High Rollers to return just four months after its debut, with five lower buy-in tournaments.
High Rollers, PokerStars new high buy-in tournament series which debuted last November, will return this month with an expanded schedule and lower buy-ins, the company has confirmed.
Eagle-eyed players first noticed mention of a second High Rollers tournament in an advertisement in the client; a PokerStars representative later confirmed its schedule in a public notice last week.
As of March 1, MGM has made it just a little bit more expensive to stay in its Las Vegas hotels and casinos.
Resort fees have gone up by $2 at eight locations and by $5 at the Luxor and Excalibur.
MGM is not going it alone in increasing prices. Last week, CEO Jim Murren said:
“We are lagging the market — Caesars properties have higher resort fees, which is a great change since they started with no resort fees not long ago, but welcome to the party.”
Although MGM has posted nicely rising profits, partly as the result of President Trump’s tax cuts, MGM is facing higher employee costs.
In negotiations that kick off in March, Culinary Local 226 is demanding higher pay and improved benefits for its hotel and casino workers. Higher resort fees are one way of making extra revenues without raising headline prices.
And their contribution to the bottom line is by no means insignificant. Wikipedia notes that:
“MGM Resorts International stated that, for Las Vegas hotel rooms in 2011, “Our RevPAR (revenue per available room) in the first quarter was up 16%, including resort fees. Excluding resort fees, REVPAR was up 11% in the quarter year-over-year.”
That five-percent difference in revenue per room adds up to a lot of money over time.
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Resort fees are charges levied on hotel guests in addition to the room rate. They are spuriously justified as payment for services such as wifi or use of the pool or gym.
In many countries they are illegal, but under US and Nevada state law hotel and casino owners are free to charge what they like.
This means that the advertised room rate acts a teaser to attract customers, but the real price paid per night is higher by the amount of the resort fee. It’s a bait and switch practice that irritates many visitors to Nevada.
At the MGM Grand, Mirage, and Mandalay Bay, the resort price is now a hefty $37 per day. According to Richard N. Velotta at the Las Vegas Review Journal, these are the sort of numbers that may well put people off choosing Las Vegas as their holiday destination:
“But there’s also a new wave of sentiment from longtime loyal casino customers warning that soaring resort fees and paid parking policies at Strip casinos threaten to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.”
The post No Such Thing As A Free Las Vegas Lunch Anymore appeared first on Play Nevada.
The soon-to-open Hard Rock Atlantic City has released its plans for the signs that will welcome customers to the new casino. And a sign went up at Ocean Resort Casino, too.
The post Signs Everywhere: Giant Guitar Planned For Hard Rock AC; Ocean Resort Gets Its First appeared first on Play NJ.
Churchill Downs is the latest company to buy up a Pennsylvania casino. The racing giant purchased Presque Isle Downs with hopes of getting into the state’s online gambling market.
The post Churchill Downs Races Into Pennsylvania Online Gambling Market appeared first on PA Online Casino News.
Someday soon, the US Supreme Court will make a decision regarding New Jersey’s quest to offer sports betting. Monday was not that day.
The post Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting For The NJ Sports Betting Decision appeared first on Play NJ.
Usually, local citizens fight when big business come to town. Congestion worries often outweigh the convenience and jobs promised.
In fact, leading up to the first license auction, more than 1,000 municipalities opted out of hosting a mini-casino.
That’s not the case for Westmoreland County, however. Eligible towns in the area are getting ready to market themselves in hopes of having a mini-casino built in their community.
Last month, Stadium Casino LLC secured a mini-casino license for the 15-mile area surrounding Derry Township for $40.1 million.
The Philadelphia-based company is betting big on Derry Township. And they’re doing so before they break ground on its Philadelphia property, Live! Hotel and Casino.
The location they chose is just east of metropolitan Philadelphia. Which indicates an intention of making a name for themselves in the Pennsylvania gaming market.
“We are thrilled on behalf of Stadium Casino LLC to have been awarded a new gaming license in western Pennsylvania in the greater Pittsburgh area and look forward to delivering a world-class gaming and entertainment venue,” Stadium Casino spokesperson Carmen E. Gonzales said in a statement.
He continued:
“Thousands of new excellent jobs will be created, millions of dollars in new tax revenues will flow to the state, and local government entities and millions of visitors will be attracted, which will benefit both the local community and the other businesses in the area.”
The designated building area includes several communities all vying for a chance to host the mini-casino. Interested townships include:
“They all want it,” said Hempfield Supervisor Rob Ritson to TribLive.
Recently, the township of Hempfield and their supervisors made courting Stadium Casino LLC official.
They cited the benefits of the mini-casino location in Hempfield in a resolution passed by the township’s supervisors. The benefits included “excellent infrastructure” and a “vibrant regional retail shopping district.”
The township has suffered a 40-percent decline in commercial development in recent years. And there is hope that the mini-casino will reverse the trend.
“I am ecstatic. This means more dollars in local and county coffers. It will bring opportunities, jobs, and economic dollars,” State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said about the potential of the mini-casino being located in Derry.
But Hempfield has some competition for hosting privileges. Derry Township Supervisor, David Slifka, said to expect a similar resolution to the one Hempfield passed soon.
“We have a good area. We feel it could work out for Derry Township and the casino people,” Slifka said.
Greensburg has also publicly thrown their hat into the ring.
“We’re more than willing to have a mini-casino in Greensburg,” said Barbara Ciampini, city planning director.
The ten new mini-casinos each can house up to 750 slot machines and 30 table games. The local governments are already anticipating more tax revenues that the casino will produce.
Residents are looking forward to more services and jobs as more business follows the mini-casino into the community.
It is still unclear how financially impactful the mini-casino will be to its host town.
There is some speculation another casino may affect the profits of existing casinos. Specifically, Rivers Casino, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, and Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin are in the region. It’s only speculation at this point, and a new casino may actually increase the casino-player base as a whole.
The estimated timeline for Stadium Casino LLC to submit their development plan to the state is sometime this summer. Eligible communities will have to wait until then to find out who the host of the new mini-casino is.
The four mini-casino licenses awarded to date have brought in over $120 million, and there are six more auctions on the calendar. You can bet Pennsylvania is looking at mini-casinos to boost revenue to both the state and local communities.
The post Westmoreland Towns Vying To Be Mini-Casino Hostess With The Mostess appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
On Feb. 27, the World Series of Poker Circuit made history when by hosting first online circuit ring event in Nevada. The tournament, won by Anthony Spinella, coincided with the WSOPC series at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
The first online circuit ring event was a great success. The event drew 256 players to WSOP.com in Nevada and generated a prize pool of $137,760.
Now it’s New Jersey‘s turn for some history. The WSOPC will be making its way to Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City from March 8-19, and listed on the schedule of events is the first-ever online circuit tournament in New Jersey.
On March 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET, the inaugural New Jersey WSOP Online Circuit Ring Event will get underway.
You can buy directly into the online tournament for $365 or win a seat for as a little as $5.
Satellites will run daily beginning on March 4 on WSOP.com NJ.
You don’t have to be in Atlantic City to play. You can qualify your way into the tournament and play in the online circuit event anywhere from New Jersey with a verified WSOP.com account.
Players in this Online Circuit Event qualify to earn points for the 2018 WSOP Global Casino Championship.
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WSOP.com is making sure everyone has a chance to play in this exciting and much-anticipated event. In addition to the $5 daily satellites, they are offering a deposit bonus that is too good to pass up.
Use the code “ACRING” while making your next deposit and receive one of three mystery offers.
Mystery offers include:
Additionally, a 3-seat guarantee satellite is running on March 11 at 6 p.m. Players in the event will earn a tournament to the $365 WSOP Online Ring Event Freeroll. The freeroll takes place March 17 at 6 p.m.
To be eligible for your mystery offer, just make a qualifying deposit between March 4-16 at WSOP.com NJ.
Click here for complete details and the latest information for the WSOPC Online Ring Event satellites. http://www.wsop.com/promotions/wsop-circuit-ac/nj/
Are you interested in playing both the online circuit ring event and the WSOPC Main Event in Atlantic City?
If the answer is yes, then let WSOP.com help you earn a seat to the $1,675 Main Event.
Satellites to the Main Event will run from March 11-16 with a guarantee of one Main Event seat per tournament.
You can buy-in directly for $30 or start with one of the daily super satellites for only $3.
Players are eligible to win multiple seats. Multiple seat winners can use the additional seats for re-entry into the Main Event or receive WSOP.com tournament tickets worth $1,675.
The WSOP will be here before you know it. And the WSOPC stop in New Jersey is the perfect place to practice those tournament skills.
Whether you plan to play online, join the live action or both, you don’t want to miss out on your chance to bring home some jewelry.
Click here for the complete schedule of the WSOPC Circuit – Harrah’s Atlantic City.
The post New Jersey to Host WSOPC Online Ring Event in March appeared first on .
You could say Global Poker is going NUTS. That would not even be an insult either.
The legal online poker site is owning the designation. You have to be a little kooky to put $200,000 in Sweeps Coin (SC) on the line for a single online tournament.
Yet that is exactly what is happening. The big event is on April 1. And that is no practical joke.
The event is called Global Poker Madness. It will hopefully be as crazy and fun as college basketball.
The Main Event features a buy-in of SC$540. Now that is certainly a steep price point, but do not fear at all. There are plenty of opportunities to get in on the cheap. How cheap? Try SC$1.50.
There are four tiers of tournaments, including The Nuts Main Event.
The lowest satellite rounds are labeled Mild. At a price tag of SC$1.50, they are quite gentle on the bankroll. They are also very easy on the schedule, as they run constantly all through March.
If you are looking to splurge the bankroll and conserve your time, consider the Moderate satellite events. These are SC$11 buy-in events with a turbo structure. There are two each day, at 7:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. ET.
Once we get into the meat of March, things start getting a little crazier. The Extreme satellites kick off on March 10, then run weekly through the end of the month. These Saturday satellites are SC$77 buy-in events with 10 seats guaranteed in all but one event. The exception is the March 31 tournament, which will have 20 seats at least.
| Date | Time (ET) | Tournament | Buy-in ($weeps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4 | 2:05 PM | Madness: $2,500 Opening Freeroll | $0 |
| Daily | All day | Madness: Mild Satellite Rd 1 (several formats offered) | $1.50 |
| Daily | 7:50 pm | Madness: Moderate Satellite Rd 2 [Turbo] | $11 |
| Daily | 10:50 pm | Madness: Moderate Satellite Rd 2 [Turbo] | $11 |
| Mar 10 | 4:20 pm | Madness: Extreme Satellite Rd 3, 10 Seats Guaranteed | $77 |
| Mar 17 | 4:20 pm | Madness: Extreme Satellite Rd 3, 10 Seats Guaranteed | $77 |
| Mar 24 | 4:20 pm | Madness: Extreme Satellite Rd 3, 10 Seats Guaranteed | $77 |
| Mar 31 | 4:20 pm | Madness: Extreme Satellite Rd 3, 20 Seats Guaranteed | $77 |
| Apr 1 | 3:20 pm | Madness: Extreme Satellite Rd 3 [Turbo], 10 Seats Guaranteed | $77 |
| Apr 1 | 5:30 pm | Madness: The Nuts Main Event $200,000 Guaranteed [Deep] | $540 |
The great part for New York poker players is that Global Poker is totally legal to play. In a state with no in-state legal options, Global Poker players can rest at ease any money on the site is safe and all the games are legal.
Essentially, Global Poker has its own currency, kind of like social casinos have fake coins. The currency players buy Gold Coins. As part of that purchase, they earn bonus SC. Then, players can buy into both GC and SW tournaments on the Global Poker site.
Then, when it is time to cash out, you transfer your money onto Paypal, where it appears as real USD. It’s so easy, it is crazy. You could even say it is madness.
The post Global Poker Upping The Stakes With $200K GTD Event appeared first on Play NY.
Trends revealed in the survey show gambling online via mobile devices is on the rise and gamblers are most motivated to play by advertisements seen on television.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed the outcome of its 2017 Gambling Participation and Perceptions Report. It shows 97% of gamblers do so at home and mobiles and tablet usage is now up to 51% from 43% last year.
It has also been revealed that online gamblers are more likely to be motivated to spend money gambling by advertising seen on the television rather than social media promotions, with 53% of people saying TV ads prompted them to play versus only 19% saying the same about social media. The effectiveness of TV ads in getting people to spend money gambling online is up 7% on 2016’s findings.
