Trends, News & Interesting Reads

A court ruling in Austria regarding a casino's responsibility for a gambling addict's losses may compel other countries to review their own policies. Most countries protect the casino businesses by limiting casino's culpability for gambling addicts' losses.  Now there's more pressure on the Grande Vegas casino and other land-based and online casinos to act more carefully to exclude compulsive gamblers from the games.

The Austrian Appeals Court has ruled that the two casinos where compulsive gambler Christian Hainz lost almost half a million pounds must reimburse him for his losses, based on their failure to keep the known gambling addict out of the casino. Courts in other countries are reviewing the Austrian case as they consider who bears responsibility for fueling a gambler's obsessive gambling behaviors.  

Over the last few months things have been moving quickly for Elaine Wynn. Ms. Wynn was embroiled in a court case with her husband for many years as he tried to exclude her from the decision-making process in the Vegas games company that she helped him start.

But since December, when news of Steve Wynn's sexual misconduct became public and he was forced to step down as company CEO, Elaine's star has been rising. First, Ms. Wynn finalized an agreement with Wynn that resolved all outstanding legal issues and allowed both parties to sell their shares in Wynn Resorts. Steve Wynn immediately sold his entire portfolio of Wynn shares, making Elaine Wynn the majority shareholder in Wynn Resorts.

A bill that would have allowed MGM to build a new Bridgeport casino was shot down last week in the Connecticut State Senate, leaving the state with only its online Vegas casino for online gamers as well as two Indian casinos that are operated by the Mohegan and Pequot tribes. 

For thieves, getting your hands on a state lottery jackpot is like breaking the bank at an Vegas online casino. The cash is there and the opportunities are present. Since lotteries were made legal in the United States and Canada, numerous incidents have come to light to indicate that people are coming up with increasingly sophisticated methods of defrauding the lottery.

We know about those who have been caught. Are there others? One case study in the complexities of catching a lottery thief: 

When you start to plan your next casino excursion look up Vegas online where you can find entertainment events that add fun and excitement to your Vegas adventure. It's not easy to pick which show you want to see. Tickets can be costly -- you want to make sure that you know what's available so you can make the decision that best fits your interests and preferences.

Your hotel might well have its own entertainment choices but you don't have to stay at your hotel. Look around Vegas so that you can find the right performances for you.

The term "cybercurrency" was introduced in 2009 but it has already changed the way that many people in modern society conduct their business transactions. For Grande Vegas casino players and other land-based and online casino gamblers the decision about whether or not to use a cybercurrency is a serious one. Financial advisors have developed a guide for casino players that will give them an overview of the cybercurrency-alternative for the 21^st century. 

U.S. tribal gaming operator Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) has announced that it will be the sole operator of the new Inchon casino project. Mohegan acquired the partner's stake in the online Vegas casino themed Project Inspire which brought the  tribal company's ownership to 100 percent of the project. Mohegan made the move after deciding to expand its operations in Asia which is, they believe,  “the world’s fastest-growing major gaming and entertainment market.”

The Inchon project is expected to be completed in three to four years. Plans are for the complex to feature a 20,000 square-meter casino with 1,500 slot machines and 250 gaming tables, a three-tower luxury hotel complex with 1,350 five- and six-star guest rooms and a Paramount Studios-themed indoor-outdoor amusement park.

Poker enthusiasts and casino enterprises have been attempting to offer poker-style Vegas games to online players for many years. The legal standing of online poker was murky but now it seems that more gamers have more opportunities to compete in poker online. The increase in players, as well as the increase in featured online poker variations, is good news for the online poker industry in America which believes that the game entertainment will soon start to experience a resurgence.

East Coast gamers are anticipating the long-awaited MGM casino resort's opening which is scheduled for August 24^th. In addition to Vegas online entertainment, gamblers will have access to a land-based casino venue with opulent surroundings, top eateries and luxury accommodations.

Much attention has been focused recently on the fate of the Wynn company's Boston Harbor casino project but MGM is now stealing a bit of that thunder with a lavish opening that is drawing attention from casino observers worldwide.

Shares of MGM Resorts International are plunging and MGM is admitting that it's taking longer than expected to recover from last year’s Mandalay Bay shooting. MGM shares dropped 8.6 percent, from $3.04 billion to $32.29 billion which wiped away about $1.7 billion of market capitalization from its Vegas games empire. Instead of moving ahead after October's Mandalay Bay shooting incident the casino operator is seeing its biggest drop in month.