Teachers and Casinos Talk, But Continue Battle
(NEVADA) -- With education accounting for the biggest share of the state budget and the gaming industry the biggest share of state revenues, the 2 groups are inevitably at odds every 2 years as the legislature meets.
Harrah's posts first-quarter loss
(LAS VEGAS) -- Harrah's Entertainment Inc., the casino company taken private in January for $17.1 billion, today posted a first-quarter loss as gambling in Las Vegas declined, Bloomberg News reported.
Long Gaughan: El Cortez owner sells stake in downtown casino
(LAS VEGAS) -- Longtime Las Vegas casino owner Jackie Gaughan is finally walking away from the tables. During a process that took just a few minutes on Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved a request by the downtown casino owner to sell his stake in the El Cortez, Gaughan's signature property since 1963.
Riviera executive says bids lacked cash
(LAS VEGAS) -- There were several offers to buy Riveria Holdings Corp. last year, but no one ever came forward with any cash to back up their bid, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Westerman said Thursday during a conference call announcing the company's first-quarter earnings.
Pinnacle profits in first quarter
(LAS VEGAS) -- Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment bucked a gaming industry trend, reporting first-quarter increases in revenues and earnings on Wednesday because of its newly opened casino in St. Louis and an expansion at the company's flagship resort in western Louisiana.
CityCenter is MGM Mirage’s life preserver in lean times
(LAS VEGAS) -- While some Las Vegas condos are in foreclosure as buyers walk away from purchase contracts, MGM Mirage — defending a lawsuit filed by unhappy Signature condo-hotel owners — says no buyers have canceled purchases at CityCenter despite the housing slump.
True sign of the times: Vegas tips are slipping
(LAS VEGAS) -- The economy, as you know, is off a couple of ticks. First-quarter room occupancy is down 1 percentage point, Boyd Gaming’s Las Vegas revenue is down 5 percent or 6 percent, MGM Mirage’s profit is down a whopping 30 percent, and Stacy Taylor’s income is down 40 percent.
Gaming revenue, especially slots, continue their decline
(LAS VEGAS) -- For the third month in a row, the state of Nevada is reporting a significant decline in gaming revenue blamed on the economy. In March, Nevada casinos won 2 percent less from gamblers than a year ago while the state’s biggest economic engine, the Las Vegas Strip, generated 5 percent less gaming revenue, the Gaming Control Board reported today.
It's no Mirage: Vegas Strip revenues declining
(LAS VEGAS) -- Las Vegas Strip casino gambling revenue fell 4.8 percent to $517.5 million in March, the third consecutive monthly decline, as gamblers confronted higher fuel and food costs.
Casino win is down
(NEVADA) -- A soft economy continued to cut into winnings of Nevada casinos during March as the clubs won $1.04 billion for a 1.5 percent decline compared with the same month a year earlier, a state report showed Friday.
Tourist Wins $21 Million Megabucks Jackpot at Palms
(CALIFORNIA) -- It was a very lucky day for one Texas tourist who hit the Megabucks at the Palms Hotel and Casino. "I was playing the other machine before, played about $150 -- then I walked around and there was absolutely no one playing them.
Accused Slot Cheat Nominated For Nevada's 'Black Book'
(NEVADA) -- William Cushing, imprisoned in the 1980s for gambling-related cheating violations and facing trial in November on new slot-cheating charges, was recommended Thursday for Nevada's "black book" of unsavory types barred from casinos.
MGM moves ahead with A.C. casino project
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- Gaming giant MGM Mirage Inc. continues to work with its architects and is preparing to hire a construction contractor as it moves forward with plans for a $5 billion Atlantic City megaresort, the company said Tuesday.
Pinnacle's casino project looks dicey
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- The sprawling dirt site where Pinnacle Entertainment's $1.5 billion megaresort is supposed to rise will remain vacant for at least two more years.
Trump casinos: Buyers are welcome
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- One or more of the three Trump casinos could be sold if the right deal presents itself, the company said Thursday. Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of Trump Entertainment Resorts, said the gambling company is "looking at strategic alternatives" and would sell if a good deal materializes.
Trump casinos can't shake losing streak in Q1
(NEW JERSEY) -- Gas prices are high. The economy is weak. And on the East Coast, competition for gamblers has become intense. Add some bad luck to the mix and you have Trump Entertainment Resorts, the latest in a string of casino companies to report disappointing first-quarter results.
Trump Casinos Lose $19M in Q1
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- Trump Entertainment Resorts yesterday said it had a net loss of $18.6 million, or $0.59 per share, in Q1 ended March 31, compared with a loss of $8.1 million, or $0.26 per share a year earlier.
Report card on Atlantic City casinos
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- When gambling supporters made their second run at getting casinos approved in 1976, New Jersey's unemployment rate was 12 percent - the highest in the nation. In Atlantic City, it was even higher, more than 13 percent.
Trump A.C. casinos in play
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- They could soon be playing let's make a deal at the three Trump casinos in Atlantic City. Officials said Thursday one or more of the gambling properties could be sold if the right deal presents itself.
AC Council approves land plans for new casino
(ATLANTIC CITY) -- Plans for a new $2 billion casino at Atlantic City's south end are one step closer to reality now that the City Council has approved a redevelopment plan for the area.
Expo offers a peek at future
(MISSISSIPPI) -- The 15th annual Southern Gaming Summit expo was like "Wheel of Fortune" as people wandered the sold-out floor and grabbed prizes ranging from food to a quick game of poker.
Bets on economy / Summitgoers wager it will improve
(MISSISSIPPI) -- Beyond the dazzle of the new slot machines and the aroma of grilling shrimp at the Southern Gaming Summit on Wednesday was the question of the economy and how it might affect casinos in Mississippi and across the country.
Slots cops: Nip it, nip it, nip it
(PENNSYLVANIA) -- Given the scandalous reputation of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, its proposed "slots cops" -- board agents with arrest powers in casinos -- would have the credibility of the Keystone Cops. Or Barney Fife.
Meadows fires volley in interstate slots rivalry
(PENNSYLVANIA) -- The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, which opened less than a year ago, fired a volley Thursday in what could become on ongoing battle with two nearby West Virginia casinos for claiming customers.
The Meadows tops W.Va. rivals
(PENNSYLVANIA) -- The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, once projected to fall far short of its own revenue estimates, is paying out hundreds of millions of dollars more than competing casinos in West Virginia.
Bill would loosen Pennsylvania's bingo rules
(PENNSYLVANIA) -- The House has approved a revamp of the state's bingo law -- a plan that supporters say is needed to help nonprofit organizations compete with the state's glitzy new casinos.
Food, fuel costs trim gaming
(NIDIANA) -- Casinos in Southeast Indiana saw another month of declining revenues as a slowing economy has begun dogging the nation's gambling industry for the first time.
Pinnacle's Lumière Place posts loss in Q1
(MISSOURI) -- Pinnacle Entertainment's Lumière Place casino and luxury hotel complex in downtown St. Louis lost $760,000 during the company's first quarter primarily due to significant initial marketing and overstaffing.
Ameristar Casino shares rise on upgrade
(MISSOURI) -- Ameristar Casinos Inc. shares rose Friday as an analyst said the casino operator is the best-positioned in a difficult environment and upgraded the stock.
Ameristar Casinos reports quarterly loss
(MISSOURI) -- Ameristar Casinos reported a loss Thursday of $77.1 million during the first quarter, blaming a noncash impairment charge of $129 million related to the company's purchase of a riverboat casino in East Chicago, Ind.
Michigan Senate OKs smoking ban in bars, restaurants
(MICHIGAN) -- The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill to ban smoking in all Michigan bars, restaurants and workplaces. The 25-12 favorable vote, somewhat of a surprise in the Republican-led chamber, even removed exemptions for cigars bars, casinos and bingo halls that had been contained in the version of the legislation that passed the House last December.
Editorial / Gasp! A smoking ban at last?
(DETROIT) -- The Michigan Senate, in one surprising fell swoop, pulled the bill to ban smoking in public places out of committee today and then passed it. Good for them.
Sonco big winner in N.B. casino project
(NEW BRUNSWICK) -- Sonco Gaming New Brunswick Ltd. has won the jackpot in the bid to build the province's first casino. Finance Minister Victor Boudreau announced Thursday that the Sonco partnership is the preferred proponent for the project.
Editorial / Economic numbers bad for bets
(OHIO) -- Egg production seems to be down with the golden geese. As the Enquirer reports in today's story by Alexander Coolidge, recession fears are nagging at the casino industry.
Harrah's Holds Paducah Job Fair
(KENTUCKY) -- Finding a job isn't easy right now, but at least one area business is looking to beef up their number of employees. Harrah's Casino held a job fair in Paducah on Thursday.
Economy deals cardrooms lousy hand
(WASHINGTON) -- La Center’s four cardrooms, after beginning to rebound from the statewide smoking ban that took effect in 2006, now could be feeling the sting of a weak economy.
OP/ED: Setting the record straight on Tacomas casino vote
(WASHINGTON) -- Mike Purdy might be the unluckiest man to ever run a gambling hall around these parts. He’s the guy who had the misfortune to be managing two Silver Dollar casinos at a time when the City of Tacoma was shutting down gaming.
Yellow Cab driver shot at end of ride in Puyallup / Man expected to survive wounds
(WASHINGTON) -- Some cab drivers won't pick up people who try to flag them down on the street. That isn't Frazdag "Fraz" Eltahir's style. "A lot of drivers won't do flags just because it's taking a risk," said Carla Hauge, a customer service representative for Yellow Cab in Tacoma. But Eltahir "is very attentive to people needing rides," she said.
Our Opinion / Hawaii lucky to be free from gambling
(HAWAII) -- Hawaii has been fortunate in fighting off attempts to legalize commercial gambling. Betting has been known to exacerbate poverty and other social problems, and a new study supports evidence that it can be addictive.
Agents arrest Lake Elsinore doctor in fatal overdose
(CALIFORNIA) -- State narcotics agents arrested a doctor at his Lake Elsinore hotel room Tuesday for illegally writing numerous painkiller prescriptions that led to the death of a 28-year-old man in November, the California attorney general's office said.
Ameristar climbs; analysts relatively pleased with results
(NEW YORK) -- Shares of Ameristar Casinos Inc. climbed Thursday as an analyst was relatively pleased with the casino operator's first-quarter results given competitive pressures, current economic conditions and regulatory challenges.
Frisco blackjack player strikes lucky deal on TV
(TEXAS) -- Even the best blackjack players rely on a bit of good fortune for success. Frisco resident and blackjack player James Campfield hopes that his brush of luck will land him among the rich and famous.
Ascuaga, Nugget award 25 scholarships
(NEVADA) -- For more than a half-century, John Ascuaga and his Nugget hotel-casino have distributed scholarships to college-bound seniors, making it one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the state.
Monthlong festival leads up to Belmont Stakes
(NEW YORK) -- Belmont Park’s familiar blue starting gate will spring open this Saturday morning, but not at the track. Instead, the Elmont, New York, track's gate will be used to kick off the Village of Floral Park’s Centennial Parade, one of many community events included in the 2008 Belmont Stakes Festival.
NYRA, Cooperative Strike Signal Deal
(NEW YORK) -- The New York Racing Association and the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative have struck a signal-fee deal that will return the NYRA signal--currently from Belmont Park--to 16 East Coast racetracks and their affiliated off-track wagering outlets effective May 9.
Will the capital city be able to gamble on racing?
(ILLINOIS) -- Harness racing up to nine months a year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds could help raise money for fairground improvements and the Sangamon County emergency dispatch system, according to Rep. Raymond Poe.
State lotto working on fantasy football
(MONTANA) -- The Montana Lottery is hoping to kick off a statewide fantasy football betting game by September in time for the professional football season, the agency's director said Monday.
GREAT STORY: Queen Anne lottery winner giving it all to Mom
(WASHINGTON) -- Michael McManus has known for years what he'd do if he ever won the lottery. So when he scratched the $1 million Washington State Lottery ticket at the Mercer Mini Mart, he knew he wouldn't buy a house, quit his job or even take a vacation.
Couple says lotto win won't change them
(MINNESOTA) -- Paul and Sue Rosenau say they already have everything they need, so their lives won't change that much after winning a $180.1 million Powerball jackpot.
$200,000 lottery ticket found in car
(CALIFORNIA) -- Turns out that washing your car could help you cash in on some big money. That's what happened when an Orange County woman found a discarded lottery ticket, worth $198,468, in her car.
Man claims Powerball prize
(LOUISIANA) -- A Metairie man who runs his own construction company claimed a $97 million Powerball prize, becoming the largest winner in Louisiana Lottery history.
Metairie man claims $97 million Powerball prize
(LOUISIANA) -- A construction company owner from Metairie who lost two homes in Hurricane Katrina claimed a $97 million Powerball prize Thursday, a jackpot won off a ticket he bought at a convenience store where he stopped to buy his wife a gallon of milk.
Casino gunman stalked victim, court told
(AUSTRALIA) -- THE alleged gunman in this week's casino shooting has been revealed in documents tendered to a court as a long-time offender who previously stalked his victim, a model who was striving to reshape her life.
Pinnacle Boasts Of “Milestone” First Quarter
(BAHAMAS) -- The Casino at Emerald Bay, which adjoins the Four Seasons Resort in Exuma has contributed to a hike in revenue for the international operations of Pinnacle Entertainment.
Number of problem gamblers is falling, study shows
(BRITISH COLUMBIA) -- While Surrey contemplates whether to allow a proposal to install 150 slot machines in Newton, debate continues over the city’s social policy, and whether gaming addiction is a local concern.
Marrero man arrested in Boomtown mugging
(LOUISIANA) -- Hours after a man was robbed of almost $1,000 outside of Boomtown Casino in Marrero, a 23-year-old man confessed to the crime, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said.
Casino robbery suspect sought
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Sioux Falls police continue to look for a man they say tried to rob a casino early Wednesday, Detective Sean Kooistra said.
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