Featured Articles Archive - Page 363

Deal Me In: A certain craps loss

Dear Mark: First, is it legal to bet the pass line and don’t pass simultaneously? Rationale being, one bet wins, one bet loses, and I don’t expose my bankroll while I rake in the comps. What are your thoughts of this system? Am I missing anything? Andy I...read more

Caesars Palace to open tower Jan. 2

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Caesars Palace said Wednesday it will open the 668-room Octavius Tower on Jan. 2.Construction of the tower was halted two years ago during the financial crisis.Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced earlier this year it would complete the hotel tower, which will give the Strip c...read more

Gambling and the Law: Christie shocked, shocked at Internet gambling bill

Governor Chris Christie wants to be President of the United States. You can tell, because he is constantly traveling all over the U.S., holding press conferences to say that he does not want to run. That’s how it is done in the U.S. But Christie’s problem is that he is a Republican, which today means the only way he can be nominated is to win over the extreme conservatives of the "Tea Party." Conservatives say their first priority is small government. But Christie is smart enough to know that voters who will pick the next GOP presidential nominee have higher priorities...read more

Gambling and the Law: Is it gambling?

Every week, I receive emails and phone calls from operators, reporters, and particularly entrepreneurs – individuals to large companies – wondering whether a new Internet idea is legal. Auctions are particularly big at the moment, but these aren’t your grandfathers’ auctions. Creative, non-traditional markets are blooming, sometimes having very little to do with stocks, bonds and commodities. Inventors are developing more and better skill contests. And no-purchase necessary games. And variations on fantasy sports. The reason they contact me is that they want to know: “Is it gambling?” And, if it is, what can we do to make it legal, that is, make it not gambling. But this may not be the right question...read more

Pinnacle to add hotel to St. Louis casino

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Pinnacle Entertainment will spend $82 million to a 200-room hotel tower, an event center and covered parking to its River City Casino in suburban St. Louis.The Las Vegas-based regional casino operator hopes to complete the project by the second half of 2013.River City, which does not have a hotel, opened in March 2010...read more

Nevada gaming revenues jump 3.7 percent in July

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- For once, Nevada's casino industry wasn't all about the Strip. Gaming revenues produced in July by other markets in Clark County, such as North Las Vegas, the Boulder Strip and downtown, carried the state to its third straight monthly gaming revenue increase. The nearly 3.7 percent statewide jump, reported Monday by the Gaming Control Board, came even as Strip results were reduced, mainly a result of an unusually low hold percentage on traditional table games. Strip casinos still saw gaming revenues increase almost 1.6 percent in July, the market's third straight jump. The results ended two straight months of double-digit gaming revenue increases both statewide and on the Strip...read more

Top-10 things that should be banned in casinos

Everyone has pet peeves. And if you spend enough time in casinos, you’ll see plenty of things that drive you nuts. Of course, if I were in charge of a casino, things would be done right, and no one would be allowed to do the things that drive me nuts.So when a venture capitalist comes to me and tells me that he wants me to be in charge of the casino he’s going to build, here are the top-10 things that I’m going to ban in my casino.10...read more

Caesars chairman: If visitors spend, we'll hire

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Caesars Entertainment Corp. Chairman Gary Loveman has his own job creation plan — if visitors spend more, the company will add workers. Loveman was interviewed on Public Television’s Nightly Business Report last week, a few hours before President Barack Obama delivered his plan for creating jobs to a nationally televised joint session of Congress. He was disappointed, however, that Obama wasn’t planning to address the housing crisis as part of the speech. “If we don't stimulate the housing market properly, there's very little likelihood we'll see meaningful job growth,” Loveman said. If the housing market stabilizes, Loveman said, consumers would be able to use their credit cards and spend extra money to stimulate the economy. If visitor spending increases at Caesars casinos, including the company’s 10 Strip area resorts, the company could grow its workforce. “For us to do more hiring, we need more visitors and the visitors spending more money,” Loveman said...read more

Canadian takes down EPL Main Event

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Canadian poker professional Michael McDonald, one day shy of his 22nd birthday, won the Epic Poker League’s second Main Event early Saturday morning at The Palms Casino Resort, earning $782,410 and the Champion’s Ring.McDonald defeated Australian David Steicke in heads-up play in the No-limit Hold’em eight-handed event.The Epic Poker League’s second Main Event began Wednesday with a field of 97 players and a prize pool of more than $2.3 million.McDonald, from Waterloo, Ontario, had won more than $2 million before he was old enough to legally play in the United States...read more

Should you lay odds on Don't Pass and Don't Come bets at craps?

Say you bet on Don’t Pass or Don’t Come at craps. Your chances are 47.9 percent of ecstasy and 49.3 percent of agony; the remaining 2.8 percent is the probability of pushing. Although the come-out involves just one roll, it’s the dark underbelly of Don’t Pass and Don’t Come wagers...read more