Featured Articles Archive - Page 257

Foundation keeps memories alive of casino founder who excelled after accident

Craig Neilsen spent parts of three decades building Ameristar Casinos, Inc., the majority of which was accomplished after he was rendered a quadriplegic in a 1985 car accident.Yet, the creation of a multibillion-dollar hotel-casino corporation will be just part of his legacy.Neilsen, founder, chairman and CEO of Ameristar, died at age 65 in 2006.Three years earlier, he established the Craig H...read more

Penn National's planned split gains more regulatory approvals

Penn National Gaming, Inc.’s planned split in to two publicly traded companies gained four more state regulatory approvals this week, the regional casino operator announced.Gaming boards in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio and Kansas approved the deal, in which Penn National would separate a portion of its 28 casinos and race track operations into a real estate investment trust (REIT)...read more

Deal Me In: This virtual table game has one big drawback

Dear Mark: Here in Reno, several casinos have blackjack machines where the "dealer" is a video of an attractive, young lady. Are the cards dealt randomly the same as would happen on a live table game or are these machines programmed to pay out a predetermined percentage? The machines have player favorable rules, including surrender allowed...read more

Poker Player Tweets of the Week: Mario Kart and baseball card walls

It seems the entire poker world has been focused on one thing lately: the $10 million guaranteed no-limit Hold'em tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.The possibility of a seven-figure overlay has drawn most of the top tournament pros to the $5,000 buy-in, re-entry event in South Florida...read more

Company partly controlled by Agassi fined $15,000 by regulators

LAS VEGAS -- A company partly controlled by retired tennis great Andre Agassi was fined $15,000 on Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Commission and Control Board for failing to report several ownership changes.The company, Flamingo Investments, owns and operates the Sedona Lounge on West Flamingo Road near the Las Vegas Beltway.The three-count complaint named Agassi and Adam Corrigan...read more

Rebates on pari-mutuel racing wager divide race and sports book industry

LAS VEGAS -- The Nevada Gaming Commission and Control Board learned Thursday there is a marked split among the state’s race and sports book industry as to whether or not rebates should be offered to customers who make pari-mutuel racing wagers.Race and sports book operator Cantor Gaming supports the concept and wants the commission to draft a regulation allowing the activity.However, representatives of nearly every large and small race and sports book in the state, including William Hill, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts Ltd., Treasure Island and the LVH, showed up at the commission’s workshop session to oppose the idea.Following the hearing, which lasted nearly three hours, the commission asked the Gaming Control Board to provide more information on the rebate issue by the panel’s October meeting.Commissioners said they weren’t ready to decide if a regulation governing the activity should drafted or if they needed to tell state lawmakers the concept won’t work.In the spring, the Legislature approved Senate Bill 425, which legalized pari-mutuel wagering rebates...read more

Nevada gaming regulators back to debating tavern rules

LAS VEGAS -- The Nevada Gaming Commission and Control Board on Thursday found itself debating potential changes to a regulation governing the operation of slot machines inside the state’s tavern industry.Several commission members were clearly unhappy that Regulation 3.015, which underwent several changes and faced extensive scrutiny in 2011, was back in front of them once again.“We don’t want to see the rules changed every two years,” Gaming Commission Chairman Pete Bernhard said at the outset of the three-hour hearing.“One of the worst things regulators can do is to provide un­certainty...read more

Gaming officials plan to use new film to push Web wagering regulation

Gaming leaders are looking at leveraging the release of a feature film that depicts the seedier side of illegal Internet poker to raise awareness of the need for proper regulation of online wagering.American Gaming Association (AGA) President Geoff Freeman, in an e-mail to the organization’s board of directors last week, said the October 4 release of “Runner Runner” presents the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group an opportunity to state its case for Congress to pass regulations governing Internet gaming in the U.S.The movie, which stars Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, centers on illegal offshore Internet poker and the cheating of U.S...read more

Top-10 prop bets for the 2013 NFL season

The NFL regular season starts in less than three weeks, and sportsbooks are already booking action on Week 1 games. They are also offering a multitude of regular season prop bets. And while futures bets are usually a long-term loser, if you're looking in the right places, you can find some good value, especially on medium- and long-shots.Here are my top-10 2013 NFL regular season prop and futures bets.10...read more

State inquiry into Cantor Gaming creeps along slowly

LAS VEGAS -- A state investigation of sports book operator Cantor Gaming, launched after a company official was indicted for his alleged involvement in an illegal bookmaking and money laundering operation, has gone radio silent.That doesn’t mean the matter has been swept away — not by any stretch.Sources confirmed last week the Gaming Control Board’s inquiry into Cantor is moving forward, albeit at a slow pace.Agents are trying to determine to what extent Mike Colbert, Cantor’s former sports book director, had with the betting operation, which was associated with offshore Internet wagering sites.Investigators also are trying to determine if any of the illegal bookmaking allegations can be linked to Cantor...read more