Featured Articles Archive - Page 577

Meetings with Adelson recalled

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen said he held two face-to-face meetings with Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson on successive days in July 2000 and the casino operator expressed immediate interest in the possibility of gaining a Macau gaming license. Suen, testifying Tuesday afternoon in Clark County District Court for the first time in his civil lawsuit against Las Vegas Sands, said he met with Adelson in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong some six years after he became friends and a business associate with Adelson's brother, Leonard Adelson. "The first meeting lasted about 45 minutes to an hour," Suen said...read more

Back to Casino City...The real story behind the move

Surprise! Yes, the rumors are true. I am back. Back with the Casino City and GPWA team, back on the affiliate side of the business, back to writing, and back to traveling the world. So let me guess...you think I am a sellout? You think I couldn't handle the "dark side"? You think Everest is evil and scary? Wrong, wrong and wrong...read more

Inside gaming column: Testimony may leave lasting ache for Sands

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Whether Las Vegas Sands Corp. ever pays a dollar to a Hong Kong businessman who is suing the company, testimony in Clark County District Court last week could cost the casino operator millions in damaged reputation and potential shareholder action. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson and President Bill Weidner were the first witnesses in Richard Suen's lawsuit, where he's seeking compensation for helping Las Vegas Sands win a lucrative Macau gambling license in 2002...read more

Multi-talented Vanessa Rousso's game is peaking as the WSOP nears

Vanessa Rousso's staggering success at the age of just 25 years old should not come as a surprise. The fact that she's done it by playing poker for a living, well, that's something that may have caught a few people off guard. Vanessa Rousso at the 2007 WSOP (photo by Neil Stoddart/PokerStars) To put it bluntly, the career options for someone with the smarts (and looks) of a woman like Rousso were countless...read more

MGM Mirage chief asks staff not to sign teachers union petition

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- MGM Mirage asked its roughly 58,000 Nevada employees to not sign a petition being circulated by the state teachers union seeking to increase the state gaming tax by 44 percent. The missive came right from the top of the company. In an e-mail sent Wednesday by MGM Mirage Chairman Terry Lanni, company employees were told the teachers union is misleading voters about a proposed increase in the state gaming tax...read more

Las Vegas Sands' mistrial request rejected

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Las Vegas Sands President Bill Weidner testified Thursday the company is spending $8 million to $10 million to defend itself against allegations from a Hong Kong businessman -- a statement that led to another request for a mistrial. Clark County District Judge Michelle Leavitt denied the plaintiff's request to declare a mistrial because of Weidner's remarks. In his fourth day on the witness stand, Weidner gave out the company's estimate for legal fees when asked to speculate how much Richard Suen might have been owed for helping the company win a lucrative Macau gaming license in 2001. Weidner and company Chairman Sheldon Adelson testified Suen's efforts didn't factor in to the company's successful licensing effort. Suen sued Las Vegas Sands in 2004, saying he should be compensated for helping the company win a shared Macau gaming concession in 2002. "He probably owes us millions," Weidner said in response to the question posed by company attorney Rusty Hardin...read more

New razz poker book; '08; 'Sire Ratings' guide fresh up

Mitchell Cogert believes the game of razz to be "the easiest way to win consistently at poker" because "it is the one remaining game where the knowledge base remains small" and most players focus on hold'em. His new book, titled "Play Razz Poker to Win" (130 pages, paper bound, $19.95) has arrived at Gambler's Book Shop. Another fresh arrival is "Sire Ratings 2008-09," an update to "Exploring Pedigree" by Jim Mazur and Mike Helm, (124 pages, 8x11 paper bound, $34.95)...read more

Sands exec: Family link reason for Suen's role

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. President Bill Weidner said Wednesday that he didn't like working with Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen and would have stopped trying to negotiate a deal with him if Suen didn't have a business relationship with company Chairman Sheldon Adelson's brother. "You really didn't like dealing with Mr...read more

Moody's lowers Herbst Gaming's bond rating

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Moody's Investment Service on Wednesday lowered its bond ratings for Herbst Gaming, less than a month after the casino operator told investors it might have to seek bankruptcy protection. The rating service said Herbst has not yet negotiated a forbearance agreement with its lenders...read more

A video tribute to Calvin Ayre

When Bodog founder Calvin Ayre announced his retirement Monday, the online gaming industry lost one of its legendary figures. Ayre was a brilliant and tireless marketing genius who jetted across the globe to turn Bodog into an online gambling powerhouse and a household name and brand...read more