Featured Articles Archive - Page 278

Gaming revenue climbs 7 percent in Nevada, 13 percent on Strip

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada gaming revenues grew 7 percent in March, the state’s second straight monthly revenue increase.The Nevada State Gaming Control Board Gaming Commission said Friday casinos statewide collected $914.8 million from customers during the month, an increase of 7.04 percent compared to the same month a year ago.On the Strip, gaming revenues hit $507.6 million, an increase of 13.1 percent.The monthly totals followed February’s $1.073 billion revenue take statewide, which included a record-setting $696.1 million in gaming revenues from Strip casinos...read more

Las Vegas man wins first legal online poker tournament in United States

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas resident Daniel Healey made history last weekend, becoming the first poker player to win a legal, real-money online tournament in the U.S.Healey topped a 200-player field to win Ultimate Poker’s first $10,000 Sunday Tournament...read more

Poker standout Ivey sues London casino over nonpayment of gambling winnings

Poker champion Phil Ivey has decided he’s waited long enough to collect his winnings from a hot game of Punto Banco last summer in London.A United Kingdom-based law firm said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday it filed a writ with the High Court in London seeking some $12.1 million Ivey says he won at Crockfords Club casino last August.Crockfords is owned by Genting Group of Malaysia, the company that announced plans in April to build the $2 billion to $7 billion Resorts World Las Vegas on the Strip location that currently houses the unfinished Echelon project.Last summer, Ivey played Punto Banco, a variation of baccarat, for seven hours over a two-night period at Crockfords, winning the equivalent of almost $12 million.However, Crockfords informed authorities it withheld Ivey's payout...read more

Commercial casino gaming revenues total $37.34 billion in 2012

U.S. commercial casinos collected $37.34 billion in gaming revenues in 2012, the second-highest figure ever produced by the nation’s gambling states.Gaming leaders said the figure was a sign the industry is recovering since the recession zapped consumer spending.The American Gaming Association, which compiles gaming revenue figures from states with land-based casinos, riverboat casino and racetrack casinos, on Monday released its annual State of the States report on the casino industry.In 2012 the casino industry added a 23rd gambling state — Ohio — and saw casinos expand in Maryland, Kansas, Maine and New York...read more

Slot machine maker sees its profits decline in third quarter

Slot machine maker WMS Industries Incorporated saw its profits decline in the third quarter, company representatives said Monday.The Illinois-based manufacturer, which is being acquired by lottery equipment provider Scientific Games in a $1.5 billion buyout, said its net income for the quarter that ended March 31 was $7.5 million, or 14 cents per share...read more

Ten states that should have online gaming

Last week, the first online gaming site regulated within the United States opened for business when Ultimate Poker accepted its first real-money bet in Nevada. And with New Jersey and Delaware working on finalizing their online gambling regulations, it won't be long before more Americans have the opportunity to play online games for real money in a state-regulated environment.Several additional states are considering online gambling legislation, and it likely won't be long before other states follow Nevada's lead...read more

Daughter of Dennis Gomes shines spotlight on late father in new book

ATLANTIC CITY -- The late Dennis Gomes had a colorful and Hall of Fame-worthy 40 years in the gaming industry.He operated more than a dozen casinos in Las Vegas and on the Boardwalk from the mid-1980s until his sudden passing at age 68 in February 2012.Many of those endeavors played out vividly in the public arena.Gomes’ daughter Danielle Gomes is now shining the spotlight on her father’s career as a Nevada gaming agent in the 1970s.Her book, “Hit Me!: Fighting the Las Vegas Mob by the Numbers,” will be released this week.The backstory is widely known.Dennis Gomes, an accountant who had visions of joining the FBI, became the youngest-ever chief of the Gaming Control Board’s Audit Division in 1971, at age 27...read more

Ameristar Casino sees profits, revenues decline

LAS VEGAS -- Regional gaming operator Ameristar Casinos, Inc. said a decline in revenues and profits in the first quarter was due to economic factors and new competition in several markets.Las Vegas-based Ameristar, which is being acquired by rival Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc...read more

New Nevada online poker site deals out 100,000th hand

LAS VEGAS -- Ultimate Poker has registered thousands of users from every U.S. state and 20 countries.That’s in just 72 hours.By Thursday evening, the website dealt its 100,000th hand of poker.Around 10 p.m., Ultimate Poker had 50 poker tables with action.“I would say we were the largest poker room in the state at that hour,” Ultimate Gaming CEO Tobin Prior said Friday.Company officials said the launch of Ultimate Poker, the nation’s first legally regulated pay-to-play online gaming website, has exceeded expectations.Ultimate Poker Chairman Tom Breitling didn’t want to reveal official numbers for the website’s first few days, which can only accept wagers from gamblers playing on computers or mobile devices located within Nevada’s borders.Breitling has shared the information with Nevada gaming regulators.He did say Ultimate Poker is collecting revenue through a rake — the percentage of wagers removed from each pot by the house...read more

Quarterly results offer IGT chief degree of vindication

LAS VEGAS -- There are victory laps and then there are VICTORY LAPS.IGT - International Game Technology Chief Executive Officer Patti Hart took the latter last month.The slot machine manufacturer, which has corporate headquarters in Las Vegas and Reno, grew profits 26 percent to $78.2 million and revenues by more than 11 percent to $600 million during the second quarter, exceeding analysts’ predictions.IGT said sales of replacement slot machines grew 68 percent during the quarter ended March 31...read more