Featured Articles Archive - Page 191

Scientific Games officially appoints Haddrill as executive vice chairman

LAS VEGAS -- Scientific Games Corporation officially appointed former Bally Technologies, Inc. CEO Richard Haddrill as executive vice chairman of the gaming equipment manufacturer, a move announced this summer.In a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, Scientific Games said Haddrill, 61, was given a three-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million per year, along with stock options.Last month, lottery provider Scientific Games completed its $5.1 billion buyout of slot machine giant Bally.The deal transformed Scientific Games into the industry’s most diversified global business with 10 components that touch all aspects of legalized gambling — lotteries, slot machines, table games, casino and lottery management systems and interactive gaming.In the SEC filing, Scientific Games said Haddrill would focus on the company’s “business and financial objectives in connection with the integration of Bally.”Haddrill will help also with new business development and provide “general strategic guidance” to management.Haddrill was CEO of Bally from 2004 through 2012...read more

MGM Resorts spokeswoman wins national PR honor

LAS VEGAS -- MGM Resorts International Senior Vice President of Public Relations Jenn Michaels was named Wednesday to an industry trade publication’s first-ever list of Top Women in PR.Michaels, who oversees consumer media relations for Bellagio, Aria Resort & Casino, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, The Mirage and other company resorts, was recognized as one the most influential women in public relations.Michaels and the other winners named by PR News span a range of domestic and international industries and sectors.An awards luncheon for the honorees will be held in January in New York City.Michaels has overseen such efforts as the opening of CityCenter in 2009 and the opening of Bellagio in 1998...read more

Online gaming ban omitted from government spending bill

WASHINGTON — Congress in its final major bill of the year unveiled Tuesday declined to support a call by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson for a ban on legalized Internet gambling.The $1.1 trillion measure would fund most government operations through September of next year, making it a must-pass measure...read more

Study shows (big surprise) gaming is No. 1 in Nevada

Here’s one area where Nevada ranks first in the nation — and it’s a good thing.When looking at the cumulative financial benefits of the nation’s gaming industry, the Silver State is No. 1 in economic impact, No. 1 in jobs supported and No. 1 tax revenue to state and local governments.Yeah, big surprise coming from a state when gaming is the top industry.The study was conducted by Oxford Economics, the research arm of Oxford University, on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association.The overall study, which looked at the economic impact of both the commercial casino industry and American Indian casinos in 2013, was released in October at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas...read more

Unwin leaving CEO post at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas CEO John Unwin, who has headed the Strip resort leading up to the property’s 2010 opening, announced Tuesday he will leave his post at the end of the year.No replacement was named for Unwin, who will help in a consulting capacity to assist with a transition.The 2,995-room Cosmopolitan is being sold to the Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII, a division of New York City-based Blackstone, for $1.73 billion.The group received preliminary gaming license approval last week from the Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission will take up the application next week.In a statement, Unwin said he plans to “shortly announce” a new venture.Deutsche Bank build and opened the Cosmopolitan for $3.9 billion after the property’s original owner defaulted on the project...read more

Inside Gaming: California emerging as the next online poker battleground

California’s latest effort to legalize online poker would sideline PokerStars, shut out the racetrack industry, and offer a twist that makes traditional casinos and card rooms part of the game.Of course, the whole idea could be tossed out with yesterday’s garbage if billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson’s effort to kill online gaming makes an eleventh hour resurrection during Congress’ lame duck session.For now, California is shaping up as the center of the nation’s online gaming debate in 2015.Lobbyists there expect two more online poker bills to drop next month when the California Legislature returns, with action expected no earlier than late spring.Nevada’s major casino operators and equipment providers — Caesars Entertainment Corp, MGM Resorts International, Station Casinos, Scientific Games — will be watching California closely...read more

Laxalt taps Lionel Sawyer attorney to head gaming division

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada’s new attorney general has reached into the private sector for a chief deputy to head up the gaming division.Attorney General-elect Adam Laxalt on Monday named J. Brin Gibson to oversee the division, which advises the Nevada State Gaming Control Board and Nevada State Gaming Commission and regulatory matters.Gibson has worked in the gaming and regulatory department for the statewide law firm Lionel Sawyer &Collins...read more

Congress may stand pat on Internet gambling

WAHSINGTON, D.C. -- An all-out bid by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson to kill gambling over the Internet is coming up empty in the final days of Congress, sources said on Monday.Lawmakers were on the verge of unveiling a $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep the government running through next September...read more

Here's why Ultimate Gaming failed so soon

LAS VEGAS -- The demise of Ultimate Gaming just five months short of the company’s second birthday was attributable to several factors that make online poker in Nevada a challenging business model.Until Nevada is able to find a populous state to be an online gaming partner — the pending agreement with Delaware won’t move the needle — the Silver State is just too small in population to support a vibrant Internet poker market.The growing acceptance of social gaming also played into the decision by Station Casinos, Inc...read more

Top-10 holiday gifts for the gambler in your life

The holiday season is fast approaching, and if you haven't already finished your shopping list, it's time to get to work. If you have any loved ones in your life who enjoy gambling, here's a list of gift ideas that might bring a smile to their face, and in some cases may help them win (or more likely, lose a little less) on their next trip to the casino.10...read more