Gaming - VEGAS INC

Court deals Caesars setback in quest for $8.6 million tax refund

The Nevada Tax Commission has won a procedural battle with Caesars Entertainment related to the casino company's request for an $8.6 million tax refund.

7 July 2011

By Cy Ryan

Station Casinos sues Arizona lounge over use of 'Revolver'

A lawsuit filed Thursday claims an Arizona lounge is infringing on a Las Vegas casino’s "Revolver" and "Revolver Saloon and Dance Hall" trademarks.

7 July 2011

By Steve Green

The suite life: 10 of Las Vegas’ most extravagant hotel rooms

The Greek villa is one of three at Caesars Palace's Octavius Tower and is nearly 10,000 square feet. Shown here is the master bathroom.

In the years since the recession hit, Las Vegas has been known for its bargain room rates, but the city still remains home to some of the priciest, over-the-top hotel suites in the world.

7 July 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Wynn becomes first to take non-sport event bets

Odds-making guru Johnny Avello heads the race and sports book at the Wynn.

The Wynn Las Vegas casino has become the first Sin City casino to take event wagers on a non-sporting event with bets on the World Series of Poker main event. The wagers are the first to be approved by state regulators since new rules in January made them allowable.

6 July 2011

OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press

State eases licensing requirements for gaming companies eyeing Nevada

In June 2010, Penn National Gaming purchased a small stake in a slot company to try to speed the purchase of M Resort. Under a new state law, companies and individuals are no longer required to run a gaming company in Nevada or to have a purchase agreement to acquire a casino in the state to file for a license.

A Pennsylvania-based casino chain was looking for a way to crack the Las Vegas market, but that proved tricky. That’s because the process for obtaining a gaming license was long and tortuous. So Penn National Gaming bought 1 percent of a small manufacturer of slot machines.

6 July 2011

By Liz Benston

Pool party trend paying off big for Las Vegas resorts

Marquee Pool at Cosmopolitan Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

On any given summer Sunday, a line forms as early as 7 a.m. and stretches through the Hard Rock Hotel. Patrons are dressed in their Sunday bests—barely-there bikinis and sky-high heels or board shorts and white tanks—waiting to worship at the mecca of the daylife scene.

5 July 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Velotta: 'Survivor' contestant's casino game to benefit at-risk young adults

Rupert Boneham is playing "Survivor" again. But this time, the stakes are much higher and his success could greatly benefit Southern Nevada. "This is just the start,” he says in his gravelly baritone voice. Will the city’s casinos embrace Boneham’s dream?

5 July 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

NFL, NBA lockouts have gamblers, sports books on edge

Ted Sevransky had to hedge his bets. Even if those wagers haven’t been placed. Sevransky, a well-known Las Vegas handicapper who specializes in wagering on the NFL, made plays at offshore sports books on when the NFL’s 100-plus day lockout would end.

2 July 2011

By Ray Brewer

In search of blackjack nirvana in West Wendover

The "Welcome to West Wendover" sign, featuring Wendover Will, is shown in the northeast Nevada town, July 1, 2011. The neon landmark stands on Pueblo Boulevard, the main street leading into town.

To reach the optimal site for viewing the curvature of the Earth across the eastern portion of the Great Basin Desert, you head two miles west from the center of this small Nevada town until you come to a reservoir atop a small mountain.

2 July 2011

Jeff Haney

Poker Players Alliance gets behind Shelley Berkley

As chief Democratic sponsor of an online poker bill, Rep. Shelley Berkley is stumping hard for poker players. And it appears they, though more quietly, are pushing hard for her as she begins her run for U.S. Senate.

30 June 2011

By Karoun Demirjian

Internet poker bill likely to face many changes

Last week, Texas Rep. Joe Barton officially unveiled the Internet poker bill gamblers across the country have been waiting for, but it’s a safe bet that the document’s going to go through some serious changes before skeptics and even some supporters think Congress will be ready to back it.

30 June 2011

By Karoun Demirjian

Hilton chain seeks to end license agreement with Las Vegas Hilton

A view of the Las Vegas Hilton at night.

The Hilton hotel chain has put the Las Vegas Hilton on notice that it intends to terminate its license agreement with the casino Jan. 1, which would force the property to give up the name it has held since the 1970s.

29 June 2011

By Liz Benston

Cantor to run sports books at Venetian, Palazzo

Las Vegas Sands said Tuesday it has signed a long-term contract with Cantor Gaming to operate the race and sports books at the company’s Venetian and Palazzo casinos.

28 June 2011

By Liz Benston

Moody's says Caesars', MGM Resorts' finances vulnerable to continued economic weakness

Debt-laden Las Vegas Strip casino giants Caesars Entertainment Corp. and MGM Resorts International could be hurt more than competitors by continued weakness in the U.S. economy, Moody’s Investors Service reported today.

28 June 2011

By Steve Green

Caesars reaches beyond casino walls to bring in customers

The nation’s largest casino company has embarked on its most ambitious foray beyond the glittering world of gambling — by partnering with retail giants to get the attention of millions of shoppers for whom gambling, and even Las Vegas, might be an afterthought.