Featured Articles Archive - Page 557

Bronshtein wins two FTOPS events in less than 12 hours

Don't get him wrong. Yuval Bronshtein loves all the money and adulation that comes with winning poker tournaments. But he's no longer in the business for those kinds of perks. You see, the 24-year-old Atlanta-based poker pro has his sights set on bigger and better things...read more

WSOP bracelet winner Grant Hinkle turns pro

When Grant Hinkle walked into his boss's office at Archer Technology last month to give him the news that he was resigning so he could become a professional poker player, the response wasn't what you might expect. "No, there wasn't any tension," Hinkle says with a laugh as he recalls the conversation...read more

Top-10 pools in Las Vegas

In between the hustle and bustle of gambling in the casinos, betting the horses at the race and sports books and going to shows, it's probably a good idea to spend a few hours decompressing poolside during your visit to Las Vegas. With that in mind, Casino City presents its list of the best pools to choose from...read more

Caesars addition still on track

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Harrah's Entertainment is moving ahead with a $1 billion expansion at Caesars Palace, company officials said Friday, despite reporting a net loss in the second quarter and even as competitors slow or halt construction of several Strip projects. Privately held Harrah's said it lost $97.6 million in the quarter, compared with a net profit of $237.5 million in the same quarter a year ago...read more

Two vital books on casino marketing, management arrive

It's a rare occasion when two fresh and crucial books for casino management arrive within weeks of each other -- but it just happened. Principles of Casino Marketing by Anthony Lucas and Jim Kilby (243 pages, 9x11 paperbound, $89) and Casino Management -- A Strategic Approach by Kathryn Hashimoto (410 pages, 7x9 paperbound, $75.60) have found their way to our shelves like two timely speeding trains loaded with information about how casinos operate and what makes them successful. Kilby, already a successful author and management expert with his previous Casino Operations Management book ($85) with co-author Lucas and Jim Fox, in his newest work describes both successful and unsuccessful practices, emphasizing that "mistakes provide outstanding learning opportunities." Recognizing that "many gaming executives across the globe lack experience" with respect to marketing issues and activities and that "Management is often left to imitate Las Vegas promotions, despite key market differences," the book is geared to "provide operators with meaningful direction and students with the insight they desire," Kilby says. There are 13 major sections to this book...read more

Victim of Its Own Success

Most casinos in the world face one of two major problems with their government regulators. Either the system is too new, or it is too old. Macau is both. When a gaming regulatory system is new, regulators, both the true casino regulators and lawmakers, have freedom to play at being social engineers...read more

A Barry Keene Law

One of my favorite stories of government incompetence is the Barry D. Keene scandal. Keene, one of Gov. Gray Davis' cronies, signed a contract requiring California to overpay Oracle as much as $41 million for software that was not needed and never used...read more

Featured Game: Rushmore Casino's Phantom of the Opera

For those of you who feel like mixing some opera with your slots play -- and who wouldn't want to do that once in a while -- Rushmore Casino's Phantom of the Opera slot machine is the game for you. With rich musical sounds, including a very nice soprano vocal that alerts players to the possibility of the bonus feature being triggered, this is the type of game where players can crank up the computer speakers, turn on the autoplay and enjoy the concert while they wait for the for the bonus feature or a major jackpot to hit...read more

Pinnacle discards plans to acquire Ameristar

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- An effort by Pinnacle Entertainment to acquire rival Ameristar Casinos collapsed when the share prices for the two Las Vegas-based regional casino operators fell by roughly 60 percent since last fall. Pinnacle revealed its now discarded plans Wednesday in the company's second-quarter earnings statement. The company said it had a net loss of $18.1 million, or 30 cents a share, in the period that ended June 30, compared with a net income of $9.9 million, or 16 cents a share, in the same quarter of 2007...read more

Nevada gaming cuts seen bringing layoffs

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander has told the governor's office that a planned 14 percent reduction in the panel's annual budget could lead to gaming enforcement agent layoffs and other staff reductions, decreasing the agency's effectiveness in policing the state's largest industry. In a letter last month to Budget Director Andrew Clinger, Neilander asked that the control board be exempt from further budget cuts planned for the 2010-11 state budget cycle...read more