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Inside Gaming Column: Strip-Corner Deal May Be Near for Harrah's5 April 2004Rumors are flying, what with Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment finally acquiring the rights to use the Horseshoe brand name in Nevada, that the company is nearing agreement on a site for developing a local megaresort. Industry insiders say a deal is nearly done with Phil Ruffin for his New Frontier site on Fashion Show Drive, across the Strip from the Wynn Las Vegas construction site. Sources familiar with the deal, however, warn not to expect an announcement anytime soon. *** Harrah's is also reportedly working on conceptual plans to build 1,000 to 2,000 more hotel rooms in Atlantic City to meet surging demand. Chief Executive Gary Loveman has told East Coast sources the company is having to turn away reservation requests. He said construction could start next year, although no time frame or design has been completed. With the Showboat's addition of 544 rooms last year, Harrah's already operates almost 3,000 rooms at its two Atlantic City properties. By contrast, its two Las Vegas hotels have more than 5,000 rooms. *** Spotted in Las Vegas. Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, and members of the commission flew to Las Vegas recently to meet with major gaming company honchos. They are pressing the companies to spend more in Mississippi. Mississippi this month will begin requiring its 29 casinos to report where vendor dollars are spent. Industry leaders say the companies, none of which are based in Mississippi, are making progress in spending more of their money there. Local business types say Nevada regulators take heed. *** Big brother is watching. Casino operators have the technology to count every chip a player wagers and remember every card dealt. The Las Vegas Hilton is testing one such system. It uses concealed cameras, image-recognition software and a special shuffling shoe to record each player's statistics through a casino-issued identity card. The pit manager can monitor any game, check out any gambler and spot possible card counters. Think some gamblers might resent being watched by the house? *** Talk about big brother. The Smoking Gun, a New York-based electronic leak mill, was circulating a 23-year-old FBI memo on Donald Trump last month after The Donald gave a tour of his casinos on "The Apprentice." Trump was pictured by the FBI confessing to a "confidential informant" and Mafia associate who worked for him about being worried that building in the "shabby seaside resort" might link him to the mob and tarnish his name. He even offered to place undercover FBI agents in his casino operation. Who'd have pictured the FBI spying on Trump? The Inside Gaming column is compiled by Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith. You can contact him by phone at (702) 477-3893, fax (702) 387-5243 or e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com. Copyright GamingWire. All rights reserved. |