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1) As report previously in this Ezine, the spread of server-based slots is on.
IGT Wins State Approval for Server-Based Slots
The flashing "Hexbreaker 2" slot machine in the middle of the room went dark for four minutes, and when its lights came back on, the game-play area and glass screen at the top enticed gamblers to play "King Cheetah."
And voilà, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved the next generation of server-based slot machines for Reno's International Game Technology on Thursday.
IGT completed testing 20 of the machines at Treasure Island hotel-casino in Las Vegas, proving to regulators that it can effectively manipulate slot machines remotely from a computer, rather than replace the glass displays and game software or even move the heavy machines in and out of casinos when new games are developed.
"We have not had any negative input from Treasure Island or any of the test sites outside of Nevada," IGT's Compliance Director Connie Stafford told the commissioners.
The company already had been approved for a computer system that could change the denomination of games and payback percentage remotely, and the new system improves on that by changing game themes. Currently, casino managers can only alter a machine's payback by opening the machine and changing its settings.
The four-minute lag between games is a crucial rule special to Nevada, Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre said.
"There is a perception issue on the part of the players that it could be changed on you without notice, that your odds could be changed," Sayre said of the reason the downtime is required. "Nevada's position is, "We think this is good technology, but we felt it was appropriate a comfort level is given to players."
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2) The controversy about the Canadian Lottery continues, this time focusing on
Atlantic Canada Lottery
Lottery players are twice as likely to die in a car crash on the way to the store to get their tickets than to win the big jackpot, says the Toronto statistician who has crunched the numbers of the Ontario lottery. Jeffrey Rosenthal said the odds in Atlantic Canada seem to be stacked even higher against ticket holders, in light of news that retailers have won 10 times more than statistically probable over a six-year period.
Mr. Rosenthal was part of the CBC fifth estate's look at the Ontario lottery. He determined retailers in that province should have won about 57 times in the period examined by the CBC, rather than the nearly 200 who actually did. He said the odds of Ontario retailers winning the lottery so many times was "about one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion."
The Atlantic Lottery Corp. announced a forensic team had found unethical and suspicious dealings between some retailers and ticket buyers in the region. The study by KPMG Forensic Inc. found retailers claimed 85 winning tickets, each worth at least $25,000. The total amount collected was $14 million, with the largest prize of $4.5 million picked up by a retailer in Nova Scotia. The corporation has turned all the files over to police for an investigation.
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3) Job cuts and revenue is down in Atlantic City as expected, due to the competition.
Although, I hate to see job cuts anywhere in the casino industry, my rant with AC is the length of time it took to correct the situation by offering comps. Additionally, not all AC casinos are passing out more comps. Did the casino marketing people not see this coming?
Profits fall at Atlantic City casinos
Net income at Atlantic City's 11 casinos fell 54 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago, the latest evidence that new slots parlors in Pennsylvania and New York are hurting business here.
Net revenues fell 3.1 percent, and gross operating profit fell 5.8 percent for the quarter.
The 11 casinos had gross operating profit of $297.4 million for the three months ending March 31, compared to $315.6 million for the same period in 2006.
Seven of the 11 casinos had less gross operating profit for the winter quarter than a year ago, with the Atlantic City Hilton registering the largest decline, 29.1 percent, to $8.07 million.
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Job Cuts at Tropicana, AC
Tropicana Casino and Resort has slashed 55 positions, mainly in the supervisory and management ranks, as its new owner continues an aggressive layoff program that has drawn objections from New Jersey gaming regulators.
Tropicana backed off from eliminating even more positions after the New Jersey Casino Control Commission expressed concern that some proposed layoffs could have harmed the gaming operations.
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AC Comps
Bad news for casinos has so far meant good news for gamblers. Revenues at the city's 11 casinos declined by 5.5 percent in May, marking the fourth month out of five this year that the take was down from the previous year.
Four casinos have cut back on their comps as a way to make up for declining revenue. But seven others are handing them out faster, hoping to hold on to customers who now have other, closer places they can gamble.
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4) Yikes, Casinos are just asking for trouble when they start banning high rollers because they win too much.
Harrah's Bans Richard Brodie from their Casinos
Richard Brodie, who is a fixture at Full Tilt Poker, received a certified letter from Harrah’s stating that he will no longer be allowed to set foot inside of Caesar's Palace or any other Harrah's property in Nevada, California and Arizona.
Brodie was one of a number of "high-rollers" that was banned from Harrah's properties. He will not be able to play at the World Series of Poker
The funny thing about this situation is that Brodie stated that he only played two games at Caesar's Palace: poker and video poker. Now, the house is taking their rake on each hand of poker, so Brodie didn't get banned for winning big at poker.
Harrah's banned Brodie because he was a big winner at video poker. Video poker!
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5) The latest report on the saga of the US Online Gambling Ban, is that, in a growing list, Europe, Antigua, Japan, India and Costa Rica are demanding compensation.
I do believe that Congress will have to move to action as this ban could prove to be costly to the US reputation globally.
EU vs. US Online Gambling Ban
The European Union told the United States on Tuesday that it wanted compensation for a U.S. ban on foreign online gambling sites, which doesn't comply with global trade rules.
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Antigua, Japan, India vs. US
The United States should face commercial sanctions worth more than $3.4 billion each year for its failure to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling that its Internet gambling restrictions are illegal, the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda said Wednesday. Japan and India, meanwhile, added extra pressure on the United States by filing WTO compensation requests as a result of Washington's attempt to change the details of its obligations under the 1994 General Agreement on Trade in Services.
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