Archive for June, 2010
Wynn Resorts is restoring full-time jobs to nearly 4,000 workers while at the same time laying off more than 260.
Steve Wynn said that he would tell the employees Wednesday that their jobs were being restored to full-time status. Eighteen months ago, Wynn Resorts, LTD announced it would reduce the hours and benefits of 3,700 workers in an attempt to stave off layoffs in tight times. The company was hoping that by cutting hours and benefits, it would be able to save the jobs of people who might otherwise be laid off. Although casino revenues continue to be flat, the company plans to reinstate the hours and pay to the employees.
“It’s going to be a bit morale boost, and it will cost the company a fortune when we’re losing money,” Wynn said. “We did it to give good news to 3,700 people.”
Wynn said it will cost the company $7.7 million.
Employees had suffered a reduction in hours to 32 a week and a reduction in pay by 15 percent. Wynn said he was inspired by the comment from a long-time employee who said that the cuts – rather than give employees comfort in knowing their job was somewhat secure, if providing less benefit to them – were actually causing more stress.
“Instead of the employees thinking we’re protecting them, they’re struggling with the reduction in their work hours,” Wynn said.
However, the company will lay off 261 works from its Las Vegas hotel & casino, including 240 hourly workers and others in areas that the company believes is overstaffed.
One lucky player is $200,000 richer after winning a progressive jackpot at Win a Day (www.winaday.com).
The winning game was Jack’s Show, a video poker game.
The player, who uses the pseudonym “Lucky Tom”, won $200,859, the second highest win of any player at WinADay.com. The previous winner took home $223,420 in March, when he played the site’s Reel De Luxe game.
Jack’s Show features magic from animated jesters who jostle on the screen before dealing cards. The jesters perform tricks when winning hands come up. Competitors can wager on their hands and the object is to get the best poker hand.
“Lucky Tom” is a film student who said he was looking to blow off steam when he logged onto WinADay.com.
“I was just killing time and taking my mind off my studies for a bit when suddenly out of the blue I hit the big one,” he said. The winner said he might “blow” some of the money on parties to celebrate his win, but will most likely invest the bulk of the money into “a film project I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
The jackpot was a progressive one, said Michael Hilary, the casino manager for Win A Day.
“We’ve added several new casino games recently so the casino has been even busier than usual,” he said. “Many of our regular players knew we were a bit overdue for a big win so more of them have been placing maximum bets and going for the online slot machine jackpot. Every time they do, part of their wager goes into the jackpot pool so it had been accumulating even faster than usual.”
As some of the best poker players in the world continue playing in this year’s World Series of Poker, Harrah’s is being sued by a poker company for trademark infringement.
Everest Poker filed suit against Harrah’s last week, arguing that the company violated Everest’s right to claim part sponsorship of the World Series of Poker in 2008 and 2009.
According to the suit filed by Everest’s parent company, Ultra Internet Media, Harrah’s violated a sponsorship agreement it had with Everest Poker during the 2008 and 2009 WSOP tournaments. The three-year sponsorship agreement requires Everest Poker to pay $6.2 million in 2008, $7.9 million in 2009 and $8.4 million in 2010. According to the suit, the site paid the 2008 and 2009 sponsorship fees, but refuses to pay for this year’s tournament.
Everest says that during coverage by the French ESPN channel RTL9, its image was covered electronically by the image for a competing poker company, though Everest’s contract specifically states that its logo would be shown in specific places.
This year, the suit charges, Harrah’s is continuing the use the company’s logo and banners, which Everest says is being done in order to force Everest to pay for the sponsorship even thought the company says it has pulled out due to the misuse of its sponsorship the past two years.
Harrah’s hasn’t responded to the lawsuit as yet; it’s the company’s policy not to comment on pending litigation.
The ESPN.com show “Inside Deal” recently made its return and featured a story about the race among some poker players to become part of the prestigious “Brunson 10”. The Brunson 10 represents pro poker players for the site Doyle’s Room (www.doylesroom.com), the namesake of longtime pro poker player Doyle Brunson.
There are four online poker stars vying for a slot on the Brunson 10, a group of pro poker players that – in a reversal of the usual method of finding pro players for a site – are handpicked by Brunson himself. Dan “djk123” Kelly said he is excited by the possibility of being on the prestigious team.
“I like the idea of the Brunson 10,” said Kelly, a former No. 1 player on the poker rankings site PocketFives.com, “I know pretty much all the guys who are in it, I am friends with them, and I think it would be really cool to be a part of it.”
Whichever of the players that Brunson is watching finish at the top of the leader board after the ongoing 2010 WSOP will be picked for the 7th spot on the team.
Also vying for a spot on the team are David “Doc Sands” Sands and Faraz “The Toilet” Jaka, who made a final table at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour recently. Jaka has been a pro for other sites in the past, namely PokerStars and UB.com, and is enjoying his current run for a spot on the Brunson 10.
“I met Pamela Brunson at a couple of other events and she really liked my game and how I was playing,” Jaka told “Inside Deal”. “I heard about what the site was trying to do with the Brunson 10 and loved the idea of being able to represent Doyle. He’s the one guy in the poker world that no one has a bad thing to say about.”
888.com is adding more games to its online casino arsenal, including online slot machines and instant games. Some of the new games are centered and themed to the current soccer World Cup.
Some of the new games include the Price is Right slot machine game, which is a take-off on the long-running and popular game show, and the Monopoly slot machine game, which is similar to the board game.
The games based on the World Cup include Slota Bonita slot, Top Trumps Football Stars 2010, Scratch Football, Top Trumps World Cup 2010, World Champions 2010 slot machine game and Hi-Lo Heroes 2010. Fans of the Hi-Lo games can also visit the launch of the new game, Hi Lo Silver.
“We are really excited to be releasing these games (in relation to) the world’s most popular sporting event,” said Itai Pazner, COO of 888.com. “These new games provide entertainment aplenty for sports fans and traditional gamers alike. 888 will continue to provide the highest levels of gaming excellence to its customers.”
888.com offers a number of casino games, keno, blackjack, scratch card games, online poker, baccarat, video poker, roulette and online slots. There are more than 50 different online slot games alone, including 3-reel slots, progressive jackpots and multiple player games.
According to reports recently released, gaming revenue was down in Las Vegas in April.
In April, gambling revenue was a little more than $810 million. That accounts for a 5.6 percent drop in revenue from April 2009. Taxes collected in April were nearly $40 million, or 23 percent less than in April 2009.
Interestingly, most of the losses occurred off the Strip. Along the Las Vegas Strip, there was only a 1 percent drop in revenue, to $437 million. And the Strip continues to bring in the majority of gambling revenue in the state, with 54 percent of the state’s gambling revenue coming from play on the Strip. In April 2009, the Strip accounted for just 51.3 percent of gambling revenue.
This fiscal year has been a tough one for the whole of Nevada. Overall there’s been a 4 percent drop in revenue, while the Strip has seen occasional losses and an overall increase of less than 1 percent in revenue.
As discussions continue in Congress about the legality of online poker and online casinos, the state of Nevada continues to explore the idea of the state hosting online gambling sites, not only for the revenue it could bring in but for the additional attention it could bring to the gambling mecca that is Las Vegas and Nevada.
Pro poker player Phil Laak didn’t just set the world record recently for most hours spent playing poker, he shattered the previous record.
In late May, Laak announced that he would attempt to break the world record set by Paul Zimbler in the fall of 2009. Zimbler played for 78 straight hours.
Laak broke the record this past weekend by playing for 115 hours. According to those in attendance, Laak decided when he equaled the past world record that he wanted to continue playing so he could make a record that would be hard to beat.
“There have been a few times where I realized if I didn’t stand up, I wouldn’t be able to keep going,” Laak said. “I’ve been stretching a lot. I’m the stretchmaster. It helped me through.”
Laak spent part of the ongoing World Series of Poker playing for the world record title. He was playing for charity, specifically for Camp Sunshine, a camp that’s devoted to providing a camp experience for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
To prepare for his endurance feat, Laak worked for six months in advance to ensure that his body and mind were ready for what was to come. He eliminated fried foods, sweets and cheese from his diet. While he was playing those 115 hours, a nutritionist he’d hired delivered foods to Laak so he could maintain a steady and healthy blood sugar level.
Laak – whose career winnings exceed $2.5 million – is frequently referred to as the “Unabomber” because he’s known for wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses at poker tables.
New Jersey residents who enjoy gambling online will be happy to learn that it might soon be legal. A state senate committee approved a bill that will outline regulations for Atlantic City casinos to create online casino portals.
The bill was approved by the state senate’s Committee on State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation last week. If approved by the governor, passage could take effect during the fall.
If approved and implemented, New Jersey would be the first state in the nation to legalize internet gambling within the parameters of current gambling laws in the United States. Currently, the laws only allow for intrastate gambling if regulated within the confines of the law. The state of California is also currently considering legalizing gambling, but that state is focused on creating an intrastate poker network.
New Jersey’s bill defines regulations for casinos in Atlantic City to build online portals for online blackjack, poker and other table games.
The bill’s proponents say that the online gaming could bring in as much as $250 million a year and create as many as 1,500 jobs. The bill requires Atlantic City casinos to buy a $200,000 online gaming license from the state in order to operate online gaming operations.
Poker players who want to enjoy some beautiful and exotic surroundings while playing in a world-class tournament should keep their eyes on the PokerStars (www.pokerstarts.net) tournament page. One lucky winner will win a package to head to the Brazilian stop on the Latin American Poker Tour.
The winner will be awarded with entry into the tournament’s main event, accommodations in Florianopolis, Brazil, and a contribution toward their travel expenses.
Florianopolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. The area is known for its historic archaeological sites, adventure trails and interesting dunes; the tournament will be held at the Costao do Santinho resort, an all-inclusive property located on the north end of Santa Catarina. It sits along the Santinho beach and features a mix of relaxing, active and luxury activities. It also features the largest area of indoor and outdoor thermal pools in all of Brazil.
The Latin American Poker Tour will stop in Brazil from Aug. 4-8.
At least one Brazilian is delighted by the news that Brazil will be a featured stop on the Latin American Poker Tour.
“I’m so happy that the LAPT will return to Brazil again this season,” Andre Akkari, a PokerStars pro from Brazil, said. “It’s got everything; players can enjoy the amazing surroundings whilst playing some of the best poker in Latin America!”
Qualifying satellites will begin soon at PokerStars.
Poker fans are abuzz today at the news that a famous murder suspect was playing – and winning – at various poker sites.
Joran van der Sloot was famously considered a suspect in the disappearance of Natalie Holloway five years ago. Wednesday, Peruvian officials announced that he was the prime suspect in the murder of Stephany Flores, who was discovered murdered in a Lima hotel.
It’s believed that van der Sloot played poker online with the user name “AANOTILTKK” at Party Poker (www.partypoker.com) and that he might have played at Titan Poker (www.titanpoker.com) with the user name Joran888 and with a logo that featured a blond girl who looked a bit like the missing Holloway.
It’s believed that van der Sloot was in Lima to play in the Latin American Poker Tour.
According to officials at both online poker sites, Joran888 has never won a tournament, but finished in the money at least three times. AANOTILTKK won more than $13,000 in the Party Poker $300K Guaranteed tournament.
Officials named van der Sloot a primary suspect in the murder of the 21-year-old Flores because a casino video surveillance camera showed him with her. Flores is the daughter of a famous race car driver in Peru.
Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005 in Aruba.
