30th
June Misouri/Mississippi
Source: Kansas City Star/Biloxi Sun
Customers
in Missouri's casinos should be stopped from entering the vessels with
tokens. That is the theme of a Kansas City Star article that explores the
$500 per 2 hour session "loss limit", that is being only loosely enforced
according to the State Auditor.
Tokens and the potential future disappearance of them is the theme of a
Mississippi Biloxi Sun article from the 25th. The EZ Pay Ticket System
is being installed in two of the Park Place owned Grand casinos in Biloxi
and Tunica. The move towards "coinless" gaming is initially being tried
on 65 machines with printed tickets being issued for larger jackpots.
Casino
patrons with tokens must be stopped at the door
Cups
of coins may be thing of past
30th
June US Source: Press releases
Three
American slot manufacturers have announced developments over the last couple
of days. On the 28th Silicon Gaming based in Palo Alto California
detailed shipments to Native Indian casinos in the State including the
expanding Veijas, Barona and Sycuan operations.
Also on the 28th. Las Vegas based Mikohn
Gaming Corp. announced that installations of its Yahtzee® themed
slots have now reached 1,000 units and the company has contacts for 1,600.
The total combines both spinning reel and video versions of the game with
the majority being installed in Nevada.
Alliance
Gaming detailed on the 29th that just a month and a half after installation
the wide area progressive Betty Boop jackpot had been won. The $214,500
jackpot being hit at the Atlantic City Hilton. The machines are still on
trial in Atlantic City and the wide area progressive feature is a direct
competitor with the long established IGT Megabucks system.
29th
June Toronto/San Diego Source:
Press releases
International Thunderbird Gaming and Cryptologic jointly announced on the
27th that the Fiesta
Casino has now gone live. Toronto based and Nasdaq quoted Cryptologic
has provided for ITG a casino primarily aimed at the Latin American market.
The company operates 4 traditional casinos in Panama and Guatemala and
is another example of the slow but continuing trend of traditional gaming
companies to form strategic alliances with software development companies.
FiestaCasinos.com
goes live with Cryptologic technology
FiestaCasinos.com
goes live
23rd
June Las Vegas Source: Reuters
Steve
Wynn has been in talks with the Nevada
Gaming Commission concerning his future plans for the Desert Inn. According
to the Reuters article he intends to demolish the building. Apparently
the casino will be closed in September. The hotel, that was only refurbished
3 years ago being eventually replaced by a twin tower structure with 6,000
rooms. The golf course may also be sacrificed as part of the development.
Steve
Wynn to tear down Desert Inn, build new resort
23rd
June Las Vegas Source: Press
release
Starwood
Hotels have now divested themselves of all their casino assets and are
concentrating on operating hotels. The sale of the Desert Inn to Steve
Wynn has now been completed for approximately $270 million. The company
operates more than 700 hotels world-wide including the Westin and Sheraton
brands.
Before the MGM/Mirage merger the sale of Caesars World for $3 Billion,
acquired from ITT last year was the previous largest casino sale.
22nd
June Vancouver Source: Press
release
GamblingSoftware.com
and the Excelsior
Casino, Aruba have teamed up to provide instant play Java casino games
on the Internet. The "bricks and mortar" Excelsior casino has been operating
for 30 years and is the oldest casino on the island located at the Holiday
Inn Resort. It is another example of a traditional gaming company deciding
to offer its product to a global audience. GamblingSoftware.com develops
instant play Java casinos for clients and presently has more than 40 licenses.
Land-based
casino prepares to accommodate 250 million guests
21st
June Washington Source:
AP
The debate surrounding the legislation in the US of gambling on the Internet
has now moved to the House Banking Committee. On the agenda are ways of
cutting off funds to online casinos that are all based outside the US.
The proposed legislation to extend the ban on gambling over the telephone
to the Internet has run into trouble over the exemptions for pari-mutuel
betting on horse racing, greyhound racing and Jai-Alai frontons.
Lawmakers
battle online casinos
20th
June
US Source:
USA Today
Net
gambling bill takes its chances
16th
June
Atlantic City Source:
Dow Jones/Excite News
N.J.
Casinos May Gaming Revenue $362.8 Million Versus $368.5 Million
15th
June
Chicago/Las Vegas Source:
Business Wire
WMS
Gaming's Money to Burn and Perfect Game Approved for Sale in Nevada
8th
June Atlantic City Source:
Bergen Record
The
battle for control of the bankrupt Sands in Atlantic city appears to have
been won by Carl Icahn over the rival bid from Park Place Entertainments.
Creditors who were owed money when the property filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
in 1998 voted 91% in favour of the Icahn proposal.
A hearing is also scheduled for July regarding Icahn's further bid to take
over the bankrupt Claridge which is next door to the Sands. The billionaire
financier also owns the Stratosphere in Las Vegas that was also rescued
from a similar fate.
Creditors
back Icahn bid for bankrupt Sands casino
7th
June Washington Source:
Press release
The
Internet Gambling Prohibition Act that is sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte
has received support from a coalition of groups opposed to the legalization
in the US of Internet gambling. Focus on the Family, The Family Research
Council and The Christian Coalition have aligned themselves behind the
Bill and will be lobbying Congress in support of its passage.
6th
June Las Vegas Source:
Press release
MGM
Grand have announced that from the sale of just 11 paintings from the
Bellagio's collection that they have raised the staggering total of $124
million. Three of the painting being bought by former Mirage Chairman and
collection founder Steve Wynn.
6th
June Las Vegas Source:
Press release
A
new industry association was announced yesterday. The Gaming Equipment
Manufacturers Association (AGEM) has been formed with 10 US companies as
founding members. Companies involved, some of them already members of GAMMA
(The Gaming Manufacturers Association), include IGT, WMSGaming, Mikohn,
and Shuffle Master.
5th
June Connecticut Source:
SF Chronicle
The
rags to riches story of the Connecticut Mashantucket Pequot Indians who
own the worlds largest casino is the subject of a detailed San Francisco
Chronicle article from May 30th.
The 650 strong tribes casino, from its opening in 1992 now has over 3,500
slots and had revenues of $1.3 billion for 1999. This is in the region
of 15% of all the revenue brought in by the 198 tribes that operate casinos
throughout the US. At 11,300 employees the tribe is also one of the biggest
employers in the state
Pequots
of Connecticut cooperate with state to keep operation clean
2nd
June New Jersey Source:
Press release
Casino
Careers based in New Jersey has announced that Isle of Capri will be
using the companies database of 6,500 resumes to hire for all 11 of their
properties in the US.
Casino personnel post their resumes online for free and details are accessed
by over 70 corporations and gaming properties that are signed up to perform
corporate searches for staff.
2nd
June Las Vegas Source:
AP
With
the acquisition of Mirage Resorts by MGMGrand Inc. almost in the books,
the company is now looking for ways to develop assets in both Atlantic
City and Las Vegas. A 55 acre plot between the Monte Carlo (50% owner Mandalay)
and the Bellagio is the focus of attention. Looking for "over the top designers"
is the description in the AP article.
Also of interest is the 1966 opening of Caesars Palace, at 34 years old
it is now by LV standards an antique. MGMGrand will also continue to develop
the Borgata resort in Atlantic City in partnership with Boyd Gaming.
2nd
June New York/Puerto Rico Source:
Press release
Internet
gaming that has presently found a welcoming home in the region, is high
on the list of subjects to be covered at the Caribbean
Gaming and Tourism Conference 2000 at the Condado Plaza Hotel &
Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This is the second year for the conference organized by WestVille Enterprises
Inc. 24 sessions will be held with simultaneous translations into and from
Spanish. Additional topics to be covered include cashless gaming, customer
care, casino crime, and gaming as entertainment.
1st
June Los Angeles Source:
Reuters/Yahoo finance
Reuters has an interesting article on the undoubted growth of Internet
casino gambling. Once again the magic numbers are quoted as to approximately
how many casinos are now thought to be in operation and how much revenue
the online gaming industry is presently generating (apparently it was $1.67
billion in 1999). For 2002 the figure quoted is "atop $3 billion".
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