Featured Articles Archive - Page 474

Bellagio room rates out-pacing Aria

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- In its first month of operation, room rates for Aria have been priced below those offered at Bellagio, which contradicts the original plans of MGM Mirage to make the CityCenter centerpiece its premium resort. Susquehanna Financial Group gaming analyst Robert LaFleur, however, found a silver lining for MGM Mirage...read more

Top-10 NFL playoff betting tidbits

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints aren't the only ones that will be resting up during the next 13 days. So too will the millions of football bettors across the country. For the first time since late August, the football betting card will be blank this upcoming weekend (unless you count the meaningless Pro Bowl)...read more

Vegas resident wins Heartland Poker Tour event

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The Heartland Poker Tour brought some 300 Midwesterners to the Red Rock Resort for its first event of the year a week ago, and an unknown 42-year-old player from Las Vegas captured the top prize. Kimbo Ung won $125,901 in the tour's main event...read more

MGM Mirage may exit Atlantic City

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- MGM Mirage is laying the groundwork for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The listing could raise up to $1 billion and could hasten the casino operator's exit from the sagging Atlantic City gaming market. In October, MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren said the company was exploring the benefits of a spot on the Hong Kong market by selling shares of its 50 percent-owned MGM Grand Macau. The IPO would follow similar moves by Wynn Resorts Ltd...read more

McCarran traffic tumbles in 2009

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The number of passengers using McCarran International Airport in 2009 fell 8.2 percent compared with 2008 -- the single-largest one-year percentage drop. Almost 40.5 million passengers came through the airport in 2009, down from the more than 44 million reported in 2008, according to figures released Thursday by the Clark County Department of Aviation. The percentage decrease continued a two-year dip in McCarran's passenger counts. The 2008 figure was a 7.7 percent drop compared with the all-time high of 47.7 million passengers who came through McCarran in 2007...read more

Deal Me In: Cinco dos, adios

Dear Mark: I've been reading your column recently on craps betting and I agree with you regarding keeping the house advantage below 2%. However, since my recent retirement I've had the opportunity to play 3-4 times per week, and what I have noticed is that it seems like the most consistent winners are the don't side players laying odds...read more

IGT profits rise by 20 percent despite revenue decline

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- International Game Technology's cost-cutting efforts more than made up for reduced revenues from slower-than-expected first-quarter slot machine sales. The Reno-based gambling equipment manufacturer saw its profit increase 20 percent in the period that ended Dec...read more

'World Poker Travel Guide,' 'Las Vegas Your Way' fine timesavers

Two helpful, refreshing resources, The World Poker Travel Guide by Tanya Peck and Jordan Devenport (232 pages, paperbound, $19.95) and Las Vegas Your Way -- A Travel Guide for the Value Conscious Consumer (173 pages, paperbound, $13.99) by Lou Gifford, each has its own unique way of saving the buyer time and money while answering a multitude of questions.Peck and Devenport truly saw a need for their handy little reference guide...read more

IGT hires former MTV executive

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- International Game Technology dipped into the ranks of the high tech industry to fill two executive positions. On Thursday, the slot machine giant named former MTV official Gideon Bierer as executive vice president of new media, leading IGT's strategic effort for a new media division. IGT CEO Patti Hart said Bierer would help the company develop slot machine content through the Internet, mobile, and social networking. "It is important to stay ahead of market trends and continuously evolve our business so that we can effectively serve our customers," Hart said...read more

Icahn apparently wins Fontainebleau ownership

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn said Wednesday he would wait for the Las Vegas gaming market to settle before deciding how to proceed with the bankrupt Fontainebleau development, which has been shuttered since April. Icahn, the former owner of the Stratosphere and Arizona Charlie's properties, submitted the only qualified bid for the Fontainebleau, according to a report filed late Tuesday by the examiner for the U.S...read more