Posts Tagged ‘recession’
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Casinos around the world are watching their revenue streams closely. It is a difficult time for casinos to rally and recover from the recession. During the recession people had no discretionary funds to speak of. This caused serious problems in the gambling market. People had to cut back on spending because millions lost their jobs and the credit they were used to relying on was no longer there. This caused a lot of financial turmoil for casinos. With a lack of customers they were left to struggle their ways through their deficits and hefty budgets. It wasn’t easy for anyone at a time when gambling should have been experiencing growth, it was stifled due to the harrowing market. now that things are turning around, gambling companies are slowly starting to check in with their numbers. They are first now seeing small changes in the numbers and those are proving to be more positive than ever.
Entertainment Gaming Asia, Inc reported today that it is going to be releasing its financial performance documents coming up on the 27th of this month. It will be printing its Q3 results and hoping that they are going to be positive. All casinos are looking to change their former performance records. The recession took its toll and numbers have been down for over eighteen months now. Though casinos have tried to create bonuses and promotions to reinvigorate the market, they have had varying degrees of success with that tactic. The problem was that people just did not have the revenue to invest in gambling. Things are first now turning around and gaming companies are seeing slight rises in revenue streams. They are much slower in coming than anticipated though. Companies are holding on though—they have no other choice. The biggest change is that they are taking no markets for granted and going after all of them. The US for example, is a huge market and more worldwide gambling companies are targeting residents of the US as potential gaming customers. Only time will tell how long it takes to truly rally, but Entertainment Gaming Asia may be well on its way to financial recovery.
Tags: casino, financial, rally, recession
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Thursday, October 14th, 2010
For a long time now Atlantic City has had problems returning to its normal revenue stream. The recession took its toll on all cities, but this one felt it particularly hard. The gambling center used to be jumping with excitement but as of late it has been struggling. A few months ago the area laid off 1,200 workers and recently sent out a memo warning of future layoffs to be used. The numbers are just not leveling off like anticipated. There is more bad news for the area now. There are eleven casinos in the area and it seems that they took a collective decline by 11.6% in revenue since last year. That totals to a decline in revenue of just over $296 million. Part of the problem is that the decline in revenue is must more long-lasting than hoped. It has been twenty-five months now of a steady decline in numbers and that is showing no signs of tapering off. Even the high traffic season, the summer months, were seriously down. Traditionally it has been June through September that have been the big money making months for Atlantic City, but this year was unlike past years in performance.
The slump is affecting more than just the casinos. The area is depressed and so are residents. With future payoffs coming into play, it is hard to stay hopeful. Add to that the addition of state of the art casinos in neighboring states, and the competition could all but kill the traffic in Atlantic City altogether. Workers are already looking for work in other states and considering commuting out of state for jobs. Even the slot machine revenue for the area is down by almost 10% and that is a sign of bad things to come. Historically slots were what kept most casinos going even in the hard times. There is little optimism in the area and most people believe that full recovery is a long time away, if possible at all. Still casino owners are running business as usual. They have had to cut back considerably, but they still are hoping that the changes make it possible to go on and maintain their businesses until things truly turn around for them.
Tags: Atlantic City, gambling, market, recession
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
It has been a long time coming, but Nevada may finally have some good news. Officials are watching their revenue changes closely and hoping that the numbers continue moving upwards. The month of August may just be the beginning of something good. Numbers are in and showing an increase of 11.5% since last year the same time. That translates into $945 million in revenue. This is great news because of the harrowing time the city has had with recovery. Though it used to be a gambling Mecca, it now has seen decreasing numbers and had to go through a total cutback to maintain budgets and overcome the deficit. Some companies in the state have tried to focus on expansion to other cities and other countries. They are hoping that they can bring up revenue in these other areas to help defray losses in Las Vegas.
Of course Las Vegas used to be a center for gaming, but now that the market has opened up so much, it isn’t the case anymore. In fact, the Macau area is pushing to take over all of the gambling industry and doing it relatively easily. In fact in one month the city showed a 40% growth in revenue! That is huge in any market, and even in the billion dollar industry of gambling it is a huge growth rate. Las Vegas is having a hard time to compete and maintain its own position in the market. Officials are hoping that the recent changes are enough to push for a return to the old numbers. So far City Center and Cosmopolitan Hotel’s expansion are both coming together to help the economy take on the competition. Though City Center has not performed as officials had hoped, it still isn’t something that they are giving up on easily. They are still hoping that the market is able to recover quickly and come back to revenue streams that were received pre-recession. Now that more areas are open to the gambling market, this is pushing it to a mainstream activity. No longer is gambling just a pastime for a select demographic. Now it is one of those things that everyone can take part in. Hopefully the future will be bright for Las Vegas.
Tags: Las Vegas, Nevada, recession, revenue
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
The recession was difficult on casinos everywhere. People just did not have the discretionary funds to continue to wager. In fact, they didn’t have the funds to cover normal bills. With the sudden layoffs and the huge amount of home value loss in the market, it wasn’t odd to see entire communities on their knees waiting for change. Now that there are signs that the recession is over, there are still problems in the market. Things have not regulated yet and it could take some time for them to get back to normal. Places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas both suffered greatly. The problem was that other cities may have suffered, but they had varying markets to rely on to pull them out of the financial slump. On the other hand, Atlantic City and Las Vegas didn’t. They were long built on one market- gambling. Much like Detroit, these cities suffered more than normal. Detroit was another location that suffered because it built its main economy on automobile manufacturing. Once that fell, it was left in the cold. Now all three cities are still struggling for normalcy.
Atlantic City is reeling. It has been no secret that their numbers are still not up even though the recession is technically “over” according to experts. Thousands of employees at casinos in the area have already been laid off. Now a new memo went out recently noting to residents that another cutback is coming soon and it could mean another few thousands of jobs in that market are going to be gone. That is terrible news for residents who already are suffering to find new jobs and maintain their own financial footing. In the end, it may be the only way that the Atlantic City casinos can keep their doors open at all. Part of the other problem is that neighboring states are building huge casino facilities. These are making Atlantic City casinos just another option in a wider variety of gambling locations. It no longer has the same exclusivity it once had, or the market on state of the art games to offer. Now it is fighting for its market share of an already strained market.
Tags: Atlantic City, employment, layoff, recession, workers
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Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
The casino market is up in the air right now. Gambling is being prioritized by legislators everywhere. Legislators know full well that the market is billions of dollars in value. That means that even a small market share can mean millions in revenue. How do you solidify that revenue? It seems that the way is to continue to build games and promotions that draw in customers. Simple enough but some markets are proving better at it than others. Macau is one location that is quickly taking over the market. The area is even replacing Las Vegas and Atlantic City in terms of biggest gambling centers in the market. No one these days can compete with Macau. Everyone is having problems because the Macau market seems to be exploding so readily and taking over the entire market.
The interesting thing about Macau is that a few short years ago the market was no where near as advanced as it is now. It was a smaller market but growing. Then it took off. In september the casinos in macau experienced a huge increase in revenue of about 40%. That meant that an additional $1.9 billion was fueled into the Asian economy. That is huge for gambling revenue. Overall this year has proven to be a lucrative one for the market. It also has built itself up to 60% growth since this time last year. No one could have predicted it would take over the market the way it has. It is a sign of good things to come for the gambling market. Overall Macau is on the verge of explosion and is showing no signs of slowing down. So far no market can even come close to the overwhelming growth it has gone through as of late. While Macau is celebrating its growth, other markets are struggling and wondering what they can do to reinvigorate their own markets. Las Vegas is a huge contender in the market that is slowly and surely losing ground every day. The area is no longer in high demand and taking a back seat to other areas for gambling throughout the world.
Tags: gambling, Macau, market, recession
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Friday, October 1st, 2010
Gambling is a practice that most legislators are looking to for aid in turning around their economies. It’s no secret that gambling is a billion-dollar business and growing. It is difficult to manage the huge deficits left by the recession and gambling is one of the most viable options for spurring recovery. There are some hopefuls though. Carl Icahn, billionaire investor, stated that he believes the gambling market in Mississippi is ready for a turnaround. Icahn recently bought out eight different Tropicana casinos that originally filed for bankruptcy protection. His optimism is unique in the market and hopefully is a sign of what is to come.
Mississippi like other states has suffered huge losses since the recession. The unemployment rate within the state is one of the highest. Possibly natural disasters in the area plus the recession are the cause of the added stresses put upon the area. If these areas are to move to recovery, there is going to have to be some kind of proactive change in the market. Most legislators are hoping that the implementation of gambling is the way to create that proactive change. If gambling can do for states what it has done for others, it may be the savior needed. The post recessionary market is still hampered and it will take more time to turn around. Despite the financial climate, Icahn and others are hopeful. They believe that gamblers are going to be what saves the markets involved. If they can create the best games and specials, then they can bring in enough gamers to fuel their money into the gambling casinos in the area. That in turn will provide enough tax revenue money to fund and recharge the economies involved. Icahn is in the prime position now to benefit personally from the changes too. As owner of eight defunct casinos, he can easily start recharging them and creating streams of income slowly but steadily. Once the economy recovers, he will be in the perfect position to reap the benefits of those changes. His casinos are most likely going to turn around and bring in gaming numbers needed for recovery.
Tags: gambling, Mississippi, recession, revenue
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Friday, October 1st, 2010
The market has been harder on some economies than others. Of course every state and country worldwide has had some lasting problems with the post-recessionary economy. The recession was difficult to overcome and left most countries with huge deficits and large budgetary shortfalls. There are few ways to overcome them and many legislators are looking to gambling as the natural option for revival. Few other industries offer the billions of dollars available via a solid gambling plan. The popularity of gambling is part of the reason why gaming companies are growing so quickly. There are new gamers entering the market every month and they are more than willing to start wagering. Plus now the market is moving its way out of the financial problems it withstood, that means that more people have the ability to start spending again. The lack of discretionary funds was the reason people stopped gambling and now they are recovering. That recovery is what is sought after by many legislators and jurisdictions.
New Orleans, Louisiana is a city that has seen its share of problems. The city suffered greatly over the past few years and that has brought more financial setbacks. Now the casino in the city, called Harrah’s New Orleans, has taken on a new general manager. Dan Real is the man who is now in charge for the gaming facility and it is hoped that he is able to change the market by elevating the popularity of the casino. New Orleans has struggled with revenue streams throughout the past few years and now it is in a bad financial state. The gaming community in the market has yet to reach the levels it was at prior to the recession. And Katrina was a hurricane that devastated the area. A lot of hope is hung on Real and the casino’s owners are hoping he is key to changing things around. They want to see a success story come to the market. Hopefully with some direct focus and new innovations, they will come up with a viable plan to spur the casino market and bring in the money needed to revive New Orleans.
Tags: deficit, gaming, Louisiana, recession, recover
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Thursday, September 30th, 2010
The world of gambling seems to be growing exponentially. There are new casino openings every day. They bring in more and more gamers to their doors. In addition, there are also more online gaming casinos. They too are growing exponentially. It seems like they are taking a head in the development and growth of the market. Online casinos are the ones that are coming up with the biggest promotions and bonuses. In fact, theirs are a lot of times more lucrative than land-based casinos. Remember that land-based casinos are on the rise but they are facing stiff competition from online gaming companies. Online companies don’t have the same overheads that land-based casinos have, so they can save a lot more in expenses. That money then is put directly into other promotions that benefit the gamers. This can be one of the most lucrative ways of finding deals—look to the online market. It seems to be growing and pushing a lot of land-based casinos out. Now that there are so many online casnos they are thinning gout the market. There are new gamers entering the market but they seem to be opting for online gambling along with land based casinos. There isn’t a whole lot of loyalty these days—a result of a growing global market where gamers can get whatever they want easily.
One location where gaming is declining is in Estonia. The country is seeing a serious decline in land-based casinos. The country has a struggling economy that has not rallied since the recession. Most countries have some problems with revival, but Estonia is one that has been hard hit by the financial downturn. Now the area is seeing considerable closings of their casino market. So far there have been four closings of locations in the country and that is a huge decline in revenue for the struggling economy. There are no movements towards more online gambling and that could pose a problem for the market if they don’t replace the revenue stream with something other than the land-based casino world. Only time will tell what the country can do to bring in the revenue needed to return to normal operations, but it may take some time fo the gaming community to rally and be what it was in past months.
Tags: Estonia, gambling, market, recession
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Sunday, September 26th, 2010
There is more bad news for the US gambling market and this time it involved Louisiana. It’s no secret that states are suffering due to the recession. Deficits are high and budgets are short. One thing that legislators were hoping for was gambling to make a strong show and help turn everything around. Though gambling is a billion dollar business, it has yet to change things the way it was hoped. In Louisiana the numbers are showing a decline when it comes to gambling. Last year casinos brought in $199.8 million and this year that number declined to $193.4 million. The overall decrease was up to 2.4 percent. The millions in decline are horrible news for a market that is suffering. Overall gambling is one of the few viable million-dollar revenue streams that could potentially bring the communities involved out of the financial slump.
Gaming analysts are attributing the decline in revenue to an overall lack of traveling throughout the states. US residents have cut back seriously on their spending since the recession. No one knows when things will return to normal either. There is a longstanding love affair between gamblers and casinos that is taking its own hits as a market. No longer is gambling a surefire money maker for companies. Part of the reason is because of the recession and the problems that people are having with gambling and affording it. It seems that in an effort to meet budgetary requirements, people are opting to eliminate gambling from their monthly spending habits. Though casinos are fighting with all their efforts, it seems that more and more states are losing out. Residents have yet to return to the gambling habits of old and that is cutting back on a good chunk of profits. Though casinos continue to build promotions and specials to bring gamers in, it is going to take a few more months for things to level out. It is still unknown whether or not the leveling off will return gambling numbers to what they were pre-recession. Only time will tell whether or not gambling returns to former numbers, or if other offshore gambling companies win out. Hopefully casinos in the US are able to turn things around sooner than later.
Tags: decline, gaming, recession, travel
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Tribal-owned casino operators have long been in trouble. Not only was the recession hard on the casino industry but the rise in internet gambling has seriously thinned out the revenue streams available to the tribes. They are now concerned about the issue and seriously trying to find new ways of assuring their viability in the market. The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority is one group that is fighting hard for their market share. Leo M. Chupaska, CFO of the tribe recently spoke at the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. The tribe of course is the owner of a 500+ acre reservation in southeast Connecticut. The Authority has the exclusive rights to build the tribal brand throughout the area, including operating the Mohegan Sun casino at the Pocono Downs. This is a premiere casino location in the area and brings in millions of dollars in revenue in any given year.
Tribal casinos are suffering financially. One of the biggest problems is the rise in gambling throughout the US. Gaming casinos are cropping up everywhere due to the pending changes coming about. States throughout the US are toying with legislation that will allow for gambling to be used as revenue generating activities. Lawmakers know full well how lucrative the market is and they are pushing to use money for building up state coffers and overcoming the recession. States are planning on handing out licenses to various bidders who want to develop gambling casinos. Those licenses and the tax revenue dollars they create is what is going to help states out of their hefty deficits. The problem is that the rise in casinos is seriously threatening Indian-owned casino revenue. Tribal leaders are concerned that the huge growth in casinos will cut back on their own revenue and most tribal leaders rely on gambling as a major part of their income. They have contracts with the government that allow them to own and operate casinos but now those contracts are being threatened. In addition, add to the mix the pending legalization of online gambling and tribal leaders are seriously worried about their revenue streams. Without some viable options and strengthening of their own brands, tribally owned casinos could be in serious trouble in coming years.
Tags: financial, Indian, Mohegan, recession, tribe
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