Featured Articles Archive - Page 378

Vegas takes Christie's criticisms in stride

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Anti-Las Vegas comments by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie apparently carry less weight than those by President Barack Obama. Speaking at a news conference Wednesday in Atlantic City to introduce the new head of an agency working to revive the downtrodden seaside gaming market, Christie questioned why anyone would travel to the desert when temperatures soar past 100 degrees. "There is no reason people should go to Las Vegas in the summer," Christie said...read more

Heard it on the River: Pearl River continues to thrive

With all the gloom and doom surrounding the gaming business, (unless you own a Macau casino) Pearl River Resort continues to buck the bad economy with some strong projections for 2012. Here is a thumbnail summary of what the Mississippi Band of Choctaws forecast for the coming year, according to GENERAL PAUL HARVEY, president and CEO of the Resort in southeast central Mississippi.The Tribe is bullish and anticipates a 20 percent increase in earnings from gaming operations with net profits increasing from a projected $83.3 million to $100.4 million next fiscal year...read more

Momentum grows for regulated U.S. online poker

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Based on headlines alone, 2011 has been a bad year for Internet poker.Federal indictments in April shut down three of the largest online poker sites that catered to Americans. Other popular Web portals cut their access to U.S...read more

Why faith in the law of averages is misplaced

Gamblers enduring cold spells in their action often put their faith in the law of averages to restore balance and get them out of trouble rather than cut their losses and run. This faith is misplaced. One reason is that averages – which may also be pictured as theoretically expected values – reliably indicate performance only for large numbers of samples...read more

Deal Me In: Let the games begin

Dear Mark: Now that the NFL football season is finally under way, please explain the differences between making a point-spread wager and betting the money line. Also, any thoughts regarding a Super Bowl futures bet? David D. With one billion plus on the line, sportsbook operators are very pleased that the NFL lockout of 2011 is resolved, especially since wagering on college and pro football accounts for approximately 43 percent of their sports action...read more

Macau casino revenues top $3 billion in August

MACAU -- Macau's booming casino market shows no signs of slowing.The Chinese special administrative region's 34 casinos shattered single-month gaming revenue figures in August, collecting $3.09 billion from gamblers during the month. The figure was a 57 percent increase over August 2010 and 2 percent higher than July.Analysts said the monthly year-over-year comparisons continue to reflect the May opening of Galaxy Cotai, along with growth in high-end business.The results also halted any worries that a softening in the world's economy or attempts by the mainland Chinese government to slow wagering will keep gamblers away...read more

Top-10 ideas to improve poker programming

Televised poker is always evolving, and my last top-10 list showed just how much it has changed, thanks to ideas that have improved the quality of the programming. Today, I'll offer up another list, this time of the ideas that I think could be used to further enhance the viewer’s experience...read more

Las Vegas could see payoff from Mass. legalization

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Moody's Investors Service said in a report that the potential for casino expansion in Massachusetts could prove to be a winning gamble for a few Las Vegas-based companies, notably Caesars Entertainment Corp. and International Game Technology. The bond rating company told investors that a long-awaited deal that could lead to full-scale casino gambling in the state could have a ripple effect...read more

Hurricane Irene hits Atlantic City's balance sheets

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- Atlantic City's 11 hotel-casinos escaped major physical damage from Hurricane Irene over the weekend.The biggest hit, however, was on the balance sheet.One Boardwalk gaming executive said the "lost weekend" may have cost Atlantic City's beleaguered casino industry $40 million to $45 million in gaming revenues.Tropicana CEO Tony Rodio told the Press of Atlantic City the hurricane cost his resort about $4 million.All the casinos reopened Monday after the shutdown, which began late Friday...read more

Gambling and the Law: California's Unnecessary Delay

On August 22, 2011, California State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg sent a letter announcing that the bills to legalize intra-state Internet poker would not be voted on this year. The letter was also signed by Sen. Roderick D. Wright, Chair of the Governmental Organization Committee, and author of one of the bills. Both legislators made it clear they are in favor of Internet gaming; just not now. Anyone receiving the letter knew it was going to be bad news from the start...read more