Penn National Gaming is willing to pay off racetracks in two Ohio cities to relocate so as to limit the competition. NorthwestOhio.com reports the gaming industry firm has offered the state $150 million to rehouse two horserace tracks from Toledo and Columbus to other parts of the state. They’re hoping it will free up the customer base to visit their new venue. What they hadn’t banked on was the two cities wanting a bigger share of the money the state collects and this is something that could slow the process. Penn have been busy bees in recent times and the news follows them buying Harrah’s St Louis and pining after a casino business in Massachusetts.
The American Gaming Association has inducted four new faces into the Gaming Hall of Fame. 2012’s names come from all walks of life and are all linked to the gaming industry in some way. Topping the list is industry veteran Dennis Gomes who has spent four decades in gaming doing every job you can name including co-owning a casino and regulating Nevada’s gaming industry. Veteran senator William J. Raggio Jr. makes his way onto the list after filling the role for 38 years with 18 of them as leader. Guy Laliberte, Cirque de Soleil, makes the hall as the company’s many shows have been extremely influential in gaming circles. Lastly Julian Serrano, one of the strip’s most respected restaurateurs, enters thanks to his efforts to feed casino goers for the last half century.
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), said: “Without its visionaries, innovators and ardent supporters, the gaming industry as we know it today would not exist, and we are proud to honor Dennis, Bill, Guy and Julian as men who have helped shape our business.”
