2008 September archive

Developer spearheads effort to open new casino in Maine

♠ September 25th, 2008 by ♣ admin

Developer spearheads effort to open new casino in Maine Developer spearheads effort to open new casino in Maine –> << Back Maine [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski A Las Vegas developer announced this week it will spearhead a referendum drive for a casino in Oxford County, Maine. The developer pledged to spend $100 million to make it a reality if state voters give their approval in seven weeks.

The Olympia Group has purchased Evergreen Mountain Enterprises from Rumford lawyer Seth Carey, who abandoned the campaign following personal problems.

Former gubernatorial candidate, Pat LaMarche resurfaced as casino campaign spokeswoman with an impassioned plea for economic development in Oxford County and an attack on casino critics she accused of using scare tactics and spreading “lies.”

Dean Harrold, vice chairman of Olympia Gaming, asked people to get beyond outdated stereotypes about casino gambling and instead focus on the economic benefit. The casino project would create 800 jobs with good wages and benefits in a part of the state that needs it, he said. The project is less risky, it seems, that some of the mortgage backed securities floated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose executives, Franklin Raines, and Jamie Gorelick, are backing Barack Hussein Obama for president.

“It’s not about gaming . It’s not about resorts. That’s not what this is about. This is about jobs, this is about Maine and that’s the reason we’re here,” Harold said.

Olympia’s arrival gave new life to a moribund referendum campaign that collapsed with the departure of Carey, who’s accused of misconduct in his legal practice, and LaMarche.
LaMarche, who has run for Maine governor and U.S. vice president as a member of the Green party, said she agreed to return to the campaign once Olympia entered the picture.

The company also holds permits to develop another five casinos in Nevada .
“We’re known for getting it right and doing it right, and I assure you this, that when we come to Maine, we’ll do it right here,” said Harrold, whose previous positions before joining Olympia included a stint as president and chief operating officer at Caesar’s Palace.

As for Carey, he will have no role in Olympia’s decision making, but he’ll remain as a minority investor in the casino project .
So far, Olympia has not settled on a location for the proposed casino, but says it would include table games as well as slot machines. The goal is to announce a preferred site before the Nov. 4 election, Harrold said.

Dennis Bailey from Casinos No! said he thinks Mainers are no more interested in allowing a large casino now than they were in 2003 when they rejected a tribal-based casino in Sanford.
“The Oxford County casino proposal was sold to Maine voters and the petition signers as a Maine-owned and operated casino,” he said.

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New casino deal for Wisconsin

♠ September 25th, 2008 by ♣ admin

New lodge deal for Wisconsin New casino deal for Wisconsin –> << Back Wisconsin [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski The Ho-Chunk Indian tribe of Wisconsin agreed to pay the state $60 million to solve a gambling compact dispute that left a gaping hole in the state budget.

That payment is $12 million less than the state thought it was owed, but the divide was praised Wednesday as the end of a long court fight that left lingering questions about the health of the budget .
“With this compact, we can now put these disputes behind us and work together in the future,” said Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan.

The state will spend $1.5 million from the $60 million to cover attorneys’ fees to the firm that worked the case. Going forward the tribe agreed to pay the state 5 percent on winnings - after payout - at its casinos that are below $350 million. Anything above that and payment to the government will be 5.5 percent.

Under the old compact, the tribe would have paid a 6 percent tax on its earnings. Under deals the state has with other tribes operating casinos , the Potawatomi make payments at 6.5 percent of winnings and the Oneida pay 4.5 percent, increasing to 5.5 percent when winnings are above $350 million.

The Ho-Chunk operates casinos offering Las Vegas-style games in Baraboo, Black River Falls, Nekoosa and Tomah. A new casino is opening next month in Wittenberg.

It also runs a bingo parlor in Madison. The new deal can be renegotiated after 25 years.

“While neither the Ho-Chunk Nation nor the state got everything we asked for, we are happy that this matter has come to a long anticipated conclusion,” said Ho-Chunk Nation President Wilfrid Cleveland.

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California casino expands looks to hire new staff

♠ September 25th, 2008 by ♣ admin

California casino expands looks to hire new mace California casino expands looks to hire new staff –> << Back new staff [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski A new, California casino is looking to hire staff and has been overwhelmed with applicants.
The Red Hawk Casino is set to open later this year, but has already opened a hiring office in El Dorado Hills.

Nearly 11,000 applicants have applied for the 1,700 available jobs. The hiring started Sunday and continues this week.

Unemployment in California has increased by 2.2 percent from the same month last year. The nationwide jobless rate was just 6.1 percent in August. That’s at about the same level as at the end of the Clinton administration eight years ago.
Tim Warren was among those lining up to apply for a job. Warren said he is doing what he can to make money for housing and car payments.

The casino will include 2,000 slot machines, 75 table games and six restaurants.
Heidi Hamers, a casino representative, said Red Hawk is looking for “slot technicians, slot supervisors, cooks, housekeepers and other workers.”

The casino is positioned as completely different from the other Indian gaming casinos in California. Red Hawk Casino will offer gamers the following features:

•    2,000 slot machines
•    Progressive jackpots
•    75 exciting table games including Blackjack, Poker games and Pai Gow
•    High stakes gaming room
•    Six restaurants – from gourmet to buffet
•    Retail center
•    Childcare and family fun center

To monitoring the progress of the construction of the casino, go to: http://oxblue.com/pro/open/?webPath=lakes/redhawk .

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New location possible for new Philadelphia casino

♠ September 14th, 2008 by ♣ admin

New location possible for new Philadelphia casino New locality possible for new Philadelphia casino –> << Back Philadelphia [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski One of the two casinos proposed for downtown Philadelphia could be built at the Gallery at Market East mall, according to a spokesman for City Councilman Frank DiCicco.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) were expected to make an announcement regarding the new Foxwoods Casino plan this week, DiCicco spokesman Brian Abernathy said.

About 18 months ago, the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission gave Foxwoods approval to put a slots parlor on South Columbus Boulevard, and approved another casino — the Sugarhouse — for Delaware Avenue near the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

The proposals have been going more slowly than hoped, as new opposition from some neighbors, the city, and some state legislators has emerged.

“We’re excited by the potential of the new plan,” Abernathy said, but “a lot of pitfalls” must be considered. The impact on nearby Chinatown and whether there is enough parking in the area are among the other issues.

“This could be a great idea to rejuvenate east of Market and could eliminate the seediness of east of Market,” he said.

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Indian Gaming Commission in favor of a new casino in New York

♠ September 5th, 2008 by ♣ admin

Indian Gaming Commission in favor of a novel casino in New York Indian Gaming Commission in favor of a new casino in New York –> << Back New York casino [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski A federal judge refused to rule — as opponents had wanted — that a casino already operating on Indian land in New York state should be shuttered.

U.S. District Judge William Skretny’s ruling this week leaves the question of how to address the earlier decision up to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Gambling opponents asked Skretny to order the casino immediately. In an earlier decision, Skretny said that while the purchased land qualifies as sovereign territory, it may not be eligible for gambling because it was not acquired as part of a land claim.

The judge, however, said the foes’ request for a permanent shutdown of the casino was “overbroad” under the federal laws governing Indian gaming.

“Congress did give the chairman and the commission discretion, within the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s remedial framework to determine what type of enforcement action is appropriate under the circumstances of a particular violation or substantial violation,” the judge wrote. “Thus, plaintiffs’ request that the court give effect to its July 8, 2008 decision by directing the chairman to take specific enforcement action is not in accord with the IGRA’s remedial scheme.”

Construction on the $330 million casino-hotel complex is well under way at the site, with steel framing rising several stories and cranes and crews forging ahead despite the legal contretemps.

Tribal leaders were unconcerned with Skretny’s ruling, saying they expect the U.S. government, which oversees Indian affairs, to appeal it on the Senecas’ behalf.

The Seneca tribe, as a sovereign nation, are not parties in the legal action but have filed motions as friends of the court. These are called amicus briefs.

“This is a lengthy and involved process and we are a patient people who have lived on our native land for hundreds of years,” Seneca President Maurice John Sr. said. “We remain optimistic that we will prevail on appeal.”

According to Harvad Law School professor Laurence Tribe, the Senecas’ chief legal consultant, “the decision you want to be in your favor is the final one. We’ll get there.”

Along with the small temporary casino, the Senecas operate two successful casinos in Niagara Falls and on reservation property in Cattaraugus County. The Buffalo casino is the third and final one allowed under a 2002 agreement with the state that requires the tribe to share a percentage of slot machine revenue with the state and host communities.

The Senecas initially planned a $125 million casino in Buffalo but last year expanded plans to include a 22-story luxury hotel, three-acre public park and an artificial creek.

Skretny’s ruling does not prevent the Senecas from developing the site.

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Atlantic City expanding with new casinos

♠ September 5th, 2008 by ♣ admin

Atlantic City expanding with new casinos Atlantic City expanding with new casinos –> << Back casino plan [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski To survive emerging competition from Pennsylvania and New York slots parlors, the Atlantic City is poised to expand casino gambling into areas that were never imagined when gambling was approved here in the 1970s.

The City Council this week approved changes to its grand plan that will rezone parts of Route 30 to allow construction of a casino on the site of a former oil depot.

Located a mile from the Boardwalk and closer than that to the three new marina district casinos, the proposed gambling hall will be built by Penn National Gaming in an area currently known best for traffic jams and sewage smells, typical New Jersey fare.

The landmark vote came after about 24 residents of the nearby Venice Park neighborhood asked the council to reject the plan, or at least defer it until Penn National officials could meet further with homeowners.

“The major problem will be traffic. Sometimes in the morning and evening, it’s extremely hard to get into and out of Venice Park. And that’s without this casino ,” said Mike Johnson, vice president of the Venice Park Civic Association.

Matthew Glass, another neighborhood resident, aired another commonly heard refrain: that there are plenty of other vacant sites within existing casino zones where a new project could be built.

“With all the current development in Atlantic City , I can’t fathom why you would want to put it so close to a residential neighborhood,” Glass said.

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Gambling growth overseas is strong

♠ September 5th, 2008 by ♣ admin

Gambling growth overseas is strong Gambling growth overseas is strong –> << Back growth money [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski Gambling is growing overseas — both online and at casinos. A massive surge in Macau’s population is bringing increasing growing pains to the Chinese territory, government officials said.

According to official statistics, the population of the former Portuguese colony, already the most densely populated place in the world rose by 4.98 per cent in the 12 months ending in June and now stands at 551,900.

Meantime, online gambling is growing in Italy, and Italians are spending an average of $881 a year for online gambling.
In Macau, the Statistics and Census Bureau forecast the population is to grow by 4.6 per cent a year and reach 644,000 residents by 2011.

Government experts said the rise is because of an increase in imported labor flooding Macau to man its casinos and hotels and not an increase in births.

New workers accounted for 98,505 of the population there - an increase of more than 23,000 on the year before.
Sources said this growth is putting a strain on land, infrastructure and the electricity supply of the tiny Chinese enclave, which has a population density of 18,900 people per square kilometer, compared with 6,736 in nearby Hong Kong.

“It would be hard for Macau to sustain a much bigger population with its current infrastructure and land resources,” Professor Zeng Zhonglu of Macau’s Polytechnic Institute said.
Macau’s casino industry was overhauled a few years ago, enabling Las Vegas -owned casinos to compete for the first time with the dozen existing casinos owned by tycoon Stanley Ho’s monopoly.

Last April, Chief Executive Edmund Ho announced a series of tough measures aimed at curbing the spiraling growth of the casino industry.

This included not granting new licenses for casinos, gaming tables and slot machines and barring casino operators from using reclaimed land for further development.

Macau is the only place in China where gambling is allowed.

The city now has 4,311 gaming tables and 13,552 slot machines, compared with 424 and 814 in 2003, respectively. The number of casinos has rocketed from 11 to 29.

This includes several new upmarket Las Vegas-style resorts, such as the 2.4-billion-US-dollar Venetian Macao Resort.

Back in Italy, online poker players in Italy spend an average of $881 per person a year on the pastime producing a yearly haul of $514 million according to a new survey released as the nation’s Government gets set to legalise, license and control Internet gambling.

The research report, announced last week, was carried out by the Consumers Defense and Orientation Association (ADOC) and found that nearly two million Italian residents have=2 0gone online at least once in order to play a game of opportunity with a quarter using outside Internet gambling websites .

Researchers stated that online gaming is growing in popularity with visits to foreign gambling websites up 25 percent. In addition, ADOC revealed that 16,000 Italians ‘might be considered’ problem gamblers with an average level of debt varying from $14,600 to $17,600 going as high as $58,700 in extreme cases.

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Gambling Profits Increase in South Africa

♠ September 5th, 2008 by ♣ admin

Gambling Profits Increase in South Africa Gambling Profits Increase in South Africa –> << Back Revenue grows [Enlarge Image] By Gene Koprowski Gambling in Sun International’s casinos is growing. New figures emerged today from the leisure group’s results for the year ending June 30, 2008.

Though economic conditions and lower consumer spending have been reported in some places, the casino group reported an 11-percent increase in Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA).

Adjusted earnings per share for period under review showed a three-percent increase.

The company said the economic climate was - to a significant degree - mitigated by an increase in international visitors.

Group revenue at $7, 6 billion was 10 percent up on the previous year, with a 0, 3 percentage point improvement in margins to 37, 2 percent. Adjusted headline earnings per share of 39 cents were 3 percent ahead of last year, the company said.
A dividend of 258 cents per share was declared, bringing the total dividends per share for the year to 480 cents, 20 percent above last year.

Gaming revenues grew 9 percent to $5, 8-billion with slots growth at 9 percent and table growth at 12 percent, while other revenues grew 12 percent.

Total capital expenditure for the year was $861-million and included expansions and refurbishment.

Look for casino revenues from other companies globally to increase too in forthcoming reports. U.S. economic figures were reported as having grown at over 3 percent in the last quarter — averting a feared downturn. Three percent growth is consistent with the growth rate during the Reagan era and Clinton era and slightly ahead of the average for the Bush era.

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