Featured Articles Archive - Page 681

WSOP Main Event Update - Down to 27

Big names are in short demand at the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event as only two former WSOP gold bracelet winners remain in the final grouping of 27. Allen Cunningham, one of only four players to win four gold bracelets before the age of 30, currently resides in 13th place and has a respectable $2.65 million chips...read more

WSOP Main Event Update

Only 45 players remain in the 2006 WSOP Main Event as participants continue to fall out of the march towards the $12 million first-place prize. Malibu, Calif., native Jamie Gold currently resides in first place with $7,330,000 chips...read more

Rebecca's Recommendations - August 4, 2006

Six days in Vegas with the online gaming crowd. Not OK. At least I could sleep late due to the Bodog Conference cancellation (God bless David Carruthers!) Alright, before getting started, I would like to clear up a few rumors for you: 1)Calvin Ayre was not there...read more

Riviera Stock Purchases Expected to Proceed

LAS VEGAS -- An affiliate of the investment group seeking to buy the Riviera's parent company was expected to complete its purchase of the stock owned by Riviera Chairman Bill Westerman today. Once the deal is completed, Riv Acquisition Holdings and its affiliates will control more than 2.1 million shares, or more than 18 percent, of Riviera Holdings Corp., which operates the 51-year-old Riviera and a slot machine casino in Black Hawk, Colo. In December, Westerman agreed to sell his holdings to affiliates of Riv Acquisition, an investment group that includes Starwoods Hotel chain founder Barry Sternlicht, Las Vegas developer Brett Torino and Chicago developer Neil Bluhm, for $15 a share. The group bought 1 million shares of Westerman's holdings in December and said Thursday it would buy the remaining 1.1 million shares today. "Once we received regulatory approval, we notified Riviera that we intended to complete the purchase of the shares this week," said Riv Acquisition President Scott Butera. The same group is asking Riviera shareholders to approve its $426.5 million purchase of the company at a stockholders meeting Tuesday...read more

It's Official: PartyGaming Acquires Gamebookers

As anticipated, PartyGaming today announced its entrance into the sports betting market through the acquisition of European-facing sports book Gamebookers. PartyGaming will pay 102 million euro (US$130.6 million)--81 million euro ($103.7 million) initially and 21 million euro ($26.9 million) in 8 months--for Gamebookers, which is owned by private firm Trident Gaming and operated in Bulgaria with a license from Antigua...read more

Column - A Bad Beat in the Sunday Million

Halfway through last Sunday's Party Poker Million Guaranteed tournament I had visions of forever putting down the pen to live a life of luxury and leisure. The phone call to my boss Larry would have gone something like this… "Hello Larry, yeah this is Ryan." "Good morning Mr...read more

Poker Players Alliance Ups the Ante on Membership Goal at WSOP

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) treated new and old members to complimentary food and drinks at Buzio's Restaurant in the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino last week. The event, held in conjunction with the start of the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, drew several hundred poker enthusiasts, including several well-known professional players who spoke on behalf of the organization. The organization has ballooned to 75,000 members, nearly four times the number it boasted in April when several well-known professional poker players held a press conference and met with members of Congress as part of a lobbying effort by the group. While that growth has strengthened the organization, it has largely been in response to the passage of the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act in the House of Representatives, legislation the group is actively opposing. "We saw an immediate rise when (the bill) went through (the House)," said PPA president Michael Bolcerek...read more

Macau Boosts LV Sands

LAS VEGAS -- Results at The Venetian hit a road bump during the spring, but Las Vegas Sands Corp. had China to fall back on. Booming revenue at the company's casino in Macau helped rescue the second-quarter earnings for Las Vegas Sands Corp. "One quarter or one month does not concern us," Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson said during a conference call Wednesday afternoon with analysts and investors announcing the company's results for the quarter that ended June 30. "Las Vegas has been here for decades and will be here for decades more," Adelson said...read more

Banking Interests Asks US Senate to Amend I-Gaming Prohibition Bil

Officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) sent separate letters to U.S. senators on Friday, urging them to amend the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act (HR 4411) for fears that it will impose impossible burdens upon the U.S...read more

Pinnacle's Quarterly Earnings Soar

Pinnacle Entertainment on Tuesday announced a large gain in second-quarter earnings compared to a year ago due to prosperous times at its New Orleans casino and three full months of results from its year-old casino in Lake Charles, La. A net payment of $44.8 million from Aztar Corp...read more