Posts Tagged ‘casino’

Native American Tribe Demands Casino Rights or Plans on Growing Marijuana

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Image result for pot weedAcross the United States, the laws and regulations for casino gaming will vary. While some states offer casino gaming others do not. A casino cannot be built without going through the proper channels and in many states, this is not allowed period. In states with Indian Tribes, the tribes usually have the right to offer casino gaming as long as the rules of the state to tribe pact are followed. In the state of Florida, a Native American Tribe wants to build a casino and if they are not allowed, plan on using the land to grow marijuana.

The movement by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is considered a threat by the state as marijuana is illegal in Florida. The state is not one that is favorable of the plant which is used for medical and recreational purposes. The federal government may get involved as they do not want to see pot grown on tribal lands and if the tribe decides to make this move, they may be in for more trouble than bargained for.

The tribe already has casinos in Alabama and wants to be able to offer gaming in Florida alongside the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes. The Creek tribe would like to have a casino located in the Florida Panhandle area on land in Escambia in which they own.

It has been reported that the tribe has already begun construction. The Indian tribe is in talks to create a compact to allow the tribe to build a casino and offer gambling. However, the tribe does not have the status within the federal government to be able to enter a compact with the state.

The governor of Florida stated that it is premature for the state to engage in any negotiations of a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians until the tribe is able to obtain Indian lands determination from the Department of the Interior.

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Atlantic City Down to 8 Casinos

Wednesday, September 17th, 2014

file4741238088930The land based gaming environment in Atlantic City, New Jersey seems to be dwindling. The city now has only 8 casinos for land based casino game play after the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino closed just yesterday morning. The casino’s closure is the fourth of the year and is not the best outcome for the gambling city.

The casino, which is located along the boardwalk, was opened back in 1984 and had been in operation for decades. The casino had been on a slow downward spiral, which was really sad for many to watch. The casino which had once reveled with hundreds of players only had a handful on the premises when the doors would close.

The Trump Plaza was able to earn just over $36 million this year which is over 30% less than the same time frame last year. As a comparison, the casino earned in one year the same as some Atlantic City casinos earn in a two week time frame. With the closure of this casino and possibly the Taj Mahjal in coming weeks, the city would be down over 10,000 jobs and more, which is a big hit to the city.

The poker community was not necessarily affected by the closure of the Trump Plaza as they did not have a poker room, but the Taj Mahal does. The casino has 48 gaming tables which means it is the second largest in the city. If the casino closes in November, which it may very well do, then poker players in Atlantic City would only have five poker rooms to enjoy.

The state now offers online gaming to try and pick up the slack where land based options left off but operators must be connected to a physical casino in the state to be able to offer online gaming. With the losses, operators have even less partners than before to get in on the online poker action.

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Virginia Senator Files Casino Gaming Bill

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

Louise Lucas is a Senator in the state of Virginia who would like to see the state become involved in the gambling industry. Virginia is one of only ten states that do not have a casino within its borders. Lucas has now filed a casino gaming bill to be considered during the 2014 General Assembly.

The new bill is titled Senate Bill 19 and would allow the creation of a state Casino Gaming Commission and create guidelines for licensing in the state for casino game play. In the past, Lucas has created bills for casino creation and was unsupported. Now that Maryland has expanded their gaming options and players from Virginia will be taking money out of state, Lucas is hoping to gain more support.

The legislation states that ninety percent of the gaming tax revenues would go to help with the cost of toll roads in Virginia. In estimations, it was believed that $113 million could be brought in with almost 2,000 jobs created. However, Lucas is in for a fight. It seems as though most are not ready to enter the casino side of gambling, although the state already has charity gaming, lottery and pari-mutuels.

William Howell is the House Speaker for Virginia and he recently spoke with the Washington Post and commented that he believes the negative human impact outweighs the potential impact of the economy. Howell further stated that he does not believe the casinos are the right thing for the commonwealth.

Without the addition of casinos, Virginia would continue to be one of a select few that does not offer this type of recreational entertainment. And with states nearby that offer the option, Virginia is sure to miss out on revenues. It will be interesting to see if the Senator will be able to receive backing to bring this type of gambling to the state.

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New Partnership May Result in New Casino Resort with a Sports Flare

Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

In the United States, there has never been a major sports team to partner with a gaming casino. Most teams try to stay away from any type of wagering due to strict regulations within the sporting organization. However, this may soon change if the Florida Panthers owner follows through with a recent partnership.

The Panthers is owned by the Sunrise Sports & Entertainment company. Sunrise recently partnered with Boyd Gaming Corporation which is based in Las Vegas. The two would work together to create a hotel and casino in the state that would be located near the BB&T Center, which is the home of the NHL team.

The new proposal by the two companies was recently pitched at a Senate Gaming Committee hearing and they now await approval. The proposal would be for a casino resort that is unlike the traditional offering. This one would include a convention center as well as focus mainly on gaming instead of a split between gaming and retail.

Keith Smith is the CEO and President of Boyd Gaming and he recently commented on the new partnership by stating the new proposal would allow the two companies to take advantage  of the potential development opportunity in the location which is very attractive and holds great potential. Smith believes the area is the ideal location since it is already high in visitor traffic.

Boyd Gaming already has several properties across the United States. The company reaches to eight states and has several properties in these states. It will be interesting to see if the partnership is approved and how well the new casino resort area will be received if approved. Boyd seems to be very successful so the entire endeavor, if approved, should do quite well. If the two do end up creating a casino it would also be interesting to see how the NHL team might be integrated in the casino resort.

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One More Poker Room Added in Maryland

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

The state of Maryland has steadily moved along in the area of gambling after live dealer games were authorized last year. Players have had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of table games thanks to the amendment last year and now another new poker room is in the mix. The Rocky Gap Casino Resort has opened a new poker room that is now open for business.

Many other casinos in the state have opened poker rooms and have been busy launching table gaming options. The Rocky Gap poke room has three poker tables and has no limit hold’em and limit hold’em. This may not seem like a lot compared to New Jersey or Nevada, but the state of Maryland has went from zero table games to many options over a few months’ time frame. Residents are definitely happy to have the options and visitors now have added destinations to add to their list.

The Rocky Gap gaming facility also has over 550 slot machines and ten table games. The casino was just recently allowed to add a poker room after Stephen Martino, the Lottery and Gaming Control Agency Director signed for the operation license. The casino just opened in May of this year and already has a nice selection of gaming options to choose from.

A fifth casino is also in the works currently in the state of Maryland so eventually there will be even more gaming options. The new casino will be owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp and will be home to a WSOP branded poker room, most likely, but not yet confirmed. As of right now, the largest poker room in the state is at Maryland Live! But the new casino is sure to give them a run for their money!

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MGM Resorts and Massachusetts Voters Reach Casino Agreement

Thursday, July 18th, 2013

MGM Resorts and Springfield, Massachusetts city officials reached an agreement earlier this year to see three new casinos in certain cities in the state. Voters had to approve the agreement before it could become official and now the agreement has been approved.

With the new law, the state will now have the option to create three new casinos which will all be full scale. This will be the first time the state will offer gambling options as in the past they have only offered lottery or horse betting options. The vote had just over 24,000 votes cast and it was 58% of the vote that were in favor of the new gaming option.

After this vote, the city of Springfield will now have to wait and see if the state Gaming Control Board choses the city as one to build a new casino. The MGM Resorts group has promised that they will provide the city with over $25 million each year if a casino of their group is chosen. The group has also stated they will also provide 3,000 jobs that will be permanent and then 2,000 temporary options, which will be offered during construction.

As always, there are critics of this deal. There are those who are worried that a new casino in the area will affect low income individuals as well as the elderly. However, those who are in favor feel as though the casino will be a perfect addition to the city. The city has struggled for a few years after the horrible tornados that ran through in 2011.

It is interesting to see the new casinos popping up across the United States. Hopefully this is a beginning to an easy acceptance to the gambling industry and we continue to see gambling opportunities open up across the US.

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