Gaming briefs for Feb. 9, 2004

Monday, Feb. 9, 2004 | 11:19 a.m.

LV company said to be in talks with Macau tycoon

HONG KONG -- Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho is in talks with MGM MIRAGE to form a casino venture in the former Portuguese colony, the Sunday Morning Post reported, citing industry officials it didn't identify.

The proposed partnership is part of Ho's plans to protect his gaming business and will allow MGM MIRAGE, the No. 3 U.S. casino company, to enter Macau's gaming industry, the newspaper said.

MGM MIRAGE of Las Vegas finished fifth among 21 consortiums bidding for three gaming licenses in 2001, the Post reported.

Ho's private casino company operates 12 venues in Macau.

His four-decade monopoly on Macau's gaming industry ended in 2002 when the Chinese territory gave casino licenses to Steve Wynn, chairman and chief executive of Wynn Resorts Ltd., builder of a resort on the Las Vegas Strip; and Sheldon Adelson, owner of The Venetian resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Casino drops signature jingle

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The wonder of it all apparently isn't so wondrous anymore.

Foxwoods Resort Casino said it will drop the finger-snappin' jazzy jingle that has been the centerpiece of its advertising campaign since 1999.

" 'The Wonder of it All' is the kind of ad jingle marketers dream about," Martin Kramer, director of advertising at Foxwoods, said. "We've had great success, but you just can't keep doing the same thing the whole time."

Foxwoods is considering four firms to replace Trahan, Burden & Charles, the Baltimore firm that currently handles the creative portion of the casino's advertising program.

Mohegan Sun will also seek a new advertisement, after masses have accepted its invitation to "Come Play."

Mohegan Sun is reviewing seven firms, including current advertiser Cliff Freeman & Partners of New York, for creative services and media planning.

Lawmakers split on expansion

DES MOINES, Iowa -- State lawmakers are split on whether to expand gambling in Iowa, with nearly half who responded to a survey saying the state shouldn't grant more casino licenses.

Two-thirds of the Legislature responded to a survey by The Des Moines Register, with 47 percent saying they opposed granting new licenses vs. 40 percent in favor. The rest were undecided.

The question of whether to allow table games such as blackjack at racetrack casinos drew an even closer split. The survey found 42 percent opposed to the idea and 38 percent in favor, with the rest unsure.

House Speaker Christopher Rants said the survey results confirmed his expectation that gambling expansion will probably pass or fail by a few votes.

"This is a debate that's up for grabs," Rants, R-Sioux City, said.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission set the stage for a gambling debate by asking the Legislature for direction on several issues, including whether the state should lift its five-year-old moratorium on new casino licenses.

Residents in Black Hawk, Franklin, Palo Alto, Wapello and Worth counties counties have voted to authorize new casinos and are waiting for the Legislature to make up its mind.