Featured Articles Archive - Page 357

Churchill Downs acquires Bluff Media

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- A gaming merger that was announced Friday could have some implications in the Internet poker realm.Racetrack operator Churchill Downs of Louisville, Ky., announced the acquisition of Bluff Media, an Atlanta-based multimedia poker content, brand and publishing company.Terms of the sale were not disclosed...read more

What Guinness Stout says about how well you play blackjack?

Three pals enjoy playing blackjack together, separately. Don thinks “the book” is blather so he buys insurance, stands on 12 versus two- or three-up, hits pairs of eights against 10s, and ... well, you know; the folks who rate patrons’ action figure he gives them 0.8 percent edge...read more

Nevada casino revenue increases for second year in a row

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- So, are we back? Nevada's casino industry posted its second straight annual gaming revenue increase in 2011. Analysts were quick to point out another positive: The results were not totally reliant on high-end baccarat play, the game that has bolstered the industry's overall performance during the recession. Statewide, casinos collected $10.7 billion in gaming revenues in 2011, a 2.8 percent increase over 2010 and the highest annual jump in four years. On the Strip, gaming revenues increased 5.1 percent over 2010 with casinos collecting $6.068 billion -- crossing the $6 billion threshold for the first time since 2008. When baccarat figures are subtracted from the statewide total, Nevada casinos still would have reported a 2.4 percent gaming revenue increase...read more

Isle of Capri completes sale of Louisiana casino

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana -- Isle of Capri Casinos completed the sale of a smallest of its two riverboat casinos in Lake Charles, La., to a company that plans to move the license to Bossier City. The $15 million sale allows Isle of Capri to consolidate its Lake Charles operations into one casino w...read more

Caesars Entertainment stock on sale Tuesday

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- For the first time in four years, Caesars Entertainment Corp. will be a publicly traded company.Roughly 1.8 million shares of the Las Vegas-based casino operator were expected to be listed sometime this morning on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, with the initial asking price of $8 to $10 per share...read more

Two Macau land grants could be approved this year

MACAU -- A Macau government official said two applications for land grants on the Cotai Strip requested by casino operators could be approved this year. Jaime Carion, director of the Lands and Public Works Bureau wouldn't say which companies would receive the land grants, the Macau Daily Times reported in its Monday editions. Casino operators Wynn Resorts Ltd., MGM Resorts International and SJM, which is controlled by controversial Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho, have applied for land concessions on Cotai...read more

Top-10 things I'd do if I ran an online casino

Awhile back, I wrote a top-10 column outlining all the things I thought should be banned in a casino. I approached the column by thinking about what I would do if I was in charge.Writing that column got me thinking about what I would do if I was in charge of an online casino...read more

Nevada looks towards the Far East

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The race is on to find the next Macau or Singapore.With the two Asian casino markets about to become the world's No. 1 (Macau with $33.5 billion) and No. 2 (Singapore with an estimated $6 billion) gaming revenue producers, new prospects are being targeted.Nevada casino company executives are racking up air miles to and from Asia, traveling to Japan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and other potential casino destinations.Many leaders in those countries watched what transpired in Macau and Singapore, and believe their locations can mirror those results.Nomura Securities gaming analyst Harry Curtis told investors that smart money is riding on Japan, although it might be 2018 before the first casino opens.Last month, Nomura held a conference call for investors with Takashi Kiso, president of Japan's International Casino Institute, an advocacy group involved in the current legislative debate over casinos there.It's believed political consensus has been reached for a casino bill...read more

Florida lawmakers end expanded gambling push

MIAMI, Florida -- Lawmakers ended an effort to build three Las Vegas-style hotel-casinos in the southern part of state Friday, dashing the hopes of major Nevada gaming companies that saw Florida as a potentially lucrative casino market.A Florida legislator withdrew the destination resort bill before a key House subcommittee in Tallahassee could hold a vote.The House rules chairman immediately released a statement declaring the bill would not be heard by other committees or be taken directly to the full House...read more

Deal Me In: Shopping list for the right blackjack setup

Dear Mark: Please settle a disagreement between my brother and me. My brother thinks he has better odds against the house at blackjack playing out of a shoe with several decks. I think it is to the gambler's advantage to play at tables with a single deck...read more