Archive for August, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fans of Millionaire Casino are sure to find something that will entice them to the site in the next week and new players might also want to see what’s going on because there are many special promotions on the horizon.
We are in the dog days of summer and millionaire Casino wants to celebrate that this weekend with two promotions: Dog Days Afternoon on Saturday and Lazy Sunday on Sunday.
This Saturday, you can enjoy the Dog Days of Summer promotion, which offers players double loyalty points when they wager on the table game Red Dog between noon and 5 p.m. On Sunday, players can partake in a Lazy Sunday Afternoon. Between noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday, players who wager on the Princess Jewels online slot game will earn double loyalty points.
These weekend promotions will work well with the month-long offer of double loyalty points on the slot game Safari.
Millionaire Casino (www.millionairecasino.com) will also offer a number of tournaments this week. Players who enjoy Sit N Go Quick Slots will want to play Sunday and Monday when entry fees are just $.50. Winners share whatever pot is collected. Players who prefer blackjack will find that this weekend’s tournament will offer a prize pool of $5,000.
New players can collect on the generous casino bonus offered at Millionaire Casino and many other of the best online casinos. New players can get a 100% match on their first deposit up to $2,000.
It used to be that if you wanted to head to the center of gambling you’d go to Las Vegas. But Las Vegas is no longer the gambling powerhouse it once was. Revenue is down, rooms sit empty, and gamers are looking for a new Mecca.
There is a new gaming Mecca on the horizon, and it’s not Atlantic City. While both Las Vegas and Atlantic City have reported losses in recent months, Macau seems to be the industry’s bright spot.
According to reports released this week, hotels and resorts in Macau are reporting big increases. Revenue was up 70% in July of this year compared to July of 2009. In fact, revenue was up 20% between June and July of this year.
These promising numbers are encouraging to casino developers who are moving ahead with expansion and development plans.
Wynn Resorts opened a second casino in Macau in April and reported that revenues climbed more than 70% in the second quarter. The company now is planning a Cotai Strip resort. Las Vegas Sands Corp. is reporting similar successes and is restarting construction on a Cotai Strip resort which has been delayed for nearly two years.
MGM Resorts International is also considering expansion in Macau. The company currently has one property in Macau, the MGM Grand Macau, and is reporting dramatic increases in the second quarter of this year.
Following in the footsteps of British Columbia, the Ontario government is also entering the online casinos business.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation plans to roll out the new online portal in early 2012, according to Dwight Duncan, Ontario’s finance minister.
Specifically, the government is hoping its ownership of the gaming site will bring big rewards to the province. It’s estimated that online gaming could bring in more than $100 million a year within five years of the site getting online.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, or OLG, said they’ll let private companies bid to operate the gaming sites. It’s not known yet exactly what kind of gaming the government will offer, but online poker is likely a definite, according to Duncan. Other options might include online lottery tickets and online casino games.
According to the OLG, residents in Ontario spend about $400 million a year in online gaming, which is unregulated and which also doesn’t benefit the government financially. The online gaming is currently not taxed or assessed fees.
The OLG says it will likely not encounter any security glitches, and particularly not of the kind that shut down British Columbia’s online gaming site within hours of its opening. The OLG, by contrast, is promising a dedicated effort toward player security and days that specific secure transaction and other measure swill prevent a repeat of the BC incident.
