Gaming

For Vegas casinos, early rounds of March Madness are 'like the Super Bowl times four'

Bettors take in the first weekend of NCAA Tournament action in March 2010 at the M sports book. Northern Iowa was the most notable underdog to shake up the tournament picture heading in to the Sweet 16.

The brackets are out, and some betting is already a day old. In Las Vegas, March Madness is about more than basketball.

12 March 2012
By Ron Sylvester

With gaming win hitting $1 billion in January, have Las Vegas' high-rolling days returned?

Tala Marie deals a game called Cincinnati 7 Card Stud at a Shuffle Master booth during the first day of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) convention at the Sands Expo Center Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011.

Nevada’s gaming win in January was up 18.4 percent over the same month a year ago. So is it time to celebrate the end of the dark days in Las Vegas?

11 March 2012
By Richard N. Velotta

Tropicana Entertainment loses $13.6 million in fourth quarter

The Tropicana Laughlin.

Tropicana Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas posted a smaller loss in the fourth quarter than the same period a year earlier, the company disclosed in its annual report this week.

9 March 2012
By Steve Green

Casinos track, interact with guests via smartphone apps

Casinos track, interact with guests via smartphone apps

Smartphone applications powered by a local manufacturer are changing the way people interact with casinos, restaurants, shows and other attractions along the Las Vegas Strip. MGM Resorts International says there have been about 800,000 downloads of more than a dozen iPhone and Android apps that people can use to explore Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, Monte Carlo, the Bellagio and other megaresorts.

9 March 2012
By Ron Sylvester

Tropicana Las Vegas clubs under new ownership yet again

A look at Nikki Beach at Tropicana Las Vegas during its opening day of May 27, 2011. The dayclub, which was SPF Beach Club for a time, will be rebranded as "Bagatelle Beach" and reopen in May.

The nightclub and dayclub at the Tropicana in Las Vegas have been sold and will be rebranded for the third time in a year. The buyer is the New York-based ONE Group, which has clubs and restaurants around the country including STK restaurant at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

8 March 2012
By Steve Green

Wynn board member Okada mostly fails in initial document bid

Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, right, talks with Kazuo Okada during a Gaming Commission hearing Thursday, June 17, 2004, in Carson City, where Okada received approval for a license for his Japanese Aruze Corporation to manufacture and sell slot machines in Nevada.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. board member Kazuo Okada will have to try harder to gain detailed financial information from the casino-resort giant after a court ruling Thursday.

8 March 2012
By Steve Green

Las Vegas visitor traffic sees uptick in January

A view of the Las Vegas Strip, which has suffered during the economic downturn.

Visitor volume showed a small uptick in January, despite a calendar quirk that made for a tough comparison against 2011 totals, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said. The LVCVA reported 3.15 million visitors to Southern Nevada in January, 0.9 percent ahead of 3.13 million in 2011. But 2011’s calendar had the benefit of five full weekend dates while January 2012 had only four Saturdays.

8 March 2012
By Richard N. Velotta

Baccarat contributes to 29 percent increase in Strip gaming revenue

CARSON CITY - Heavy action on the baccarat tables and betting on football helped Strip casinos post a gross win of $623.5 million in January, an increase of 29.1 percent.

8 March 2012
By Cy Ryan

Regulators question Jimmy Buffett about drug scrapes, endorse licensing request

Singer Jimmy Buffett, laughs as Michael Utley (not pictured), keyboardist for the Coral Reefer Band, answers questions during a Gaming Control Board hearing at the Sawyer State Building Wednesday, March 7, 2012. With Buffett are attorney Jeffrey Smith and John Cohlan of Margaritaville Holdings.

The state Gaming Control Board has unanimously recommended approval of the licensing of entertainer Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville Gaming casino enterprise in Las Vegas. If approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which will consider the request on March 22, Buffett will enter a revenue-sharing agreement with Caesars Entertainment in the separate Margaritaville Casino within the Flamingo.

7 March 2012
By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas firm buying online poker operator

Las Vegas-based casino supplier Shuffle Master Inc. said Monday it’s buying online poker engine operator Ongame Network Ltd. from bwin.party Services (Austria) GmbH for about $25.7 million.

5 March 2012
By Steve Green

Shane the Money Man treats every casino player like a winner at Boulder Station

Shane Stephens, a casino host at Boulder Station, riles up the crowd before announcing the winning numbers in a drawing at the casino in Las Vegas on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Whether it's handing over a car or calling out numbers for cash, Shane the Money Man draws a crowd. But it's not just the money that attracts people — it's Shane Stephens' gregarious personality and the excitement he generates, whether he's whooping it up in a bingo parlor or poker room or giving out freebies. Shane is a casino host, and whether you're a big winner or a big loser, everyone is equal to him. From high roller to the guy who works for Station sweeping up cigarette butts off the floor, everyone gets greeted by their first name with ...

4 March 2012
By Ron Sylvester

Resort Association fighting initiative to raise gaming taxes

A video slot machine based on the "Princess Bride" movie is displayed in the WMS gaming booth during the first day of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) convention at the Sands Expo Center Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011.

The Nevada Resort Association, a group of major casino owners, says an initiative petition to raise gaming taxes is confusing and fails to tell the voter the full story.

2 March 2012
By Cy Ryan

Old school odds: Riviera offering taste of vintage Vegas gaming

The Riviera

The Riviera is offering a taste of the 1980s and ‘90s at some of its gaming tables. That’s how long it’s been since people say they saw the kind of gaming attractions being advertised this week at the Strip casino. Among them is 3:2 single-deck blackjack, which was last in style in Las Vegas when Duran Duran was still considered trendy. The Riviera also has rolled out a retro version of roulette with one zero on the wheel instead of two, which slightly increases players’ odds, and is offering craps players a chance to back bets on the pass line ...

2 March 2012
By Ron Sylvester

Wyoming woman wins $112K with royal flush at Four Queens

A Wyoming woman who was simply hoping for a flush caught a royal deal worth six figures this week at Four Queens. The winner, who identified herself only by her first name, Neva, received a royal flush in hearts to win $112,505 at Mississippi Stud poker.

1 March 2012
By Ron Sylvester

Epic, Heartland poker league companies in bankruptcy

The Epic Poker League at the Palms.

The company that owns the Epic Poker League, an alternative to the World Series of Poker, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganization on Tuesday in Maryland.

29 February 2012
By Steve Green
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