Despite a nationwide economic slowdown, Louisiana’s state-licensed casinos won nearly USD 208 million from gamblers in October, an increase over the same period last year, state police reported Tuesday at a Louisiana Gaming Control Board meeting in Baton Rouge. Revenue was up for the year at all New Orleans-area casinos except Harrah’s New Orleans, the state’s only land-based casino.
Alekson Development Group, affiliated to Fin City Associates, announced the signing of an agreement with Guatemala Pediatric Association to develop six hotel resorts with spa, restaurants, marina, casino and golf courses in the following ten years. The company, with venue in Seattle, United States, chose Guatemala City, Puerto Quetzal, Puerto Barrios and the area of Atitlán Lake as venue of the resorts that will start to be built during the second quarter of 2009.
Las Vegas: Executives at top casino companies said Wednesday that the gambling business won't be the same for years to come as game makers and casino owners shift focus to properties that already exist from casinos still being planned. "One of the challenges that has plagued the casino industry for a long time is that we spend money like drunken sailors," said Gary Loveman, chairman and chief executive of Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
Following Bermuda Premier Emil Brown’s announcement that the island nation is considering modeling itself as a base for online casinos, another politician has issued a warning. Finance Minister Bob Richards is worried such a move could anger the United States. Brown stated reasons for welcoming Internet gambling sites to operate from Bermuda would be a major boost in jobs and revenue, and establish economic growth based on more than just tourism.
Las Vegas casinos are searching for ways to regenerate revenue lost to the national economic doldrums. The state of Nevada also wishes the gambling industry were doing better, as less income for casinos means less taxes for the state. So speculation has become public about a notion to change Nevada state law to lower the legal gambling age from twenty-one to eighteen. An attorney for local gambling venues asked regulators their opinions on the issue at the Nevada State Bar Association gaming conference last week.
Atlantic City, New Jersey (AP) - Lately, the luck has been all bad for Atlantic City's 11 casinos. Last week alone, a major casino developer put a USD 2 billion Boardwalk project on indefinite hold, and the city's newest and most successful casino laid off 400 workers. And Donald Trump had to knock USD 46 million off the price of one of his casinos in order to salvage a deal to sell it to someone else.
Nepal, regarded a Shangri-La for holiday makers with its Himalayan ranges, assortment of religious shrines and network of casinos, has recorded the highest tourist arrivals in eight years. According to the Nepal Tourism Board Monday, figures released by the Immigration Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport indicate that 50,567 tourists visited Nepal in October, the highest in a single month since 2000.
Last Saturday, it came into force in Monaco a law that bans tobacco in public places. It was planned that casinos would be excluded, but finally, they would not be benefited on any status in particular. The implementation of the norm will no doubt be controversial, because the casino managers think that part of their customers will stop visiting their venues.
Tucson (AP) - Weak economic conditions mean fewer dollars coming into Arizona's Indian casinos. It also means a drop in the amount of dollars flowing to the state. Arizona received USD 25 million in the three months ending Sept. 30, down from USD 27.6 million a year ago. Arizona gets cash from casinos under the 2003 Arizona-Tribal Gaming Compact. Although revenues are down, the Arizona Indian Gaming Association says state tribes rank fourth in the nation for gaming revenue.
Calling them “dens of vice”, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to launch a campaign against casinos in the tourist hub of Goa this month. “We cannot protest in public as the code of conduct is on (with the by-election in Pale assembly constituency scheduled in November), but once the polls are over and done with we will make sure that casinos are thrown out of Goa,” leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar claimed.
Casinos in Bermuda would not turn the Island into a gambling destination, Fairmont Southampton boss Norman Mastalir said yesterday. But Mr. Mastalir believes the introduction of upmarket "tasteful" venues similar to those in Atlantis, on Bahamas' Paradise Island, or in Puerto Rico could help rejuvenate the struggling tourism industry. The Fairmont is one of five hotels helping fund a feasibility study into relaxing the Island's gaming laws...
Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd. and MGM Mirage, the three largest US casino companies, may signal an “ugly” year ahead as gamblers curb casino trips and betting from Las Vegas to Macau. Eight straight months of declining gambling revenue on the Las Vegas Strip and tightened visa limits by authorities in Macau, the only place in China where casinos are legal...
