Gaming

Sports betting made easier, at bars and beyond

While other states fend off sports betting, Nevada is making it easier for residents to exercise their exclusive rights to bet on sports.

They invented basic strategy

The four newest members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame never counted cards. They never gambled for high stakes or won much money in casinos. In fact, after making their indelible mark on the game, they stopped following developments in blackjack in the early 1960s, around the time Ed Thorp published his influential book, “Beat the Dealer.”

Harrah’s: Slump hasn’t hit us

Consumers nationwide may be tightening their purse strings but they're still opening their wallets at Harrah's properties, the company's top executive said recently.

Highlights of October revenue report on Nevada casinos

-LAS VEGAS STRIP: $637.8 million, up 19.8 percent.

Stretching out the fun time

Consider this year's introduction of a machine feature called "Guaranteed Play."

THIEVES INSIDE THE MACHINE

High-tech thieves have discovered a new way to rip off slot machines - stealing more than $1 million from the Orleans before management shut down their computer-assisted heist.

Slots for a new generation

Years from now, slot machine players may wander into a casino and wonder if they've landed in a game arcade.

States look to casinos for cash fix

The teachers’ effort in Nevada to raise the top gaming tax from 6.75 percent to 9.75 percent is just one example of how the citizenry views casinos as a cash cow — and almost makes the Nevada tax hit look like chump change.

THE DICE DEALER

As a child in Las Vegas, Don Anderson thought dealers were rock stars, the height of class and cool. Once, in a grocery store, a dealer who recognized his mother picked up the tab with a quick nod to the cashier.

THE CARD DEALER

Ernie Acevedo had not yet turned 21 when he first walked into Caesars Palace - a wide-eyed UNLV student who wanted to witness the casino's opening day in 1966.

Jeff Simpson sees hope in a broad-based business tax pushed by the head of MGM Mirage

Lanni's speech to the NDA blasted gaming tax initiatives and government by initiative, but his most interesting remarks concerned his call for a business tax that would bring fiscal stability to the state while providing the resources to improve critical needs, especially education.

In a bold move, teachers reach for gaming's pockets

So now the moment of reckoning has arrived. For years, the political warning signs have been building for Las Vegas Strip casinos: a smaller slice of the population working on casino floors; a fast-growing city lagging in education, health care and transportation systems; and a steady stream of news about record casino profits, stock prices and executive pay.In time, someone was going to take on the Strip, and the Nevada State Education Association, 28,000 strong, is steeling itself for the fight in 2008.

Jon Ralston predicts a union's bid to raise taxes will teach big gamers a lesson

As the boys with Las Vegas Boulevard South addresses suddenly find a wolf at their door, their cries are about to fall on the deaf ears of a hungry populace that has heard one too many tales of woe. If you want to know why the gaming industry should be so worried about the teachers union proposing a tax increase on the most profitable casinos, turn the clock back 30 years and listen to the boys crying wolf.

LOOKING IN ON: GAMING

LOOKING IN ON: GAMING

Catching up to Las Vegas

When the Macau government opened its gambling market to foreign investment a few years ago, it sought companies that could help transform the Chinese seaport from a seedy outpost into a top luxury resort destination where gambling is but one of many popular attractions.