Featured Articles Archive - Page 165

Deal Me In: It's possible, but improbable, to hit the big kahuna

Dear Mark: I just returned from Las Vegas and noticed every casino offers banks of slot machines that offer those huge progressive jackpots. Do those machines ever pay the progressive jackpot or is that the casino's way of getting people to pump in more of their money? Gary C.The allure of progressive slots, Gary, is always in the possibility of arriving by bus and departing in that new car showcased on top of a bank of progressive machines...read more

Top-10 reasons to play at SwC Poker

After Seals With Clubs shut down on Feb. 20, I withdrew my balance to my Bitcoin wallet. For the first time in probably a decade, I didn't have a real-money balance in an online poker room.I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the transaction was processed; I can't remember ever receiving a withdrawal from an online poker room the same day I requested it since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement ACT (UIGEA) passed, and I certainly can't remember it happening when a poker room was shutting its doors.Last Thursday, less than a week after Seals With Clubs shut down, SwC Poker launched...read more

Wynn Resorts seeks to oust Elaine Wynn from board of directors

LAS VEGAS -- Wynn Resorts, Limited plans to remove longtime director Elaine Wynn from the casino operator’s board of directors, primarily due to a 2012 lawsuit she filed against her ex-husband, company Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn.In a proxy filing with the U.S...read more

Inside Gaming: Blackstone executive ready to bet big on Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Blackstone Group executive Jonathan Gray never will be mistaken for Nick the Greek. The company’s head of global real estate considers himself just a gambling novice.Yet, the head of the New York-based private equity fund is wagering $1.73 billion it can make The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas a shining jewel on the Strip.To hear Gray describe the 4-year-old Strip hotel-casino, Blackstone is well on its way to beating the odds.Gray, 45, oversees Blackstone Real Estate Partners, which owns $81 billion in real estate assets.The company completed its purchase of the 2,995-room Cosmopolitan from Germany-based Deutsche Bank AG in December...read more

Gaming revenue shifts trend, rises 7.75 percent in Nevada, 15.4 percent on Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada casinos turned the corner in January.Gaming revenue increased 7.75 percent statewide while Strip casinos grew totals by 15.4 percent during the first month of 2015, the Gaming Control Board said Friday.The January results ended five straight declining months of gaming revenue on the Strip.Statewide, gaming revenue fell four out of the five past months through December.Nevada casinos as a whole collected $952.7 million in revenue during January, compared with $884.2 million a year ago...read more

Repeal of sports wagering handle tax reintroduced by Titus

LAS VEGAS -- Legislation that would repeal a federal handle tax on Nevada sports books was reintroduced in Congress on Friday by Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who said the levy places an undue burden on the state’s sports book industry.Titus introduced the measure last year, but it was not acted upon...read more

Deal Me In: Times to split 10s at blackjack are extremely rare

Dear Mark: I am aware that you never – ever – ever split 10s against a dealer’s 5 or 6. However, I have been tempted to do so when no one else is at the Blackjack table. My question is what is the percentage odds of winning (or losing) by doing so? Herb C.Surprisingly, Herb, there was a gaming writer, John Scarne (Scarne on Cards), who did recommend splitting 10s when playing the standard version of blackjack...read more

Gaming regulators say OK to Olympic betting in Nevada

LAS VEGAS -- It didn’t take long for Nevada sports books to begin offering betting lines on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.Within minutes after the Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved the regulation on Thursday, William Hill U.S...read more

Caesars sells 20 percent interest in Ohio casinos

LAS VEGAS -- Caesars Entertainment Corporation on Thursday sold its 20 percent interest in three Ohio casinos to partner Detroit-based Rock Gaming, LLC.A sale price was not disclosed. The deal was announced by Rock Gaming’s subsidiary, Rock Ohio Ventures...read more

Nevada regulators approve GTECH buyout of IGT

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada gaming regulators on Thursday approved the equipment manufacturing sector’s largest-ever merger.After more than three hours of special meetings in Las Vegas, the Nevada State Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission signed off on Italy-based lottery giant GTECH Holdings $6.4 billion buyout of Nevada-based slot machine manufacturer International Game Technology.The combined companies will be branded as IGT, and the holding company will be named International Game Technology PLC...read more