Featured Articles Archive - Page 431

ECJ strikes down German gambling restrictions

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), Europe's highest court, ruled Wednesday that German gambling restrictions breach European Union law. The ECJ said in three separate rulings that restrictions that limit sports betting and lotteries to state-run monopolies were "unjustifiable" in Germany because the country had "intensive advertising" of its gambling operations, according to the BBC. "The German rules on sporting bets constitute a restriction on the freedom to provide services and the freedom of establishment," the court said...read more

Casino operators try to beat the burden

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- With the bankruptcy reorganizations of Station Casinos and Herbst Gaming winding down, analysts and industry observers have turned their focus toward other casino operators. Speculation abounds on whether companies will follow Station and Herbst into filing bankruptcy-court-administered plans of reorganization to wipe cumbersome debt loads off the books and create more manageable businesses. Others believe corporate gaming executives have done enough to restructure long-term debt...read more

Stanley Ho still king in Macau

MACAU -- Macau gaming tycoon Stanley Ho is not licensable in Nevada. The 88-year-old billionaire owns casinos that international law enforcement authorities have said are havens for Chinese organized crime triads. Ho might not even be able to get past the front doors of the Gaming Control Board offices. But in the Chinese gaming enclave, Ho is the kingpin. Despite the emergence of competition from Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd...read more

Deal Me In: Three speeds – three different results

Dear Mark: I'm confused as to your answer last week to George R. regarding shuffling machines. You stated "What continuous shuffling machines and non-continuous shufflers alike will do is to cause the average player to lose more, simply because more hands are dealt per hour." I always assumed that playing on an automatic shuffling machine was different than continuous shufflers and were OK to play on...read more

Gambling and the Law: Trial in Gibraltar or jail in Ohio

"If we read Ohio law as controlling the contract in question, the parties probably are guilty of a crime under Ohio law, the contract is void, and both parties could be extradited and prosecuted together in an Ohio criminal court." --- Gilbert Stroud Merritt, Jr., Concurring, in Wong v...read more

Top-10 overexposed poker pros

In my last top-10, I profiled the things you should look for in televised poker shows. In this installment of our top-10 series, I go beyond the show itself to look at the individuals who make it on the screen.Whose presence on televised poker shows outshines their performance on the felt? Ladies and gentlemen, your top-10 contenders are …10...read more

Global, non-Vegas casino operators lift August index

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The gaming sector's stock market performance during August carried a distinct trend. Companies with large casino holdings outside of the United States and regional gaming operators were the darlings of the investment community. Las Vegas-centric gaming companies didn't fare quite as well. Half of the 10 companies charted by Las Vegas-based financial adviser Applied Analysis showed an increase in their average daily stock prices during the month, following a July when the entire sector nose-dived. The August performance helped boost the Applied Analysis Gaming Index by almost 18 points to 349.19. Applied Analysis principal Brian Gordon said it was clear that investors are turned off by Las Vegas right now, where gaming revenues have seen declines in the past three months. "Investors seem to be shying away from operators with a significant presence in the Las Vegas markets, both destination- and locals-based," Gordon said...read more

Vegas sportsbooks accept wagers via Blackberry

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Let's say you want to place a wager on the Monday Night National Football League opener between the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. But you're at work and you can't get over to the sports book before kickoff. The answer may be as easy as your BlackBerry. Leroy's Race and Sports Books launched an application to day for BlackBerry users that turns their smartphones into mobile wagering devices...read more

Fahrenkopf says gaming is backing Harry Reid in Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., who served as chairman of the National Republican Party for six of President Ronald Reagan's eight years in the White House, is backing the re-election of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He also said the bulk of the gaming industry — well, probably not Las Vegas Sands Corp...read more

Isle of Capri Casinos looks to re-enter Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Regional gaming operator Isle of Capri Casinos took an initial step toward re-entering the Nevada market Wednesday, but executives from the St. Louis-based company weren't forced to pass a state geography quiz. The Gaming Control Board recommended gaming license approval for Isle of Capri, which is purchasing one-tenth of 1 percent in a tiny Fernley casino...read more