Featured Articles Archive - Page 339

Of blind men, elephants, and pairs of eights against 10s at blackjack

Everybody knows the parable of the blind men and the elephant. One held the tail and thought the elephant was like a rope, another the ear and said it resembled a fan, and so on ... imagining a snake, a wall, a tree, and a spear. The upshot, as told by John Godfrey Saxe, was “Each in his own opinion,/Exceeding stiff and strong,/.....read more

Blackjack's most revered fallacy: Collateral damage

Dear Mark: I believe a blackjack player who misplays his hand causes other players to lose. I have seen a third base player take a dealer bust card more than you can imagine. Then, after losing a hand to poor play, I believe it influences the cards on the following hands...read more

Topping: Nevada sportsbooks will be branded William Hill

Britain's largest bookmaker, William Hill, received its Nevada gaming license yesterday. William Hill needed the license to operate in the state after it purchased a trio of companies (American Wagering, Brandywine and Club Cal Neva) operating sportsbooks (Leroy's, Lucky's and Club Cal Neva) in Nevada for about $55 million. After receiving the license, William Hill CEO Ralph Topping talked to Casino City about William Hill's plans in Nevada, what bettors can expect from William Hill and other topics in a wide-ranging interview. Will we be seeing the William Hill brand appear in Nevada? Or are you going to maintain the original brands like Leroy's? We had a big debate about that...read more

MGM Resorts' Maryland casino plans dealt a blow by state panel

MGM Resorts International's proposed $800 million hotel-casino complex in suburban Maryland suffered a severe setback Wednesday as a state working group failed to reach agreement on gaming expansion. The issue could be revived in a July 9 special legislative session or through a ballot measure in November, but the collapse of negotiations is a blow to MGM Resorts' planned development at National Harbor in Prince George's County, about 10 miles from the Capitol. The working group appointed by Gov...read more

Louisiana regulators OK Ameristar acquisition

In a statement, Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos, Inc. said it would begin construction of the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Lake Charles the week of July 16 on the 242-acre site, before the July 20 deadline under license conditions approved by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Ameristar plans ...read more

Pair of independent testing labs for gaming equipment OK'd by Nevada

The Gaming Control Board Thursday approved Gaming Laboratories International and BMM International as the state's first independent testing laboratories to certify gaming equipment for use in Nevada casinos. Approval followed a comprehensive investigation by gaming control agents. Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli said registered testing labs will allow the state to expand its resource base with respect to new technologies...read more

Regulators OK interactive gaming license for Bally Technologies, IGT

Within a span of an hour Thursday, Nevada's two leading slot machine manufacturers were awarded the nation's first interactive gaming licenses. Bally Technologies, Inc. received the initial unanimous approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission, followed by rival International Game Technology (IGT) about 45 minutes later...read more

Gavin Isaacs dealing winning hand at Shuffle Master

Less than 48 hours after Shuffle Master, Inc. said the company's profits surged 23 percent in the second quarter, executives from the gaming equipment provider flew to New York City and held an "analyst day" for the investment community. Call it a victory lap for Gavin Isaacs, who in April completed his first year as Shuffle Master's chief executive officer. That afternoon, Isaacs and his company's executive team rang the closing bell at the Nasdaq National Market, celebrating Shuffle Master's 20th anniversary on the stock exchange. He tweeted out to his followers, "every day we're shuffling." During the past 13 months, Isaacs has provided the direction to boost results in Shuffle Master's four key business segments -- utility products (automated card shufflers and table game management systems), table games (Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold'em and other games), electronic table games and electronic gambling machines. Shuffle Master hopes to break out its entry into interactive gaming as a fifth division later this year, once the company's $28.5 million acquisition of European online gaming provider Ongame Network Ltd...read more

David Baker defeats Hellmuth and Ivey to win WSOP $10,000 buy-in HORSE event

Phil Hellmuth Jr. was seeking his 13th World Series of Poker individual event championship bracelet.Phil Ivey was seeking his ninth bracelet and first since 2010.When the pair ended up at the final table of the $10,000 buy-in HORSE event at the Rio on Monday, one figured to achieve his goal.In the end, it was David Baker a 25-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, who won the event — which featured alternating rounds of five poker variations.Baker collected $451,779 for first place, which gave him close to $1.5 million in career earnings...read more

Casino claims slot revenue highest in U.S.

Resorts World New York, the 8-month-old video lottery machine casino attached to the Aqueduct Race Track in New York City, says the rest of the gaming industry has been left in its dust. In a nationally released statement Monday, operators of the casino, which has roughly 5,000 video lottery terminals and electronic table games, proclaimed Resorts World as the nation's "single-largest gross slot machine revenue and tax-generating gaming property in the U.S.," surpassing Pennsylvania, Atlantic City, Connecticut, and the Strip. "Resorts World's model has maximized gaming revenue for New York state in a manner that has not been replicated by any other facility in the nation," Michael Speller, President of Resorts World New York, which is owned by Malaysia-based Genting Group, said in a statement. Not so fast. If any market is known for outrageous comments, it's Las Vegas. New York, you're cutting in on our action. According to Resorts World New York, the casino generated $57.5 million in gaming revenues in May. Resorts World said roughly $40 million of the revenues were distributed by the state to New York's public education system, the state's horse racing industry and other government entities. However, comparing numbers from New York and Las Vegas is not as simple as lining up the figures side-by-side. New York's racetrack casinos pay all their gaming revenues to the state's lottery commission, which returns 32.86 percent of the winnings back to the casinos...read more