Casino News
By Tina Paterson | 23rd November 2011 | Casino News
Three poker players from Italy were recently arrested for marking up a deck of cards using invisible ink and then wearing pairs of infrared glasses to see the marked cards at a casino in Cannes. As well, a French player, and two casino employees (one being the dealer), were also arrested for being a part of this scam.
There was suspicion about the Italian players as early as August when they left a casino with over $60,000 in just one night. There was no way the officials at the casino could confirm their suspicions and instead set up an undercover sting operation to catch them if they tried again. And try they did at the Les Princes Casino where they tried to get away cleanly after pocketing over $40,000.
The cheaters are alleged to have connections with organized crime groups. The French gaming officials are currently investigating any possible leads that may show if these con men were running the same scam in other casinos throughout Europe.
For this type of casino scam to be affective, the employee charged with dealing the cards must also be in on the scheme as they have to make sure the marked cards are in the deck.
This scam is very well known throughout the United States but not so much in Europe. If caught in the United States for this kind of ruse, poker dealers and player not only face a long prison sentence, but they will be barred from entering any casinos throughout the country. The punishment in France for this type of scam is not yet known.
Unfortunately, this is not the first casino scandal to come out of Europe in the last year. In 2010, a German poker professional, Ali Tekintamgac, was disqualified from the final table at the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event after the authorities at the tournament accused Tekintamgac of working with others posing as reporters for the tournament to walk around the floor and send signals regarding his opponents’ hole cards.
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By Casinomom | 26th October 2011 | Casino News
India offers visitors a lot to see, including timeless traditions, beautiful scenery, and amazing culture. Now India provides the opportunity for visitors to try their hand gambling at some of the magnificent world-class casinos in the area. Here is a description of some of the top casinos!
The Holiday Inn Goa Resort is located along 25 acres of beautiful beach front property and offers 170 rooms. The casino is called the Hacienda De Oro, which means “House of Gold.” It has a fun, eclectic Mexican-inspired ambiance and provides 150 different slot machines as well as a number of table games, including roulette and blackjack.
The Goldfinger Casino is located by the Cidade de Goa, a beachside resort that was designed after Portuguese hill hamlets. This casino is open for play 24 hours a day and offers visitors a real high-class gaming facility with more than 35 different slot machines, blackjack and roulette tables, as well as horse racing gambling options.
Right by the Ramada Caravela Beach Resort are two great casinos for high rollers. There is the MS Caravela, which is a deluxe casino cruise ship. Docking right off the coast of Panjim, this is the first high-limit gaming casino in India. It accommodates approximately 300 people along the 215 foot long ship. The ship is open every day and has a number of table games and slot machines. The other casino is the Goa Nugget. Known for its style and luxury, there are a number of gaming rooms with poker, roulette and blackjack tables open.
One last hotel and adjacent casino is the Majorda Beach Resort. Located along the white sandy beaches of India, it offers opulence to all who stay. Treasures Casino is located within the resort and allows visitors to gamble with a bit of flair. It offers a number of table games including different poker games, blackjack and baccarat, and it houses around 15 slot machines.
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By Dror Pumper | 1st September 2011 | Casino News
In the last decade, numerous women have decided to step out from behind the shadows and show that they have the capability to play poker and win the game too! What has been commonly known as a “boys only” game and consistently dominated by men in the past is now making way for many new top players…who all happen to be female. However, despite the boost in success by the fairer sex, women are still coming up just a tad bit short to the final poker table.
Anyone who loves the game of poker and keeps track of it on an international level knows that the World Series of Poker is seen as the premier poker event. There are more than 50 tournaments held annually. Players from every corner of the globe come to the main tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada each year to win the coveted prize – a gold bracelet. An average of approximately 25 women can be seen at each World Series of Poker events.
Currently, it has been about 200 poker events since the last woman won the highly prized gold bracelet. While numerous women place in the money, they have just been unable to become the last person standing at the final poker tournament table when the game ends.
Vanessa Rousso and Annie Duke, two very high profile poker players within the World Series of Poker circle, are aiming to be the first female winner of the gold bracelet in the last three years. But it is not just these women who want it, but any woman coming into the World Series of Poker wants the bracelet to show they can “beat the boys at their own game,” so to speak. One female poker player had said that women want the gold bracelet because they want to show that women are just as good card players as men are.
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By Goodluck | 29th August 2011 | Casino News
When the United States Federal Government and the Department of Justice when on a rampage on April 15 and shut down the four main online poker websites, numerous professional online poker players lost their main source of income. More than 50,000 men and women were left without jobs or income to support themselves as well as their families. Many online poker players decided to pack up their entire lives and move up north to Canada where online poker playing is legal. Other online poker players made the switch to playing in poker tournaments at brick-and-mortar casino establishments. However, this has been quite a large adjustment for many poker players and many have not seen the kind of profits they did when they played online.
Online poker players became very familiar with styles of playing online and the different online poker rooms. Now many of them are traveling far distances to enter into poker tournaments. However, many are only playing a few hands and finding the atmosphere more depressing and less profitable due to the commute to the casino as well as room and board during the period of the tournament.
However, those looking to move to the United States’ neighbor to the north are finding a number of problems when trying to maintain their online poker presence. Many are actually getting stopped along the Canadian border because they have listed “online poker player” as their profession on their work visa. A number of countries are making it rather hard for these people to move to other countries due to the anti-online gambling laws the United States have in place. With the future of online gambling very unsure in the United States, many are filing for unemployment and/or looking for other things they are good at to obtain employment until the laws against online casinos possibly change.
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By Casinomom | 3rd July 2011 | Casino News
After six months of renovations, the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas is going to reopen. The operators of the casino are putting in the effort to ensure the casino has a valued edge over its competition. Renovations include a new sitting area, new slot machines, new carpeting, and new ceilings.
The total cost of renovation the Plaza Hotel and Casino is around $35 million and began in November of last year and will finally reopen to the public sometime in August. Tony Stano, the CEO and President of Play LV, the operators of the casino said that even though they are introducing more modern renovations to the hotel and casino, a lot of the classic charm that has existed since the Plaza opened its doors more than four decades ago will still be around, including the historic, original chandeliers.
Santos stated that the remodeling project comes at a positive turning point for the downtown area of Las Vegas. With new entertainment venues and businesses opening up, he believes that they are in a much better position to take complete advantage of the post-recession mindset that is much more value oriented. Santo is excited to start livening up downtown Las Vegas once more.
In just a few short weeks the Plaza Hotel and Casino will announce the various restaurants coming into the place, along with a nightclub and a show. The new Plaza will also have 800 jobs available, including management and entry-level positions. This is more than double the total amount of employees prior to renovations. Those employees who were let go prior to the remodeling job will have their job to return to when the doors reopen. To get employees, the Plaza is going to host a job fair for two weeks. Possible applicants are requested to go to the Plaza’s website and click on the “careers” tab to submit their application as well as schedule an interview.
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By Tina Paterson | 29th June 2011 | Casino News
A number of employees with Victory Casino Cruises walked along the gangway to a job working on the Victory 1 – billed as “America’s Largest Casino Cruise Ship.” If everything goes according to the initial plan and the Victory 1 passes the United States Coast Guard inspection, it should begin sailing by the end of June.
Originally slated to take off in November 2010, the date had been pushed back a few times. However, the operators have said that the delays were due to retaining the ship via bankruptcy proceedings. It was also due to needing to complete the multi-million dollar top-to-bottom renovation plan. This includes over 5,000 square feet of brand new carpeting, new fixtures, seating, signs, and brand new, high-tech state of the art gaming machines.
A lot of interest over the impending success of the Victory 1 has been sparked. First of all, the floating casino is said to provide 300 new jobs to people. As well, numerous gamblers are interested in a gambling cruise because they enjoy it much more than land-based casinos in the area.
Every passenger on board the Voyage one is going to have to pay a fee of $10 for admission which will allow them to enjoy the five hour cruise. Guests will receive complimentary drinks while they are gambling. There will also be a buffet available on board for an additional price. The ship itself will have four distinct levels. This will include a nightclub, known as “Club V,” and a sports lounge. The second and third decks of the boat will be used specifically for gaming. To make the boat more accessible, the operators of Victory 1 are planning to create a regional-based shuttle bus program in concert with local area hotel operators. This one program is said to bring a minimum of 160,000 passengers annually to the Victory 1.
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By Keila Brown | 27th June 2011 | Casino News
In June 2011, the plans for a new casino right next to Chicago, Illinois are set to start construction. The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines will feature a minimum of 1,050 slots and 48 various table games. The casino will offer the highest betting limits in Illinois.
Though construction is still currently underway, the officials are stating that the gambling hall, which will be 147,000 square feet, will sit along the leading edge of all Chicago-based casinos. The Marketing Vice President of the Rivers Casino believes it will blow away all the local competition.
What is the main draw of this new casino? That would be its prime location. The Rivers Casino sits along Des Plaines’ southeastern corner at the junction of Devon Avenue and River Road. This places it right across the street from popular Rosemont and the large number of hotels as well as a convention center. There is going to be at least 16,000 hotel rooms within a five mile radius of the casino. City officials hope that this will increase tourism to the area and give individuals something else to do while they are staying in town.
Casino officials at this time would not disclose any of the upper table limits as the details are currently still under review. They will however offer high rollers the ability to gamble in a small, yet secluded gaming room, which will also feature a lounge that is “invitation only.”
The casino will feature four restaurants, with the Chop House and Hugo’s Frog Bar the most expensive, and several lounges. This includes Cube, which offer players an outdoor patio featuring numerous levels.
What many will enjoy about the new casino is that it is laid out in a spacious manner. The slot machines are going to placed along wider aisles and there will be table games in the middle of the floor.
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By Keila Brown | 26th June 2011 | Casino News
The Casino Regulatory Authority in Singapore has put out notice that by the end of 2011, they will be inspecting both casinos in Singapore to ensure casino operators are complying with all regulation and rules. Richard Magnus, Chairman of the Casino Regulatory Authority stated that both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa were due for an inspection as they have had over a year to work out any prior operational kinks. The inspection is to include a detailed inspection on-site of all electronic gaming equipment used in the casino as well as a comprehensive check on all casino operations. The Casino Regulatory Authority wants to ensure that the casinos are running up to code and there is no shady under business dealings going on. This inspection, according to Magnus, is to determine if the casino operators are fully complying with the regulations, licensing requirements, approved gaming rules, and internal controls as stipulated in the Casino Control Act. If the casino is not complying with anything stipulated in the Casino Control Act, they will be heavily fined and will face shut down orders if items are not taken care of in a timely fashion.
Prior to this inspection, inspections conducted by the Casino Regulatory Act were done regularly and led to the casino operators being penalized or censured. In May of 2011, Resorts World Sentosa, for example, was given an S$530,000 fine for a number of penalties, including not maintaining the casino’s surveillance system and paying casino entry levies for all media representatives.
One of the main functions of the Casino Regulatory Authority is to keep crimes involving the casinos under control. The Singapore Minister of State of Homeland Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said, “In the first year of casino operations, there were fewer than 300 cases reported at the casinos, mainly theft-related and cheating cases involving isolated individuals.”
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By Dror Pumper | 22nd June 2011 | Casino News
$10 waste receptacles, $3 decks of used playing cards, and camel lamps marked at $150 – this and more is what visitors will find when they stop at the Sahara hotel-casino along the famed Las Vegas Strip. The hotel, closed only last month, has become a bargain-hunters dream, allowing anyone with the cash to purchase a piece of the Sahara’s iconic property. The Sahara closed after the owner of the casino, SBE Entertainment, realized it was not economically viable to allow the casino to remain open.
The 59-year old hotel reopened doors after closing them to the general public to enable visitors to buy anything that is not nailed down to the ground, including furniture, trinkets, stage lights, and commercial restaurant equipment. National Content Liquidators, a liquidation company, put price tags on all items belonging to this once iconic casino.
Opened in 1952, the Sahara is known for attracting big named celebrities to sit at the tables and gamble the night away. Judy Garland and Sonny and Cher are remembered for their amazing performances in the Sahara’s showroom. Today, the casino will remain open until all items are sold. Visitors are charged $10 admission fee during the initial days when they can buy electronics and mementos that could only be found in this casino.
Today, many visitors are coming in from near and far to try to purchase part of this Las Vegas casino symbol. Once everything is sold, the casino will close its doors. Right now, there are no official plans of what will be done with the casino after everything is sold. However, rather than storing the items with no future plans for use, this sale has been a great way for fans of the hotel to keep a bit of the Sahara casino with them always.
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By Keila Brown | 20th June 2011 | Casino News
The second largest gambling city in the United States, Atlantic City, New Jersey, is allowing for the establishment of smaller casinos in an effort to increase business. The casino business in the last few years has been declining due to the current economic climate as well as competition arising from neighboring states.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey State Casino Control Commission approved a new process allowing two new, much smaller casinos to get their license. One casino will have about 200 rooms and the other will eventually increase to 500 rooms in the next five years. Previous New Jersey casino laws required casinos to have a minimum of 500 rooms. This new plan was created as a cheaper way for new casino companies to enter into the current market and bring in not only much needed investment, but fresh ideas.
The chairwoman of the New Jersey State Casino Commission, Linda Kasserket said new guidelines permitting the establishment of smaller casinos are to promote the continual construction of new casinos housing top-quality restaurants and entertainment venues. According to Kasserket, there is an August 19 deadline for companies to submit an application for participation in what is being deemed as a “pilot program” for the construction of smaller casinos. However, the deadline may be extended if there are few applicants. The guidelines for application determine how the commission is going to select applicants. These guidelines include number of jobs created, the experience the company has building similar projects, neighborhood benefits, and how quickly construction would be started.
Current Atlantic City casinos are divided on this new development. Some say it is not fair to existing casinos that have invested millions of dollars to permit new casinos to enter into the market at a much cheaper rate. However, to compensate, new smaller casinos are going to be taxed at a much higher rate than existing casinos.
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