Dubai’s investment arm was given permission to increase its ownership of MGM Mirage last week, but one of its executives said that won’t happen until market conditions warrant such a move. The Nevada Gaming Commission found Dubai World a suitable business and joint venture partner for MGM Mirage. Last year, Dubai World invested roughly USD 6 billion to acquire 9.4 % of MGM Mirage’s outstanding shares and a 50 % interest in the USD 9.1 billion CityCenter development, which is now under construction.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the motto of Tropicana Entertainment LLC, which against all odds is trying to regain ownership of the Tropicana Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The holding company, a subsidiary of Columbia Sussex Corp., lost control of the property in December when the Casino Control Commission deemed it unfit to run a gaming operation in New Jersey.

A financial backer of the proposed USD 429 million Lawrence County casino and racetrack is asking the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to withdraw his casino license application. Stephen Hilbert and his companies, MH Investors Gaming and MH Equity Managing Member II, petitioned the board in April to withdraw their applications. Hilbert and MH will still supply funding for the Centaur Gaming project as part of a USD 1 billion financing packaging Centaur secured in October.

Las Vegas - Want to buy a piece of the gaming industry, a few shares to add to your portfolio? Well, forget about Harrah's Entertainment and Station Casinos. They're now in private hands. You won't be able to claim a slice of the Stratosphere and two Arizona Charlie's casinos, either. They've been purchased by a private equity fund. You can buy as much as you want of MGM Mirage, Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, but still not control them. Each has a single majority owner.