Featured Articles Archive - Page 314

Top-10 moments in NBC Heads Up Poker Championship history

I've watched a lot of televised poker over the last 10 years, and at this point there are only three poker programs that my DVR is set to record: The World Series of Poker, High Stakes Poker and the NBC Heads Up Poker Championship. Unfortunately for my poker viewing, two of the three programs have been on hiatus as they lacked sponsors after Black Friday...read more

MGM Resorts in battle with Penn for lone western Massachusetts casino license

Those hoping the next cage match between Penn National Gaming, Inc. and MGM Resorts International will play out in Springfield, Mass., are going to be disappointed.The winner of a lone casino license in Western Massachusetts will be determined on merit and awarded to the company that can best deliver on its promises.Inundating the Springfield airwaves with millions of dollars in ads, mailing controversial documents to residents and questioning a company's financial acumen or intentions won't be tolerated.In fact, Springfield leaders reportedly told officials from both MGM and Penn to play nice: The city doesn't want a repeat of what happened in Maryland.A month ago, Penn National and MGM Resorts spent a combined $90 million and were on opposite sides of what might have been the most expensive and venomous casino expansion campaign ever seen.Now, they are facing off in Western Massachusetts in what is the most heavily sought after license among the state's three potential gaming regions.Caesars Entertainment Corp...read more

Nevada gaming revenues increase 1.8 percent in October; Strip up 3.6 percent

LAS VEGAS -- Going into October, analysts figured casinos statewide would have a tough time matching the gaming revenue results from a year ago.In October 2011, baccarat totals broke all monthly records with revenues increasing 74.3 percent, sending the state to an 8 percent overall revenue increase."We were pretty much up against a very strong month," Gaming Control Board Senior Research Analyst Michael Lawton said Friday.So imagine everyone's surprise when state gaming revenues grew a modest 1.8 percent in October, the state's second straight monthly increase.Casinos statewide collected $978.8 million from customers in October, figures the control board released Friday show...read more

PokerStars potential purchase of Atlantic City casino offers many questions

The idea that online gaming giant PokerStars would buy the struggling The Atlantic Club Hotel-Casino in Atlantic City brings additional intrigue into the ongoing Internet gambling legalization debate.The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that PokerStars is negotiating to purchase the Boardwalk property from private equity group Colony Capital for less than $50 million.This part is not a surprise...read more

The push: The bet you win from yourself

Dear Mark: When playing Double Double Bonus Poker, playing the max bet for five coins, I can get a pair of Jacks or Better for a payout of five coins. How can this be considered a win when the machine takes five coins at the beginning of the bet? Isn't this considered a push? Bob C.Hey, Bob, you have overlooked something...read more

Social gaming giant Zynga seeks suitability from Nevada regulators

Social gaming giant Zynga Inc. filed an application for a preliminary finding of suitability with Nevada gaming regulators earlier this week as the San Francisco-based company looks to break into real money online gambling.The company, which makes free-play social games such as Words with Friends, FarmVille and Mafia Wars, has been hinting at finding a way to jump into the potential U.S...read more

Z Capital tentatively found suitable to invest in Affinity Gaming

LAS VEGAS -- Z Capital, an Illinois-based private equity firm, was tentatively found suitable by the Gaming Control Board on Wednesday to invest in casino operator Affinity Gaming.The Nevada Gaming Commission will rule Dec. 20 on the recommendation.Suitability is one step below actual licensing.Z Capital owns roughly 25 percent of Las Vegas-based Affinity Gaming and is the company's largest shareholder...read more

Nevada Gaming Control Board approves Caesars group for online poker website

LAS VEGAS -- A World Series of Poker real-money website based in Nevada took a step forward Wednesday.The Gaming Control Board tentatively approved Caesars Interactive Entertainment to operate online poker in Nevada.The company, the interactive arm of the Caesars Entertainment Corp., manages the promotion and advertising aspects of the annual World Series of Poker.Caesars Entertainment general counsel Michael Cohen told the board during a meeting in Carson City that the Nevada website would be run as a World Series of Poker brand.If approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission on Dec...read more

Co-CEO of bwin.party announces retirement

LAS VEGAS -- The co-chief executive of the online gaming company that has partnership agreements with MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming Corporation announced his plans to retire next month.Jim Ryan, co-CEO of Gibraltar-based Bwin.party Digital Entertainment, said in a statement he would leave the world's largest online poker company Jan...read more

Caesars Entertainment seeks to raise $300 million in new debt

LAS VEGAS -- Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced Wednesday it plans to issue $300 million in new debt at a 9 percent rate that would mature in 2020.The notes would be issued under the same agreements for debt the company issued in August.Caesars, which has almost $20 billion in long term debt, sai...read more