Macau Magnate Challenged by
Vegas Developers

Mississippi Hard Rock Hotel-Casino Approved - JACKSON, MS – The Mississippi Gaming Commission on July 23rd approved the site and development of a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi. The new casino is expected to open in May 2005 at a site adjacent to Beau Rivage Casino and Hotel in Biloxi. Premier Entertainment will own and operate the $255 million resort. "I think Hard Rock brings a brand to the coast that is recognized worldwide," said Joe Billhimer, president and chief operating officer of Premier Entertainment.

The development will feature a 10-story hotel with 304 rooms, a Hard Rock Cafe, a 1,200-person capacity Hard Rock Live Performance venue, a pool with a beach area and a nightclub on the top floor of the hotel.

Isle Set to Celebrate 11th Anniversary - MISSISSIPPI - The Isle of Capri Casino Resort, the first casino to open in the South, will celebrate its 11th anniversary with special giveaways and entertainment starting Monday, July 28, 2003.

Beginning on Monday, the Isle will give away up to $20,000 in four days. Players club members can receive one free entry daily and earn additional entries for every 10 slot points earned or by qualifying table play. Drawings will be held at 9 p.m. July 28 through July 31. Daily musical entertainment begins at 7 p.m. and includes Lynn McDaniel, Coconut Dave, Keylime and DAR LA WAN. A Carmen Miranda lookalike and the Second Story Stilt Walkers will perform in the casino from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly.

Maryland Considers Slots - BALTIMORE, MD – Picture a half-dozen glittering, slot machine-filled casinos - built and owned by the state of Maryland - pumping a steady stream of cash straight into the state treasury.

To opponents, the idea is an impractical, ill-advised encroachment by government into the realm of private business. To supporters, it's a common-sense way to raise money for vital public programs without lining the pockets of politically connected developers and businesses.

It's a debate Marylanders are bound to hear more about as the state weighs again whether to legalize slot machine gambling and, if so, whether to let the government run the enterprise and keep the proceeds as it does with the lottery. House Speaker Michael E. Busch has promoted state-owned casino-style facilities as an alternative to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s proposal to put slots at four racetracks.

And the state - rather than a few racetrack owners - would pocket most of the cash. Some of the money would be designated to boost racing and finance racetrack improvements.

Busch said he still thinks that using slots to raise revenue is poor public policy. But if slots become inevitable, he said, the state has to make sure it crafts the best deal for taxpayers. A spokesman for Ehrlich said the administration is reserving judgment until it learns more about the public ownership idea.