news about gambling

Loosening Up Downtown in Vegas Seven

The new Vegas Seven is available online now, and I’ve got an interesting piece about some happenings Downtown: The folks running downtown’s Las Vegas Club hotel-casino think the slot players are right. PlayLV, which operates the club for the multinational investment group Tamares, has embarked on an ambitious course of slot-loosening—and a pull-no-punches campaign to […]

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Vegas Seven

More about the “Friday Effect”

In my analysis of the January Nevada gaming numbers, I made reference to slot win from December being rolled over into January, something I dubbed the “Friday Effect” because I couldn’t think of a better description. I got a few emails asking for more details about it, so here’s the explanation that GCB Senior Research

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Nevada January gaming revenues: not encouraging

The January numbers are out, and while they appear to be merely ho-hum (a 0.67% Statewide revenue decrease), they are actually quite troubling. Here’s the executive summary of the report: January 2011 continued what has been a trend: a persistent, moderate decline in the state’s gaming revenues. This is the third consecutive month in which

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Details about the Cosmopolitan’s new sports book

Like I admitted on Twitter, I take lousy photos, so I promised that I’d share some of the PR stills of the Cosmopolitan’s new sports book. I’m also throwing in the press release–if you read any media accounts that sounds suspiciously like this, it just means someone’s taking it easy on the word-smithing front: Las

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Casino crime in the LVBP

In this week’s Las Vegas Business Press, I look a little more closely at what the two-incident “epidemic” of strong-arm casino chip robberies means” Strong-arm robberies aren’t exactly rare in the United States. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics, there were almost 409,000 robberies in 2009, the last year for which data is available.

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Marilyn Spiegel interview

About 2 weeks ago, I interviewed Marilyn Spiegel for a profile piece in Vegas Seven. There are always space constraints, so I thought it would be a good idea to record the interview and post at at UNLV Gaming Podcasts, mostly so she can share her story in her own words. I”m having some issues

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Frank Riolo’s leap of faith in Vegas 7

Finally, another Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. And this is a good one, too: It’s not often that a CEO becomes a hero by jumping off a building, but most CEOs aren’t like Frank Riolo. And most companies don’t operate observation towers attached to a Las Vegas casino. Since May 2008—just about the start

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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writing

Podcast w/ Lee Amaitis is up

At the opening of the Tropicana’s new Cantor Gaming-run sports book, I had a very interesting conversation with Cantor Gaming President and CEO Lee Amaitis. It was so interesting that I thought I should share it with everyone. So we made an appointment for a sit-down interview, and here it is. UNLV Gaming Podcast #27

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Thoughts on 2010 in Las Vegas Business Press

This week in the Las Vegas Business Press, I take a look back at a year that raises more questions than it answered: From the start of last year, Nevadans had no illusions. The recession showed no concrete signs of letting up, and within the gaming industry hope, particularly about the newly opened CityCenter, was

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NV regulation’s just changed

Anyone else catch this Notice to Licensees from the Nevada Gaming Control Board last week? DATE: February 8, 2011 TO: All Gaming Licensees and Other Interested Persons FROM: Mark A. Lipparelli, Chairman SUBJECT: Merging of the Board’s Investigations and Corporate Securities Divisions Effective Monday, February 14, 2011, the Investigations and Corporate Securities Divisions of the

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Atlantic City changes

Looks like change is in the air in Atlantic City. First off, Trump Marina is apparently going to change hands. As the Atlantic City Press reports, Landry’s Inc., which owns Golden Nuggets in Downtown Las Vegas and Laughlin, is planning to buy the property for $38 million and give it a through facelift, both inside

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atlantic city, news about gambling

December NV gaming revenue analysis

The Gaming Control Board released the December 2010 Gaming Revenue Report today, and I’ve gotten my historical comparison/analysis up. Here’s the executive summary, but you should really click through to see all of the numbers: As in November, December saw a decline from the previous year’s results, but there were bright spots. Statewide and in

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El Cortez suite competition winner in Vegas Seven

It’s Thursday, so I’ve got a Green Felt Journal column in Vegas Seven. This week, I dig a little deeper into the significance of the El Cortez’s Design-a-Suite Downtown competition: When the El Cortez announced the winner of its Design-a-Suite Downtown competition recently, the downtown stalwart did more than decide the look for its suites;

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2011 Super Bowl Breakdown

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has released the unaudited figures for this year’s Super Bowl, and in spite of early reports that the books took a beating, they actually came out slightly ahead. Here’s a quote from the press release: THE GAMING CONTROL BOARD RELEASED FIGURES TODAY SHOWING THAT $87.5 MILLION WAS WAGERED IN NEVADA’S

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Sandoval’s message to gaming in the Las Vegas Business Press

My latest column in the Las Vegas Business Press is now available. In it, I consider Governor Sandoval’s recent call for modernization in Nevada’s gaming regulations: In his State of the State address, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval briefly noted the necessity of updating the state’s gaming regulations to reflect the new realities of 21st century

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Station hiring in Vegas Seven

It’s Thursday, which means another Green Felt Journal is available for your reading pleasure in Vegas Seven. This one is a look behind Station Casino’s recent hiring push: The local employment picture has been a dire one. In the past five years, the unemployment rate has more than tripled. That’s why a local company hiring

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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writing

New report: Average Big Strip Casino, 2010

After some work, I’ve finally produced the first fruits of the Nevada Gaming Abstract 2010’s publication, over on gaming.unlv.edu: Average Big Las Vegas Strip Casino, 2010 A statistical summary of the average Las Vegas Strip casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $72 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes,

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2010 Nevada Gaming Abstract released

The Gaming Control Board has announced the release of the 2010 Nevada Gaming Abstract. As of 8AM 1/31, the report isn’t up on the GCB’s site, but here’s the press release: The State Gaming Control Board has released its “NEVADA GAMING ABSTRACT – 2010.” The ABSTRACT is a report of combined financial information regarding Nevada

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Modernizing Nevada’s gaming regs

I saw this story in the Las Vegas Sun and decided to investigate further. Governor Sandoval, in his State of the State address, very briefly called for the modernization of Nevada’s gaming laws. Here’s the entire relevant extract from the speech: Since I completed my term as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, the gaming

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