Gaming briefs for May 4, 2005

Wednesday, May 4, 2005 | 10:55 a.m.

Wyoming gets another chance to block Indian casino

Federal appeals-court judges considering an Indian gambling case said Tuesday that Wyoming's gambling laws are so vague and confusing they might have to ask the state's Supreme Court for clarification.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is trying to decide whether gambling could be allowed on central Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation.

A three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled in November that federal law requires Wyoming to negotiate with the Northern Arapaho tribe on rules under which a casino would operate.

Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank was granted a rehearing before the full appeals court after he argued the panel misinterpreted state law. He said if the decision stands, the state would be forced to accept forms of gambling on the reservation that are illegal everywhere else in Wyoming.

Casino boats bill advances

The Senate gave key approval Tuesday to a bill that would allow counties ban casino boat operations. The bill received second reading and is expected to get a final reading next week.

The legislation targets smaller vessels that leave a South Carolina port for international waters so that passengers can gamble before returning. It doesn't affect passenger liners.

Video poker ban in budget

North Carolina's cigarette tax would rise by 35 cents per pack, and the state would ban video poker while making changes to an anticipated lottery under a Senate budget proposal rolled out Tuesday.

Senate Democrats met for more than three hours behind closed doors before agreeing to a spending plan that would generate more than $750 million in new or extended taxes for the $16.95 billion budget. The money is designed to help narrow a potential budget shortfall of $1.3 billion in the upcoming fiscal year. The budget bill would amend a state lottery proposal passed last month by the House only if that stand-alone bill were to become law.

Company turns profit

Las Vegas-based Hard Rock Inc., owner of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, on Tuesday announced first-quarter net income of $4.4 million.

The results marked an all-time quarterly record for the company and marked an improvement over a $1.3 million loss for the year-ago quarter. The increases were attributed to improved table game results, banquet operations and a full quarter of operations from its Body English nightclub.

Net revenue for the quarter was $42.3 million, compared to $34.5 million in the same 2004 quarter. Casino revenue was $16.6 million, up from $13.6 million a year ago.

Food and beverage revenue of $15.6. million was up from the $11.3 million reported a year ago, and lodging revenue was up slightly, reaching $9.3 million, about $600,000 better than the year-ago quarter. Retail revenue of $1.7 million was down from the $2 million reported last year.

Deducted from gross revenue were complimentaries of $3.2 million, up from $2.8 million a year ago.

The hotel occupancy rate increased to 93.4 percent, up from 91.6 percent. The average daily rate also increased to $164 from $152.

Track surrenders license

The owners of the Lakes Region Greyhound Park have surrendered their racing license, avoiding a hearing on whether it should be revoked.

The track, which closed last week, had been struggling since January, when two employees were indicted on illegal gambling charges. The attorney general's office recommended that its license be revoked, and a hearing before state regulators was set for Tuesday. But that wasn't necessary because track officials wrote to the state Pari-Mutuel Commission Monday night to relinquish the license.