Issue 170
December 15 - 21, 2003
Volume 3
page 1
 

This Issue

Gaming News
Gambling Casino Chosen as U.S. Davis Cup Venue

Trop's latest gimmick combines slots and cable TV

Tribe aims for February opening of casino

In Canandaigua It's A Casino And A Racetrack

Nokia's N-Gage hosts mobile gaming competition

 

Show Time
Mamma Mia!, "The world's hottest show," now playing at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas

Column
What Can Schwarzenegger Really Do? By I. Nelson Rosex

Check out our entertainment highlights & upcoming tournaments

See the lucky winners

 

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Gambling Casino Chosen as
U.S. Davis Cup Venue

As reported by The Reuters

 

NEW YORK - The United States has selected the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut as the stage for the Davis Cup first-round tie against Austria in February, the United States Tennis Federation (USTF) said on Wednesday.

The Americans are gambling that the 10,000 Mohegan Casino arena located midway between Boston and New York will provide the perfect venue as they begins their quest for a 32nd Davis Cup title on February 6-8.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe has yet to announced his lineup but expects the team to be led by U.S. Open champion and world No. 1 Andy Roddick.

The backbone of recent American Davis Cup efforts, Roddick clinched the 3-2 victory over the Slovak Republic last September in the World Group playoff round.

"We know we're coming to a tennis hotbed, and look forward to the fans supporting our team," McEnroe told a news conference. "We have a nucleus of dedicated players including the world's number one in singles and doubles (identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan), who are committed to winning the cup this year."

The U.S. last played a Davis Cup match in Connecticut in 1987 when Hartford hosted a qualifying round tie against West Germany.

That match featured the epic six-hour, 21-minute duel between John McEnroe and Boris Becker, regarded as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.

The United States and Austria have met on one previous occasion in the Davis Cup, the U.S. winning a semi-final clash 3-2 in Vienna in 1990.

Austria are expected to be led by world no. 53 Stefan Koubek, a three-times singles champion on the ATP tour.


Trop's latest gimmick combines slots and cable TV
As reported by The Press of Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY - A little "Oprah" with your slots?

Tropicana Casino and Resort has kicked up the competition for high rollers by attaching television monitors to each of the 94 slot machines in its new Crystal Room slot parlor.

Gamblers who can afford the $1 to $100 wagering minimums are treated to 34 cable channels, three music channels and movies on demand.

Plop down in the fully adjustable seat, raise your feet onto the built-in footrest, grab the remote, don the complimentary earphones and enjoy the show on an 8-inch LCD screen.

"This is for our A-plus customers," said Dennis Gomes, president of resort operations for Tropicana parent Aztar Corp.

Adorned with crystal chandeliers and sconces, the Crystal Room opened Thanksgiving weekend at a cost of $3 million.

As luxurious and relaxing as the room might be, Gomes said, it is foremost a vehicle for Tropicana to make money. In other words, gamble or get out.

"We'll watch to see if people aren't playing, but we can do that with any machine in the building," he said.

It remains to be seen whether the personal TVs encourage players to gamble longer or divert players' attention and result in less gambling.

For now, the televisions are a drawing card that Tropicana plans to exploit. Gomes said he is unaware of any casino, anywhere, that offers slots with TVs.

"That is the hook. That is the unique feature," said Maureen Siman, assistant vice president for media services.

TV slots are the latest in a string of Tropicana hooks that includes exercise-bicycle slots, chickens that play tic-tac-toe and gymnasts dangling over the casino floor.

"We try to set trends, not follow them," Gomes said.

The Crystal Room opening provides the first glimpse of Tropicana's integration with its $245 million expansion. The room opens into Crystal Court, a 34-foot-high rotunda through which most visitors will pass.

A walkway featuring shops, paddle fans and rich Old Havana theming connects the rotunda to The Quarter, the retail, dining and entertainment complex being built across Pacific Avenue.

The scheduled March opening of the expansion project was indefinitely delayed by the Oct. 30 collapse of an integrated parking garage.

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