Featured Articles Archive - Page 324

Affinity Gaming to sell three Northern Nevada casinos

LAS VEGAS -- Affinity Gaming has agreed to sell three of its casinos in Northern Nevada for $19.2 million to a private investment group that includes the company's chief operating officer.Affinity, which was formed following the December 2010 bankruptcy reorganization of Herbst Gaming, said Friday it would sell its casinos in Reno, Verdi and Dayton to Truckee Gaming...read more

Sands taps Madrid as preferred locale for "Eurovegas"

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced Friday it had selected Madrid as the preferred location to build its planned $22 billion "Eurovegas" development.In a statement, company officials said they selected Madrid over fellow Spanish city Barcelona because the regional government had been a strong advocate of the potential development, which could include 12 hotels and six casinos.Las Vegas Sands officials said the process was still in the early phases...read more

A guide to anticipating bankroll swings in games you haven't tried yet

Exceptional instances or runs of good or bad luck can make or break a casino visit for anybody. Few players ever encounter either. Most tend to bet the same amount or press or regress wagers over a modest range from round to round. Their fortunes therefore typically rise and fall gradually, albeit at rates depending on the chances and amounts they win or lose in any coup. Experience with particular games and propositions, bet sizes, and bankrolls may give solid citizens reliable intuition about how far and fast to expect profits or losses to mount under normal circumstances...read more

Deal Me In: Hmmm, do I smell an opportunity here?

Dear Mark: A 1988 study by Van Toller and Dodd found that "aroma engineering" in Las Vegas casinos could increase players' optimism and gambling zeal by as much as 53 percent. Do today's casinos use aromas to stimulate gaming? Bud N.Your question, Bud, delves into the world of "aromatherapy," which is the manipulation of human emotional reactions by fragrances...read more

Bernard Lee joins the Casino City Home Game

A medium-sized pot had developed in my home poker game, and I glanced across the table at my competition. Sure, I think most of the players in my home game are better than average, but none of them has the resume that Bernard Lee has.Lee joined us for a night in late August to give us some insights into his own life, as well as a few thoughts about our game...read more

Fitch downgrades Caesars to negative outlook

LAS VEGAS -- Fitch Ratings Service said Wednesday it downgraded its view on Caesars Entertainment Inc. from stable to negative, hinting that the casino operator could look at Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as a method to restructure its sizable debt.Another option could include spinning off the Caesars Interactive Entertainment division as a separate public company...read more

Bally Technologies to unveil "Pawn Stars" slot machine

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas-based reality television series "Pawn Stars" will soon be coming to a casino near you.Bally Technologies, Inc. said Wednesday it will unveil a slot machine based on the History Channel's cable television series during the Global Gaming Expo Oct...read more

Macau gaming revenues climb 5.5 percent in August

Gaming revenues in Macau jumped 5.5 percent in August, the second straight month the Chinese gambling market has experienced a single-digit revenue increase.Macau gaming authorities said casinos collected $3.3 billion from gamblers during the month, the second highest ever recorded for a single month .In October 2011, Macau gaming revenues hit $3.36 billion."This was in line with recent Wall Street expectations of mid- to high single-digit growth," Union Gaming Group principal Grant Govertsen told investors.Govertsen, who is based in Macau, said figures met projections despite a typhoon that disrupted ferry and airline service."This was the third consecutive month that a typhoon of Signal 8 or above has disrupted the region as compared to only one Signal 8 typhoon in 2011," Govertsen said.In July, Macau gaming revenues grew just 1.5 percent, the lowest single month since July 2009...read more

Democratic Platform omits references to Web gaming, poker

The 70-page Democratic platform contains 12 references to the word "Internet" and the plank, "Internet Freedom" under the heading, "Advancing Universal Values."How many of the Internet references pertain to legalizing Internet poker?Zero.How many of the Internet references discuss the issue of Internet gaming?Zero.A week after Republicans approved a platform that called for a "prohibition" on Internet gaming, the Democrats seemingly ignored the issue altogether.Delegates to the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, N.C., gave their support to the party's platform Tuesday in the convention's opening session.The platform promises to ensure that 98 percent of the U.S...read more

Old-style focus, modern success: Customer-centric bent helps Arizona Charlie's casinos thrive

There is something to be said for a casino operation that markets to locals, but lacks movie theaters, bowling centers and high-priced restaurants.Focusing on the gambler is what helped the two Arizona Charlie's casinos survive a crippling recession.And, said the general managers of the casinos -- who combined have almost 33 years of experience with their respective hotel-casinos -- nothing will change as the economy recovers and the local gaming market stages a comeback."Our competition has probably been scratching their heads, wondering how Charlie's still survived through all these tough economic times," said Ron Lurie, general manager of Arizona Charlie's Decatur, who has overseen the hotel-casino for 22 years."I can recognize the fact when we do something right here because the other guys are in here trying to see what we're doing," Lurie said.The "other guys" are managers from Station Casinos LLC and Boyd Gaming Corp., operators that dominate the locals market...read more