BJ21.com Newsletter
February 21, 2008 080221
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
Up
for rethinking: Ban on cell phones in sports books
Though many customers think the cell phone ban is an annoyance, some
casinos entrusted with enforcing it see it as a bigger problem and are
pressing for the change.
Three ex-Station employees claim payroll abuses while casino company
denies allegations
LAS VEGAS - Station Casinos, a company known for its high
employee-satisfaction ratings, is facing a potential class action
lawsuit over allegedly not paying its workers overtime and compensating
them for all hours worked. The case may also spur similar litigation
against other casino companies, observers said.
You can go home
again: Exec welcomes chance to come back to Station Casinos
LAS VEGAS - Station Casinos' new chief operating officer, Kevin Kelley,
never expected the call. He spent 10 years with Station Casinos,
helping the company grow from a single-property venture into a company
with nine hotel-casinos. But then the executive departed to cut his
operational teeth at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2003.
Tropicana
corrupted union vote, judge rules
ATLANTIC CITY - An election to unionize security workers at Tropicana
Casino and Resort is getting a second chance, after a judge found that
casino supervisors used "objectionable conduct" in their attempt to
sway voters.
Tropicana
seeks delay of $750K penalty
ATLANTIC CITY - The former owners of the Tropicana Casino and Resort
want the state to delay a $750,000 penalty that casino regulators
imposed on it until after the property is sold.
What to do with thousands of new AC casino workers?
ATLANTIC CITY - With $9 billion committed for two new Boardwalk
mega-casinos, and an even larger one in the marina district next to the
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, casino companies must also come up with
ways to handle the influx of new workers.
Park,
Horizon trial is under way -- Case over casino lease seeking to define
'first class' and 'competitive'
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Park Cattle Co. is seeking to dissolve a lease with
Horizon owner William Yung, charging he has put profits before a
promise to Park Cattle to maintain a first-class and competitive
casino. Yung heads Wimar Tahoe as well as its parent company, Columbia
Sussex.
Nevada's reputation
on the line -- Gaming regulators need to step up on Tropicana issue
LAS VEGAS - Nevada gaming regulators claim to have stepped up their
scrutiny of Columbia Sussex's Tropicana and the company's five other
Nevada casinos. In a Feb. 1 Review-Journal article, Gaming Control
Board Chairman Dennis Neilander refused to discuss specifics about the
investigations or indicate when they may wrap up. The board claims to
have begun looking into the company's suitability at least as early as
last summer.
Harrah's responds to slowdown with labor reductions -- Company makes
layoffs, cuts employee hours
Harrah's Entertainment has laid off workers and reduced hours at many
of its properties around the country, citing the slowing economy, the
company confirmed Friday.
Circus
Circus lays off 12
RENO - Circus Circus Reno Hotel-Casino has laid off 12 people and cut
hours of 34 full-time employees because of the seasonal slowdown of the
gaming market, resort officials said Friday.
Monorail
ride to ruin in Las Vegas
Wall Street is bracing itself for impact when monoline and monorail
collide.
Court tosses out two ballot initiative to raise casino taxes
A judge rejected two ballot initiatives to raise taxes on Nevada's
biggest casinos to about 20 percent and generate up to $2 billion a
year for teachers' pay, highway construction and other projects.
Regulators tackle server-based slot issues
"Please wait while we prepare to take more of your money."
Tribe Sues Paper Over
Casino Editorials
An American Indian tribe that is seeking to build a casino in upstate
New York is suing the New York Post for $60 million because of two
editorials the newspaper published that accused the tribe of being a
"criminal enterprise" with "an extended history of often-violent
criminality."
Crown buys into
Harrah's, Station
Crown Ltd. has increased its interest in the Las Vegas gaming market by
spending $414 million for minority stakes in Harrah's Entertainment and
Station Casinos, the Australian gaming company revealed Wednesday.
Offices of Pure
nightclub targeted by IRS agents
Agents with the Internal Revenue Service raided the offices of
nightclub operator Pure Management Group on Wednesday, but it was
unclear what specifically the agency was investigating. A source also
confirmed that agents visited Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace.
State imposes largest fine for underage casino patrons
For more than a year, the teenager lived the life of a high roller at
the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, buying tens of thousands of dollars
worth of gambling chips, and earning more than $1,000 worth of free
merchandise and services for the level of his Blackjack and poker play.
But what the casino didn't know -- and didn't ask about for more than a
year -- was that he was only 19, two years below the legal gambling age
in Atlantic City.
Gambling chair says state police should have warned board
HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania State Police should have told the Gaming
Control Board that troopers were investigating casino operator Louis
DeNaples before he received a license, the board chairman said today.
N.J.'s
racing industry on the brink of collapse -- Sens. Beck, Sarlo seek
meeting with N.J. Casino Assoc.
Local members of the harness racing industry had strong reactions to
the announcement that Freehold Raceway has reduced its purse structure
and that the Meadowlands is expected to follow suit with drastic purse
cuts if the Legislature does not quickly fulfill promises to provide a
purse supplement.
The Bear Growls
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
BJ21.com
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