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Kentucky casino plans thrown out
Board approves Maine’s first casino
maineevent UNITED STATES
The Maine Gambling Control Board has unani- mously approved the state’s first fully fledged casino in Bangor. The board granted a gaming licence to Holly- wood Slots Hotel and Raceway and approved its plans to rebrand as Holly- wood Casino. The venue is currently a slots-only oper- ation but is expected to open under the new Holly- wood Casino banner on March 16 with the state’s first table games. There will be six tables
Under the terms of the defeated bill, up to seven casinos were on the cards, mostly at race tracks
Not long after Florida rejected Integrated Resorts, state senators in Kentucky followed suit to vote a bill that would have allowed casinos in the heart of American horseracing.
fightingfit UNITED STATES
The Kentucky Senate threw out a bill that could have paved the way for up to seven casinos to be set up in the state. Senators voted 21 to 16 against bringing the propos- als to the people in the upcom- ing elections. It needed 23 votes to pass muster.
NEWSBRIEFS
Revel to open in April A new $2.4bn (E1.8bn) casino-hotel in Atlantic City will open on April 2. The Revel resort features 1,800 guest rooms and is seen as a key to a turn- around of the region’s troubled gaming market. Revel fell victim to the
recession and remained unfinished for years before a financial package was put together that involved the
12 March 2012 • northamericanews Supporters of the initia-
tive argued that the approval of casinos would benefit the state’s racing industry and provide money for social services. The bill, recently amended by a senate com- mittee includes a provision that no casino that is not at a racetrack can be located within 60 miles of a race- track, effectively restricting casinos to racetracks within the state’s most densely pop- ulated corridor – an area that includes Lexington, Louisville, and the Kentucky side of the greater Cincin- nati area. Governor Steve Beshear,
who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cam- paign contributions last year from the racing industry during his successful re- election campaign, was
scathing about the tactics used to defeat the bill. He said: “Obviously I am disappointed that several of the senators who had pub- licly said they would support letting the people decided did not follow through on their commit- ment to our citizens. I am also disappointed and Senator Williams [the Senate president] chose to sabo- tage the chance for our citi- zens to decide by scheduling the vote for today when he knew that a senator who planned to vote ‘yes’ would not be in town.” In the run-up to the vote, Beshear frequently cited complaints from the racing industry that it is losing ground to racetracks in states where casinos sub- sidise purses. Kentucky,
state of New Jersey. The 1,800 rooms are expected to put
pressure on other casino-hotels in the nation’s second largest gaming market that has been facing growing competition from Pennsylvania.
Ontario casino plans hit the rocks
Plans to lift the moratorium on new casinos in Ontario, Canada, have been called into ques- tion by politicians in the region. Following the publication of a report headed by former TD Bank economist Don Drummond which called for new legislation allowing slot machines in venues other than the province’s horse racing tracks, politicians
according to Beshear, is now losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year to neigh- bouring states that already have casinos. “This issue has been on the table for almost 20 years,” he said. “We’ve hemmed and we’ve hawed as states around us pressed forward.”
The bill is unlikely to be
resurrected this year. Pro- ponents will instead try to get more senators elected who are supportive of the proposals. Part of the measure’s difficulty lay in the attempt to change the constitution that would have horse racing tracks an enshrined monopoly; the legalisation of casinos in the Kentucky may be more suc- cessful if the constitution is less entwined with the pro- posals.
for blackjack and four for Texas Hold’Em, along with Let-It-Ride poker, Three Card poker, craps and roulette. “Our official opening date is March 16,” said vice president and general manager John Osborne, “We’ve hired about 60 of the 89 people we need and have only a handful of posi- tions left to fill.” Of those 60, Osborne said 48 are dealers. The other 12 are supervisors and casino shift managers. The remaining 29 jobs will be in the form of beverage services, security, surveil- lance, cashiers, housekeep-
ing and money counters. The Gambling Control
Board issued the licence for Hollywood Slots after setting up extensive rules for table games, including everything from surveil- lance and money handling to the configuration and size of the dice. In parallel with the new gaming licence, the board also issued Maine’s first licence for a casino sup- plies distributor to Gaming Partners International. The Las Vegas-based company, which had to submit to financial reviews and back- ground checks on its exec- utives to win the licence, can now sell the dice, cards, tables and other equipment needed to furnish Maine’s first casino.
While Hollywood Casino is set to enjoy some- thing of a monopoly when it comes to casino gam- bling in the state, the venue probably won’t be the only Maine casino for long. The Gambling Control Board is expected to vote in March or April on a licence for Black Bear Development. The operator is looking to establish a casino in Oxford, and the venue is expected to open for busi- ness in May or June.
Foxwoods celebrates 20 years of success Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut celebrated its 20th anniversary in February, with the owners of the large-scale hotel-casino unveiling ambitious plans for the future. Foxwoods president and CEO Scott Butera unveiled several new business initiatives during the anniversary celebrations, including plans for a 28,000sq m upscale shopping mall. Premier Outlet Shoppes will be developed in collaboration between the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and retail developer The Gordon Group. Construction will begin this spring, with an opening anticipated in 2013.
have called on the Ontario government to conduct an impact study. Ontario’s lottery corporation is currently pushing for a casino in downtown Toronto. However, Brian Heit, former city councillor for St Catharines County, said other Ontario communities with casinos, including Windsor and Rama, would be hurt by a new gaming venue.
Industry spends millions in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts last year, the government’s decision to legalise casino gambling was considered a major victory for the industry.
However, as numerous groups continue to actively pursue a licence to operate one of the three casinos granted by the legislation, it has been announced that the new law came at no small price. To press its case at the statehouse and win over wavering lawmakers, the casino indus- try hired a small army of lobbyists who, year after year, steadily made the argument for expanded gambling in Massachusetts. According to a review of state lobbying records by the Asso- ciated Press, over the past five years the bill for all that lobbying topped $11.4m (E8.6m).
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