Issue 101
August 12-18, 2002
Volume 3
page 2
 

Binion's Horseshoe Casino
Removes Table Games

LAS VEGAS – As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Binion's Horseshoe has removed a number of table games from the former Mint casino area on the west side of the property and replaced them with slot machines.

“Horseshoe owner Becky Binion Behnen said Thursday the changes were part of her effort to make the property more efficient.

“The entire craps pit on the casino's west side, three tables, has been removed, along with several blackjack tables.

“The casino also cut its east side craps pit, one of the city's biggest and often one of its busiest, from 10 tables to seven, replacing the games with other tables.

“…The property is keeping more than two dozen blackjack and other table games on the west side.

“…Company executives declined to say whether the changes to the casino floor would result in job cuts, but Behnen acknowledged last month that the property would cut some of its 1,700 jobs in an effort to increase efficiency.

“…The property earlier this year reopened its remodeled coffee shop, below

ground level on in its east-side. Horseshoe executives expect the classic eatery to reinvigorate business…”



Indiana Riverboats Go Dockside - EVANSVILLE, IN -
The Indiana Gaming Commission gave the go-ahead August 5 for seven of the state's 10 casinos to begin offering dockside gambling. The new rules mean customers no longer have to arrive at scheduled times to take two-hour cruises on Lake Michigan or the Ohio River. Even when boats were not cruising, casino customers were only allowed to board every two hours. "We came just to see how it felt just to walk on," says Marge Bogan, outside Casino Aztar. The General Assembly loosened riverboat's restrictions during the recent special session. Lawmakers hope tens of millions of dollars will be generated in taxes from the casinos because a graduated wagering tax is imposed on riverboats that choose to implement the dockside gambling. The new boarding began Monday at Casino Aztar in Evansville, Horseshoe in Hammond, Hyatt Grand Victoria in Rising Sun, Belterra in Vevay, Blue Chip in Michigan City, Argosy in Lawrenceburg, Caesars Indiana in Elizabeth, Harrah's in East Chicago, and Trump and Majestic Star in Gary.

Florida, the Next Las Vegas? - A survey commissioned by Harrah’s Entertainment shows a strong demand for casino gambling in the state of Florida as 20 percent of the state’s adults visit casinos at least once a year. "Florida is a big state with a lot of people. That's why we'd like to do business there," Harrah's spokesman Dean Hestermann said Friday. The study showed that Orlando gamblers visit cruise ship casinos and Gulf Coast casinos more often than they go to Las Vegas and in-state Indian casinos. In contrast, gamblers in other states visit Indian casinos 58 percent of the time, followed by Gulf Coast casinos (11 percent) and cruise ships (10 percent). "The Indian casinos are just not as convenient to reach from Orlando as they are in other parts of the state," says Pat Fowler, executive director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. Casino opponents say the survey, which found that gamblers have 20 percent higher median family incomes than average, does not show the damage done to families and the costs incurred by communities due to compulsive gambling. In past balloting statewide, 1978, 1986 and 1994, Florida voters rejected casino initiatives.

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge will performa at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel Casino on August 25.

Price:
$65.50, $80.50, $90.50, $105.50

Showtime:
8:00 p.m.

Reservations:
Reservations Recommended

For more information please call: (800) HRD-ROCK
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