Gaming

Antonio Esfandiari plays in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 12, 2012.

Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari ambassador for Ultimate Poker: April 2, 2013; By Ed Komenda; The Magician has become ambassador. Antonio Esfandiari, a two-time World Poker Tour champion, has signed with Stations Casino-owned Ultimate Poker to promote its website as a brand ambassador, the company announced Tuesday.

Small Las Vegas gaming company reports record income: April 2, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Calling 2012 a breakout year, Las Vegas-based Galaxy Gaming reported record net income and a rebound from last year’s fourth-quarter loss.

Affinity Gaming reports net income of $522,000 in 4th quarter - almost $4 million less than previous year: April 1, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Affinity Gaming, which owns Terrible's and three casinos in Primm, saw its profits drop by almost $4 million from the end of 2011 to the end of 2012.

Balloons float above tables as various patrons mill about during the grand opening of the new William Hill Race & Sports Book inside the Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2013.

More states look to get off the sidelines and into the sports betting game: April 1, 2013; Joe Drape, New York Times News Service; It is a lucrative time of year for Nevada, where more than $200 million will be wagered in sports books on the men’s college basketball tournament, a pot of money that has budget-crunched states across the country pushing for a piece of the action despite strong opposition from the NCAA and professional sports leagues.

New rooms are just the beginning of the Gold Coast's renovations

New rooms are just the beginning of the Gold Coast's renovations: March 29, 2013; By Ed Komenda; Contractors are putting the finishing touches on 400 refurbished hotel rooms at the Gold Coast. The rooms, which are expected to reopen in the next two weeks, feature new wall coverings, carpets, blackout drapes and furniture, including armoires, dressers and desks.

A view of the Park Towers at Hughes Center taken from a helicopter May 21, 2012.

Retiring casino exec selling condo for $9.8 million: March 29, 2013; By Eli Segall; A retiring casino executive is trying to sell his Las Vegas penthouse condo for $9.8 million. Wynn Resorts Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr listed his 9,000-square-foot, two-story condo this month.

Wynn Resorts Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr retiring: March 29, 2013; Associated Press; Wynn Resorts Ltd. Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr will retire in June. The casino company announced that Schorr, who has held his position since 2002, will step down on June 1.

Frankie Citro has lived in Las Vegas since the late 1960s and is one of a few dozen people on the Nevada Gaming Commission's "Black Book."

Vegas man wants to rub out his listing in Nevada's Black Book: March 29, 2013; By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times; For 23 years, Frank Citro Jr. has been included in Nevada’s Black Book, officially the “Excluded Person List,” an index of desert undesirables blackballed by the state’s casino regulators.

Want your own mini casino? For $300,000, the Bellagio can make it happen: March 29, 2013; By Ed Komenda; If you’re a player with a preference for privacy, and you have a healthy pocketbook, the Bellagio may have the gambling parlor for you. The casino recently opened a new private gaming room named Villa Privé. But there’s a catch: access to the 2,600-square-foot salon is by invitation only and reserved for high rollers. The parlor is located far from the Bellagio’s main casino floor on the resort’s exclusive Villa level.

Eileen Brown of Henderson plays the machines while waiting for bingo to start at the Eldorado Casino in downtown Henderson on Friday, June 22, 2012.

Smoke, slots and service: The complaints gamblers have about casinos: March 28, 2013; By Ed Komenda; Smokers? No drinks? Tight slots? What's your biggest qualm with casinos? Publishers of the 2013 American Casino Guide recently sifted through thousands of visitor reviews to compile gamblers' top five complaints.

March means madness for problem gamblers, experts say: March 28, 2013; James A. Fussell, The Kansas City Star; Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, D.C., sees problem gamblers struggle every year at the peak of college basketball season. That’s a big reason March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

This, or ... the comfort of your local bar and one of the new sports betting kiosks. Will those Davids pose a threat to the Goliaths of casino books?

Legislative fight highlights angst over sports betting kiosks: March 26, 2013; By Cy Ryan; A key senator says he doesn’t think the small slot machine arcades and taverns that offer sports and horse race betting kiosks are siphoning off business from major casinos.

Academy of Country Music names Red Rock Casino of the Year: March 26, 2013; By Ed Komenda; Red Rock Resort has been named Casino of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.

The Revel casino is seen Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Atlantic City.

Revel casino bankruptcy plan includes allowing smoking: March 26, 2013; By Wayne Parry, Associated Press; When the smoke clears from Revel's bankruptcy ... there will be smoke. Atlantic City's only smoke-free casino will soon allow patrons to light up on the gambling floor as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing it made late Monday night.

Bally Technologies looking outside Las Vegas for 'world-class' talent: March 26, 2013; By Ed Komenda; If you attend, they will apply. That's the thinking of recruiters from Bally Technologies as they prepare to hop on a plane this week and zip to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Betting on presidential elections? Nevada state senator says its time has come: March 25, 2013; Kevin Robillard, Politico; Las Vegas Democratic Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill in the Nevada Legislature on Monday to legalize betting on federal elections.

In this Nov. 11, 2010, photo, Foxwoods Casino Resort buildings rise over the landscape in Ledyard, Conn. As a gaming slump squeezes profits at Foxwoods, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns the enterprise, has received U.S. government grants.

As casinos struggle, tribes seek more federal aid: March 25, 2013; By Michael Melia, Associated Press; Once the envy of Indian Country for its billion-dollar casino empire, the tribe that owns the Foxwoods Resort Casino has been struggling through a financial crisis and pursuing more revenue from an unlikely source: U.S. government grants. The money provided annually to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation through the Interior Department and the Department of Health and Human Services has risen over the last five years to more than $4.5 million, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act.

The high-limit slots parlor at the Venetian.

At up to $5,000 a spin, Venetian high-limit slots salon comes with butler: March 25, 2013; By Ed Komenda; Go ahead, take a spin. At the Venetian’s new high-limit slots salon, it could cost you $5,000 for a single spin. But a slew of perks comes with pushing around that much dough: these games come with a butler and big-screen TV.

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Boyd Gaming coverage

Boyd Gaming says $7.3 million loss related to acquisition of new casinos: Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, which operates several downtown Las Vegas properties and the off-Strip Orleans, reported a net quarterly loss of $7.3 million, despite higher ...

New rooms are just the beginning of the Gold Coast's renovations: Contractors are putting the finishing touches on 400 refurbished hotel rooms at the Gold Coast. The rooms, which are expected to reopen in the next ...

Lucky local wins $50,000 playing bingo: It was a lucky St. Patrick’s Day weekend for two bingo players at the Suncoast casino.

Harrah's Entertainment coverage

Strip Scribbles: Las Vegas chefs set for ‘Top Chef Masters,’ and Wet ’n’ Wild contest: Two Las Vegas chefs and possibly a third will be seen in the next edition of “Top Chef Masters” this summer on Bravo. RM Seafood ...

Strip Scribbles: Britney Spears’ yoga workouts get her fit for Las Vegas shows: Pop princess Britney Spears promises that her new Las Vegas show, hopefully starting in November, will be “one nonstop party.” The 31-year-old superstar ...

Lasting impressions: ‘Legends in Concert’ celebrates 30 years in Las Vegas: After 30 years on the Strip, the celebrity tribute show “Legends in Concert” is a legend in its own right. Tonight, the show celebrates the ...

Las Vegas Sands coverage

Jury sides with businessman in Las Vegas Sands lawsuit: A jury on Tuesday awarded a Hong Kong businessman a $70 million judgment against Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino giant run by billionaire Sheldon ...

Adelson says he changed testimony to clarify details of Macau deal: Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson changed his story. Appearing more subdued Monday than he did last week, Adelson admitted that he altered his testimony from ...

Adelson, armed with one-liners and verbal jabs, testifies about Sands' entry into Macau: When he wasn't quipping one-liners from the witness stand or arguing with lawyers, Sheldon Adelson had trouble remembering details of how he built a casino ...

MGM Mirage coverage

Photos: 2013 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand a ratings hit with stars, outrageous outfits: Las Vegas was the center of attention on three simultaneous and competing TV network primetime shows Sunday night and wound up the winner. ...

Strip Scribbles: Coco Austin shoots ‘Think Like a Man, Too’ and watches ‘Peepshow’ proposal: It was the first time a “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood audience had witnessed an onstage marriage proposal, and it also surprised stars ...

Celebrity preview: Tiger Woods, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Prince, Madonna and Kid Rock: It’s one of the fiercest and most competitive entertainment weekends Las Vegas has ever seen, even with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and their country ...

Stations Casinos coverage

Station Casinos optimistic despite losses in first quarter: Station Casinos is banking on moves it made in the first three months of the year to reverse the company’s fortunes after reporting a net ...

Las Vegan wins first real-money online poker tourney in U.S.: A winner has been crowned in the first ever real-money online poker tournament in the United States.

Station Casinos says it knows Ultimate Poker has shortcomings, but being first was more important: To the experienced online poker player, Station Casinos' Ultimate Poker website can feel like a trip back to the Stone Age. Players have complained about ...

Wynn Resorts coverage

Photos: Prince, Chris Brown, Above and Beyond, Will.I.Am, Michael Strahan, Kevin Hart at Encore: Superstar Prince joined a party of nine, including his three bodyguards, for late-night eats at Society Cafe in Steve Wynn’s Encore. He enjoyed tomato ...

Celebrity preview: Tiger Woods, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Prince, Madonna and Kid Rock: It’s one of the fiercest and most competitive entertainment weekends Las Vegas has ever seen, even with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and their country ...