BJ21.com Newsletter
April 27, 2007
070427
Compiled by Al
Rogers
Al@bj21.com
INTERNET WAGERING:
Legislator challenges online ban -- Frank pushing for regulation of Web
betting
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank on Thursday introduced legislation to repeal the
Internet gambling ban approved by Congress last year, but the bill
faces long odds.
Text of the bill
To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing of
Internet gambling facilities by the Director of the Financial Crimes
Enforcement Network, and for other purposes.
U.S.
may lose bet against gambling
The smart money now thinks that online betting could soon be liberated.
Dozens
arrested in gambling ring
Maricopa County detectives say "Operation High Stakes" will now move
into phase two, which means hundreds of people who placed bets with
these individuals and websites will soon be contacted by detectives and
possibly arrested.
This message is posted as a courtesy to
the Antigua Online Gaming Association.
As you may be aware, online gaming has been under attack by the United
States for the last decade.
The
Inside Story of Nolan Dalla's $5,000 Confiscated Chip
On February 10, 2007 I walked into
the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I could not possibly have foreseen
the lion’s mouth into which I was entering, nor the public controversy
that was about to follow.
Footnote to the linked
article, from Nolan Dalla:
I went back down to MGM again
last week. This time I took the person who originally had the
chip (and gave it to me). He produced ID and was with me at the
cage. They still refused to pay him! Whatever legal right
the MGM had to stiff me certainly does not apply to the person who
originally took the chip out of the MGM. By the way, the reason
they refused to pay my colleague was -- his table play was not rated
and they could not verify he played at the MGM a few months ago.
So, this dispute also raises questions about rights to privacy.
Must every person who plays a certain level at the MGM identify
himself? What happened to rights to privacy and anonymity?
Man flees casino
security, drowns in moat
A man fleeing security drowned early Saturday after he leaped over a
railing into a moat surrounding a casino, authorities said.
Harrah's has last
hurrah -- Casino giant holds final annual meeting
Casino company Harrah's Entertainment held its last annual shareholders
meeting Thursday before an agreed $17.1 billion takeover by two private
equity firms that is expected to close later this year.
Icahn sells Southern
Nevada casinos
Bargain-hunting
corporate raider Carl Icahn, who snapped up several Southern Nevada
casinos at discount prices, is selling them and booking a handsome
profit.
Washington State Internet Gambling Bill Amended
On April 3, 2007, groundbreaking legislation in the state of Washington
regarding online gambling was passed by its Senate.
Sector
Snap: Gaming
Shares of some casino operators fell Tuesday as legislation geared
toward lifting a $500 gambling loss limit stalled in Missouri.
Philly
park to get virtual table games
Philadelphia Park expects to become Pennsylvania's first casino to plug
in slot machines that mimic table games, a casino official said Monday.
Casino
workers accept contract offer
Unionized casino workers voted overwhelmingly to accept a 14-month
contract from the OLG Casino Brantford Saturday, voting 85 per cent in
favour of the deal.
Lazy
8 lawsuit dismissed
The controversial Lazy 8 hotel-casino proposed for Pyramid Highway
prevailed in court Friday, with Washoe District Judge Jerome Polaha
dismissing a lawsuit from John Ascuaga's Nugget and concerned citizens
that aimed to derail the project.
The mall once known to locals as "Deserted Passage" radically evolves
into Miracle Mile Shops
As part of the remodeling of the Aladdin Resort & Casino to the new
Planet Hollywood Resort Casino, the former Desert Passage shopping mall
is also undergoing big changes.
A list of congressional aides, administration officials convicted in
Abramoff investigation
Lawmakers, lobbyists, Bush administration officials, congressional
staffers and businessmen caught up in the Jack Abramoff public
corruption probe
Tip pooling bill passes Assembly, moves to Senate
They say the boss is stealing from their paychecks, but despite the
protests, casino dealers were forced to live with the new rules at Wynn
Las Vegas. Now, they've got a fighting chance in the state legislature
and are waiting to see how it affects their future.
Shuffle Master's hand looks better
Two months after taking it on the chin from Wall Street, gaming
equipment provider Shuffle Master has regained a bit of its luster.
With no Strip presence, Boyd has sluggish quarter
While it spends much of the next three years building the $4.4 billion
Echelon on the former Stardust site, Boyd Gaming Corp. will rely on its
Las Vegas locals properties and the tony Borgata in Atlantic City to
carry the bulk of the company's revenue stream.
BJ21.com
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prefer to talk about things other than casino games. If
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The Bear Growls: Bear
Praise, not a growl: Customer-friendly
service from Dollar Rent-a-Car in Reno
Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent
BJ21.com
contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go
wrong in the world of casinos.
Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's
website, TheBearGrowls.com
By LVBear
LVBear584@cox.net
On a recent Reno trip, I drove my Dollar rental car less than one
hundred miles. But it took sixteen gallons and over fifty dollars to
fill it up prior to returning it. I assumed that gas had been stolen
from the tank by siphoning; it was a car without a locking fuel filler.
Either that or it was accidentally not filled up prior to my renting
it. I am usually in a hurry when in Reno and could have failed to look
at the gauge when I got the car. If that was the case, it was my fault
for not checking. I was not going to make an issue of it either way.
When returning the car, I casually mentioned it to the check-in
employee. He told me I should request a refund, and radioed in to the
airport counter that I was coming in. The counter employee was helpful
and efficient, and credited me an appropriate amount. The transaction
took less than five minutes. These employees went above and beyond the
call of duty to please a customer.
Because I am quick to criticize businesses when they mistreat patrons,
I believe an incident of good service like this should be equally
publicized. Most casinos could learn about good customer service from
this incident.
Poking
Surveillance in the Eye, presented by BJ21.com
This
eighty-two minute video contains excerpts from a BJ21.com seminar
presented by a long-time casino surveillance professional. It gives
tips and information on how to avoid attracting the unwanted attention
of pit personnel and surveillance. Every level and type of skilled
casino patron should be able to benefit from the knowledge and wisdom
of the seminar presenter.
A
full-time professional player commented that something he learned in
the seminar changed one of his standard operating methods in a casino,
and has already been validated by his avoidance of a backoff that
otherwise would have occurred.
The price is $29.95 plus shipping (plus sales tax if sent to a Nevada
address). To order Poking Surveillance in the Eye,
click here.
NEWSLETTER
DVD SPECIAL: Order Poking Surveillance in the Eye
and get the DVD of Casino Abuse of
Skilled Players for half-price, only $14.95. In the Special Instructions section of the
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specify Newsletter
DVD special.
The two DVDs will be shipped together, for a total price of only $44.90
(plus $5.00 shipping to U.S. or Canada, $10.00 shipping elsewhere).
Beat the Players - Casinos, Cops and the
Game Inside the Game, by Bob Nersesian
This
book should be read by everyone who sets foot in a casino: average
casino patrons, skilled players, casino employees, and anyone else. It
should be required reading for police officers, regulators, other
public officials, and attorneys who may represent any of the
aforementioned.
Bob
Nersesian is an attorney who represents victims of casino wrongdoing
against patrons. In an enjoyable writing style, he takes a look at the
often too-cozy relationship between casinos, police, and regulators. He
discusses specific cases and dispenses sound, practical advice that
patrons, casinos and public officials would be wise to heed. Cases
discussed are from Nevada and other jurisdictions.
Chapters
include: Your Money or Your Liberty; Scary Cop Statements; They'll Take
Your Liberty Anyway; Gaming Agents Speak; The Take of the State; Rules
for Casino Patrons; Gambling at the Legal Limits; Cops Hate Card
Counters; Griffin Investigations; Casinos Cheat With Impunity; A
Judicial and Government Overlay; Finding a Nickel Brings Trouble; Names
and Aliases; The Security Office and Surveillance Functions, and
Casinos and Cops.
Appendices
include Nevada Cheating and Detention Laws with Commentary; Other
Nevada Gaming Laws of Interest; Gaming Cases of Interest, and Nevada
Gaming Regulations with Commentary.
The
320-page book includes a bibliography and an index.
The
price is $19.95 plus shipping (plus sales tax if sent to a Nevada
address). Green Chip members get their normal 10% discount.
To order Beat the Players, click here
Current Blackjack News
On the 1st and 2nd of every month, a couple dozen Pi Yee Press
reporters visit casinos around the United States to check on the
blackjack rules and playing conditions. Five of those reporters split
up Las Vegas and visit every casino in town. Any changes in rules and
playing conditions that they find, they email to the CBJN editor, who
compiles them into a newsletter that is published late in the afternoon
on the 3rd. That report is available as a single issue, your choice of
e-mail or regular mail. The price of a single issue is $12 for
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You can subscribe to download CBJN from the BJ21 web site. The price is
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Visa/MC/AmEx with automatic renewal. Minimum subscription is one
quarter. To order Current Blackjack News, click here.
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