Featured Articles Archive - Page 576

CAP Euro London: Tales from the Dark Side

Hello dearest friends, colleagues, former colleagues, partners, affiliates and competitors...greetings from THE DARK SIDE! I have just completed my first online gaming conference as an operator and it was not that bad...in fact, I think I might like it even more...read more

Playing It Smart: Hedging your bets increases the house advantage at craps

Craps players who are too smart by a half often use hedges, thinking they'll protect their primary wagers with small, high-payoff auxiliary bets. When a hedge pans out, they think they're onto one of those secrets the bosses don't want anyone to know. Bet $10 on Pass and hedge it with $2 on Any Craps, for instance...read more

Costs chip away at earnings for Las Vegas Sands

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Opening a $1.9 billion Strip resort and developing more than $17 billion worth of hotel-casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania ate away at revenues collected by Las Vegas Sands Corp. in the recently completed fourth quarter. The casino operator's net income fell 65 percent compared to a year ago due to increases in operating costs for the company's growing infrastructure and an increase of $46.7 million in other expenses...read more

Judge deals setback to Shuffle Master in patent case

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Gambling equipment maker Elixir Gaming has won a summary judgment ruling in federal court against rival manufacturer Shuffle Master. The U.S. District Court in Nevada said automated card shufflers built by Elixir, formerly known as Vending Data Corp., did not infringe on patents owned by Shuffle Master. The order was signed Friday by U.S...read more

Casino-stock index declines during January

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Downward pressure, brought about by decreased revenues in some gambling markets and shaky investor confidence, continued to affect the average daily stock prices of gaming companies in January. Four of the eight casino operators tracked by Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based financial consulting firm, suffered better than 23 percent declines in their average daily stock price during the month compared with December...read more

INSIDE GAMING: Stimulus may go out of pockets, onto felt

, Benjamin Spillman and Arnold M. Knightly LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Will the economic stimulus package now being debated in Congress amount to a windfall for the nation's casino industry? Yes, says one Wall Street analyst. Deutsche Bank's Bill Lerner told investors last week the $150 billion stimulus package could translate into roughly $750 million in expenditures by casino patrons that could find their way to the industry's gambling tables and slot machines during this year's second and third quarters. The proposed package, which passed in the U.S...read more

Bits and Pieces from Indian Country - January 2008

Unions, race track owners, and other opponents of Indian gaming in California have been successful in getting an initiative put on the ballot in February that would overturn the compacts signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and several tribes...read more

Quick-takes: The month's trends in a glance - January 2008

Atlantic City newcomer Columbia Sussex has struggled in the city, but it isn't alone; the city's gaming revenue is down, the bus companies are carrying fewer people and, of course, the Donald is still struggling. All previous efforts to sell the Trump properties have apparently failed, his CFO has left, and the city is having second thoughts about a tax break...read more

Secrets of better customer service outlined in books

If you are now employed in the casino industry or are planning to join that workforce, whether at the gaming tables or in a restaurant or bar, the following three books can help increase your tokes. Sally Fowler's one of a kind How to Become a Casino Cocktail Waitress: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Success in the Casino Industry (107 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $19.95) is must-reading for anyone hoping to break into this potentially lucrative field...read more

Pondering 'over' a potpourri of Super Bowl proposition bets

Like any legitimate American-blooded sports fan, I have every intention of not only watching this Sunday's Super Bowl, but placing a wager on it as well. And like both Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, I took advantage of every hour of the extra week of preparation to do my homework...read more