Featured Articles Archive - Page 272

Sweet delight: New York-New York to house giant candy brands

LAS VEGAS -- The Strip’s New York-New York Hotel & Casino, home to a faux Statue of Liberty and a scaled-down version of the Brooklyn Bridge, will soon house an 18-foot-tall replica of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and other oversized candy brands.Hershey’s released details Tuesday of the planned Hershey’s Chocolate World that will occupy 13,000 square feet inside New York-New York.The project is part of a $100 million retail, dining and entertainment district being developed by MGM Resorts International along the Strip and between the company’s New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts.The two-story, interactive all-things-Hershey candy attraction will be the company’s second-largest Chocolate World...read more

Deal Me In: That good old 22

Dear Mark: I enjoy reading your column every week in the Reno Gazette Journal. Last week, you wrote of your "walking out the door wager" on the roulette wheel. Something about it struck a chord in my memory, but I couldn't figure what it was...read more

A parallel universe? Reno outpaces Las Vegas in gaming revenue

LAS VEGAS --Remember the original “Star Trek” television series episode titled “Mirror, Mirror,” in which members of the Enterprise crew were transported to a parallel universe with an alternate reality?That was Nevada in April.Reno bailed out Las Vegas.Nevada gaming revenues fell less than 1 percent during April, but double-digit increases from Reno and Washoe County casinos saved the state from a larger decline.The Gaming Control Board said Monday that gaming revenues collected by casinos statewide were $854.3 million, down 0.16 percent compared with $855.7 million collected in April 2012.On the Strip, gaming revenues fell 2.34 percent to $448.6 million, compared with $459.4 million in the same month a year ago.However, gaming revenues in Reno grew 15.36 percent to $44.1 million, compared with $38.3 million in April 2012...read more

Top-10 Stanley Cup Finals bets

The Stanley Cup Finals get underway on Wednesday, with the Boston Bruins facing the Chicago Blackhawks. While hockey isn't one of the biggest draws in a sportsbook, there are a lot of great opportunities for sharp bettors, and a few good ones if you're just looking to take a flier on a long shot, too.There are so many great hockey bets, in fact, that I even wrote a top-10 list on how to bet on hockey earlier this year.Now I'm going to put my (proverbial) money where my mouth is and make 10 picks for the Stanley Cup Finals...read more

Nevada gaming revenues slip slightly in April; Reno outpaces Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada gaming revenues fell less than 1 percent in April as a jump in figures from the Reno market helped offset a loss on the Strip.The Nevada State Gaming Control Board Gaming Commission said Monday that gaming revenues collected by casinos statewide were $854.3 million, down 0.16 percent compared with $855.7 million collected in April 2012.On the Strip, gaming revenues fell 2.34 percent to $448.6 million, compared with $459.4 million in the same month a year ago.However, gaming revenues in Reno grew 15.36 percent to $44.1 million, compared with $38.3 million in April 2012...read more

Down on the Farmville, Zynga wrestles with multiple issues

Things are not all peaceful down on the farm.Social gaming giant Zynga Inc., which has a grand vision of converting its platform into a real-money, pay-to-play online gambling format in Nevada, slashed 18 percent of its workforce and closed multiple offices to cut costs this past week.The San Francisco-based company, which developed free-play social games such as “FarmVille,” “Mafia Wars” and “Words With Friends,” said the layoffs and closures will save $70 million to $80 million annually.Zynga took the first step toward Nevada licensing with an application for a preliminary finding of suitability in December.On Monday, Zynga took on the characteristics of a Strip casino operator.Corporate gaming giants cut jobs and costs during the recession, when customer casino visits diminished and patrons spent less.At the same time, social gaming flourished on Facebook and other platforms...read more

Gaming regulators caution casinos about Google Glass

LAS VEGAS -- State gaming regulators cautioned the casino industry Monday about the use of Google Glass by customers, saying the wearable computers could be used as a cheating device by gamblers.In a memo published Monday on the Gaming Control Board website, Enforcement Division Chief Jerry Marklin...read more

Pinnacle, Ameristar merger may drag into next year

LAS VEGAS -- Federal antitrust regulators had few questions when a trifecta of casino industry mergers — just under $20 billion in combined value — created the Strip’s two largest corporate ownerships and a regional gaming giant nearly a decade ago.But last month, the Federal Trade Commission halted Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.’s $2.8 billion buyout of regional gaming rival Ameristar Casinos, Inc., the industry’s first major merger since before the recession.Both companies are headquartered in Las Vegas, but neither owns a casino in Southern Nevada.In a 17-page administrative complaint that was approved unanimously by four commissioners, the FTC said it would ask a federal judge to block the merger...read more

Is there a “best” way to play Let It Ride?

Question: Is it true there are rules to decide when to take your first and second bets down at Let It Ride? If so, what are they?Answer: Your first decision is made on three cards. The optimum strategy is to keep bet #1 alive with any winning pair (10s or higher), three of a kind, or three-card possible straight flush.Your second decision is made on four cards...read more

Deal Me In: It really was a pretty sweet gig

Dear Mark: Currently, I am working two crummy jobs and was looking to go into the casino business. We have three casinos in close proximity to where I live. I hear that dealers make a decent living, which I am sure is more than I am making now...read more