BJ21.com Newsletter
December 14, 2007 071214
Presented as a public service
by BJ21.com, the leading source of accurate
information about casino games and conditions.
Compiled by Al
Rogers
Al@bj21.com
N.J. casino commission denies license to Tropicana
ATLANTIC CITY - In a stunning development, the New Jersey Casino
Control Commission today denied a license renewal for the troubled
Tropicana Casino & Resort, saying that a trustee would operate the
Boardwalk facility immediately until a buyer was found.
Columbia Sussex will be forced to sell property
In Las Vegas, Columbia Sussex operates the Tropicana and The Westin.
The company also owns the River Palms and Tropicana Express in Laughlin
and the MontBleu and Horizon in Lake Tahoe. Nevada Gaming Control Board
Chairman Dennis Neilander said Wednesday that state regulators had been
monitoring the events in New Jersey. Gaming agents have stepped up a
presence in Nevada casinos operated by Columbia Sussex, but internal
audits have not found any "material violations" of Nevada gaming
regulations, Neilander said.
Atlantic City's Tropicana fears bankruptcy from license denial
A parent company of the Tropicana Casino and Resort raised the
possibility Thursday of filing for bankruptcy if it cannot quickly
overturn the denial of its casino license or work out a new deal with
its lenders.
REMODELING
CONTROVERSY: County says charges coming -- Harrah's to be cited over
work
Misdemeanor criminal charges are imminent for problematic remodeling
done at the Rio, Harrah's Las Vegas and Flamingo Las Vegas hotels,
according to a statement Thursday from the county manager's office.
CONSTRUCTION:
Blowing whistle on a giant -- Ex-worker accuses Harrah's Entertainment
of breaking law, imperiling lives
But now Las Vegas police may be getting interested in his take on
events. Detectives from the department's criminal intelligence section
spent an hour with him Nov. 27, talking about the hotel remodeling
projects. The session was tape-recorded, according to Frazzetta, who
blew the proverbial whistle on the hotel code infractions.
ANOTHER HARRAH'S
WOE: Flamingo safety scrutinized -- Worker tells county that
equipment cannibalized
Workers at the Flamingo Las Vegas cannibalized a piece of safety
equipment on one guest floor to obtain a part so another floor would
pass a fire inspection, according to a carpenter who gave a statement
to the county Fire Department on Thursday. John Houk, one of the man's
supervisors, was suspended Friday, pending investigation, Marybel
Batjer, a Harrah's Entertainment spokeswoman, said Friday evening.
EDITORIAL: Flamingo
fire safety
One rejection of public safety standards could be considered an
aberration. Two incidents within the same company might be a
coincidence. But three violations of a similar nature? That's trouble.
REMODELING CONTROVERSY: Harrah's shutters subsidiary -- Supervisors of
renovations included in mass layoff
The subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment at the center of the company's
room remodeling controversy was closed Wednesday, terminating the
employment of some 200 workers including supervisors of troubled
renovations at the Rio, Harrah's Las Vegas and Flamingo.
Tahoe casino
threatened with shutdown
A North Lake Tahoe casino once owned by Frank Sinatra has been
threatened with a shutdown unless it starts work on fixing a faulty
fire alarm system by Saturday, fire officials said.
Seattle
mayor's son gets 3-month sentence for casino scam
The son of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Jacob Nickels, has been
sentenced to three months in a federal prison for his part in a casino
scam.
A.C.
casinos’ take down nearly 8 percent
Like a giant vacuum cleaner, Pennsylvania slot parlors continue to
drain cash from Atlantic City's casinos. Revenue for the 11 casinos
tumbled nearly 8 percent last month from November 2006.
Gambler
sues
Crown for $50 million
Crown Casino has been forced to defend a $50 million damages claim over
allegations it deliberately targeted a chronic gambler who had
voluntarily excluded himself from every casino in Australia.
Skimming
allegations hit Macau -- Newspaper report puts casinos' losses at least
$13 billion
A report in a Hong Kong newspaper that suggested a skimming operation
in Macau could be depriving casinos of 50 percent of their gambling
revenue was rejected Monday by several American gaming observers.
Caesars Palace
says new $50,000-per-hand threshold for craps, blackjack bets is
highest in LV
On Monday, Caesars Palace raised its blackjack and line bets at craps
to $50,000 per hand, which it is touting as the highest posted limits
in town.
New probe of gov's point man -- Did high-rolling ex-adviser on
gambling cheat tax man?
CHICAGO - Federal authorities are investigating whether Gov.
Blagojevich's former lead adviser on gaming policy properly disclosed
personal gambling winnings and losses to the tax man, sources told the
Chicago Sun-Times.
Gaming
commission rejects project design -- Panel cites public-safety hazards
and unfair competitive advantage
The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has rejected the design for a
proposed Deadwood casino project, saying it posed hazards to public
safety and would give the complex an unfair advantage over existing
casinos in the historic town.
Cannery Casino
Resorts sold
LAS VEGAS - Cannery Casino Resorts is being sold for nearly $1.8
billion, including acquisition costs, to a gaming company controlled by
Australian billionaire James Packer, Crown Ltd. announced late Tuesday.
Man arrested
in cashier-cage robbery
A third suspect was arrested Wednesday on grand larceny charges in the
theft of $70,000 from a Beau Rivage cashier's cage Aug. 31.
Two off-duty
firefighters arrested in casino fight
Two off-duty Clark County firefighters were arrested Friday morning
after beating a man at a casino, sending him to the hospital, police
said.
Stretching out the fun time -- 'Guaranteed Play' machines provide a set
number of hands for a set price
Sometimes, slot machine makers think they've come up with a better
mouse trap, and the mice don't bite.
As innings get
pitched and races run, book manager helps lay down the lines
LAS VEGAS - It took almost 18 years, but Carol Boyd turned a temporary,
part-time
job as a ticket writer into the leadership post of the Sam's Town race
and sports book.
Downtown on a roll: Revival in activity seen
LAS VEGAS - "The people who have been reinvesting in their properties
have been doing OK," said Terry Caudill, owner of the Four Queens. "The
people who have not have been struggling."
North,
South gaming win differs
Nevada's gaming win numbers for October show a stark difference in the
industry in Northern Nevada and Southern Nevada, experts said Tuesday.
Exec
labels proposal 'extortion'
Las Vegas Sands President Bill Weidner has joined the chorus of casino
executives with a proposal to bail the state out of its current
financial crisis without raising gaming taxes: transfer the money
generated through hotel room taxes into the general fund and reduce the
role of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Gaming executives gear up for tax fight
Three major captains of the Las Vegas gaming industry on Thursday
ripped into the Nevada teachers union proposal to raise the gaming win
tax by 3 percentage points, with one executive calling it extortion and
another saying that many teachers were incompetent and need to take
basic classes in finances.
Company launches
search for new CEO
Gaming equipment provider Shuffle Master has hired an executive
recruitment firm to look for a possible replacement for company
Chairman and CEO Mark Yoseloff.
Assault
case topples Greektown Casino chairman
DETROIT - The chairman of the Greektown Casino board of directors has
been forced to step down after being accused of assaulting a woman who
fought off his sexual advances.
Poker boom has folded – Sportingbet
According to the boss of ParadisePoker, who are operated by
Sportingbet, the internet poker boom has ended.
Casino owner sells treasures -- Local history among the coins,
collectibles
LAS VEGAS - The loot from Jackie Gaughan's vault is valuable in and of
itself because it's made from gold and silver. But the items from the
El Cortez owner's collection, which was recently purchased by a
California rare coin dealer, will have another element for buyers to
assess: A direct connection to Las Vegas history.
Strip
heavyweight sees tough '08, but he's alone
Casino executives on the Strip have spent the past year congratulating
themselves on a job well done, watching their businesses grow in spite
of an economic slowdown fueled by the housing slump, higher interest
rates and downbeat consumer spending forecasts.
Latest in Strip squabble, Wynn to Adelson: Take that
Conflicts between neighbors are not uncommon. Living in close quarters
often fuels disputes over the most mundane things - overgrown
shrubbery, ratty porch furniture, the broken-down Chevy in the
neighbor's driveway. The same holds true even when those neighbors
happen to be billionaires. The financial stakes just involve a lot more
zeros.
The Bear Growls: Are Las Vegas police
finally interested in the Harrah's crimes?
Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent
BJ21.com
contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go
wrong in the world of casinos.
Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's
website, TheBearGrowls.com
By LVBear
LVBear584@cox.net
With the new allegations about recent wrongdoing at
Flamingo, it is imperative that police take action to try to stop these
guest-safety
crimes from continuing. The arrest, prosecution, and prison
sentences after conviction of the responsible Harrah’s executives would
be a good start. Do we need another hotel fire to kill dozens of
tourists before meaningful action is taken?<>
Harrah's has repeatedly demonstrated its disregard for the
law and disregard for the safety of its guests and employees. The
ongoing
exposing of wrongdoing by more than one courageous whistleblower
highlights a corporate
mentality of thumbing the corporate nose at the safety regulations that
exist
to protect the very people whose wallets Harrah's tries so hard to
empty.
It is ironic that Harrah's doesn't seem to care about the safety of the
very
people it fleeces with its lousy games. Maybe that's what happens
when a
company gets so bloated that most government officials are too cowardly
to take
a stand against it. Let's hope there are a couple of honest
Metro detectives
who are not afraid, not corruptible, and will push for the proper
criminal
action to be taken.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good
news! Columbia Sussex forced by regulators to sell Tropicana Atlantic
City
By LVBear
From my point of view, Columbia Sussex is perhaps the worst operator in
existence, even including Harrah’s. At least Harrah’s has a fairly
generous comp system that can be profitably exploited; Columbia Sussex
has mostly garbage games as well as a garbage comp system.
From the Review-Journal article:
New Jersey gaming regulators on
Wednesday removed Columbia Sussex Corp. as the operator of the
Tropicana in Atlantic City, leaving in question the company’s standing
in Nevada, where it owns six hotel-casinos. The New Jersey Casino
Control Commission declined to renew the operating license for Fort
Mitchell, Ky.-based Columbia Sussex, saying the company failed to meet
the state’s strict licensing requirements. In a statement,
commissioners, who rejected a recommendation by the state’s Division of
Gaming Enforcement to give Columbia Sussex a one-year temporary
license, said the company showed, “a lack of business ability, a lack
of financial responsibility and lack of good character, honesty and
integrity.” The casino will
remain open under a trustee’s supervision. Columbia Sussex, however,
will have to seek a buyer, commission spokesman Dan Heneghan said.
In Las Vegas, Columbia Sussex
operates the Tropicana and The Westin. The company also owns the River
Palms and Tropicana Express in Laughlin and the MontBleu and Horizon in
Lake Tahoe. Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said
Wednesday that state regulators had been monitoring the events in New
Jersey. Gaming agents have stepped up a presence in Nevada casinos
operated by Columbia Sussex, but internal audits have not found any
“material violations” of Nevada gaming regulations, Neilander said.
“We’re going to take a look at what
New Jersey had done in more detail,” Neilander said. “There can be
ramifications for a company conducting gaming outside of Nevada that
has shown to have willfully violated gaming regulations.”
Though I doubt that the worthless Nevada Gaming Control Board will
actually do anything, at least it claims to be looking at the feeble
Nevada operations of this awful company.
Gaming agents have stepped up a
presence in Nevada casinos operated by Columbia Sussex … Because
the usual presence is ZERO, one
agent visiting one
property would make the statement accurate.
It is terrific to see a gaming board actually take action against an
inferior operator that is bringing discredit to an industry that so
often brings discredit and shame upon itself. Congratulations to the
New Jersey Casino Control Commission for standing up to a casino.
Do-nothing Nevada Chairman Dennis Neilander and the other casino
lackeys on the Nevada Gaming Control Board should take lessons from
their counterparts in New Jersey.
It would be nice to see Nevada take action to strip Columbia-Sussex of
its Nevada gaming license and run these sleazeballs out of the state,
forcing the sale of its six poorly-managed Nevada casinos. Unlikely to
happen, but let’s hope.
Weighing the Odds in Sports Betting
by King Yao
Sports betting can be attacked intelligently. Smart sports bettors do
not gamble the same way as tourists play roulette or retirees play the
slot machines. Instead, smart sports bettors are making bets that they
have thought through carefully with supporting logic and/or research.
The purpose of this book is to give you tools to succeed at sports
betting, to show you how to evaluate, compare and view sports betting
from an analytical perspective, not from a gambling perspective.
The price is $19.95 plus shipping (plus sales tax if sent to a Nevada
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You can subscribe via the
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MVP
subscribers have access to all five hosted football, basketball
and hockey pages, as well as the MVP General forum. If SSB offers a
hosted MLB page, there will be a separate charge. The MVP
price has been lowered from $2299 to $1999 in order to
provide a greater discount to those who are interested in the whole
package and/or have been long-time, valued MVP subscribers.
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Current Blackjack News
On the 1st and 2nd of every month, a couple dozen Pi Yee Press
reporters visit casinos around the United States to check on the
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This
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Wong on
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Beat the Players - Casinos, Cops and the
Game Inside the Game, by Bob Nersesian
This
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Chapters
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Judicial and Government Overlay; Finding a Nickel Brings Trouble; Names
and Aliases; The Security Office and Surveillance Functions, and
Casinos and Cops.
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Nevada Gaming Laws of Interest; Gaming Cases of Interest, and Nevada
Gaming Regulations with Commentary.
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