Gaming briefs for April 21, 2004

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | 10:47 a.m.

Record passenger count reported in March

A record 3.6 million passengers used McCarran International Airport in March and first-quarter traffic is 11.9 percent ahead of last year's pace.

Paced by double-digit percentage increases in the number of passengers for three of the top five commercial carriers serving McCarran, the airport surpassed the previous monthly high of 3.5 million passengers reported in March 2001.

McCarran market leader Southwest Airlines showed a 13.2 percent increase over March 2003 to 1.1 million passengers while No. 4 Delta Air Lines had a 13 percent spike over the same month a year ago to 253,727. No. 2 America West Airlines was up 11.9 percent to 579,913 for the month.

For the first quarter, McCarran traffic climbed to 9.7 million passengers.

Casino take increases

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi's 29 state-licensed casinos won $259.3 million in March, an increase from the $240.1 million won in the same month a year ago.

The 12 casinos on the Gulf Coast took in $110.7 million in March, according to the Mississippi State Tax Commission.

Panel debates casino plan

JUNEAU, Alaska -- The House Finance Committee heard arguments Monday for and against a bill that could lead to a casino opening in Anchorage.

Anchorage furrier Perry Green is pushing the measure. He wants to open a casino in the closed Alaska Seafood International building in Anchorage.

He portrayed his proposal as a $100 million construction project that would boost home values in the area by 20 percent while creating hundreds of jobs.

Guy Warren of the Presbytery of Alaska, representing 15 Presbyterian churches, argued that a casino likely would cost the state more money in social problems than it would raise for the budget.

The state Department of Revenue estimated a casino could raise $8.6 million to $10.4 million in state taxes, but cautioned that the department needs more information to accurately project revenue.

Assistant Attorney General Mike Barnhill said the measure eventually could lead to authorization of casinos on Indian lands in Alaska, but it's not clear how much land would fall into that category.

The committee took no action Monday on the bill.