt a setback to the state's efforts to save its struggling casino industry by tapping into a multibillion-dollar market. In a ruling published late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp sided … [Read more...]
Court: Seized casino games don’t resemble bingo March 1, 2013 at 4:01 pm Phillip Rawls, Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The gambling machines seized from VictoryLand casino don't resemble bingo and are probably illegal slots, the Alabama Supreme Court said Friday. The court based its opinion on an undercover surveillance video of the games and information supplied by an investigator for the state attorney general. "This decision should end the debate … [Read more...]
Judge freezes disputed Ind. lottery jackpot March 1, 2013 at 3:30 pm (Updated) Pamela Engel, Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana judge barred the state lottery commission from awarding a $9.5 million lottery prize Friday pending a decision on whether the jackpot should be given to a hairstylist or shared between her and her colleagues. Seven stylists at Lou's Creative Styles in Indianapolis say the winning Hoosier Lotto ticket for the Feb. 16 … [Read more...]
Judge deals setback to NJ’s sports gambling effort March 1, 2013 at 12:01 pm (Updated) David Porter, Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A federal judge upheld a 21-year-old law prohibiting sports betting in all but four states, dealing a setback to New Jersey's attempts to revive its struggling casino industry by grabbing a piece of what has become a multibillion-dollar industry, both legal and illegal. The ruling published late Thursday night marked the second … [Read more...]
MGM Resorts announces 20,000-seat Strip arena project March 1, 2013 at 10:35 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal MGM Resorts International entered the Las Vegas stadium debate this morning by announcing plans to build a 20,000-seat indoor arena on Strip land behind the Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Cost for the development was not announced. MGM Resorts said the facility would be built with private funding and in partnership with arena developer AEG, which … [Read more...]
Macau gaming revenues hit $3.4 billion in February March 1, 2013 at 9:29 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal Macau casinos collected $3.4 billion in gaming revenues during February, a 12 percent increase compared with a year ago, according to figures released Friday by the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. For the first two months of 2013, Macau gaming revenues are up 9.4 percent over the same period in 2012. Last year, Macau collected a … [Read more...]
Brown signs gaming facility agreement March 1, 2013 at 8:43 am Associated Press INDEPENDENCE, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed an agreement authorizing a gambling casino on the reservation of a small Native American tribe just east of the Kings Canyon National Park in Inyo County. Brown signed the tribal-state compact Thursday with the Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians, a federally recognized tribe. The agreeement allows … [Read more...]
Taxi strike could snarl Las Vegas March 1, 2013 at 5:43 am Tim O'Reiley, Las Vegas Review-Journal After months of talks that went nowhere, the drivers union at Las Vegas' second-largest cab company has set the industry's first strike in nearly two decades. Starting at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, drivers at Yellow Checker Star Transportation will walk off the job in an action announced Thursday by the Industrial Technical Professional Employees Union … [Read more...]
Former Sands exec again headed for sanctions hearing with ex-employer March 1, 2013 at 3:13 am Tim O'Reiley, Las Vegas Review-Journal For the second time in less than a year, former Sands China Ltd. CEO Steven Jacobs is heading into a sanctions hearing with his one-time employer and affiliate Las Vegas Sands Corp. A hearing Thursday focused on whether Sands had turned over the evidence that Jacobs has requested to back his argument that his wrongful termination case should be heard … [Read more...]
Web gaming bills help ignite some gaming stocks March 1, 2013 at 3:12 am Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal Approval of Internet gaming bills in Nevada and New Jersey less than a week apart helped fuel investors interest in the gaming industry during the last half of February. The largest beneficiary was Caesars Entertainment Corp. Both Nevada and New Jersey began the process of implementing online gaming websites directed at customers gambling on … [Read more...]
Las Vegas race organizers wheel out big names to tout virtues of NASCAR March 1, 2013 at 3:09 am Alan Snel, Las Vegas Review-Journal The major leagues of car racing comes to Las Vegas next weekend. So race organizers rolled out former mayor and NASCAR fan Oscar Goodman along with Las Vegas native and big-time racer Kurt Busch on Thursday to extol the economic virtues of hosting a NASCAR race. Citing Las Vegas tourism authority data, Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials said last year's … [Read more...]
McCarran passenger traffic down in January March 1, 2013 at 2:32 am Tim O'Reiley, Las Vegas Review-Journal Fulfilling predictions that the year would start slowly, passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport dipped slightly in January. The monthly summary released Thursday by the Clark County Department of Aviation shows 3.1 million people passed through the airport in January, a 1.6 percent decline from one year ago. Traffic has dropped in seven of … [Read more...]
