U.S. appetite for gambling grew in '03
As reported by CBS MarketWatch

In its annual survey of casino revenue, visitation and demographics, the American Gaming Association trade group found that 53.4 million people visited U.S. gambling halls in 2003, a jump of about 2 million from the year before.

Bettors made a total of 310 million trips to the nation's 443 commercial casinos, generating about $27 billion worth of gross gambling revenue. That is up 2 percent from 2002, but more than double the figure 10 years ago.

While that is less than the $41.5 billion Americans spent on fishing, it tops the $23.8 billion spent on DVD/VHS rentals and sales, the $10.3 billion shelled out at amusement parks and the $9.5 billion dropped at the movie box office.

Plus, the $27 billion figure does not include money spent on hotel rooms, meals and entertainment -- a substantial and growing piece of the industry pie.

Nevada earned its crown as the king of gambling markets, with $9.6 billion in gross gaming revenues, followed by New Jersey at $4.5 billion, Mississippi's $2.7 billion and Indiana's $2.2 billion. Louisiana, with $2 billion, rounded out the top five.

Celine Returns to the Stage After Injury

LAS VEGAS -- Celine Dion and the entire cast of A New Day... returned to The Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace on Wednesday, May 26th after a two-week hiatus. Celine had sprained a muscle in her neck during a performance Mother's Day week and was under doctor's orders not to perform to ensure that the neck muscle would heal properly.

"I know I don't have to talk to you about the last two weeks...because I could talk for hours," said Celine as she addressed the rapt audience early in the show. "But things happen and sometimes we get injured," she tearfully continued. "I've missed being here, I've missed you and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for giving us the privilege to perform for you."