Casino News Blog
Dutch Gambling Laws
September 3rd, 2010
A Dutch committee has determined that online poker should be legal in Holland but that other online gaming should be illegal.
The six-member committee was established about a year ago to review the country’s online gaming policy and issued a report this week suggesting that while online poker was good, other forms of online gaming should be outlawed.
The committee said that because online poker is such a popular activity, it would be hard to restrict online poker to a state-owned entity and suggested that Dutch citizens continue to be allowed to play at online casinos that accept Dutch residents. It suggested that the country issue licenses to a number of different operators.
Sports betting and the lottery are currently allowed under existing laws, but the committee argued that online gaming like sports betting, bingo and online casinos should be illegal.
The decision was roundly criticized by the Remote Gambling Association, which said that while the regulation of online poker is a good thing, the exclusion of other online gaming is troubling. The RGA is a trade association that represents a number of online gaming operators based in Europe, including Bet365, Betfair, 888 and Ladbrokes.
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Amateur Poker Touranment
September 2nd, 2010
Not every poker player feels comfortable getting himself into the World Poker Tour or the World Series of Poker. For those players who feel more like amateurs, there is a new tournament that might fill the bill.
The World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League recently partnered with the Tropicana Las Vegas to hold the inaugural World Poker Tour Amateur Championship from April 20 to April 23, 2011. The tournament will offer more than $160,000 in cash and prizes.
The Tropicana Casino, which is currently undergoing a $165-million transformation, and the Amateur Poker League are poised to create a partnership that both companies hope will benefit poker players. The tournament will offer play to players who have qualified from a variety of leagues and venues from around the world, similar to the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. This tournament, however, will be specifically for the amateur player.
The president of the Tropicana is excited about the new partnership.
“It’s an exceptional combination of best-in-class brands and Tropicana is honored to be considered home to the thousands of WPTAPL members,” said Tom McCartney, president and COO of Tropicana Las Vegas in a press release.
For more information about the amateur championship, visit www.wptapl.com.
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Agua Caliente Casino Chips and Felts
September 1st, 2010
Players who collect blackjack chips will want to head to the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. The new Blackjack felts and chips feature designs highlighting entertainers like Sheryl Crow, Huey Lewis, Billy Idol and others.
The casino commissioned the $5 chips and felts from Gaming Partners International. The Paulson brand chips are made of 13 different components and are thermo-compressed; they are generally called “clay chips”. The inlays are customized with the various entertainer photos.
The chips feature the faces of entertainers who are booked at The Show, the resort’s concert venue. Because there are a limited number of chips produced, they might prove to be highly valuable to collectors.
“We wanted to bring more excitement to the casino floor and showcase the fantastic talent we have booked in The Show,” said Michael Dickson, director of table games at the Agua Caliente in a press release. “How great is it that our guests can now say they’ve played with Billy Idol and Sheryl Crow?”
Dickson said that players were also excited about the chips. He expects them to be a hot commodity.
Visit www.hotwatercasino.com for more information about Agua Caliente gaming.
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Opposition to Commerce Casino
August 30th, 2010
One of the largest casinos in California is coming under fire from some of its most ardent players – those who play poker.
The Commerce Casino in Southern California has registered its opposition to a federal bill that would legalize internet poker. A poker lobbying group has rallied its troops to protest this opposition.
More than 120 poker players have signed the letter, which registers disappointment with Commerce Casino’s opposition to HR 2267, a bill that’s currently winding its way through congress. The bill would legalize USA online poker by allowing the government to issue licenses to gaming companies and tax the profits.
It’s believed that officials with Commerce Casino oppose the bill because the casino would rather see a California bill pass that would legalize online gaming in the state. The Poker Players Alliance is backing the letter of protest against the Commerce Casino and it says that a California law would only allow California residents to play on the California gaming websites. The federal bill could theoretically be more profitable to gaming companies.
John Pappas, the executive director of the PPA, said that most poker players are mad about the casino’s official opposition to the bill and urged all poker players nationwide to register their dissent with the casino.
Pappas said the PPA might urge a boycott of the casino if it doesn’t change its official stance.
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UB Sponsors Tournament
August 27th, 2010
The annual Four Aces Open tournament will feature headline sponsor UB.com (www.ub.com) this year. The tournament held Sept. 10 at the Four Aces Poker Club in Montreal, Canada, is expected to pull in more than 300 players and a prize pool of around $750,000.
UB is sending Team UB pro Mark ‘P0ker H0’ Kroon as a UB brand representative. For his part, Kroon said he’s excited to be heading to Montreal.
“When they told me there’s a tournament up in Montreal, I knew I had to jump on it, and not just because of the killer smoked meat sandwiches and amazing clubs,” Kroon said in a press release. “In all seriousness, I really love Montreal for a lot of reasons and I can’t wait to play poker at the Four Aces.”
As might be expected, UB will hold satellite tournaments to qualify players for the $2,500+$250 buy-in No Limit Hold ‘em Main Event. The daily satellites will be offered from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5.
Players at UB will also have a chance to win a $3,500 prize package, which includes entry into the tournament plus $750 in travel expenses.
Players interested in qualifying through UB should visit the site and from the tournament lobby, look at the “satellites” tab for the full satellite schedule. UB also offers player casino games and is often referred as one of the best online casinos for poker players that like to dabble in casino play.
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Buyer Acquires AC Casino
August 26th, 2010
According to news reports, well-known gaming businessman Dennis Gomes has entered into an agreement that will allow him to acquire the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
Gomes ran Las Vegas casinos in the 1980s and 1990s before returning to Atlantic City, where he started his career. Gomes is acquiring the casino through Gomes Gaming, Inc., which he and his son run.
Gomes has an impressive list of casino experience. In Vegas, he ran the Dunes Hotel and the Golden Nugget. He returned to Atlantic City in the early 1990s to run Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal Casino. Gomes has also served as the head of the Atlantic City development company Aztar Corp. and is given credit for reviving the troubled Tropicana Atlantic City.
Throughout his 28-year gaming career, Gomes has managed 14 separate casinos (or hotel-casinos).
Casinos throughout Atlantic City are struggling like the Resorts Casino has been. The Resorts was the first casino licensed in Atlantic City when gaming returned to that market in the 1970s.
Gomes told reporters that his passion for Atlantic City has never faded and he believes that the area will come out strong in the future. The Resorts Casino has 942 hotel rooms, a 100,000-square-foot casino and more than 45,000 feet of convention center space.
It’s not known how much Gomes paid for the ailing property.
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British Columbia Online Casino Open Again
August 24th, 2010
Those in British Columbia who want to game online can now do so. Again.
The Playnow.com site, owned by the government in British Columbia, was finally restored to full functioning on Thursday after being down for a month following just one day of business.
When the site was first launched, it was highlighted as an example of what other governments can do in this day and age of online gaming. Instead of allowing residents to play on privately-owned sites and gaining none of the benefit, many see this as a way for governments to restore much-needed monies to the budget while controlling the gaming laws in their area.
Trouble was, the BC site was subject to a major security glitch within hours of its launch in July and it took 34 days for it to be fully restored.
Run by the B.C. Lottery Corporation, the site’s outage cost the company $150,000 a day in lost revenue, according to B.C. Lottery Corp. president Michael Graydon.
Graydon admits that players might be a little concerned at first, but believes the site will go on to bring good money to the province once players regain faith.
Playnow.com allows players – who must be registered users of the site – to gamble up to $9,999 a week on casino games. Some of the available games include roulette, blackjack and slots. Poker is expected to begin shortly.
By July 16, the site had more than 135,000 registered players which is the first that we know of many soon to come online casinos run by governments.
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Florida 24-hour Blackack
August 23rd, 2010
A tableful of celebrities will be the lucky recipients of the first hand of blackjack dealt at Seminole Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida, this Friday.
Perhaps the most interesting star to the locals will be former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. He’ll be joined by comedian Jimmie Walker, the host of the GSN show “Catch 21” Alfonso Ribeiro, Seminole Tribal Council members, and local media celebrities. All told, there will be 84 seated guests at the casinos new 12 tables. Play will begin when Seminole Casino Hollywood General Manager Adrian Fox announces, “Guests, place your bets.”
The casino revamped after the Florida Legislature passed a compact agreement that allow Seminole casinos to offer real blackjack 24 hours a day. The agreement was approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior in July.
The casino, a 30-year-old landmark, is located a block from the Seminole Hard Rock. During the special ceremonies beginning at noon Friday, the casino will have $5 tables for play 24 hours a day, every day of the week. More than 90 blackjack dealers were hired in recent weeks.
Also to mark the occasion a variety of music acts will perform, Walker will perform his comedy act and a live DJ will be on hand for middle-of-the night activities.
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Station Casino Losses
August 20th, 2010
The Las Vegas gaming sector continues to slide and reports from Station Casinos second quarter aren’t helping matters.
The casino company reported that its net loss during the second quarter was $69.6 million. Though the company was able to emerge from bankruptcy this month with all properties intact and with business operating as usual, the loss represents a 6 percent decline compared to the second quarter in 2009.
In total, the casino’s second quarter revenues were $233.6 million. Some experts have predicted that the Las Vegas locals market, where most of the Station companies are located, will have a slower economic recovery than the Strip, where most of the city’s gaming sector is located.
The company filed bankruptcy protection a year ago after reporting $6 billion debt.
Some of Station’s more notable properties include Red Rock Resort, Palace Station, Boulder Station, the new Wild Wild West and Sunset Station.
Station’s reported downturn follows the pattern of many Las Vegas casinos, both those on the strip and off. Many casinos reported losses in the second quarter and while gaming revenue is rising in other parts of the country, Las Vegas is still struggling. Some analysts say that Vegas will be several months behind the projected upturn in other gaming sectors.
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Slotland Payout
August 19th, 2010
Progressive slots online are proving to be profitable to those who play them these days. Last week, a progressive slot at GoCasino.com paid out more than $900,000, and this week, a progressive jackpot at Slotland.com paid out nearly $150,000.
The winner, known as SOUTHBELLE, said the winnings will be enjoyed.
“I’m so excited I can’t think straight,” the winner said. “I’m sure not used to having that kind of spending money, so I really don’t know what I’ll do with it. I’m terrible for spoiling my family. Can’t help it. So I’ll have fun with this, that’s for sure.”
Slotland’s manager noted that progressive jackpots usually get a bit smaller in the summer, but can still pay big dividends at their casino and many of the best online casinos currently offering progressives.
“People play a little less in the summer so the progressive hasn’t increased as fast as it has shot up a few times in the past,” said Slotland manager Michael Hilary. “But it was worth waiting for, I’d say.”
All the slots at Slotland are linked to the same jackpot. Monies go to the progressive jackpot when a player plays the maximum bet on any of the games linked to the jackpot. If a player hits the right combination (after playing a max bet), he or she wins the progressive jackpot.
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