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Posts Tagged ‘recession’

More Bad News for Atlantic City

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

It is no secret that Atlantic City once was a gambling center for the US. Next to Las Vegas, it was the largest place to wager and take advantage of. Millions of gamers every year did just that– took advantage of the huge bonuses the city offered. Then the recession began. That was the beginning of problems for the market with people stopping their wagering activities immediately. They had problems with their bills and had no discretionary funds to speak of. This posed a huge problem for Atlantic City since its entire revenue stream was built on people’s discretionary funds. The area gaming operators created bonuses and promotions and cut costs, but nothing was effective at reviving the market. They were left with seriously diminished revenue and few options to increase that. They had to just wait out the difficult recessionary times. Now that the recession is over though, there are still few signs of revival. This is cause for major concern with casinos because their markets are so far down in numbers. Last month the city posted another loss. This time it was another considerable one—it was a loss of 13% since one month prior. This is horrible news for a market that already had gone through two mass layoffs. Area residents are concerned about the economy and their own job security.

The string of bad luck has plagued the market for months now. It was September that the first notable decline in numbers was noted and it hasn’t gotten better for Q4 of 2010. Now that casino operators are looking to 2011, they can only hope that things change. The state is toying with various online gambling laws that could turn things around. These laws would open the door for money to be brought in to sustain the state’s budget. The problem though is that though the state may find funding it needs, that doesn’t mean casinos in Atlantic City will. They will be left to struggle and find ways of reviving their own markets. Considering that is what they have been doing for months now with little change, things are not looking good.

Should Businesses have to Sustain Racetracks?

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Once again gambling in the UK is feeling the brunt of changing laws. Now it is the online casino market, land based bookmakers and horseracing industries that are having problems dealing with new laws. The problem is that some legislators are holding to the idea that these companies need to contribute more funds to subsidizing the horseracing market as a whole. It is no secret that racing as a whole is suffering huge losses. Since the recession, the racing market has been dwindling quickly. People have had problems with wagering for some time now and the recession was difficult on all. People who used to support racing, were unable to do so after the recession occurred. Their biggest problems were paying for everyday bills, rather than having discretionary funds for wagering or racing wagers. Though the casino market has seen some growth and turnaround since the recession ended, racing hasn’t. In fact, as a whole the market has continued to decline to dangerously low numbers. It may take some time for things to even show the most nascent of signs of a turnaround. Because of this the racing industry is asking for help from other markets. They first petitioned for slots gaming to help them. A lot of racetrack owners requested their states allow them to open a slots parlor to help them elevate the numbers and bring in more revenue and traffic. This worked for a choice few, but not overall. Now they are looking for other ways of sustaining themselves until the market opens up to support them once again.

The decision to tax online casinos and land based bookmakers though is not sitting well with the two types of businesses. They believe that this is only penalizing their businesses for the purpose of helping a struggling one. Should they be held responsible for a failing market? The company’s directors also state that they are not yet far enough out of their own financial struggles as a result of the recession and this is another reason why they shouldn’t be burdened with turning things around. The cost to these companies can be huge and legislators are debating whether or not they are going to go through with the changes in taxation. So far it is UK’s Culture Secretary who will make the decision to decide whether or not the changes will happen.

Cincinnatti Fighting for Race Track

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Cincinnati racetrack River Downs has been suffering since the recession. As everyone knows racing has been suffering financially since the recession. It is difficult to get people to wager when they are having problems with their own finances. Millions of Americans were left in the unemployment lines when the recession first happened. They had to cut back on everything and that for the most part included cutting gambling completely out of their monthly budgets and spending. This caused land based casinos and racetracks to suffer. They had no way of bringing in the former dollars. Most land based casinos were sitting pretty for a long time, bringing in millions of dollars per month. They believed that their markets were safe and they had nothing to worry about. When people were under financial attack due to the recession though, this stifled their spending and land based casinos felt the brunt of the attacks. They tried to reinvigorate the market, but it was almost pointless for them to be able to make the necessary changes. Racing for the most part was left with few options to find revival. The River Downs was one of those longstanding racing locales that had a rich history to work with, but no market to sustain it. It was thought that the racing facility may have to close down due to a lack of prospects in terms of turning its revenue stream around. Now, thankfully that is not going to have to happen.

Pinnacle Entertainment made the announcement that they are going to purchase River Downs, for $45 million. This is a big purchase, but it could be a good move for the gaming company. Pinnacle Entertainment has the funds needed to fuel into the business and create great cards. It can also put together a good promotional package and build other gaming facilities in the location. It could be that they use a combination of promotion and slots parlors to bring people into the area once again for the purpose of returning to gambling, and in turn returning to wagering on the horse races. Only time will tell what happens, but most likely Pinnacle is the company need to turn this racetrack around for good.

Atlantic City Still Struggline Despite Efforts

Monday, November 15th, 2010

There is still bad news for Atlantic City. The city has long been suffering with decreasing revenue numbers. It isn’t without a lot of efforts though. The city has been turning things around by changing up promotions and building new games and events. It doesn’t seem to be working though. The numbers have been on a consistent spiral downward since the recession and nothing seems to be turning things around. Though the area casino are joining together to change things and brainstorm on ideas for change, it is proving to be a more difficult task than they anticipated. Part of the problem is the competition in the area. Neighboring states are building up their own casinos and these are directly stealing revenue and customers from Atlantic City casinos. Part of problems could be that Atlantic City has no new casinos with state of the art games or promotions and with its revenue stream being so diminished, it isn’t going to have these resources to upgrade its current casinos anytime soon. This is proving to be an overwhelming problem for the market right now.

Add to the competition of local casinos the fact that online gambling is increasing and this is spelling disaster for Atlantic City. The area is working hard to turn things around, but nothing seems to be working. In fact, casinos in the area have had to lay off workers by the thousands twice thus far. This is putting more people out of work. That means there are thousands of new residents who are going to have to cut back on fueling their money into the market. This could hamper the city even more from revival. Operators are working together though and not showing signs of quitting. They may have to go through more major cutbacks and those may include more layoffs. Though this is bad news, it could help the casinos to continue operating altogether. This may give them the time needed to truly turn the market around and start generating revenue again. Only time will tell whether or not the “wait and see” plan will work, but hopefully it does and casinos won’t have to start closing.

Saginaw, Michigan May See Slots Parlor Soon

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Saginaw Michigan residents are pushing for gambling changes. It seems that the state is ready for a good gambling initiative and wants to bring in a new casino that would bring 1,500 games to the state. Michigan was hard hit by the recession. It was one of those cities that has just one industry to rely on- car manufacturing. Much of Michigan relied on that to bring in huge revenues. When the auto market crashed, there were few options in terms of replacement industries to work with. It was a lot like the same problems that Las Vegas made. The city was highly reliant on gambling as its sole revenue generating activity. This meant that once that revenue stream was down due to the recession, the city was in trouble. There were few other options to replace gambling for Las Vegas and there are few other options to replace automobile gambling for Michigan. This is why perhaps the city’s officials and residents are both pushing so hard for gambling to take over. They want to bring in gambling and make sure that it is what will bring them to the next level of change in the market. .

If the city is able to go through with the plan for a 1,500 game casino, this could mean a consistent revenue stream of $2 to $3 million every month of operations. This is extra money that then can be fueled into the market and bring true change. Plus the casino will surely bring a good number of jobs to the public in the area. It is a way for everything to turn around that much quicker. If this slots plan goes through there are going to be a lot of people who benefit. Though there are still rules that have to be written and codes that have to be made up, it looks like most parties involved are ready for gambling to come to the city. They want to have access to the millions of dollars available via gambling. There are few other options that can do the same thing or bring in the millions of dollars required for true change to happen.

Unemployment Issue Still Weighs Heavily on Market

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Gambling today cannot take a hit of any kind. The market has been struggling all over the world and gambling casinos aren’t bringing in the same numbers they once did. It is imperative that they make the most of every moment of gambling and bring in the best numbers possible. Casino operators are pushing for the best games and promotions, hoping that may be enough to bring in the gaming numbers needed to sustain themselves. Part of the biggest issue though is that the unemployment rate is still high. There are still millions of Americans who are on the unemployment lines and this is stifling the growth. If people don’t have the funds needed to fuel into the market, then the market is going to continue to wither. The main thing that the government is focused on is building new jobs to employ the market. Though some companies are offering new positions and jobs, a lot more aren’t. People are still filing bi-weekly to the Department of Employment Security for a small percentage of their former paychecks. As long as people are on unemployment to pay bills, they aren’t going to have the funds to start gambling again.

The unemployment issue is stifling the market of gambling and putting a serious consideration into the world of casino operators. They have to take a wait-and-see attitude in a lot of ways. They can only hope that governments continue to create programs that will push businesses to open the doors for new positions and hiring. Businesses are responding slowly and that possibly could be the real reason why gaming companies are moving just as slowly. Operators are cutting back on their jobs too, but also pushing the bounds of promotions and bonuses. They want to turn things around but can’t without some serious changes in the market. Remember that casinos are solely dependent on people’s discretionary funds and if they don’t have that, then the market won’t have anything to help spur it on to a better situation. Casino operators are left to wait for things to turn around and hopefully that will happen sooner than later.

Las Vegas Fighting to Turn Things Around

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Las Vegas is trying a lot to turn its own market around. It’s no secret that gambling isn’t what it used to be before the recession. There have been a lot of changes in the gambling market over the past two years. Recall five years ago that Las Vegas was flying high. It built a reputation up for itself as one of the biggest gambling centers of the entire world. There were casinos galore for every gamers’ needs and a lot to do beyond that. One of the changes that gambling in the city has taken on over the years is turning from a single’s paradise, to a more family-friendly location. It isn’t without purpose though. Gaming companies in the area purposely changed their business model to include all ages when they realized their demographics were getting older. It worked like a charm for the city and millions of visitors proved it as they packed The Strip all day and night long. Then the recession happened.

With little else but gambling to rely on in terms of revenue, Las Vegas was in a difficult position financially when the recession first began. Suddenly people stopped spending and that of course included gambling at the top of the list. Las Vegas didn’t take it sitting down though- the city started pushing for changes to try to draw people back in. Their first big change was creating the City Center. This was a huge billion-dollar center that included retail outlets, gaming floors, conference centers, office buildings and condominium complexes. It was created by Dubai World and MGM Mirage. Though it was expected to reinvigorate the market, it didn’t. Now Las Vegas officials are on to a new project to try to turn things around. This time it is the Cosmopolitan that is entering the market as a gambling casino. The Cosmopolitan has just shy of 3,000 suites and 1,500 slot machines. They should be available for gaming by December 15th of this year. The city’s officials hope that this too will help to bring in more tourism and more revenue. It may take a while for full revival, but it’s development and expansion that are going to give the city its best chance at a turnaround.

Finding the Right Regulation for Gambling

Friday, October 29th, 2010

The world of gambling is no simpler to sort out than it was a few months ago. In fact, now it is even harder because of the problems more gamblers have brought with them for wagering. Sure the market is expanding, but that is making rules more important than ever for legislators to sort out. Legislators are prioritizing legalization and regulation. Part of their reasoning for the efforts is due to the huge tax revenue dollars available via gambling. Let’s face it—there are few other options that governments can use that will bring them in millions of dollars in revenue every month. For example, Ohio recently posted a revenue increase thanks to gambling of $3.5 million for the month of August. Multiply that by twelve, and the state has a potential revenue of well over $42 million. That money can help to shore up the budget, and overcome the deficit. Other states are looking for the same financial freedoms that gambling offers and trying to implement their own rules regarding pay and regulation.

Part of the biggest problem with regulation is that gamers have to be protected. There are still some unscrupulous casino operators out there and they need to be 1) revealed and 2) stopped. The government has already created an internet fraud division that is tasked with helping to follow up on complaints from illegal online purchases or activities. The problem though is that they don’t have much to go on. It is still difficult to track all illegal activity and that is making it hard for legislators to find code that will truly protect people involved. Still if the government is going to push for legalizing gambling they have to keep working with laws and regulations. It may take some time to find the right codes to help people, but it is going to be necessary. Although there are millions of dollars to be had, they come with a responsibility and a price. They have to make sure that all gamblers are protected as they venture to the world of online gambling. Expect more legislators to push for rules and regulations that do just that for the gaming public.

Nevada Sees Small Growth in Market

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

The state of Nevada has long been having problems rallying in the gambling market. It’s no secret that the state was hit particularly hard by the recession. The main problem was that it is built on one market—gambling and has been relying on income from gambling for sustaining itself for decades now. Nevada has no secondary market to speak of. State legislators made the same mistake that Detroit Michigan did. Detroit was a city built on automobile manufacturing. It had no true secondary market—believing that automobiles would always be in demand in mass numbers. Once the recession happened though, things changed. Part of the recession was a huge automobile industry crash, thus shutting down all but a few manufacturers. Detroit suffered because thousands were out of jobs, and there were no new jobs to replace those. This is what has harped on the Detroit economy for so long and the same thing happened with Las Vegas and Nevada as a whole. The state relied too heavily on just one market and when it took a hit, state legislators were hard pressed to find replacement markets that just didn’t exist—even at the nascent stages of development.

For a long time now Nevada officials have been waiting for good news. They want to hear that the market is turning around for them. Though that has been a long time in coming, there are some signs that it could be coming quickly. New numbers are showing that more gamers are returning to Las Vegas—slowly, but surely. Of course Nevada officials would like a turnaround to happen much quicker, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take the positive changes in small doses. It could mean that they will take that much shorter a time to turn life around for residents. It isn’t without a lot of anticipating that these changes are coming to the market. This past month there was an 11.5% growth in gambling revenue. It still doesn’t bring gambling back to what it was pre- recession, but it still is a movement in the right direction. The Strip received the biggest jump in revenue with 21% up from last year’s revenue stream.

Netplay Eliminates Bingo Faction of Company

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

There is a lot of good news in the market of online gambling. It is a market that is moving quickly and gaining a lot of steam in the world. More and more gamers are looking to get in on online wagering and the numbers of casinos providing it are growing too. Despite the good news though, there are still some companies that are floundering when it comes to certain games. It isn’t a sure-fire success story when an online gaming company decides to move into the market even more. Netplay just announced that its Bingo Stars’ projects are all proving to be too much of a financial strain on the company. The company had a loss of about GDP 7.9 million, as compared to its loss last year of just GDP 3.2 million. This is a huge increase in losses and it is proving too much for the company to manage at this time. The losses more than doubled in the past year and that is a huge strain on the corporation. Netplay is an online casino and interactive TV company that so far has experienced a lot of success in the market. That is what makes this even more harrowing news—until now they were seeing decent numbers.

The company started with a 6-month long trial for Bingo Star. It was hoped that the website would bring them another successful market that would help them to build their brand in yet another game. The game of bingo is popular in the market and there are millions of online players who want to take part in the game and its variations. Bingo Stars followed that model of variation and offered good bonuses, but was eked out of the market by other more-established bingo companies that offered the same games. The company not only ended Bingo Stars, but also discontinued its non-core business affiliations to free up more funds for future growth. The Bingo Stars loss was difficult on the company and to regroup fully they have to find funds from other sectors of the business that are not integral to their future growth.