Featured Articles Archive - Page 458

My first Rush Poker tournament

When I learned Full Tilt Poker was launching Rush Poker Tournaments, I have to admit, I thought it was insane. Of course, I thought the idea of Rush Poker was insane when Full Tilt introduced the new poker format to its ring games earlier this year.Players sitting at a Rush Poker table are instantly moved to a new table the moment they fold a hand...read more

Deal Me In: Sister Cyrilla to the rescue

Dear Mark: Crazy as this sounds, I have this certainty that some day some day I'm going to hit the Powerball lottery. It's often said that your odds of being struck by lightning are better than your odds of winning the lottery; well, I was hit by lightening, twice, once on July 3, 1985, and the second time on August 11, 2008, both while playing golf...read more

888 acknowledges Nevada gaming investigation

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- A Gibraltar-based online gambling company, which is business partner of Harrah's Entertainment, acknowledged to the London Stock Exchange this morning that Nevada gaming regulators would explore its suitability. In a brief statement, 888 Holdings Ltd., which has been publicly traded on the exchange since 2005, said: "Harrah's, which is registered with the Nevada Gaming Commission ('NGC'), submitted to the NGC and the Nevada State Gaming Control Board an application for a finding of suitability concerning (Harrah's Interactive Entertainment's) supplier relationship with Dragonfish...read more

CityCenter unveils model units at Mandarin Oriental

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The residential units atop CityCenter's Mandarin Oriental fall into a simple price category: If you have to ask "how much?" then you can't afford it.CityCenter officials Wednesday showed off two stylishly designed model units on the Mandarin Oriental's 24th floor...read more

Pinnacle cancels plans for Louisiana project

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana -- Pinnacle Entertainment canceled plans Thursday to build the Sugarcane Bay casino addition to its Lake Charles, La., resort, saying that it will surrender the related gaming license to state casino regulators.The Las Vegas-based casino operator said it will continue to operate its flagship L'Auberge du Lac resort in Lake Charles, which is located in western Louisiana, about a four-hour drive east of Houston.Originally, Sugarcane Bay was budgeted as a separate $305 million hotel- casino that would be built near L'Auberge...read more

MGM Mirage stock drops more than five percent

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Shares of MGM Mirage fell almost 6 percent Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, the day after the company told investors it expected to report a $96.7 million loss in the first quarter. The casino operator also said it would report a $255 million operating loss at CityCenter.MGM Mirage's share price, up some 60 percent from a year ago, closed the day at $14.57, down 84 cents or 5.45 percent.Wall Street wasn't surprised...read more

Harrah's Entertainment seeking approval for Dragonfish

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Harrah's Entertainment is seeking suitability approval from Nevada gaming regulators for its business partner, an online gaming company based in Gibraltar that is providing the software for the casino operator to manage three Internet gambling sites in the United Kingdom. The application was filed last week by Harrah's on behalf of Dragonfish, a division of 888 Holdings, under the state's Foreign Gaming Act. It is the first time Nevada gaming regulators have been asked to investigate the suitability of an online gaming company that took wagers from American gamblers before the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act in 2006. The bill, signed into law by President George W...read more

CityCenter to report $255 million loss

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- CityCenter is expected to report an operating loss of $255 million in the first quarter when MGM Mirage releases earnings in early May.In a statement to investors after stock markets closed on Wednesday, the casino operator said it expects to report a first-quarter net loss of $96.7 million, or 22 cents per share for the first three months of the year...read more

Analysts boost prospects for three casino operators

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Maybe that 33 percent increase in Strip gaming revenues during February impressed Wall Street. Analyst Steven Kent of Goldman Sachs and Joe Greff of JPMorgan increased their price target for MGM Mirage Tuesday. Greff also upped his opinion of Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Kent and Greff said that MGM Mirage would benefit from improving travel, a sign that room rates and occupancy are improving in Las Vegas. "We are raising our 12-month price target on MGM Mirage shares given improving business travel trends and our continued confidence that MGM Mirage will complete asset sales according to plan to deleverage the balance sheet," Kent told investors. In February MGM Mirage reached a deal with lenders to extend the deadline for paying off about $3.6 billion of its $13 billion in debt to February 2014. Greff thought investors are under appreciating MGM Mirage's advance convention bookings. "We continue to believe that the group booking acceleration should drive improved blended Strip room rates based on positive mix shift," Greff said. Shares of MGM Mirage closed Tuesday at $15.41 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 37 cents of 2.46 percent. Greff also praised Las Vegas Sands, saying the company will benefit an improving Las Vegas market and the opening of the $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which has a soft opening in two weeks, followed by a grand opening in June. Las Vegas Sands closed Tuesday at $24.39 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 17 cents of 0.70 percent. Greff said Wynn Resorts should continue to see strong results from Wynn Macau...read more

Harrah's to issue $500 million in notes

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Harrah's Entertainment plans to issue $500 million in second priority secured notes that are due in 2018, which will be used to pay down loans that come due over the next two years. In a statement Tuesday, the casino operator said the offering is subject to several conditions. Soon after the announcement, Moody's Investors Service maintained a "negative" rating outlook toward Harrah's long-term debt. Moody's said the ratings and outlook anticipate a continued decline in gaming revenues in Harrah's two largest markets, Las Vegas and Atlantic City, which "will negatively impact the company's operating performance in 2010." In February, gaming revenues in Las Vegas grew almost 33 percent, the largest single-month increase since November 1999...read more