Featured Articles Archive - Page 529

Casino-ology must read for enlightened management

Bill Zender is a dedicated jack-of-all-trades. He's a former casino manager, and was a gaming enforcement agent. He's also an expert on casino surveillance who has written a book that anyone worth his salt should read. It's a text that will help improve the plight of the player or the house...read more

Casino CFOs paint bleak picture for future

LAS VEGAS, Nevada --A panel of casino company chief financial officers, reflecting a cross section of the gaming industry, on Wednesday painted a bleak picture for businesses looking to raise money over the next few years. The sinking national and global economies aren't going to cooperate, panel members said. The panel, which included representatives from MGM Mirage, regional casino operator Penn National Gaming, Macau casino operator Melco PBL and the Mohegan Sun Indian casino, all said money for expansions and other projects is tough to secure. "It's not a gaming or hospitality industry issue alone," MGM Mirage Chief Financial Officer Dan D'Arrigo told an audience at the Global Gaming Expo during a discussion on the state of the economy...read more

SunPoker joins iPoker Network

SunPoker has announced on its Web site that it is changing platforms from the Cryptologic Network to Playtech's iPoker Network. The online poker room says it is making the switch to increase the number of games available to players and improve the quality of tournaments. SunPoker says it will be sharing more details about the move with players in mid-December...read more

Shuffle Master VP under investigation by SEC

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Shuffle Master Gaming Senior Vice President Brooke Dunn is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged improper trading in the company's stock by an unrelated third party. The gaming equipment company made the announcement in its own filing with the SEC this morning. Shuffle Master required Dunn to step down as an executive officer with the company...read more

Gaming revenues fall in 12 states with commercial casinos

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Gaming revenues in the 12 states with commercial casinos have tumbled 2.5 percent through the first nine months of 2008 and the trend worsened as the year progressed. That was the bleak outlook painted by American Gaming Association CEO Frank Fahrenkopf Jr...read more

Worries subside for Las Vegas Sands

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. told investors it has begun righting its listing financial ship with $2.1 billion in new capital, but the casino operator's president said the company should have moved into calmer waters sooner. In comments at an investment forum Monday, Las Vegas Sands President Bill Weidner said, "We had to do what we had to do to put ourselves in a position to survive." In a morning filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the operator of The Venetian and Palazzo said its auditors have removed the "going concern" language from Las Vegas Sands' financial filings. The company and its auditors believe the casino operator, which runs three resorts in Macau, has enough liquidity and capital resources to fund continuing operations and to fulfill its new development plans...read more

Playing It Smart: How to get an (almost) free shot at a slot jackpot

People go to casinos to make money. Pretenses aside, the idea is not simply to achieve the ecstasy of victory and avoid the agony of defeat while getting a comp for the buffet. If it were, why not stay home, play chess or parcheesi, and raid the ice box? At the slots, especially, many solid citizens gamble with a "go for broke" philosophy...read more

How the ESPN final-table telecast differed from reality

I like watching poker on TV. I really do. And I especially like watching poker on ESPN. They produce a great show and do a very good job at capturing the major storylines, building drama and showcasing the most important and dynamic portions of any tournament, including the Main Event...read more

Top-10 Questions and Answers from the World Series of Poker's Main Event final table

LAS VEGAS -- It began way back on July 3. The November Nine was created on July 15 and then 117 days later everybody reconvened at the Rio in Las Vegas and action got back underway. Then after a record 15 hours, 39 minutes of final-table action, the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion was crowned when Peter Eastgate knocked off Ivan Demidov. We here at Casino City were in Las Vegas for the entire Main Event -- both the summer and fall sessions...read more

Ratings soar for ESPN's Main Event final table telecast

It appears that poker can indeed be considered a spectator sport. In fact, judging from the ratings of ESPN's World Series of Poker Main Event final table telecast last week, a major poker tournament can draw just as many viewers as a regular season NBA or Major League Baseball game. That was the conclusion ESPN network officials could happily come to on Sunday as they announced the "groundbreaking same-day coverage" of the Main Event's final table coverage last Tuesday night earned a 1.9 rating, up 36% from 1.4 for the final showdown in 2007...read more