Online Casinos Directory

The state of California is having serious issues with gambling these days. First of all, gambling is highly lucrative and the state’s deficit is huge. Bringing gambling in is almost a necessity if the state is going to have any chance at overcoming the huge shortfall in funding. There are few other options that could potentially bring in the billions needed. Gambling is the best chance the state has to overcome its struggling financial position. The move to expand online gambling is not without cause for debate though. Namely tribes within the state are showing huge resistance to the expansion of gaming because it eats at their own revenues. Nativer Americans are ready to fight for their rights due to a treaty worked out with them giving them the right to offer legalized gambling in the state. Many tribes rely on that revenue to sustain their budgets and have few other options. They too suffered due to the recession. Gamers who frequented their casinos now are coming in sparser and sparser numbers due to the recession. If the state expands its own gambling and legalizes online gaming, that could mean financial disaster for Indian-owned casinos. Gambling is their main source of income and without it, they have few other means of supporting themselves or promoting growth within the tribes.

The Morongo Band is organizing a group of tribes to voice their demands for protection of their rights and financial revenues. They have the backing of twelve other tribes that believe that without gambling protection, they are going to suffer financially to the point of depression themselves. The tribal leaders want all casino websites to work through their own tribes. They state that the deal with the US was for this protection and they won’t stand for the changes that are happening. No one knows for sure what is going to happen, but the tribal leaders have to be vocal about their issues. It is going to be difficult for California legislators to stop gambling expansions due to the financial positions they are in right now as a result of the recession. Hopefully they will be able to implement changes that bring in revenue, but still protect the tribally-owned casinos and their profits too.

Durign the recession, many industries suffered. With unemployment rates high and spending low, markets were at a loss for revenue and had to fall back on cutbacks, layoffs and restructuring to survive. It’s no secret that the gambling industry was one of the hardest hit. The reality is tha though wagering is fun, it isn’t a necessity. when people were left with drastically smaller incomes, they had no choice but to cut out discretionary spending from their budgets. That of course included gambling fun.

Not only did gambling suffer, but areas that relied heavily on tourist income also suffered. Las Vegas, a city that mostly relies on gambling for its revenue, is still trying to recover. The foreclosure rate in the city was at 60% at its highest and that is a huge number for one singular city. Now that the recession is over, many cities are still in turmoil and so are many casinos. Indian-owned casinos are feeling the pinch too. Many Indian-owned casinos are having additional problems with economic recovery now that the rise of the internet is continuing to grow. Internet gambling is taking away from their markets and that means that millions of dollars is no longer flowing into their doors.

In a lot of ways, Indian-owned casinos are akin to Las Vegas. Both built their economies on the field of gambling– almost solely. There is a huge danger with that. Even cities like Detroit, Michigan know how precarious a move that is. Detroit was a manufacturing hub of the states and when the recession caused many in the industry to close down, it left the city a barren wasteland. Detroit is filled with foreclosed houses and empty warehouses and buildings. The same can be said for Las Vegas and Indian-owned casinos. Both are in danger of losing even more of their revenue in coming months. The recovery from the recession and market shifts is proving to be a difficult one for both entities to manage. Only time will tell whether or not the Indian-owned casinos and Las Vegas are truly able to recover or if their markets are changed for the long run. It will take time and both may have to come up with a new business model for future success in the market of gambling.

The Seminole Tribe has created a virtual giant. The tribe based in Florida, worked with the international Hard Rock Corporation to bring their Seminole Hard Rock Casino. It was introduced to the market back in 2003 and in seven short years the casino has grown to become one of the biggest attractions in the Florida area. It is a AAA four star-rated facility located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and its managers call it South Florida’s leading entertainment destination.  The resort features a hotel with 500 luxury guest rooms and suites, a casino with 145,000 square feet of gaming space, a 4.5 acre lagoon-style pool area, and eight major restaurants. 

Adjacent to the hotel is Seminole Paradise a 300,000 square feet outdoor entertainment complex with 22 retail shops and 17 restaurants, plus 11 bars and lounges. The complex is also home to Seminole museum and the Okalee Village tourist attraction.  Hard Rock occupies 100 acres in all. Not unlike Las Vegas’ City Center, the Seminole Hard Rock is working to bring all forms of entertainment to its visitors. Whether you love gambling, shopping, golf, shows or dining, you’ll find the right place within the casino organization to enjoy your time in Florida. 

The Seminole Hard Rock Casino houses southern Florida’s largest game room which features 50 live action poker tables and 2,500 electronic gaming machines with all your favorite games. Whether you love monopoly, Wheel of Fortune, Blazin’ Sevens or Draw Poker, you’ll find it at the location. In addition, Class III gaming has recently been initiated, and true Vegas-style slots, video poker, and video blackjack are also available.  The casino is open 24-hours a day so any visitor can find the perfect pastime when they are looking for something to do. The poker room offers both ring games and Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. Daily and sometimes twice-daily tournaments are offered, with buy-ins ranging from $100 to $1,100.  Soon the casino will offer blackjack and baccarat but other non-card-game, such as craps and roulette, however, will not be allowed. 

Hard Rock Live is a premiere theater that seats 5,500 people for concerts, sporting events and various conventions.If you are in the Florida area and want some high-quality entertainment, check out the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. It is top-notch rated for a good reason.

Tribal casinos in Washington, once thought to be a sure bet, are now experiencing a decline in revenues.  Some casinos’ revenues have dropped thirty percent in 2009. Many Native American tribes are battling with lenders, struggling to make payments, or closing their casinos all together.  Tribes that have been hit include the Nooksack, Snoqualmie, and Skokomish tribes. Before these recent downturns, tribes and tribal casinos never had to think much about strategizing their business.  Any marketing campaign that seemed to be a good one was implemented with fair to positive results. W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Commission said, “We were riding a high wave, and a long one.” 

Craig Parmelee, team leader for gaming and lodging at Standard & Poor’s says, “It’s like nothing we’ve seen, over the past two years.  Going back to 1997 – 2007, never did more than two gaming companies default, and in many years none did, and in the past two years, 20 did.” Before the economy was facing the hardships it currently is, lenders never thought to look at the fine print, or delve into the risks of investing in tribal casinos.  In fact, non-tribal, commercial casinos were feeling the consequences of the recession long before the tribal casinos felt it.  Indian casinos have been consistently stronger performers than non-tribal casinos, making the 2009 loan defaults the more notable.

Investing in a tribal casino poses unique risks for both the tribe and the lenders. For the lenders, if the debts go bad, they may be out of luck.  The property cannot be foreclosed upon because it is held in trust for the tribe by the US government.  Also, the creditors can’t take over operations because only the tribe is licensed to run the casino.  As for the tribes, everything is at stake, their whole way of life.  While some money made from the casinos goes directly to tribal members in per-capita payments, profits are also used to fund college scholarships for members, and for government services. There are, however, some success stories from 2009. While revenues at some individual casinos may have fallen drastically, total tribal revenues actually rose slightly.  In Washington, total tribal-casino revenues were up slightly to $1.6 billion in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, according to the Washington State Gambling Commission, from $1.5 billion in 2008.

The only real indication at the tribal casinos that the economy is still struggling is the crowds shift. Hiles said, “They used to come in our doors and head to the big tables with the high-limits. Now people are going directly to the low-limit slots and card tables. Crowds are considerably smaller at the higher-limit slot machines and card tables.”  For example, at San Manuel, gamblers were gathered around the $15-minimum blackjack tables, waiting for seats to become available. Empty seats were also hard to find at the 5- and 25-cent slot machines.  The good news is that the smaller tables never ceased to be filled. They are bouncing with excitement and that is what solely could be bringing people back in. Operators know that without the excitement and buzz of the Las Vegas scene, many gamblers would opt to stay home. Hiles added, “As long as we can continue to replicate the high-energy Las Vegas club, we can stay alive. Players will still come.”

One player who knows the market well is Winnie Ng of Los Angeles. She brought her grandmother to the casino to play but said that the recession forced both of them to “keep their bets small this time. When you lose now you are thinking about it more,” Ng said as she left the casino. Then there is also Jessica Schilling of Long Beach. She went to the Morongo Casino because she received a $30 coupon to spend on gambling. She said, “I just came here for the free food.”
California tribes are in trouble and having difficult times managing after the recession. Under federal law the nation’s tribes have to submit regular financial reports to the National Indian Gaming Commission. Based on the most recent numbers, the tribes brought in about $7.4 billion in revenue in 2008 and that is down about 5.6% since the previous year. The tribal communities have had to resort to major layoffs and budget cuts within their own infrastructures to manage.  Inside the Indian reservations, the drop in casino revenue means that tribes must cut the social service programs, that are primarily funded by gambling revenue, said William Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno.  He added, “It’s not happy times in tribal councils.”

Although the recession hit casinos hard, some are still doing great. Just ask the Southern California’s San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in San Bernardino County!  Both are experiencing almost every seat at the 25-cent slot machines is filled. In both casinos, gamblers have to stand around and wait for their turn at the blackjack tables. Also, the reels on the penny slot machines are going constantly at both facilities.

Despite the people still being there, one thing is for sure. People have cut back on spending. No longer are the bigger slot machines being used…in fact, slots over $10 don’t have much of a fighting chance with gamblers. Mike Hiles, a tribal information officer for the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, said, “We have the same amount of people and they come in as frequently, but they are just spending less.”  Hiles operates a casino that has 2,000 slot machines, 20 gaming tables and two restaurants in the San Jacinto area. 

Part two coming next.