Gaming - VEGAS INC

Fontainebleau contractors say sales process is flawed

Contractors that claim to be owed $424 million today objected to the Fontainebleau Las Vegas sales process in which Penn National Gaming could pick up the unfinished project for less than $102 million.

20 November 2009

By Steve Green

Two more CityCenter structures earn high green ratings

A view of Veer Towers, left, and the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas are shown during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. The photo is taken looking east from the Aria toward Las Vegas Boulevard.

Mandarin Oriental and Veers have both reached the high environmental standard, bringing the total of LEED Gold certified facilities to six. Others include Crystals retail district, Vdara, ARIA’s hotel tower and separately, its convention center and theater.

20 November 2009

By Amanda Finnegan

Vegas company to pay $1 million to settle Arizona case

Global Cash Access Holdings Inc. of Las Vegas on Thursday disclosed details about its agreement with Arizona gaming regulators, saying it will pay $1 million to settle an investigation involving actions years ago involving the company's founders.

20 November 2009

By Steve Green

SEC sues former gaming exec for alleged insider trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday sued former gaming executive R. Brooke Dunn, charging he and a friend were involved in illegal insider trading of the securities of Shuffle Master Inc. of Las Vegas.

20 November 2009

By Steve Green

Station Casinos, lenders agree to rent decrease at 4 properties

Station Casinos Inc. and key lenders have reached an agreement to temporarily slash the rent that Station pays to lease from itself four of its most valuable hotel-casinos.

20 November 2009

By Steve Green

Gaming regulators, manufacturers disagree on computer-code writers

State gaming regulators and slot machines manufacturers are at odds over how Nevada should monitor independent contractors hired to write computer codes for new or updated machines.

20 November 2009

By Richard N. Velotta

LV companies in denial about problem gambling

If a co-worker has a few too many drinks during an after-work get-together, it’s common for a colleague to take his car keys away. Maybe the colleague or a supervisor would keep an eye on him for other telltale signs of alcohol abuse.

20 November 2009

By Richard N. Velotta

Golden Nugget opens new tower downtown

A rendering of one of the new rooms in the Golden Nugget's Rush Tower.

The Golden Nugget will welcome the first guests to its new 500-room Rush Tower today, marking the completion of the hotel-casino’s $150 million expansion. The new guest rooms are 20 percent larger than the Golden Nugget’s North and South Tower rooms.

20 November 2009

By Amanda Finnegan

Organizers declare Global Gaming Expo a success

The American Gaming Association reported drop in attendees at this year's Global Gaming Expo yet several exhibitors called it a successful year. G2E 2009 featured more than 560 exhibitors in 258,000-plus square feet of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Exhibitors and organizers feared the worst going into the 2009 Global Gaming Expo, but they changed their tone Thursday as the convention came to a close, calling it an overall success. The American Gaming Association reported a 7 percent increase in conference attendees for the first two days of the show compared to 2008, an increase that no one was expecting.

20 November 2009

By Amanda Finnegan

Regulators holding off to let court rule in Watanabe case

Back in May, a high roller went public with his allegations that Harrah’s Entertainment not only kept him drunk but provided him drugs to induce his massive gambling losses.

20 November 2009

By Jeff German

Hotels rein in risque advertising campaigns

Before the recession, ads for Las Vegas resorts appealed to a desire for frivolity and conspicuous consumption with taglines such as, “Some fantasies just don’t work anywhere else,” “Everything in moderation? Yeah, right,” and “Parents gone wild.”

20 November 2009

By Liz Benston

Officially, they want to be regulated, but ...

The state of the online poker business in America is ... still muddled.

20 November 2009

By Jeff Haney

Culinary Union statement critical of Station Casinos

The Culinary Union issued a statement Thursday critical of Station Casinos Inc. and called on creditors in its bankruptcy case to demand that Station insiders make a significant equity investment in the company.

19 November 2009

By Steve Green

Creditors want to expand probe of Station Casinos deal

One day before a key hearing in Station Casinos Inc.'s bankruptcy case, a creditors committee has signaled its intention to widen an investigation into the 2007 deal in which the Las Vegas company was taken private for $5.7 billion.

19 November 2009

By Steve Green

Boyd chief: Recession forcing Vegas back to roots

Gaming executives discuss the state of the industry Wednesday at the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. From left to right: American Gaming Association President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., Boyd Gaming President and CEO Keith Smith, Aristocrat Technologies Americas Division President Nick Khin, Isle of Capri Casinos President and Chief Operating Officer Virginia McDowell, Boldt S.A. Director Guillermo Gabella and his interpreter.

The recession is forcing Las Vegas to return to its roots as a more value-oriented destination, and that’s not a bad thing, Boyd Gaming President and Chief Executive Keith Smith said. “The town has now evolved back to its original roots,” Smith said Wednesday at the Global Gaming Expo. “I think the industry will continue to evolve and refine itself and eventually find a norm between value and high-end.”