Featured Articles Archive - Page 462

Top-10 Las Vegas trip fouls

In honor of The Hangover, the classic Las Vegas buddy tale which won the Golden Globe for the best comedic film on Sunday, we've decided to list the top-10 things NOT to do the next time you're in Las Vegas. This list doesn't include getting punched out by Mike Tyson or kidnapping a large jungle animal, because if you're not doing those things, you're clearly not having fun (I kid...read more

Pennsylvania ends slot machine manufacturer caps

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Slot machine manufacturers will lose their monopoly on gambling in Pennsylvania later this year when the state's casinos are allowed to supplement their gambling floors with table games. But there was one provision tucked within the 160-page table game bill that will satisfy at least one Nevada-based slot machine giant. A four-year-old limitation that holds a slot machine manufacturer to only 50 percent of the games on a casino's gambling floor was rescinded with Gov...read more

Lagasse's Stadium brings a new sportsbook experience to Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Sitting in the epicenter of Lagasse's Stadium at The Palazzo on a Sunday morning in November, it suddenly occurred to me that I was living the dream of a sports gambler. In front of me on my own personal coffee table was the Sunday newspaper, a Bloody Mary, a sheet of NFL betting lines and prop bets for the day and the tickets for the six wagers I had just placed on the 10 a.m...read more

States see gambling as an answer

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Now that Pennsylvania is a done deal, the gaming industry is focused on other expansion opportunities. While issues are being debated and proposed in several states, new growth doesn't seem imminent. State elected leaders view gaming taxes as a way of narrowing budget deficits brought on by the recession...read more

Gullibility and the gambler

Most casino aficionados have dreamt up, read or heard about, or (yes) spent money for systems or strategies to overcome the house edge. It's indeed doable, under very limited circumstances. For instance, a "new" game might have a flaw in the rules or procedures, and hasn't racked up enough data for the condition to be spotted by the analysts...read more

Deal Me In: Should you split 10s in blackjack?

Dear Mark: When my ex-girlfriend and I used to go to Vegas, every once in a while we would have someone at our blackjack table split 10s. This used to drive my ex absolutely crazy and there were times when I thought that I actually saw steam come out of her ears when someone did that...read more

Shuffle Master turns fourth quarter profit

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Shuffle Master Gaming turned a healthy profit in the fourth quarter, reversing a net loss from a year ago. Management and analysts Thursday signaled the company could be poised for a healthy rebound in 2010 thanks to gaming expansion in Pennsylvania and other states. Shuffle Master, which makes table games, automated card shufflers and table game management systems, said its fourth-quarter profit was helped by strong growth of its lease business and higher revenue from its electronic dealerless table games. For the fourth quarter that ended Oct...read more

Penn won't bid on Fontainebleau project

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Penn National Gaming will not submit a bid for next week's planned bankruptcy court auction of the shuttered Fontainebleau project, a company spokesman said Thursday. The regional casino operator made a lowball offer for the Strip development in November but was outbid a week later by billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn. The former owner of the Stratosphere and the Arizona Charlie's hotel-casinos has offered $156.6 million for the Fontainebleau to become the stalking horse bidder for the project, which once had a construction budget of almost $3 billion. The U.S Bankruptcy Court in Miami has scheduled an auction for the Fontainebleau for Thursday and bids are due by today. Penn National spokesman Joe Jaffoni said the company would not participate in the auction. "That's all we have to say on the matter," Jaffoni said. Macquarie Securities gaming analyst Joel Simkins said investors weren't happy with Penn's interest in Fontainebleau. "We believe the company will continue to keep an open eye toward alternatives that might become available from other distressed sellers or those looking to shake loose noncore assets," Simkins said. On Nov...read more

Marketing books aim for attracting new customers

You can own or operate the grandest, most expensive casino in the world, but flash doesn't always translate into cash. You need to get people in, keep them in, and keep them returning. There's an art to attracting regular, content, loyal customers, no matter what part of this country or any other country, and often, management misses the target...read more

Las Vegas Sands expands Macau ferry service

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. will increase the operations of its CotaiJet high-speed ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau. The company has been awarded a new 10-year license by the Macau Special Administrative Region to add stops at the main Macau Ferry Terminal. Originally, the casino operator began the ferry service to connect Hong Kong with the Taipa Ferry Terminal -- which is located just minutes from the Cotai Strip, where the company operates the Venetian Macau and is in the process of restarting construction efforts on four additional hotels. High-speed ferry service is a major means of transportation between Macau from Hong Kong...read more