WHO ARE THEY: This Massachusetts-based hard rock quartet’s big break was due in part to the band’s run-in with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst at a show in Hartford, Conn., in 1997, when Staind was slated to open for Limp Bizkit. Backstage before the show began, the volatile Durst got into a heated exchange with the members of Staind over the cover art of their self-released CD, but after witnessing their live performance he was impressed and exchanged phone numbers with the musicians. A major record label deal was soon to follow and the rest is rock history. Staind’s breakthrough album was 2002’s “Break the Cycle,” which featured the hit single, “It’s Been Awhile”. Three of the band’s five albums have entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart” at No. 1.
WHAT TO EXPECT: These hard rockers rode the post-grunge wave of success in the early 2000s and amassed a sizeable following in the process. Staind is known for putting on a heavy show filled with a good mixture of material from all of their albums. There is not much change in the setlists from night to night, however. In recent years, singer Aaron Lewis has toured as a solo artist while the band has been inactive, but the full band finally returned to the stage late last month. Though the band is known for its hit albums more than its hit singles, fans can definitely expect to hear the band’s biggest hit “It’s Been Awhile.”

MONTICELLO — SUNY Sullivan and Sullivan County BOCES are planning workforce-training programs to help meet the needs of casinos.

A big part of this will be helping applicants determine what casino-related jobs they're most suited for, and "where they fit in the new economy," college President Karin Hilgersom told the county's Casino Impacts Subcommittee Monday afternoon. She said some of the jobs casinos could create will be ones that require an associate's or even a bachelor's degree.

"We're confident we can meet the needs of the workforce as it changes through casinos and resorts," Hilgersom said.

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The state is expected to grant two casino licenses in the Catskills/Hudson Valley region; there are a dozen applications in the region, four of which are in Sullivan County.

Marc Baez, the head of the Sullivan County Partnership, updated the committee on the efforts to drum up vocal public support for the casinos — local support is part of the formula the state's going to look at. He said they are trying to get as many support letters as possible; soon, he said, they're going to start running radio ads as well.

Legislator Alan Sorenson, the chair of the subcommittee, also briefly touched on the issue of the Industrial Development Agency and tax abatements for casinos, saying the Legislature should discuss the issue soon. Sorenson has been skeptical of giving casinos tax abatements.

Billionaire real estate investor Neil Bluhm and Unite Here Local 1 have settled a series of charges over the union's drive to organize workers at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the state's most lucrative gambling hall.
Mr. Bluhm's Chicago-based company, Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, which owns the casino near O'Hare International Airport, agreed to post notices at Rivers saying employees may choose to organize and join a union under federal law, according to a copy of the settlement.
The notices also say employees can choose not to participate in union efforts. Among other points, Midwest Gaming states in the notices it will not ask casino employees whether they support a union or threaten them with job loss if they do. The postings must remain up at the casino for 60 consecutive days, the settlement shows.
LAUNCHED DRIVE LAST YEAR
Best known for representing hotel workers, Chicago-based Local 1 launched a drive last year to unionize Rivers Casino, 3000 S. River Road. Rivers reported $418.7 in gross receipts in 2013, the most among the state's 10 casinos, according to the Illinois Gaming Board.
Local 1 levied a series of unfair-labor-practice charges against Midwest Gaming as part of the drive, saying the casino's management was intimidating workers about joining the union.
The notices “will, basically, require the casino not to interfere with employees' right to organize,” a union spokeswoman said.
She declined to discuss the status of the organizing drive, including whether the group will file to create a union through an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board or through “card check.” Under card check, an employer agrees to recognize and negotiate with a union without an election if at least 50 percent of its employees sign cards saying they want to organize.
'RESPECTS THE RIGHTS'
Rivers Casino noted in a statement it admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement and that it takes “great pride in our team and respects the rights of our Team Members to choose whether or not to be represented by a union.”
“We feel strongly that all Team Members should be able to make their choices in an environment that is free of harassment and intimidation,” the statement said. “So far, our Team Members have chosen to remain independent. That is their choice and their right.”
Local 1 is trying to organize the majority of the casino's approximately 1,443 workers, including cooks, attendants and bartenders. Last October, parking attendants and valets at the casino voted 13 to 5 to reject joining the Teamsters union, according to a labor board filing.

A training session for city residents interested in applying for jobs at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore will be held this Thursday and Friday (May 1 and 2) between 6-9 pm at the Liberty Rec and Technology Center, 3901 Maine Avenue.

“There is still space available,” said program trainer Linda Towe, even though the website says the event is sold out.

The free session (register here) will help prepare applicants with resume writing, interview skills and job readiness training. Those completing the two-day program will receive a “Horseshoe Legendary Academy” certificate that will give them a “leg up” during interviews for casino jobs next week at M&K Bank Stadium, Towe said.

Casino operator Caesars Entertainment and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake are seeking 1,200 city residents to fill jobs when the casino opens at the end of summer.

A major hiring event will take place next Monday through Wednesday (May 5-7) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the northeast suite of M&T Stadium, located at 1101 Russell St.

Job applicants must be at least 21 years old, with a high school diploma or GED, able to pass a drug test and with no gambling offenses or other serious crimes, including theft and fraud, for the last seven years.

Law360, Washington (May 08, 2014, 5:18 PM ET) -- A Wisconsin federal judge on Tuesday ordered the tribal owner of a Milwaukee bingo casino to turn over to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission information regarding a former employee's discrimination dispute, ruling the tribe was not immune to federal age discrimination law.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community must comply with an EEOC subpoena related to age-based complaints filed by its employees, requested in an age discrimination case filed by former Potawatomi Bingo Casino security shift manager Federico Colon, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ordered, finding the tribe is subject to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act despite its claims that it was exempt from the law.

“The present case does not touch on the tribe’s right to self-governance in purely intramural matters,” Adelman said. “Accordingly, the tribe’s relationship with Colon is covered by the ADEA.”

Although the EEOC had argued that federal agencies are entitled to serve and enforce subpoenas even when statutory coverage for the target of that probe is in question, making the ADEA's applicability irrelevant, this was not the case in this dispute, Judge Adelman ruled, finding the subpoena was within an exemption to that provision.

Nevertheless, she also disagreed with the tribe’s contention that it is not an employer under the ADEA, noting that generally applicable federal statutes are considered to apply to tribes unless that law specifically addresses its applicability or meets certain specific exemptions.

The ADEA itself is silent on its application to tribal employers, but is a generally applicable law, broadly covering employers with 20 or more employees — a definition there is “no question” the bingo casino meets — which “easily” encompasses Indian tribes in their capacities as operators of commercial enterprises, according to the order.

Judge Adelman rejected the tribe’s claim that it is not a “person” subject to the ADEA because the statute specifically breaks out states and state-related entities to note they are considered to be employers, which the tribe argued implied that governmental entities — including Indian tribes — do not fit within the act’s definition of a “person" unless specifically referred to in the law.

This construction, however, is because the original 1967 version of the bill excluded states, and the specific definition was needed when Congress changed its mind and the bill was amended to include them under its provisions in 1974, the judge ruled.

Even if states were excluded from the law’s definition of “persons,” this does not automatically mean such an exclusion would also apply to tribes, because although courts may occasionally treat tribes as sovereigns and grant them exclusions from such definitions, this was not the case for generally applicable laws, Judge Adelman found.

She rejected the tribe’s claim that it could also be considered exempt from the ADEA in the matter because of the legal exemption allowed for self-governance of intramural matters, ruling that the employment relationship between a tribe-operated casino and non-Indian employee “obviously” didn’t count under this exemption and its argument that casino income is an important source of tribal revenue, making it an intramural matter, is overbroad.

The tribe’s argument that a previous EEOC ruling dismissing another discrimination case against the tribe by ruling it was not subject to the ADEA should mean it is not subject to the subpoena also holds no water, as the commission is not bound by statements made in a dismissal determination, according to the order.

Further, the EEOC was not legally required to conciliate before filing its subpoena, contrary to the tribe's claims, and neither was the information sought by the commission in the subpoena irrelevant, Judge Adelman ruled, saying the demand was designed to determine how the casino treated similarly situated employees.

A representative for the Forest County Potawatomi Community told Law360 Friday that the tribe does not discriminate based on age, and noted it was keeping its options open on whether to appeal.

"Various courts have reached different conclusions on the issue [of] whether the EEOC has jurisdiction to enforce the ADEA on tribal lands," it said.

The EEOC is represented by its attorneys P. David Lopez, James Lee, Gwendolyn Young Reams, Jean P. Kamp and Dennis R. McBride.

The Potawatomi tribe is represented by Andrew S. Oettinger, Rufino Gaytan III and Brian L. Pierson of Godfrey & Kahn SC.

The case is Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Forest County Potawatomi Community, case number 2:13-mc-00061, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Video poker is among the most sought-after games by players in online casinos. It's hard to stand up to the widespread appeal of online video poker. Aside from being fun and easy to play, video poker is a game which doesn't rely only on luck, but is one which can be learned to bring about better results, thanks to the clear pay tables found in video poker games which show return on players' wagers.

Despite the name, video poker is quite different from other typical instances of poker, one of the main differences being that it is a single player game which pits the player against a machine and not a dealer. In standard poker, the ultimate goal of video poker is to hold the best five card hand possible.

Video Poker Variations

Video poker is characterized by its many variations which differ one from the other in rules, pay back percentages, variances and so on. Online casinos usually offer many variations of video poker, Old Havana Casino is a good example with its offering of 17 different video poker types. Let's look at some of the popular video poker variations available in the casino:

Jacks or Better - An optimal video poker variation for newbies, it is also the most common type found in both land-based and online casinos. It's a draw style poker game where players strive to have at least a pair of jacks or anything better at any given time, also explaining its name.

Deuces Wild - A common variation, Deuces Wild provides players with greater chances to get winning hands because, as its name suggests, all cards with a value of two are wild.

All American Video Poker - With somewhat of a patriotic vibe, All American Video Poker offers increased payouts for straight flushes, flushes and straights.