Hundreds show up for casino’s grand opening

Hundreds of people flocked to Hollywood Casino Perryville on Thursday to celebrate the official opening of Maryland's first slot machine venue in more than 40 years, despite the worst rainstorm of 2010.

The $97.5 million facility opened Monday, 3 days ahead of the official grand opening and a month earlier than originally projected by Wyomissing, Pa.-based casino owner Penn National Gaming.

"This is a big day for Cecil County, Perryville, the state of Maryland and people who live in the area and enjoy casino gaming," general manager Himbert Sinopoli said.

He later told the audience that the casino has attracted 21,200 visitors in its first three days of operation.

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Casino sod-turning set

Officials will turn the sod on Manitoba’s third aboriginal-owned casino Thursday while announcing a partnership with an American Indian band.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, dignitaries with shovels full of dirt will mark the start of construction of the Spirit Sands Casino.

The gaming palace will be built on Highway 5, about 15 km south of Carberry and adjacent to Spruce Woods Provincial Park, on land owned by the Swan Lake First Nation.

Plans for the $40-million casino include 300 slot machines, 5 gaming tables, food and beverage services, and likely a hotel at some point in the future.

Rob Ballantyne, an economic development business analyst with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said Thursday will be an exciting day when years of planning will come to fruition

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Sparks fly as councilors question officials on casino deal

FALL RIVER — Kenneth Fiola, the city’s point person on developing 300 acres envisioned for a tribal casino resort and marketing an alternative biomanufacturing area, told the City Council the prospects of a $500 million investment with 4,500 good-paying jobs over 3 to 5 years made this a gamble the city couldn’t and shouldn’t pass up.

“In the short term,” the casino’s a game changer. ... Clearly no one project ever represented the possibility of 4,500 jobs for all segments of our labor force,” Fiola, who’s headed the Fall River Office of Economic Development for over 20 years, told the council Tuesday night.

For 2½ hours of intense questioning by several councilors, Fiola, Corporation Counsel Steven Torres and Redevelopment Authority Chairman William Kenney explained and defended decisions made since the spring that some saw as negating progress.

It was the most public dialogue with key officials of Mayor Will Flanagan’s key casino players since he announced the controversial sale of the 300-acre envisioned biotechnology park near Route 24.

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Aqueduct Casino Work to Begin Soon

"All along, I have said that securing this deal and moving ahead with the project at Aqueduct is critical for the future of New York," Gov. David Paterson said in a statement. "The state, in partnership with Genting, has the opportunity to create jobs for the community and to revitalize this area. After almost a decade of delay, this project is finally becoming a reality and all New Yorkers will benefit."

Genting New York officials, after turning over $380 million in licensing fee payments to the state, said they’re prepared to quickly start construction on the Aqueduct casino project.

"We are planning to make this a very impressive entertainment destination for all of New York," said Michael Speller, president of the company that is owned by a Malaysian-based casino corporation.

Speller said construction will begin "almost right away" after final environmental permits are issued for the project, which will feature 4,500 slot machines. He said 1,600 of those devices will be turned on by sometime next spring, with the rest up and running 6 months later. The full project development, which will include restaurants and entertainment space, will come within 18 months later.

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First slots parlor gets state license, will open earlier

Maryland's first slots casino is officially cleared to open its doors to the public Monday — 3 days ahead of schedule — after state officials issued the Hollywood Casino of Perryville an operating license.

Maryland Lottery Director Stephen Martino signed the license Sunday evening allowing Penn National Gaming, the owner of the casino, to begin operations after a successful trial run of the facility on Saturday.

"Everything is a go and we will open at 8 a.m.," said Marc DeLeo, director of marketing at the casino. "We’ll open our doors as the first casino in the state. We passed all the tests, and they gave us the go ahead."

Hollywood Casino was originally scheduled to open Thursday, and still has plans to hold grand opening events that day. Monday's "soft" opening is slated for 8 a.m.

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Casino shows and concerts

Bally's Atlantic City Park Place & The Boardwalk, Atlantic City; 609-340-2000. www.ballysac.com. Karaoke Night. 9/30.

Borgata Hotel & Casino 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City; 609-317-1000. www.theborgata.com. Elaine Paige. $55-$65. 9/25. 9 pm. The Bay-Atlantic Symphony: Classical Mystery Tour. $35-$65. 9/26. 3 pm.

Comedy Stop at the Trop Brighton & the Boardwalk, Atlantic City; 609-822-7353. www.comedystop.com. Kozak the Magician. $23. 9/24. Sid Davis. $25-$29. 9/24. Anton Shuford. $25-$29. 9/27.

Harrah's Atlantic City 777 Harrah's Blvd., Atlantic City; 800-342-7724. www.harrahsresort.com. Dennis DeYoung. $40-$50. 9/25. 9 pm.

Resorts Atlantic City 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City; 609-344-6000. www.resortsac.com/. La Rumba Latin Nights. 9/30. Boogie Nights. $10 Fri.; $20 Sat.. 9/24. Jeff Foxworthy. $99-$146. 9/25. 8 pm.

Sands Casino Resort 77 Sands Blvd., Bethlehem; 877-726-3777. www.pasands.com. Gene Belletiere Quintet. 9/28. DJ Hot Linh. 9/29. Amadaun. 9/24. Element K. 9/24. 9:30 pm. My Hero Zero. 9/25. 9:30 pm. Blues Brotherhood. 9/26. 8 pm. Play Action Fake. 9/27. 8 pm. Go Go Gadjet. 9/30.

Showboat Casino Hotel Boardwalk & Delaware Ave., Atlantic City; 609-343-4000. www.harrahs.com. Mardi Gras Parade. 9/25.

Trump Marina Huron Ave. & Brigantine Blvd., Atlantic City; 609-441-2000. www.trumpmarina.com. The Disco. 9/24.

Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino Boardwalk at Mississippi Ave., Atlantic City; 609-441-6000. www.trumpplaza.com. Show Time Karaoke With Michael James. 9/29.

Md. casino to open next week

After years of bitter debate and numerous setbacks, Maryland could actually have an operating slots casino this time next week.

Members of a state commission were greeted Wednesday by the sounds of whirring and dinging as they entered the nearly complete Hollywood Casino Perryville in the northeastern corner of Maryland, a 1,500-machine facility scheduled to make its public debut next Thursday.

Technicians scampered among the machines on the gaming floor. Minor construction remained to be done inside the cavernous, art deco structure, where oversize movie posters were suspended from the ceiling. And some major landscaping still must be completed.

But representatives from the casino, owned by Penn National Gaming, insisted they’re on schedule for a grand opening with dignitaries including Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who has championed the state's slots program and is up for reelection in less than 6 weeks.

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Sands is winning big at the gaming table

The steady flow of buses from New York and New Jersey was a clue; now comes the proof: Table games are a winner for Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

The south Bethlehem casino took in $4.3 million on 89 games that include poker, roulette, blackjack and craps. That figure was the 3rd highest in the state for August, behind the $6.3 million taken in by Parx Casino in Bensalem and the $5.9 million brought in at Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack in Chester.

The numbers, reflecting the first full month of table game revenues statewide, were released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Table games opened in Pennsylvania in July, but because the state's nine casinos opened on three different dates, and none was open the entire month, August was the first time revenues showed casino performance on a level playing field.

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Join the Mansion Casino 20k Online Slots Tournament

International online casino site MansionCasino.com are hosting what will be a hugely popular $20,000 online slots tournament where 200 lucky winners will be walking away with cash prizes, not to mention any money made while working their way to 1st place in the slot tournament.

The slots tournament will be hosted at Mansion Casino for 10 days starting at 00:01 on Friday 24th September until 23:59 Sunday 3rd October, you can opt-in for this tournament at their website any time but the earlier you do the more time you will have to collect points.

During this period, players will earn points for this competition as per their usual loyalty scheme (the more you deposit and play, the more points you earn). Once the competition finished, those who’ve earned the most points will be awarded the following:

Place	Prize, $
1	2500
2	2000
3	1500
4	1000
5	750
6 to 10	500
11 to 30	150
31 to 75	75
76 to 120	50
121 to 150	25
151 to 200	10

Both MansionCasino.com also sister site Casino.com will be host to this promotion and you can take advantage of Mansion.com’s 100% new player welcome bonus giving you a great head start to the competition.

New Casino, Sugar House, Soon To Open In Philadelphia

On Sept. 23rd, SugerHouse Casino will open to residents. Established in Philadelphia, this will be the 11th casino to open in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

SugarHouse, which had been subject of protest by the anti-casino groups within the region, is going to open despite the opposition. The casino will open with 45,000 square feet (Sq Ft) of gaming, including 40 gaming tables as well as over 1,500 slot games.

More than 750 people will be employed by the casino.

Next Thursday the casino will open at roughly 1 PM.

Blackjack, craps, roulette, mini-baccarat, Pai-Gow Poker, and 3 and 4 card poker will all be built into the new casino. SugarHouse will lack a dedicated poker room. A high stakes are will be closed off for high rollers.

The beautifully designed casino will be water front.

Compared to online casinos, SugarHouse will contain as many different slot games, though they will lack a few table games. Pennsylvania online casinos have proven to be a major hit, however.

Atlantic City will take this 11th Pennsylvanian casino as another source of competition.

Coast casino revenue on hot streak

BILOXI — For the first time in more than a year, Coast casino revenue topped $100 million in August — and for the first time since 1994, revenue was higher in South Mississippi than at the river casinos.

The 11 Coast casinos won $101.3 million in August, a 5.6 % increase over August 2009.

Winnings at the 19 river casinos totaled $100.7 million, a 7.9 % dip from August 2009.

Economists had feared the Gulf oil spill would send Coast casino revenue tumbling when tourists stayed away from the beaches.

“The good news is the casinos held their own through this,” said David Butler, director of the International Development doctoral program at University of Southern Mississippi. He said that showed a disconnect for consumers between the casinos and the sand and seafood.

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Louisiana casinos' winnings decline in August

Louisiana's state-licensed casinos, which have been fighting for fewer wagering dollars during the lengthy economic downturn, recorded a small dip in gambling revenue last month as compared with August 2009.

The 13 riverboats, Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s downtown New Orleans casino and the four race track casinos won $193.4 million last month - down 2.4 % from $199.8 million in August 2009, state police reported Thursday.

The tally was down 11.9 % from $219.4 million in July 2010. July is typically one of the busiest months for the casino business, including the height of the summer season and a major holiday weekend.

After months of lengthy downturns in year-to-year comparisons of winnings, business has apparently picked up a bit - and not only in Louisiana.

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Macau Casino Revenue May Rise 40% to $2 Billion This Month, Macquarie Says

Casino revenue in Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, may grow as much as 40 % this month to about $2 billion, according to Macquarie Securities Ltd.

Macau casino sales were HK$6 billion ($773 million) in the first 12 days of September, said Gary Pinge, Macquarie’s regional head for consumer and gaming research, in a note to clients today, citing unidentified people in the gambling industry. “If the market holds up for the remainder of September, it would represent 35 % to 40 % growth year on year,” he said.

Growth for the six casino operators in the former Portuguese colony is slowing because sales in the second half of last year were higher than in the first six months as the economy rebounded. Las Vegas Sands Corp., which derived 73 % of 2009 revenue from Macau, in June forecast growth of more than 30 % for the second half, slower than the 67 % expansion in the first six months.

Casinos in Macau, the only place in China where they’re legal, may almost match August’s performance this month, Pinge said. “Macau’s gaming market is showing little sign of sequential slowdown,” he said. “Even August showed strong month-on-month growth in VIP gaming volumes.”

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Churchill Downs To Acquire Mississippi Casino For $138M

Churchill Downs Inc. (CHDN) has agreed to acquire Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel in Mississippi for about $138 million as the horse-racing company continues to expand its business into casinos.

Harlow's, which started operations in 2007, is owned by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Inc. and Oak Hill Advisors LP, as well as private investor Jess M. Ravich.

At that time, the project's price tag was put at $70 million. The 1930s-themed facility has a 33,000-square-foot casino, a 105-room hotel and an arena with 2,600 seats. Located near the Mississippi River, Harlow's had $50.4 million in revenue for the year ended July 31.

"The key determinants of our decision to acquire Harlow's were further strategic business and geographic diversification," said Churchill's President and Chief Executive Robert L. Evans. "With the acquisition of Harlow's, we continue our diversification strategy across our racing, gaming and online business units." The company also bought online horse-race handicapping and betting site Youbet.com Inc. for $126.8 million in November.

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Virgin Casino Launches a New Online Slot for Hip Hop Fans

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Sept. 9, 2010) - Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company – Virgin Games, has today announced the launch of Loaded, a brand new slot from leading online game developer, Microgaming. The game is full of features carried by an amusing contemporary theme in tune with the hip hop phenomenon and the lively, fun culture that goes with it.

Loaded is a 5 reel, 25 payline, multiple coin game with some brand new features. For instance, the Free Spin feature has a choice element through which players can select the number of free spins they want from the options of 12, 16 or 24, each with its own multiplier. The game has wild, scatter, free spin and gamble opportunities that can take players to a jackpot of 35,000.00 which can be boosted by the feature rewards to as high as 140,000.00, with plenty of fun and excitement on the way.

The hip hop theme is captured in amusing graphics with flashy boats, bling bling galore, limos, foxy ladies and cool dudes. Players should look out for the top rapper, Triple 7, who triggers the Wild symbol that can triple wins, or his Bling Bling Ring which is the scatter symbol - when it does not trigger the free spin feature it will award a scatter pay.

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Play The Big Catch Only At Party Casino: Over $100K Being Given Away

Online casino giants PartyCasino.com have launched a fantastic new promotion called The Big Catch, which gives its players two great ways to reel in the bucks.

How it works
Launched yesterday, only at Partycasino.com, The Big Catch is a leaderboard-based promotion which offers over $100,000 (£65k) in cash prizes, including the unique “pick-your-prize” game where fortune really does favour the brave.

Running from 7th - 21st September, collect points by playing on such PartyCasino.com jackpot slots as Snow Business. The more you play, the more you earn, the higher up the leaderboard you must progress, with the top 30 players winning a cash prize and the next 470 winning cash bonuses. End up on top of the pile and win $10,000 cash (£6,500).

Top 5
1st $10,000

2nd $7,500

3rd $6,000

4th $5,000

5th $4,000

(31st to 500th earns a cash bonus from $10 to $500)

Bravery rewarded in Pick-Your-Prize
For every designated points level you reach, you get to decide whether you want to take a cash bonus or carry on to the next level, in the hope of landing a bigger cash bonus. If you decide to go for the next level then you are instantly rewarded with extra promotion points to help in your goal, but if you fail to achieve the next points level total, you cannot go back to the original cash bonus offered. Courage and conviction is key. As always terms and conditions apply. Please see site for promotion details.

Free Slots And Big Casino Bonuses From Online Vegas Casino

Online Vegas Casino have a jam-packed month of Slots action this September! As usual the tournament schedule is full of great ways to play, with over 113 different events and over $425,000 guaranteed in prize pools. There is a range of events to suit all tastes and pocket sizes, and Slots, Video Poker and Blackjack players can make the most of all this Vegas Technology powered online casino has to offer. With massive Casino Bonus deals and free slots waiting for all new players and an online gaming arena full of fabulous Las Vegas fun, Online Vegas Casino are just waiting to show you how good your game should always be!

Online Vegas Casino have a $8,888 guaranteed Slot tournament running every day from Monday to Friday. These events have a split prize pool, $4,444 in cash and $4,444 in bonus bucks and they have a surprisingly reasonable entry fee. For just $6.99 you get to enter and start the games off with 250 casino credits to spin those reels, then re-buys to keep you playing for a share of the prize pool are $6.99 too. The first event each week start on a Monday at 10.30pm and runs for 24 hours, the last one ending on a Friday at 10.30pm. The Slot games under the tournament spotlight this week are Ja Man, City Of Gold, Funky Chicken and Cash Caboose. It’s non-stop fast and furious Slots action every day this week, with a $8,888 guaranteed prize pool up for grabs for all players looking to spin those reels and have some fun. Just push the Calida Gaming button to see more of Online Vegas Casino’s $8,888 Guaranteed Tournaments.

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King Solomons iPod offer

Check out the exciting new promotion at King Solomons Casino this September. The popular online casino has dominated the online gaming space for over 12 years and has an exciting offer for their new players.

New players who register at King Solomons Casino in September will win a host of goodies that include a superb cash match bonus of 100%, an additional ten credits free and the chance to win an iPod Shuffle. All through the month, the online casino will give away a total of 50 iPods and you could be one of the lucky winners.

Register a Real Money account at the online casino and make a minimum deposit of £30 up to a maximum of £100 to get your 100% cash match bonus. 24 hours later, your account will be credited with an extra freebie of 10 credits. So if you make a deposit of 100 credits you will receive an extra 110 free! The top 50 players at King Solomons Casino who’ve wagered the most in September will receive an iPod Shuffle each.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings Slot Free Spins Offer

2010’s biggest casino slot hit launched with free spins offer

To mark the biggest casino launch of 2010, Ladbrokescasino.com is offering players the chance to collect 1000 free spins on this epic online slot game.

For a limited period only, players can pick up five free spins to experience The Lord of the Rings TM online casino slot. 

And if that wasn’t enough, for just 10 days, players will also have the unmissable opportunity to collect a further 995 free spins – a staggering 1000 free spins in total.

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