Emotions mount on final day of Scottish campaign Jill Lawless, Associated Press · September 17, 2014 at 12:14 pm EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) - Will the ayes have it, or will Scotland say naw thanks? No one is certain. Excitement and anxiety mounted across the country Wednesday, the final day of campaigning before Thursday's referendum on independence. With opinion polls suggesting the result is too close to call and turnout expected to reach record levels, supporters of separation feel they are within … [Read more...]
China Gamblers Go to Vegas as Spending Crackdown Hits Macau Vinicy Chan, Bloomberg · September 17, 2014 at 5:22 am Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- China’s high-spending gamblers are looking to bet outside Macau amid a government assault on corruption and extravagance, and that’s boosting casinos from the Philippines to the Las Vegas Strip. Visitors from China are lifting gambling growth in Las Vegas while casinos in Melbourne and Manila are fighting over Chinese VIPs with frills from private jets to suckling pigs. … [Read more...]
Tycoon buys 30 Rolls-Royces for Macau hotel Kelvin Chan, Associated Press · September 17, 2014 at 4:16 am HONG KONG (AP) - A Hong Kong tycoon has placed the biggest ever order for Rolls-Royce cars, agreeing to buy 30 Phantoms to chauffeur guests at a luxury resort he's building in the global gambling capital of Macau. Stephen Hung's $20 million purchase surpasses the 14 Phantoms bought by Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel in 2006. Hung and Rolls-Royce executives signed the deal Tuesday at the … [Read more...]
Wynn Resorts wins Boston gambling license with $1.6B plan for waterfront casino in Everett (updated) Philip Marcelo, Associated Press · September 16, 2014 at 6:46 pm BOSTON (AP) - Wynn Resorts has won the competition for the lucrative Boston-area casino license, besting rival Mohegan Sun largely on the strength of its $1.6 billion project's economic development potential. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-to-1 Tuesday to award the license to the Las Vegas casino giant, which wants to turn a former chemical plant site on the Mystic River in Everett … [Read more...]
New Jersey loses 4th casino as Trump Plaza closes (updated) Wayne Parry, Associated Press · September 16, 2014 at 5:03 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Beset by crushing debt, fleeing customers and run-down facilities, Trump Plaza on Tuesday became the fourth casino in Atlantic City to shut down this year. The 30-year-old casino at the heart of the Boardwalk had been the town's worst performing for years. It won about the same amount from gamblers this year as the market-leading Borgata takes in every two weeks. And … [Read more...]
Donald Trump’s Atlantic City history Associated Press · September 16, 2014 at 4:43 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - One Atlantic City casino bearing Donald Trump's name closed Tuesday and another is threatening to close in November, but Trump himself has mostly cut ties with the struggling seaside resort. Trump told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he will "take a good strong look" at buying back control of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which declared bankruptcy this month. … [Read more...]
Wynn Resorts Beats Mohegan Sun for Boston-Area Casino License Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg · September 16, 2014 at 2:47 pm (Bloomberg) -- Wynn Resorts Ltd., the casino company founded by Steve Wynn, was awarded the sole license to operate a casino in the Boston area, beating a rival plan from the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-1 at a public hearing today after deliberating since Sept. 8. The $1.6 billion resort will be built on the site of a former chemical plant in the … [Read more...]
36 SC stores suspended from lottery sales Associated Press · September 16, 2014 at 6:17 am COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Lottery officials in South Carolina say three dozen stores have been suspended from selling tickets because of their involvement in the operation of illegal gambling machines. Holli Armstrong with the South Carolina Education Lottery told local media that the stores are being suspended for six months because of the illegal machines. Armstrong says the stores have … [Read more...]
Macau Unionists Say Police Questioned Them After Protests Stephanie Wong, Bloomberg · September 16, 2014 at 5:19 am Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Three Macau labor leaders said they were questioned and warned of possible charges by police after participating in protests that threaten to undermine casino earnings. Macau Gaming Industry Frontline Workers’ union co-founder Cloee Chao and two other members said they were separately questioned last week on suspicion they broke through police barricades at an Aug. 25 … [Read more...]
Obamacare Aids N.J. Casino Workers After Christie Opposed Law Terrence Dopp, Bloomberg · September 16, 2014 at 12:01 am Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) -- After one career in the U.S. Air Force and another setting up banquet halls in Atlantic City casinos, Ronnie Downing found himself out of a job and medical benefits when the Revel hotel shut its doors this month. He and hundreds of his colleagues turned to Obamacare. As many as 400 people among 2,500 who signed up for a Sept 10 job fair in Atlantic City asked about … [Read more...]
Wynn, Mohegan Sun respond to casino regulators (updated) Philip Marcelo, Associated Press · September 15, 2014 at 6:28 pm BOSTON (AP) - Wynn Resorts appears to have a strong advantage over Mohegan Sun in the fierce competition for the Boston-area casino license, even as the Las Vegas gambling giant pushes back against some requirements state regulators are seeking to impose if it is to win the license. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which resumed deliberations Monday, has rated Wynn's $1.6 billion resort … [Read more...]
Revel Closing Draws Interest Beyond Straub’s $90 Million Bid Michael Bathon, Bloomberg · September 15, 2014 at 6:27 pm Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Revel AC Inc., the bankrupt Atlantic City casino operator that closed its resort this month, is attracting new interest from potential buyers, including Los Angeles developer Richard Meruelo. “This case has basically been a limbo contest, where bidders were hanging out to see how low the Revel will go,” John K. Cunningham, a lawyer for the casino, said at a hearing today … [Read more...]
Judge OKs auction for closed $2.4B Revel casino September 15, 2014 at 5:25 pm CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - A bankruptcy court judge on Monday approved a Sept. 24 auction for the failed $2.4 billion Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City after a Florida developer offered $90 million cash for the closed building. Developer Glenn Straub said parts of the building could reopen a couple of weeks after the sale. He told reporters that a casino likely would operate in the building at some … [Read more...]
Dubai’s Atlantis resort to get $1.4 billion expansion Associated Press · September 15, 2014 at 2:06 pm DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Developers said Monday they will build a $1.4 billion expanse of lavish suites and residences next to the famed Atlantis resort on Dubai’s man-made palm-shaped island as part of the emirate’s drive to build up tourism revenue. Investment Corporation of Dubai and Kerzner International Holdings, which will manage the 800-room hotel, said The Royal Atlantis Resort and … [Read more...]
Conn. casinos report decline in bets, revenue Associated Press · September 15, 2014 at 11:33 am HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut's Indian-run casinos have reported declines in slot machine betting and revenue for August. Mohegan Sun said Monday total slot machine bets in August totaled $674.3 million, down 3.7 percent from $700.4 million in August 2013. The share of wagers known as revenue was $56.2 million in August, down less than half of 1 percent, from about $56.4 million in the … [Read more...]
Roman Catholic bishops support casino law repeal Associated Press · September 15, 2014 at 11:01 am BOSTON (AP) - Roman Catholic leaders in Massachusetts are urging residents to vote in favor of November's ballot question to repeal the state's casino law. Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Worcester Bishop Robert McManus, Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski and Rev. George Coleman, the Apostolic Administrator of Fall River, say the gambling industry threatens local businesses, "weakens the moral … [Read more...]
Social casino revenue headed above $2.7 billion Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Business Press · September 15, 2014 at 6:41 am Eilers Research gaming analyst Adam Krejcik estimates the expanding social casino phenomenon in the U.S. will eclipse $2.7 billion in revenue this year. That’s a pocketful of virtual gaming tokens. The growing activity is one reason Station Casinos signed on with the myVegas social gaming site. The casino operator views social gaming as a way to keep its current customers engaged when … [Read more...]
Gambling regulators resume Boston casino talks Philip Marcelo, Associated Press · September 15, 2014 at 2:02 am BOSTON (AP) - State gambling regulators were to resume discussions on awarding the lucrative Boston-area casino license to either Wynn Resorts or Mohegan Sun. In a surprise move, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission suspended last week's deliberations in order to give the two casino giants time to respond to a series of terms and conditions the panel wants to impose on the projects. Discussions … [Read more...]
Horse groups not giving up Nebraska court ruling Grant Schulte, Associated Press · September 14, 2014 at 9:55 am LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A ballot measure to allow machine betting on previously run horse races may have died in court this year, but supporters are already looking ahead to press the issue in 2016. Horse owners and racing groups are pondering their options now that the Nebraska Supreme Court has stripped the issue from this year's ballot. The groups met days after this month's ruling to discuss … [Read more...]
Slots cash a mixed bag for Pa. property owners Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press · September 14, 2014 at 9:42 am DALLAS, Pa. (AP) - In the summer of 2004, Gov. Ed Rendell and top state lawmakers promoted legalized casino gambling as a way to provide historic relief from burdensome school property taxes. A decade later, slot-machine revenue has helped restrain the inexorable growth of a tax that homeowners love to hate, and completely eliminated it for thousands of low-income seniors. But an Associated … [Read more...]
Kenosha Casino not a done deal but jobseekers still sought Associated Press · September 13, 2014 at 1:49 pm KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Scott Walker still hasn't decided whether to approve a proposed off-reservation casino in Kenosha, but that hasn't stopped the team leading the project from launching a website for prospective job seekers. The Menominee Nation and Hard Rock said Friday that they created the website to prepare for the "likelihood of approval." "While negotiations continue on the … [Read more...]
Casino seeks to break Alabama’s AG’s winning streak Philip Marcelo, Associated Press · September 13, 2014 at 10:58 am MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The attorney general's office has won court cases allowing it to destroy machines seized from gambling halls in Houston, Jefferson and Lowndes counties. The shuttered VictoryLand casino in Macon County is trying to break that winning streak. A four-day trial over the legality of gambling machines seized from VictoryLand wrapped up Friday in Montgomery. Attorneys on both … [Read more...]
Atlantic City casino revenues down 1.2 percent Wayne Parry, Associated Press · September 12, 2014 at 2:46 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Atlantic City's casino revenue declined by 1.2 percent in August compared with a year ago as another gambling hall shut down at the end of the month. The 11 casinos operating during August won $294.4 million from gamblers, down from $298 million a year ago. The Showboat closed on Aug. 31 but had been slowly ramping down its operations during the month. Figures … [Read more...]
VictoryLand trial focuses on definition of bingo (updated) Phillip Rawls, Associated Press · September 12, 2014 at 2:38 pm MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A judge trying to decide the legality of 1,615 gambling machines seized from VictoryLand casino in Macon County said Friday the issue would be simpler if a constitutional amendment allowing bingo in the county had used the term "electronic bingo." Montgomery County Circuit Judge William Shashy has presided over a four-day non-jury trial focusing on the machines. The … [Read more...]
Notice of possible closure goes to 3K Atlantic City Trump Taj Mahal workers Wayne Parry, Associated Press · September 12, 2014 at 1:44 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The owner of the Trump Taj Mahal casino has sent notices to more than 3,100 employees warning it could be shut down in November. Trump Entertainment Resorts told The Associated Press it filed the notices earlier this week, saying it could close Nov. 13. The company filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday and threatened to close the Taj Majal if it doesn't get concessions … [Read more...]