Featured Articles Archive - Page 364

Why you can't judge a slot machine by its belly glass

Gambling at a slot machine is a venture into terra incognita. The only map you have is a list of amounts paid for the various winning combinations, as delineated on what’s traditionally called the belly glass. You get no clues about the associated chances...read more

Caesars Palace not worried about adding more rooms

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Adding 668 rooms to what many analysts have called a saturated hotel market isn't worrying Caesars Palace officials.The new rooms in the Strip resort's Octavius Tower, which open Jan. 2, allow hotel officials to charge a premium rate for both standard units and one-bedroom suites throughout the year."These rooms are considered upgrades from some of the other towers on the property," said Stephen Thayer, hotel operations director for Caesars Palace.A check with the hotel's reservation department Wednesday shows a rate of $589 for a standard 550-square-foot room in Octavius Tower for Saturday, Jan...read more

Bodog moves U.S. players to Bovada

American online gamblers can no longer gamble on Bodog, as of Wednesday morning.Players accessing Bodog.eu from the United States find a note stating, "Access to this site is not available from your current location. The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group no longer offers its services under license from the Bodog Brand...read more

Analysts hopeful 2012 can be bridge year for casino industry

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Let's dispense with the preliminaries.Macau, the world's largest gaming market, shows no signs of slowing in 2012.Through November, Macau casinos have collected $30.5 billion in gaming revenues, up 44 percent compared with the first 11 months of 2010.In fact, most prognosticators suspect that a year from now the gaming revenues produced by Macau's 34 casinos will increase anywhere from 15 percent to 25 percent and will eclipse the gaming revenues collected by the entire 21-state U.S...read more

Big names dropping big cash for 2012 WSOP tournament

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- A casino owner, the head of CityCenter Aria Resort & Casino , the founder of Cirque du Soleil and several top professional poker players will lead the field in what is expected to be the largest buy-in bracelet event in World Series of Poker history.So far, 22 players have committed to each pay a $1 million entry fee to compete in the Big One for One Drop, a three-day tournament planned for July 1-3 as part of the 2012 World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.A portion of the entry will go toward One Drop, an initiative developed by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté as a nongovernmental organization established to fight poverty by supporting access to water and raising awareness of water-related issues.When the tournament was announced during the 2011 World Series of Poker, Laliberté, Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin and CityCenter Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin -- who is the 1978 World Series of Poker of champion -- committed to participate.Since then, 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and two-time World Series of Poker champion Johnny Chan, and noted poker professionals Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan and Bertrand Grospellier all committed to participate.During the final table at this year's Main Event, 2010 World Series of Poker champion Jonathan Duhamel, who also serves as a spokesman for One Drop, agreed to play and plans to donate 5 percent of his winning to the charity."$1 million is a lot of money but my participation comes naturally," Duhamel said...read more

Dempsey wins WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- James Dempsey of Brighton, England, won the World Poker Tour's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Sunday at Bellagio.Dempsey earned $821,612 by topping a field of 413 players in the no-limit hold'em event. The buy in was $10,000; the total prize pool topped $4 million.Dempsey, 29, has been playing poker professionally since 2003...read more

Top-10 U.S. online gaming stories to watch in 2012

The biggest topic in the gambling industry right now is when is the U.S. going to license and regulate online poker (and in some instances, online gambling). It is the number one topic of conversation among industry professionals, at industry conferences and at bars during industry conferences. With that in mind, I've outlined the top stories to watch next year when it comes to licensing and regulating online gaming in the U.S. 10...read more

Heard it on the River: Rudi succumbs to social media pressure

Never thought I would succumb to this “social media” stuff sweeping the world and making our lives busier than we want them to be. After deriding it for over a year I have jumped on the bandwagon that is exponentially growing at a horrific rate and I can now bore you on TWITTER@RUDISCHIFFER, FACEBOOK, and even by blogging at GOODTIMESRADIO.BLOGSPOT.COM...read more

Las Vegas Bowl celebrating 20th anniversary

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- When three Las Vegas tourism officials traveled to Toledo, Ohio, in early 1992, they weren't sure what kind of reception to expect. Las Vegas was pitching the idea of bringing a college football bowl game between the champions of the Mid-American Conference and the Big West to the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in December...read more

Nevada gaming revenues jump 8.1 percent in October

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Nevada's 8.1 percent gaming revenue jump in October wasn't a surprise to analysts.During third-quarter earnings conference calls last month, Strip casino operators expressed optimism despite market turmoil and economic uncertainty."MGM Resorts (International) noted on its conference call that October was one of the best (profit-to-cash flow) months of the year," JP Morgan gaming analyst Joe Greff told investors Friday.The Gaming Control Board confirmed those early reports as Nevada casinos broke a two-month gaming revenue slide during October.Statewide, gaming revenues were $960.7 million, an 8.1 percent increase compared with $888.6 million in October 2010.On the Strip, casinos collected $560.5 million from customers, a 13.3 percent increase compared with $494.8 million collected in the same month last year.Wells Fargo Securities gaming analyst Dennis Farrell Jr...read more