M.I.C. Gadget reports the Chinese company has already received the order for the next generation mobile, and because of strikes, it needs 20,000 more workers.

Regardless, an Autumn launch date is expected, in keeping with Apple’s standard timescale. Well, as long as Foxconn can find the 20k extra workers. No pressure then…

The Foxconn plant at Taiyuan is the one in need of the new cohort of workers. It’ll be responsible for 85% of the manufacturing of the iPhone 5, according to the report, and in order to meet demand, 57 million of the devices will need to be pumped out a year.

In other Apple-related news, the BBC reports Apple‘s chief executive, Tim Cook, has toured Foxconn’s factory at Zhengzhou Technology Park, in China. The audit is taking place at the factory where apple products are made and where 120,000 employees work to check on the working conditions. And why the need to check on the working conditions? Well there have been many complaints, as well as a string of suicides of workers. Are things really that bad there? They can’t be great, as in a meeting Chinese vice premier Li Keqiang told Mr Cook that foreign companies must “pay more attention to caring for workers”.

The audit was announced by Apple last month. It has yet to release its findings.

Lifestyle News

The filing is asking not only for financial damages but a stop to any further donations to the University of Macau.

A report by the Las Vegas Review Journal states the case was styled as a “shareholder derivative action”, that is, where a shareholder sues on behalf of the company when it contends that directors and officers have not done their job of managing the company in the best interests of investors.

The case follows the position of Kazuo Okada – formerly the company’s largest shareholder through his Aruze USA – and that his company used a $135 million in a pledge to the university to gain favour for expanding in Macau.

The lawsuit also notes that redeeming Okada’s stock at a steep discount and pushing him out as a board member is “proving expensive to the company” but at the same time allows chairman and CEO Stephen Wynn “to maintain virtually absolute control over the company he founded.”

The report concludes that the company’s Board of Directors have unsurprisingly sided with Steve Wynn, but state that the public feud has ensured “the company’s goodwill and reputation have also been horribly damaged”.

A Wynn spokeswoman refused to comment on the case.

Legal News

Bally Technologies

A panel of expert judges, including several gaming and hospitality executives, evaluated the award submissions. Bally‘s winning products are:

First Place: DM Tournaments™
Third Place: SKEE-BALL®
Fifth Place: All That Jazz™
Sixth Place: Bally Mobile Platform
Ninth Place: Total Blast™

“We are proud to have five products recognized in the Slot Floor Technology Awards,” said Bally Technologies’ Senior Vice President of Technology Bryan Kelly. “We have received more than 40 awards for product innovation over the past four years. It is a true testament to the innovative and customer-focused work being done by Bally Technologies. We always want to ensure our customers can provide their guests with exceptional service, an exciting gaming experience, and most of all, a good return-on-investment.”

The Novomatic Group has announced it will be exhibiting its products at the Feria Andina de Juegos de Azar (FADJA) conference in the Colombian capital city Bogotá between 11-12 April.

The company announced it will be represented at booth number 76 by its local subsidiary AGI Gaming Colombia. On show will be the new Super-V+ Gaminator III cabinet as well as the NOVO LINE INTERACTIVE with the new NOVO LINE INTERACTIVE multi-game mix. Also on show will be the casino slant top NOVOSTAR® SL as well as the Novo Super-Vision™ cabinet featuring a variety of the latest multi-game mixes.

WinADayCasino.com has announced it is consulting with players on Facebook in the development of its next online casino game. Fans of the online casino’s Facebook page voted almost unanimously that the new game have a “house pet” theme. They’ve since been asked for their input on how many pay lines the slot game should have and all slots players are invited to give their opinion this week on what kind of bonus features should be included. Previous and current polls and discussions are available at www.Facebook.com/WinADayCasino.

“We’re in pretty close touch with lots of our regular players and we’re always listening to their ideas,” said WinADay manager Michael Hilary. “Our players have certainly shaped our casino’s evolution over the years. Now social media is giving us great new opportunities to interact with players, hear what they think. Our next new game will definitely be created ‘by’ our players. We’re excited about that!”

WinADayCasino.com currently has 29 slot machine games that aren’t available at any other online casino.

Business News

For a period tonight Botond steamrollered his table, and while it grew Ronny Kaiser’s table was under the same pressure, albeit with less antagonism. Ronny ruled though, their table Kaiser, bagging up 505,900.

“It was just a rollercoaster day,” said Kaiser in a report by PokerStarsBlog. “I started with 90,000, went down to 30,000, up to 120,000, back down to 30,000 then won jacks against kings to get to 80,000. I then made some nice hands to get to 240,000, no big showdown. Then I had a three-way all-in with aces against ace-king and pocket eights for a 600,000 pot. That was it.”

Others returning include David Vamplew (solid), Liv Boeree (swingy), Andre Benelli (Italian), Dag Palovic (hooded) and Nick Yunis (hatted), as well as other former champions Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Nicolas Chouity, Martin Finger, Roberto Romanello and Rupert Elder.

Day 3 continues tomorrow with a 2pm start.

Black Belt Poker shareholder Neil Channing – who was one of the founders of the company in 2009 – has been named as the company’s new chief executive.

He takes over from Warren Wooldridge – who is moving away from the operational side of poker.

Channing said in a report by EGR: “For a while now I’ve been getting excited at the prospect of the next online poker boom and being much more involved day-to-day to see it evolve has got me leaping out of bed at times when poker players are usually arriving home.”

Genting Poker announced today new dates for the online leg of the Genting Poker Series, bringing forward the £100,000 tournament to 27-30 September 2012.

Each regional leg of The Series and the online tournament carry a guaranteed prize-pool of £100,000 (buy-in £400 + £30) and the December finale at the Palm Beach, London is worth a £200,000 guaranteed (buy-in £1500 + £100).

Here are the dates:

1-5 Feb: Genting Club Star City, Birmingham Ruslan Vlasov

27 Mar – 1 April: Fox Poker Club, London £100,000

30 May – 3 June: Genting Club Edinburgh £100,000

1 Aug – 5 Aug: Genting Club Stoke £100,000

27 Sept– 30 Sept: GentingPoker.com Online Tournament £100,000

21 Nov – 25 Nov: Genting Club Sheffield £100,000

5 Dec – 9 Dec: Palm Beach, Mayfair £200,000

Poker News

New Jersey

A number of North Jersey legislators are supporting the plan for the hearings, The Press of Atlantic City reports. Legislators are saying that expanding the New Jersey’s gambling industry to another part of the state could help galvanize against the repeated losses as gamblers travel across state borders and play in Pennsylvania and New York.

Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, Jr. – who is the chairman of the assembly regulatory oversight and gaming committee – said: “Expanding gaming options to North Jersey would strengthen New Jersey against the competition in border states, which has already lured customers away.”

Assembly gaming committee member Ralph Caputo also contributed to the announcement stating that “the reality is that Atlantic City is losing many of its North Jersey customers to newly opened casinos in Pennsylvania and New York… Bringing gaming to the Meadowlands can help us reclaim them and bring back much-needed revenue to North Jersey.”

Senate leader Stephen Sweeney responded to the announcement by saying there are no plans for any sort of similar hearings in the senate. “My colleagues and I passed bipartisan legislation to restore Atlantic City’s health. I am proud of that accomplishment and believe it will result in great things for the people of Atlantic City and the surrounding area,” he said.

He added: “But we are in the early stages of implementing that legislation and revitalizing Atlantic City. We must let that revitalisation happen first before we take any action that would endanger this effort.”

Casino News

The move is hoped to make the city more visitor-friendly, a report by The News Messenger reveals. “This is a pivotal time in our community,” said Len Komoroski, president of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and chairman of the Positively Cleveland travel-tourism agency.

The report established that agency leaders also outlined a series of other non-gambling related initiatives, including making it easier for visitors to navigate around the city and adding trolley service linking the casino to hotels and lakefront attractions.

President of Positively Cleveland, David Gilbert, said it’s a priority to make the mid-May opening of the Horseshoe casino a positive experience for all involved. “We’re trying to make it as accommodating as possible,” added Tony Coyne, chairman of the Cleveland City Planning Commission.

The casino will try to parlay interest in city attractions and won’t have Las Vegas-style shows of its own, Casino officials have said. For example, Marcus Glover, casino general manager, said: “We have a lot of national tourist attractions we’ll be able to draw from,” as he gave a tour around the proposed site.

The report establishes that the first phase of the $350 million casino will open in the renovated Higbee department store. Toledo’s casino opens several weeks later, with those in Cincinnati and Columbus to follow. The casino has said it initially will pull most customers from within 150 miles.

Casino News

Spielo International

A statement by the company reveals that SPIELO International Casino Systems Marc Attal, Managing Director, has appointed Lai Fatt Chiang as General Manager of Casino Systems for Asia Pacific.

Attal said: “The appointment of Lai Fatt Chiang, who reports to Casino System’s International Sales Director Fivos Polymniou, demonstrates Spielo International’s ongoing commitment to increasing support for its existing casino systems customers in Asia.

In addition, Marcel Heutmekers, Senior Director and General Manager for Asia and Latin America, has announced the appointment of Maria Garcia as Director of Sales for Asia (Casino Games).

Based in Macau, Garcia has been a well-respected distributor for several slot manufacturers in the region since 2006. Her most recent role was as Sales and Marketing Director for Asia Pioneer Entertainment.

FutureLogic announced today that it will exhibit its latest innovations in gaming, the PromoNet couponing solution and the GEN3 Universal printer, at Indian Gaming 2012. Hosted by the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA).

FutureLogic will also exhibit several other game-changing peripherals in Booth 2720, including: the GEN2 Universal, the CouponXpress and the TableXchange.

Scientific Games Corporation subsidiary, MDI Entertainment, has announced the licensing of instant tickets for Motor Trend – the Ford F-150 its “Truck of the Year” for 2012.

The Ford F-150 and the MOTOR TREND name, marks and famous Golden Calipers trophy are all licensed for the instant tickets, a press release stated.

Business News

In a statement, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) believes Apple is fooling customers with promises of faster 4G speeds and says it’ll be applying to a Federal Court and asking for fines against Apple. The claim also states the commission will ask for corrective advertising and a possible injunction against selling the tablet in question.

Why is this so, we hear you scream? Well – as CNET UK reports – although the version of the new iPad with a SIM-card slot is marketed as the iPad ‘Wi-Fi + 4G’, it’s not actually possible to connect it to a 4G network in Australia. This is because the new iPad connects to the 700MHz or 2100Mhz spectrum bands of the 4G spectrum – neither of which are used by the aussies.

The ACCC said: “Consumers who have purchased or are considering purchasing an ‘iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G’ should ensure that they have a proper understanding of the mobile data networks which this iPad can directly access by a SIM card.”

On Apple’s UK site, the company claims its tablet “supports fast mobile networks around the world, including HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.*” The small print to go with that asterisk states, “4G LTE is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the US, and on Bell, Rogers and Telus networks in Canada.”

Are you an new iPad owner who feels a little ripped off?

Lifestyle News

These five-reel, 1,024-way games, featured on Bally’s ALPHA 2 Pro Series V22/22 Upright Wheel cabinet, capture “America’s Band” to its fullest, immersing players in the Southern California culture of surfing, sun, cars, and romance with The Beach Boys songs and video clips.

Bally’s Senior Vice President of Products and Operations, Derik Mooberry, said: “Tribal gaming operators are tremendous partners and supporters of Bally Technologies, and we look forward to showcasing our latest solutions to help them drive revenue and get greater operating efficiencies in their casino operations

“Indian Gaming 2012 is the perfect environment to showcase our new games, systems, and interactive solutions – all designed to deliver a better player experience.”

Taking place on 1-4 April at the San Diego Convention Centre, Bally will be exhibiting at booth #1929.

Aristocrat have also announced it will be showcasing at this year’s NIGA convention and will be exhibiting new ways to help tribal operators and their players experience excitement in new ways.

At booth #1817, Aristocrat will display a range of games, system modules and new technologies like downloadable content for the gaming floor, real solutions for internet gaming and mobile apps that help operators build player loyalty.

Aristocrat will also conduct demonstrations of new functionality in its Oasis 360 system, including nLive, the industry’s only real, ready solution for online gaming.

The Atlantic City Alliance (ACA) announced today that it will be filming a commercial in Atlantic City this week as part of its larger campaign designed to increase tourism to the city.

Euro RSCG New York, the ACA’s advertising agency of record, will be shooting all week in various locations in order to capture footage that showcases everything Atlantic City has to offer.

“We are looking forward to capturing so many experiences of what makes Atlantic City great,” said Liza Cartmell, CEO of the ACA. “Fine dining, premier shopping, world-class accommodations, and of course, our historic Boardwalk, all contribute to Atlantic City’s appeal as a tourist destination. We hope to capture all of this in the commercial we film throughout the course of this week.”

Business News

A rendering of the planned casino property

The Seneca Nation of Indians has announced today the unveiling of a re-designed $130 million Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in cooperation with the Seneca Gaming Corp on the Nation’s 9.5 acre territory.

WKBW Eyewitness News reported that the project – due for completion in summer next year – will to provide approximately 600 construction-period jobs. When finished it will need to fill 500 direct jobs, including inside jobs and others related to the operation, with a multiplier effect that will create another 500 jobs over time, the report stated.

Nation President Robert Odawi Porter said: “This new casino will be a national design leader for casinos in urban settings. Our investment in this facility is our stake in our partnership with Buffalo’s Inner Harbor, the rejuvenation of the Perry Choice Neighborhood, and growth in the Old First Ward and along the Buffalo River. We are all in this together and we will succeed through collaboration.”

Once completed, the new casino will replace the current slots-only casino that opened on the territory in 2007. Preparation for the new property began yesterday with workers dismantling the steel frame erected as part of the now revised plans for the original casino. The dismantling process is expected to take five to six weeks to complete.

Karen Karsten, chairman of the Seneca Gaming board of directors, added: “Dismantling the existing steel structure not only clears the site so our new vision can take shape, it opens the door to a modern concept designed to generate a prudent business model for downtown Buffalo. Our sights can now be clearly set on the future. As we move forward, we are excited by the investments being made, by ourselves and by many others, to create an exciting destination atmosphere in the Inner Harbor and Buffalo River areas.”

Casino News

The group’s Vice President Research and Development for Systems, Thomas Soukup, announced the management system wil be upgraded to version KCMS v3.20 – an upgrade which was was developed within the past year.

The update will be provided to approximately 70 KCMS customers for free under Konami’s maintenance agreement. Konami said in a press statement that its “goal with the yearly upgrades is to ensure their customers are provided with the most up-to-date technology and product enhancements in the most cost-effective manner to keep KCMS users leading the competition.”

According to Soukup: “As with previous upgrades, the KCMS v3.20 upgrade can be performed remotely through a secure, encrypted casino/jurisdiction controlled VPN connection with ease due to the KCMS centralized database architecture which facilitates upgrading all modules – table games, slots, TITO, patron tracking, interfaces, everything – all at once.

“KCMS v3.20 offers Konami’s most current gaming system technology, which promises to entertain, engage and track players like never before, helping casinos using KCMS to surpass their competition.”

For table games, KCMS v3.20 now provides features such as more accurate, real-time tracking of players based on behaviors such as skill, game speed and play percentage.

KCMS v3.20 also offers a new incentive promotion called Random Free Play where marketing can choose the minimum, maximum and average award amounts that are transferable to the player. Marketing teams can entertain, engage, and provide incentives to players as the Random Free Play is delivered through BonuStream™, interactive displays of the bonus celebration played directly on the player service window (LCD). The BonuStream™ mini-games are played at the machines when the player achieves pre-determined targeted incentive criteria.

Business News

A document published yesterday by Ofcom states it has been forced to delay Everything Everywhere consultation – a meeting which would effectively allow it to start using the 1800MHz 3G spectrum that it already owns – due to pressure from the operator’s rivals such as Vodafone and O2.

The 1800MHz proposal consultation has been postponed by five weeks until 8 May.

Ofcom’s document said: “Update 26|03|12 – Ofcom today extended the period for responding to Ofcom’s ‘Notice of proposed variation of Everything Everywhere’s 1800MHz spectrum licences to allow use of LTE and WiMAX technologies’ from 17 April 2012 until 8 May 2012. We have decided to extend this period following requests from stakeholders for more time to respond.”

This ridiculous delay is merely a result of the rival networks who complained that the move to grant Everything Everywhere the right to use its existing 1800MHz 3G spectrum for 4G LTE/Wimax services would be anti-competitive, giving Everything Everywhere initial monopoly.

However, in its original paper published before today’s news, the watchdog stated, “In accordance with the relevant legal framework, we have therefore considered whether there is a risk of distortion to competition arising from authorising EE’s 1800 MHz licences for LTE and WiMAX technologies. For the reasons set out in this document we do not consider that any material risk of distortion to competition will arise if we vary Everything Everywhere’s licence as requested.”

Let’s hope Ofcom stick to their senses and get the 4G spectrum rolled out ASAP.

Lifestyle News

Gaming Laboratories International

GLI Development Director, Michael Price, said: “GLI has been a long-time supporter and advocate of Indian Gaming. We are very proud of the relationships we have developed with tribal leaders and regulators across North America, and we are honoured with the trust that they place in GLI every day.”

More than 250 tribes rely on GLI for their testing services, including Class II and Class III testing, ISS audits, IT and internet security assessments, and onsite casino floor verification and inspection.

The event takes place 1-4 April at the San Diego Convention Centre. GLI will be exhibiting at booth 1629.

Aristocrat has announced a lucky player experienced the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day when she hit a $51,250 jackpot on its JAWS Bounty Hunter slot game.

Sherry Carter of Marshall, Minnesota, was on vacation and playing at Silverado Casino in Deadwood, S.D. when she scooped the prize.

Based on the Academy Award winning Universal Studios film, JAWS Bounty Hunter takes action adventure to an entirely new level with new bonus features, new mini features, a big standalone jackpot and a surround sound chair.

That wasn’t all Aristocrat had to share. The company also announced today that within days of each other, two players at Red Hawk Casino in Placerville, CA, hit the Hyperlink progressive jackpot while playing Aristocrat’s FA FA FA Fortune King slot game, marking the 13th and 14th time the game’s jackpot has been hit there.

First, Liza from Sacramento won $161,154.85 on the FA FA FA Fortune King jackpot. Then just a few days later Richard from Elk Grove won $150,464.57.

Red Hawk Casino’s Vice President of Gaming Operations Bryan Delugo said: “’FA FA FA’ means ‘Richer, Richer, Richer,’ and that has definitely been the case for our players with this fun and exciting game.”

The FA FA FA Fortune King slot has hit more at Red Hawk than another other Native American Casino, the company said in a press release.

Business News

The 83 year old, who clearly needs treating for cataracts,  is accusing the Californian tech giant as its stores are a “threat to the elderly”, and is asking for $1,000,000 in damages because she did not see a window as she approached it.

The senior lady, named Evelyn Paswall says she wants to make an example of a firm that goes for “style over safety”, a report by The Inquirer reveals.

Her attorney, Derek Smith, said in a report by CBS News: “Apple wants to be cool and modern and have the type of architecture that would appeal to the tech crowd. But on the other hand, they have to appreciate the danger that this high-tech modern architecture poses to some people.”

Smith specialises in discrimination cases according to his biography – so she might have a pretty good chance.  But will he manage to get the lady what she wants when battling such a huge tech firm? You never know, she might get a new iPad out of it? Owt for nowt.

Perhaps some windows just too see-through? Or are Apple’s see-through windows simply too clean?

According to CBS, stickers have now been added to the windows of the Long Island store in question. What could they say?

“This is a window”?

“Watch out! You may fail to notice our overly-clean windows”?, or

“Stop, before you break your nose”?

If your fetish is as diverse as old women enduring pain while surrounded by expensive gadgets, watch the CCTV footage here:

Lifestyle News

The ILGA chairman, Chris Sidoti, said yesterday that Ms Furness, who has been conducting the inquiry in camera, will hold “limited public hearings” next week into the new matters, a report by The Australian reveals.

The move follows previous reports that Premier Barry O’Farrell’s communications director, Peter Grimshaw and his girlfriend (who was a human resources manager at the casino) mounted a covert media campaign over months against The Star and  Vaikunta.

Emails and texts between Grimshaw and his lover leaked to The Australian also show how Gaming Minister George Souris agreed to protect the identity of Grimshaw’s girlfriend from the media and O’Farrell.

As a result, it’s thought that Grimshaw is likely to be called to give evidence in the Inquiry as well as Souris and his press secretary, Norm Lipson.

According to the leaked texts, Grimshaw told his girlfriend that a person called “Norm” – believed to be Lipson – had suggested to “sew it up”, the other woman who brought allegations of sexual harassment against Vaikunta should lay a complaint with police, even if she subsequently withdrew it.

Other allegations reported in the last few weeks reveal current and former Star employees are claiming management ignored sexual harassment of the casino’s staff by high-rollers. However, the casino is denying these claims.

Legal News

My Fox New York reported the New Jersey Casino Control Commission is expected to approve a casino licence for the property, which nearly didn’t get built at all, becoming the city’s 12th casino when it opens April 2.

The resort is being built to help revive the struggling seaside gambling resort, which soon will be surpassed by Pennsylvania as the nation’s second-largest gambling market after Las Vegas.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has stated in his most recent Statehouse news conference that he will endorse a proposal to use revenues from state-owned casinos to boost the financial health of the pension system for teachers and government workers.

Kansas City Star reported the measure will divert some casino revenues to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and would help keep the state’s credit ratings from slipping.

The pension system projects an $8.3 billion shortfall between anticipated revenues and retirement benefits promised to public employees through 2033

Lawmakers will be decided whether to approve a proposal that could bring a multimillion-dollar casino to Rockingham Park in Salem, Massachusetts.

A report by the Eagle Tribune states supporters and opponents of a bill to allow four casinos in the Granite State have been lobbying hard for and against passage of House Bill 593.

Proponents are confident the legislation will pass but opponents are sceptical and doubt it will receive enough support.

“We feel positive about the outcome,” said Rich Killion, spokesman for Millennium Gaming of Las Vegas in the report.

Business News

Zdjelar has been with GLI since 2000, first starting in the company’s Hillegom, The Netherlands, lab as a test engineer. GLI said in a press release that the reason for the promotion is down to Zdjelar “extensive knowledge in regulatory requirements for jurisdictions on all continents”. Working with regulators and suppliers across Australia and Europe for more than a decade, he will be leading all engineering teams in New South Wales in the company’s Sydney lab.

General Manager Gaming Laboratories Australia, Damien Stone, said: “In the 10 years that Alojz was with GLI, regulators and suppliers came to know and respect his work and leadership. Now as technical manager, he will be leading one of the most productive teams in the gaming testing industry.”

Konami Gaming is expanding its operations at its Vegas headquarters the company announced today.

Chief Operating Officer at Konami Gaming, Steve Sutherland,, said in a statement today: “We have simply outgrown the space we are in, so we are moving our growing Systems group to an adjacent building to provide both groups, Systems and Games, with more room to operate.”

In total, Konami is picking-up approximately 25,000 square feet of needed office space.

International Game Technology (IGT) announced today it is the recipient of the inaugural Corporate Global Citizen of the Year award presented by The Northern Nevada International Centre.

IGT chief executive officer, Patti Hart, said: “We are honoured to be recognised as the Corporate Global Citizen of the Year for our long-standing dedication to northern Nevada As an employer and as a partner with essential organizations that support their local residents, we take great pride in the investments we make in our neighboring communities.”

The award is designed to recognize a local business, non-profit or educational institution for its role in building global partnerships, international initiatives and for improving the local economy.

NNIC will present IGT with the award at the Global Gala on 30 March at the Atlantis Hotel Casino in Reno.

Business News

March Madness

It was this that got our resident writer and poker expert Jason Kirk wondering came “if poker went over even half as well on American television as basketball does, what might a March Madness tournament for poker look like?” With that in mind, he started drawing up a design for my ultimate poker tournament, which you can view here.

With this, we forwarded the question to you guys to find out who would win our readers’ “If March Madness Were Poker” bracket. Here are the results.

Right at the top of the poll was Phil Ivey with 43%. Being Bluff Magazine’s Player of the Decade back in ‘09, it’s hardly surprising he was voted the favourite by you guys. 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event winner Vanessa Selbst was polled a not-so close second with 21%, drawing with “Other”, also at 21%.

Jason Mercier was voted a disappointing fourth with 12% of the votes, but not as disappointing as Sam Stein who was polled last with just 3%.

If you couldn’t get enough of last week’s poll, why not get stuck into our next poll on the right-hand side, which asks: “If money were no object, where would your next gambling vacation be?”

Poker News

Going by the name of Rick Lertzman, the developer said in a report by Bloomsberg that he and co-worker, Brad Pressman, hope to get a question on the Ohio ballot 6 November to allow a casino in the Youngstown area in northeast Ohio.

The goal is to collect 350,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot this year. The measure would expand the voter-approved 2009 question which allows four casinos and specifying the locations. However, if the petition deadline cannot be met, the casino campaign will aim for the spring 2013 primary.

It should be noted that both Lertzman and Pressman have backed three failed gambling drives in Ohio, most recently in 2008 in Clinton County in southwest Ohio.

Lertzman said it would help create jobs in the state if it gets voter approval for a fifth casino. “We think the voters of Ohio, as long as you could say, `Look, we’ve got huge unemployment problems in Youngstown’, I think the voters are going to be very sympathetic,” he said.

He added that Youngstown’s reputation over the years as a hotbed of gambling would make it a good prospect for a casino, saying by phone from his suburban Cleveland office: “Youngstown has been known for generations as a city that had a lot of gambling, a lot of it illegal,” “We think the demographic makeup for Youngstown is terrific for this.”

If built, the developers argue the location would put it in the middle of a triangle between casinos in Cleveland, Chester, W.Va., and Erie, Pa.

Casino News

Elray Resources

Elray and Golden Match will enter into an Acquisition Agreement in which Elray will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Golden Match.

Brian Goodman, the company’s chief executive officer said in a report by Macau Business: “Elray will now be well positioned to develop and grow as a gaming entity internationally. The Macau opportunity together with the US listing will enable the company to raise growth capital, acquire other promoters in Macau as well as in other jurisdictions and negotiate more favourable terms with casinos due to its heightened profile.”

Golden Match is a company that has negotiated a profit sharing agreement with Cali Promocao de Jogos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, a company that promotes casinos in Macau. The agreements that Cali currently has in place are with the MGM Macau, the Venetian, Wynn, Galaxy and City of Dreams.

Tourism in Macau is booming, with 2 million tourists flocking to the city last month. But data from the Statistic and Census Service shows that most only stayed a day.

The data revealed that visitor arrivals were up by 1.5% year-on-year in February, with same-day visitors accounting for 53% of the total.

The average length of stay of visitors decreased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 0.9 days, with that of overnight visitors being 1.8 days and same-day visitors 0.2 days.

Business News