Gaming

Liquor license rejections force Planet Hollywood clubs to close

The Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood.

The Clark County Department of Business License has denied the liquor license applications for the Prive and Living Room clubs at Planet Hollywood, forcing the clubs to cease operations when their temporary licenses expire next week.

Businessman to settle $250,000 Vegas gambling debt

A California businessman has agreed to settle his gambling debts in Las Vegas. Kirk Vartanian, 40, appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court this morning on two charges of theft and two charges of passing bad checks. Prosecutors allege that in 2007, he passed 16 bad checks for gaming markers at two Las Vegas casinos totaling $250,000.

Longtime dealer sues Caesars over second-hand smoke

A proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in Las Vegas Wednesday against Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and Caesars Palace, alleging Caesars isn't doing enough to protect casino workers from second-hand tobacco smoke.

IGT reports decline in third quarter profit

International Game Technology reported a 38.7 percent drop in net income for the third quarter of 2009, the Reno-based slot maker said today.

Two 'sponsors' show interest in Fontainebleau investment

At least two parties have a serious interest in investing in the bankrupt, 70-percent complete Fontainebleau casino resort in Las Vegas, Fontainebleau has disclosed.

Fontainebleau subcontractors fall short in bid to move case

Subcontractors for the bankrupt Fontainebleau development in Las Vegas have lost Round One in their bid to move the case from Miami to Las Vegas, but will have another chance to press their arguments next month. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge A. Jay Cristol in Miami on Wednesday rejected the subcontractors' argument that the case can be more efficiently handled in Las Vegas because most of the affected parties are based in Southern Nevada.

Golden Nugget reports drop in 2Q profits

Gaming revenue dropped 15 percent in the second quarter at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas and Laughlin, parent company Landry’s Restaurants reported today.

Planet Hollywood hiring 800 workers for new towers

Planet Hollywood will start its recruiting process for 800 employees with a two-day job fair next week, the company announced today. The employees will staff its PH Towers, scheduled to open later this year.

Tropicana in two courts to keep 'Tropicana' name free

The new owners of the Tropicana hotel-casino in Las Vegas moved Monday in two courts to assert their rights to use the "Tropicana" name without paying millions of dollars in licensing fees. In a lawsuit in Clark County District Court, and a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, Tropicana Las Vegas said it was outrageous that it would have to pay a fee to use its own name. The case has far-reaching implications, Tropicana Las Vegas lawyers said.

Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands explore Hong Kong stock offering

Wynn Resorts Ltd. today confirmed it joined Las Vegas Sands Corp. in exploring a potential public stock offering in Hong Kong -- apparently to be backed by some of its assets in the Chinese gambling district of Macau.

For CityCenter’s nongaming Mandarin Oriental, service is ‘be-all, end-all’


The Mandarin Oriental has begun hiring in preparation for a planned opening in December. The top manager will personally interview everyone on staff.

Employees at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, which opens Dec. 4 at CityCenter, are not allowed to point. They must escort guests to their destination rather than simply signaling or telling them how to get there. This small detail is one of many that Mandarin Oriental executives hope will set a new standard for service in Las Vegas. Customers who walk into the receiving lobby off the Strip will be escorted to the main lobby on the 23rd floor, where they will be greeted by name.

M Resort’s trial by fire


Despite a weak local economy, the M Resort, pictured last week, opened in March to big fanfare and big crowds, some attracted by generous casino promotions. Since then, the property at St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard has tinkered with offers and games, scaling back on some of its higher-paying machines.

Many Las Vegas casinos have lengthy customer lists built up over years in the business, as well as a fine-tuned sense, after years of trial and error, of what customers want. Not the M Resort, which opened March 1, in the worst economy in the modern casino era. In its first few months of operation, the M, at the southeast corner of St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard, saw revenue soar as thousands of customers took in the property, hailing its modern yet comfortable design and reasonably priced gourmet restaurants.

Fontainebleau moves to cancel conventions, worker contracts

Fontainebleau Las Vegas is canceling numerous meetings and conventions scheduled there for the first half of 2010. The company also sought permission from the court to cancel employment contracts with several employees who left the company after last month's bankruptcy filing.

High-roller fights law regarding collection of gambling debts


Terrance K. Watanabe, 52, left, with his sister, Pam Watanabe-Gerdes, and lawyer, David Chesnoff, leaves the Regional Justice Center on May 20.

In the quarter-century since the Legislature passed a law allowing authorities to prosecute unpaid gambling markers as bad checks, no one charged with failing to pay back a casino has been able to persuade a court to overturn the oft-criticized law.

Fontainebleau contractor says its liens take priority over lenders

A new issue emerged in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas bankruptcy case Tuesday when the resort's general contractor asserted it and the resort's subcontractors hold liens superior to those of the Fontainebleau lenders.