Gaming briefs for May 11, 2004

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.

Borgata helps lift AC casino win

ATLANTIC CITY -- New Jersey casinos won $394.2 million from gamblers last month, a 15.7 percent increase over April 2003, the state Casino Control Commission reported Monday.

For the month, gamblers lost $297.9 million at slot machines and $96.3 million at table games -- both double-digit increases over the same month last year.

While the increases may look impressive at first blush, the year-to-year comparison is skewed by the entry into the Atlantic City market of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which opened last July.

The Borgata won $52.7 million from gamblers last month, accounting for nearly all of the year-to-year gain in total casino revenue, which was $53.4 million.

Tribe weighing casino plan

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Members of the Hopi Tribe will decide next week whether to build a casino near Winslow.

The tribe had considered leasing the slot machines it is allowed under state law to casinos in other parts of the state. But tribal spokeswoman Vanessa Charles said the tribal council determined that leased machines wouldn't generate as much revenue as building a casino.

"It's not economically viable for us to lease gaming devices," Charles said. "With leasing, there is no real way for the tribe to maximize this asset."

On May 19, Hopi Tribe members will decide whether to build a casino on tribal trust land outside Winslow, near Interstate 40.

If the measure passes, the tribe would build a casino with 400 to 500 machines. It could lease the other 400 to 500 machines the tribe is alloted under Arizona law.

The casino is expected to generate $24 million annually.