Featured Articles Archive - Page 389

Moody's upgrades Las Vegas Sands rating

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Moody's Investors Service on Friday revised Las Vegas Sands Corp's rating outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its Ba3 corporate rating. The revision reflects greater confidence that Las Vegas Sands will be able to reduce its debt ratio, which is required for a one-notch ratings upgrade. "Las Vegas Sands would also need to adhere to a conservative long-term financial policy in order to achieve a Ba2 corporate family rating," said Keith Foley, a Moody's senior vice president. The positive outlook also incorporates Moody's favorable view of Las Vegas Sands refinancing...read more

Match play promotions are better than you may think

Make believe your friendly neighborhood casino wants to boost its minibaccarat action. So the joint sends you and some other specially-selected solid citizens $100 in “match play” coupons. The coupons are good only for $10 or higher bets on Player at minibaccarat. In case you’re foggy about the fine points, match play is funny money the casino gives you to bet along with equal face value of your own wampum...read more

Deal Me In: Hot news on roulette voodoo

Dear Mark: I enjoyed your response to a question column roulette wheel bias. I was wondering if an experienced roulette dealer could make the ball land where he or she pleases? Josh G.What you’re asking, Josh, is whether a dealer can deliberately target and pocket a particular number when the wheel is spinning east, the ball west, with frets impeding a descending bouncing ball as it finds its way to a particular pocket...read more

Wynn, Adelson smooth over contentious relationship

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Hostilities have subsided somewhat between two warring factions.Not basketball fans and LeBron James.Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson have buried their animosity after years of open antagonism. In recent weeks, they have publicly said nice things about each other and their respective casino companies.But let's not get ahead of ourselves...read more

Top-10 games that should be played at the WSOP

When I heard that Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce was recently spotted at the World Series of Poker, it reminded me that there have been a smattering of NBA players who have jumped into poker tournaments in the past. But there's never been a stampede.To be honest, it's surprising there haven't been more...read more

Pinnacle gamble pays off in Ohio

RIVER DOWNS, Ohio -- It appears Pinnacle Entertainment's $45 million gamble on a racetrack in Ohio is about to pay off.The Las Vegas-based regional casino operator stands to benefit from Ohio Gov. John Kasich's announcement Wednesday that will allow the state's seven racetracks to add casinos with slot machinelike video lottery terminals.Pinnacle bought the River Downs Racetrack in Cincinnati last year, betting that the casino additions would be approved...read more

What's the edge on Buy bets at craps?

Casinos mint money by paying proportionately less to winners win than they collect from losers. The usual mechanism is the “edge” – a function of what few players realize is a ubiquitous offset between payoff ratio and odds against winning...read more

H2 predicts slow growth for online gaming in 2011

After analyzing the first five months of data and taking into account recent developments in the United States and Japan, H2 Gambling Capital has revised its forecast for revenues for the online gambling sector down from €25.0 billion to €23.76 billion...read more

Report says there is "uncertainty" in Macau

MACAU -- Macau's lucrative gaming concessions expire in the next decade. That's no revelation to the Las Vegas-based resort operators in the Chinese casino enclave.What may have shaken up investors, however, was a report Monday by a Hong Kong newspaper, alluding to the 2020 to 2022 expiration dates and "uncertainty awaiting companies who are still considering deploying capital into Macau."Hong Kong-based Macquarie Securities gaming analyst Gary Pinge said Monday the share prices of companies operating in Macau had a "volatile" reaction on Asian stock market to the report in the South China Morning Post.However, Pinge said he didn't believe sweeping change is on the horizon."We are not saying that the existing concessionaires are at risk of losing their concessions," Pinge said in a research note.Three Nevada-based casinos operators -- Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd., and MGM Resorts International -- have casinos in Macau...read more

Top-10 Tweets Phil Hellmuth would have sent out upon winning his 12th WSOP bracelet

Phil Hellmuth — the poker player everyone has an opinion about — came oh-so-close to winning a record 12th World Series of Poker bracelet over the weekend, finishing second to John Juanda in the $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship.After holding a 3-1 chip advantage early in heads up play, Hellmuth saw the bracelet slip through his fingers, and with it, another opportunity to extend his lead on Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and the rest of the field in all-time bracelets.Just like everyone else who follows poker, we're devoted followers of Hellmuth on Twitter, and while we've enjoyed his post-tournament tweets, we couldn't help but wonder what he'd be tweeting if he'd won the title.Without further ado, we bring you our top-10 list of things Hellmuth would have tweeted had he pulled off the win.10...read more

Top-10 Tweets Phil Hellmuth would have sent out upon winning his 12th WSOP bracelet

Phil Hellmuth — the poker player everyone has an opinion about — came oh-so-close to winning a record 12th World Series of Poker bracelet over the weekend, finishing second to John Juanda in the $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship.After holding a 3-1 chip advantage early in heads up play, Hellmuth saw the bracelet slip through his fingers, and with it, another opportunity to extend his lead on Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and the rest of the field in all-time bracelets.Just like everyone else who follows poker, we're devoted followers of Hellmuth on Twitter, and while we've enjoyed his post-tournament tweets, we couldn't help but wonder what he'd be tweeting if he'd won the title.Without further ado, we bring you our top-10 list of things Hellmuth would have tweeted had he pulled off the win.10...read more

Top-10 Tweets Phil Hellmuth would have sent out upon winning his 12th WSOP bracelet

Phil Hellmuth — the poker player everyone has an opinion about — came oh-so-close to winning a record 12th World Series of Poker bracelet over the weekend, finishing second to John Juanda in the $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship.After holding a 3-1 chip advantage early in heads up play, Hellmuth saw the bracelet slip through his fingers, and with it, another opportunity to extend his lead on Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and the rest of the field in all-time bracelets.Just like everyone else who follows poker, we're devoted followers of Hellmuth on Twitter, and while we've enjoyed his post-tournament tweets, we couldn't help but wonder what he'd be tweeting if he'd won the title.Without further ado, we bring you our top-10 list of things Hellmuth would have tweeted had he pulled off the win.10...read more