The Affinity Gaming company warned over the weekend that its system used to process customer credit and debit cards was hacked during a period of several months.
Involved are the company’s dozen casinos, including the three in Primm, Nevada, and another on Flamingo Road in Las Vegas.
The company also operates casinos in Iowa, Missouri and Colorado.
Company officials said they regretted the inconvenience but warned customers to check their bank statements.
Hard Rock interested in buying Atlantic City Revel
The New York Post newspaper on Friday reported that Hard Rock International is interested in acquiring the financially-troubled Revel Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City.
Such a move could save the property from having to face a second bankruptcy hearing.
Unfortunately, the $2.4 billion Revel was built for a price that far exceeded its potential during a period when the city’s 11 other casinos were struggling to regain some of the momentum the city enjoyed prior to the recession.
Casino expansion in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, and racinos in New York have applied competitive pressures that have seriously impacted Atlantic City’s properties.
According to the Post, the Seminole Nation’s Hard Rock International, already the operator of eight casinos, has been looking for a way to enter the Atlantic City market.
Officials said if they are successful in acquiring the property they probably would shut it down while making the necessary changes to brand it as a Hard Rock property.
S.D. legislature allows progressive slots in Deadwood
South Dakota legislators see the potential for multi-state linked casino slot machines that would offer “Powerball-type” jackpots and doesn’t want to be left behind.
Last week, the South Dakota legislature’s Rules Review Committee voted unanimously to authorize progressive slot machines in the Black Hills gambling town of Deadwood. It would permit slot machines there to be linked to other states, a move that already has the approval of the state Gaming Commission.
Officials noted that gaming regulators in Nevada and New Jersey also are looking seriously at permitting slot machines to be tied to machines in other states to develop multi-state progressive jackpots.
Andrew Pascal’s app gaining Internet luster
As the country moves toward online gambling, either through Congressional approval or by the entry of individual states, some entrepreneurs have been anticipating the expansion by preparing vehicles that would make them a part of the movement.
One such individual is Andrew Pascal.
With two Las Vegas experiences behind him, that of a casino executive at the Golden Nugget and later as president and chief operating officer of the two Wynn Resorts properties on the Strip, Pascal has a gaming background that places him in a forward position when it comes to anticipating the country’s mood toward gambling.
And, with experience in the Silicon Valley, where he developed and later sold Silicon Gaming, Pascal knows the importance of technology and its involvement with the future.
So it was no surprise he would develop, through a new Silicon Valley company called PlayStudios, an applications platform that combines traditional slot machine play with elements of social gaming, which Zynga made popular on Facebook.
With funding assistance from MGM Resorts International, Pascal’s company has developed an app called myVegas. The app permits players to accumulate comps and rewards, such as free rooms and buffets, for gambling with play chips.
Recently, in an interview with Andy Vuong of the Denver Post, Josh Swissman, vice president of corporate marketing for MGM, said, “The mobile launch (of myVegas) has exceeded everyone’s expectations. We’re in the millions of downloads now. Just a few weeks ago, it was the No. 1 casino application in the iTunes App store. It was the No. 8 overall game application. And we got it as high as No. 14 for all apps overall in the entire iTunes app ecosystem.”
The reason for the Denver Post interest in Pascal’s myVegas is because the State of Colorado is strongly considering entering the online gaming field. In its most recent legislative session, Colorado’s lawmakers reviewed a bill that would authorize Internet poker. Nothing came about but another push for Internet poker, or even a full gambling slate, is expected in the next legislative session.
Officials have taken notice that the Pascal technology platform can easily be converted from non-gambling to real money play.
Like other states, Colorado could use the revenue online gambling would generate. Thus, state officials are closely monitoring Internet gambling currently in play in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware.
Many believe California will be the next state to approve Internet gambling but Colorado might not be far behind.
No horses, yet, at Ohio’s newest racino
Company officials said several thousands of people braved the extremely cold temperatures last week to greet the opening of Ohio’s newest racino.
Owners of the Miami Valley Gaming casino, formerly known as Lebanon Raceway, are Delaware North Companies of Buffalo, New York, and Churchill Downs Inc. (CHDN), the former horse racing company that has made substantial moves in the gaming industry during the past year.
However, calling the property a racino may be premature.
Yes, the $175 million “entertainment venue” has 1,600 Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) but it doesn’t have any horses. It doesn’t even have a racing license from the Ohio State Racing Commission.
The problem developed when state racing officials visited the facility and found there were no mutual clerks to take wagers on races being simulcast into the track. And, the operators indicated they didn’t plan to hire any clerks when live racing begins, hopefully in early February.
Instead, they rely on stand-alone self-service machines to dispense horse race bets after fans have completed the work of entering the necessary information, as well as the amount of money being wagered. For those fans who are unfamiliar with the machines, the management has stationed information clerks in the wagering area.
The lack of pari-mutuel clerks has “upset a lot of Miami Valley people who are now going to River Downs (for full-card simulcasts),” said Bill Crawford, the Commission’s executive director.
Crawford said it was not unusual for tracks to reduce the number of live clerks when business slowed but to not have any was unknown at Ohio tracks.
From management’s point of view, it is merely a question of “dollars and cents.” They note the previous track operator “lost a lot of money, so the goal for this operation was to be on the cutting edge of technology.
“Technology is something we can’t stop. No doubt the approach we’re taking is radical. It’s also a labor issue. It’s intense, and we’re trying to reduce labor,” said General Manager Jim Simms.
That didn’t satisfy Commission members. They want a meeting to determine the “proper mix of pari-mutuel clerks and self-service machines,” before they issue a racing license.
O’Sheas Casino on Las Vegas Strip reopening
A storefront Las Vegas Strip casino known for its casual party atmosphere is reopening after closing in 2012 to make way for an outdoor promenade and Ferris wheel project.
O’Sheas casino is expected to open its doors on Friday after a formal ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Irish-themed casino, owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp. closed in April 2012 to make room for Caesars’ $550 million Linq Project, which includes a Ferris wheel that will be the largest in the world when it debuts next year.
The new O’Sheas features elements of the original casino, including beer pong and foosball.