Месяц: Июль 2014

The annual Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club (CCGTCC) recently held the largest casino collectible show of its kind at South Point Casino, drawing approximately 1,800 people.
The very successful show featured 55 different dealers from around the country with over 75 table spaces sold. Many of the dealers said it was their best show ever! Admission was $15 on opening day and free on Friday and Saturday.
If you’ve never seen a chip collector’s show, it’s quite an amazing sight! You can’t imagine how many chips are in that room or the total value of what all those chips might even be worth!
One of the highlights was a chip being sold for $75,000! The buyer remains anonymous but the chip was a $5 “Golden Goose” from Las Vegas.
Before my time but, apparently between 1975-1980, there was a Golden Goose Casino in downtown Las Vegas. What makes this rare chip so valuable is uncertain but the buyer must have known its value!
All sorts of other casino collectibles were on display for buyers, sellers and traders. Besides casino chips, there were poker chips, casino $1 coins, tokens, and casino logo items like matchbooks, dice, playing cards, swizzle sticks, slot club cards, hotel room keys and ashtrays.
You may want to look in your drawers and closets at home and see what you might have laying around for the next show. Just imagine if you found a Golden Goose chip!
A local chapter of CCGTCC is the Southern Nevada Casino Collectibles Club (SNCCC). This friendly group of collectors is interested primarily in casino chips and casino coins, past and present, but also buys, sells, auctions and trades all sorts of other casino memorabilia.
The group meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the El Cortez Casino in downtown Las Vegas in the Founder’s Room directly off the lobby on the second floor. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12. For September only, the meeting will move to the Fiesta Room.
The regular meetings begin at 7 p.m., however members begin arriving as early as 6 to share stories and do a little swapping, trading and buying between each other. They also run a 50/50 raffle for cash and/or prizes that is quite a lot of fun.
The meetings are short and sweet but the fun begins with a guest speaker afterward. Usually a local gaming expert, casino exec, a collector or someone presenting some useful and helpful information is scheduled to speak for about 20 minutes and will take questions and answers following the presentation.
An auction of casino chips or related items usually follows the meeting and speakers as well as pulling the drawing winners.
A year’s membership to SNCCC is only $12 payable at the door. That’s a dollar a month for a good time and a great learning experience for new collectors as well as established collectors looking to broaden their contacts and collect some new chips for their collection. A new potential member can attend a first meeting as guest at no charge just to see what the group is all about! Plan to attend a meeting and join in on the fun!
Valet parking is available and the parking garage for the El Cortez is directly behind the casino with a security guard at the entrance. There is no charge for parking in the garage when attending a meeting.
SNCCC will host their own collector’s show on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4 at the El Cortez in the Fiesta Room, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. both days. Admission is only $5 for one day or $7 for both days. The group’s website can be found at: http://snccc.weebly.com. They also publish a monthly newsletter. For more information about CCGTCC

We’re approaching just 50 days until the return of the big two-day SuperContest weekend at the LVH Pavilion on Aug. 22-23.
The weekend is the appetizer for the prestigious SuperContest where contestants can win their share of nearly $1.5 million (based on number of entrants).
“The SuperContest is the most prestigious pro football handicapping contest and is without rival in Las Vegas,” said Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations. “It has doubled in size over the last two years and we fully expect this amazing growth to continue in 2014.”
The SuperContest weekend begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 with a handicapping seminar featuring some of the top names in the business, and it’s free to the public. There’s also a golf event Saturday with a free entry to the SuperContest as one of the prizes.

The political and judicial process has to be wearing on casino industry strategists who may spend billions on new Massachusetts resorts despite the continued growling of special interests that has created a lot of uncertainty.
And that’s before we get to the changes brought about by increasing competition that has transformed what used to be the “casino business” into a something-for-everyone colossus known as the gaming and entertainment industry. Kind of like a Walmart superstore business model with endless arrays of distractions (opportunities for spending) all under one roof.
Yes, the gaming and entertainment business is a very interesting place these days what with the biggest companies – all of them based in Las Vegas – weighing business opportunities in Japan, Macau, various domestic markets and even Las Vegas, the latter being a kind of ultimate destination for business from elsewhere because you can’t beat those Nevada tax rates.
Which is why it is easy to imagine the big thinkers within Wynn Resorts and MGM contemplating a thanks but no thanks reaction to a narrow approval of their resort plans in the November referendum.
What margin of approval do they want to see before giving their developments a final green light?
I have no idea, and my speculation about a possible withdrawal from the state is exactly that – speculation. The fact is so-called super spenders have learned a lot from unhappy experiences in other markets.
Illinois remains a wonderful example of a state that keeps sending mixed messages. I remember the Illinois casino executive who a few years ago told me, “I feel like I’m working behind enemy lines.” Anything less than a significant margin in November will tell Massachusetts gaming opponents they might want to try again in a couple years.
The good news for decision makers in MGM and Wynn is by the time of the November vote the opportunities for both companies in Japan may be much for visible than they are now. Beyond that there is whatever may be available in New York as the legal casino business takes root there.
The casino business is a very interesting place these days. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may still find a way to give Atlantic City’s beleaguered casinos a big boost. But considering recent events he may have to run for president, get elected and then appoint an attorney general who can put the Justice Department on a short leash when it comes to enforcing the federal prohibition that has kept Christie from bringing sports betting to Atlantic City’s 10 remaining casinos.
The Supreme Court refused without comment to hear the state’s appeal of federal court rulings that said 1992 congressional action effectively bars New Jersey from getting into the sports betting business.
Assuming Christie decides to go after the GOP nomination in 2016 there’s no telling how many casinos may be left in Atlantic City.
The Atlantic Club and Showboat are recent victims of the economic tailspin that has taken a big toll on the casino business since 2006 when serious competition began to materialize in neighboring states.
More competition is on the way even if Massachusetts voters and some people of influence are still not certain whether they want to keep moving forward or repeal the three-year-old action that may or may not see MGM and Wynn Resorts spend billions there.
When these two companies are in something of a New York state of mind, besides having Japan, Macau and other Asian possibilities to think about New Jersey and even Massachusetts may not occupy as much space in the thought processes of strategic thinkers as they once did.
It’s difficult to imagine major companies wanting to commit to any big spending in Atlantic City until it is apparent what may be possible near New York City and in northern New Jersey, which is just minutes away from the Big Apple.
And then there are always the ongoing efforts of Sheldon Adelson’s blitz attack that he hopes will torpedo Internet gaming activities for everyone.
This about Adelson: he thinks big.
The Las Vegas Sands CEO has himself some of the best influence his millions can buy as he pushes forward with the silly argument that the Internet gaming favored by some of his casino industry colleagues represents a kind of moral cancer besides opening doors to wannabe teen gamblers anxious to use their parents’ credit cards for nefarious Internet forays.
Common sense does not always have a lot to do with what happens.

This morning Westgate Resorts officially announced the acquisition of the LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino as the newest addition to its portfolio of 28 resorts. The property, located just one block off the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, was formerly known as the Las Vegas Hilton and will be renamed Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
The LVH, a landmark property, was at one time the largest hotel in the world and home to such legendary greats as Elvis Presley and Liberace during Vegas’s golden age. It is adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, and is one of seven stations on the Las Vegas Monorail.
David Siegel, founder and CEO of Westgate Resorts, proudly announced, “Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino will set the standard for service in Las Vegas…We are very excited to be taking this important part of Vegas history and reinventing it for the next generation of Las Vegas visitors.”
The resort is 30 stories tall and is home to the largest freestanding sign in the world at 279 feet. With nearly 3,000 rooms, including 300 suites, Westgate will convert some of the rooms to luxury timeshare villas while still operating the resort hotel rooms and suites. There is also a 95,000 square foot casino with a wide array of table games and slot machines, 200,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, several restaurants, including the largest Benihana restaurant in the United States, entertainment, a spa and fitness center, expansive pool with cabanas, access to golf at the exclusive Las Vegas Country Club, and a race and sports book.
“Although a selection of our rooms will be converted into timeshare villas, it is important to know that our resort hotel and legendary luxury suites will remain open to Las Vegas visitors and tourists for vacations and conventions,” explained Siegel. “We will be providing the best of both worlds on our resort property.”
Financing is being provided by Western Alliance Resort Finance, a division of Western Alliance Bank.
Westgate Resorts closed on the property on June 30, 2014, and will retain Navegante Group, a well-known casino management company that has been managing the property since October 2012, to continue to operate the property.

Anti-casino activists are calling on lawmakers to exclude about $73 million in casino licensing and slot parlor revenues in the state budget they are set to finalize this week.
Repeal the Casino Deal chairman John Ribeiro, in a statement Monday, said the "phantom" revenue won’t exist if voters repeal the casino law in November.
The state’s high court last week cleared the way for a voter referendum on the state’s 2011 casino law, which authorized the licensing of up to three casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts.
A $36.5 billion House-Senate compromise budget reached over the weekend includes about $53 million in casino-related revenues and $20 million in slot revenues.
The $20 million represents how much profit the state expects from Penn National Gaming once its slot parlor at the Plainridge harness racing track opens in 2015, according to state officials. The $53 million in casino revenues represents what lawmakers plan to budget from payments by MGM Resorts International, which this month was awarded the state’s first casino license for a proposed $800 million development in Springfield.
The Las Vegas-based casino giant must pay the state an $85 million licensing fee. But some $30 million of that fee is already earmarked for other state-related costs, officials said. And under an agreement reached with the state Gaming Commission, MGM does not have to pay the fee unless the casino repeal question is defeated by voters in November.
Lawmakers are due to vote on the budget bill on Monday. The fiscal year starts Tuesday.

Following its successful 2012 and 2013 introductions of several new transformational products for the Nevada route/gaming industry, United Coin Machine Company, the company known for its wildly successful signature product – Gamblers Bonus, continues its evolution with a new name: Century Gaming Technologies (Century). According to Steve Arntzen, president and CEO, the new name better reflects the services and products the company provides in the two states in which it operates, Nevada and Montana.
“We have evolved to be a true provider of innovative and leading edge gaming technology, not just a slot route operator,” said Arntzen of Century which is now enjoying a centralization of key functions to bring management under one roof for operations in both states. Previously, the company operated as Century Gaming in Montana and United Coin Machine Company in Nevada. Combined, the company employs more than 250 people in two states.
“This centralization not only streamlines operations to realize significant economies of scale for the company, it encourages implementation of best practices and policies that combine to make Century products smarter and far more advanced,” Arntzen said. “This has been more than two years in the making, and we are now extremely well positioned to thrive and weather the changes of our dynamic industry.”
One of the major technological upgrades recently implemented at Century was the installation of Game Tender which allows for continual monitoring, faster bonus awarding and even more accurate data – up to every 10 seconds – of the company’s gaming machines and systems at 440 locations in Southern Nevada, alone. According to Arntzen, “Remote access and monitoring is beneficial to our employees who can instantaneously and remotely check on machine performance via proprietary Game Tender software.” The benefit of this technology is even more significant for bar and tavern owners who can literally capture a continual stream of data via customized reports about each machine and player in their venue. “Not only are location owners benefiting from this new technology, but Century owns and is able to monitor and dispatch tech support in real time using smartphone applications which streamlines and enhances overall customer service and delivery. It’s a gold mine of marketing information to give owners greater insights into their business,” said Arntzen.
Century’s newest product, i3 allows cash for play not only at Gamblers Bonus locations, but at any gaming establishment. The hook: you don’t have to be a member of the coveted Gamblers Bonus program to reap the benefits. Named for its interactive, instant and inclusive features, i3 was recently installed at 54 Rebel gas stations and convenience stores in southern Nevada. According to Arntzen, the i3 system is ideal for busy convenience store employees and owners. “Our system provides valuable marketing information to management while delivering strong technology support to convenience store clerks who don’t have the ability to have direct one-on-one contact with key players.” The new system also has strong applications for smaller bars inside larger casino properties. “This offering is incredibly valuable to our gaming partners and allows us to broaden our stake in Nevada gaming since customers don’t have to vend with us to take advantage of the many gaming technology advances we offer. This is the case with Rebel and many others with whom we are now working.”
Another key factor, Century houses and manages all of these tech-savvy advances in-house, making even easier the ability to provide customized reports and marketing data to all its accounts. “We’ve worked hard internally to ensure we have the manpower and know-how to hit the ground running. We are back and better than ever,” stated Arntzen.
Century’s core business remains vending machines at venues with restricted gaming licenses, but the company is doing so by fully embracing technology to evolve its products and better meet the changing preferences of players. Next up for Century is the addition of 11 new games to its PowerVision multi-game, multi-denominational machine launched in 2013. Considered one of the company’s key products, PowerVision features all new video poker games with video slots and groundbreaking keno titles with multipliers, bonus rounds and superior quality animated graphics – a leg up from tradition brick and mortar keno games.