Many Look for Opportunity at FireKeepers Casino

Like clockwork, the cars roll over the stone parking lot just off Interstate 94 a little before 8 a.m. The drivers waste little time and head into the nondescript building for the first of three shifts at dealer school for FireKeepers Casino.

Two-thousand answered the call for 300 available slots as dealer-school students. They were screened and tested before being invited to attend. They get paid nothing and are expected to be there four hours a day for 12 weeks. In the end, they may or may not be offered a job. The casino says that, altogether, more than 28,000 people have applied for 1,500 full- and part-time jobs that will be filled before opening in early August.

"This is a career opportunity," says Lance Allen, director of table games for the casino. "A lot of people just look at it as a job. But it really is more than a job."

Allen should know. He started out as a dealer 28 years ago and has risen to a key management position for the $300 million casino.

At 47, Gary Smith from Parma was considering going back to school to train for a health-field position. He worked for Libra Industries -- an automotive supplier in Jackson -- for the past five years as a shipping and receiving manager. Like many, he gets no health insurance from his part-time job at a convenience store. If Smith makes it through the next 12 weeks, he'll get the benefits that are so important to him.

"Auto is a dying industry," Smith said. "I want something with long-term potential."

For the complete story, please see Chris Wheelock, What's the Deal? Some see second career as casino dealers, West Michigan Business, May 28, 2009.

More on the Proposed Michigan Smoking Ban

The Michigan House voted Tuesday to ban smoking in workplaces including bars and restaurants, but to allow it on gambling floors at Detroit's three casinos, cigar bars and smoke shops.

The 73-31 vote set up another face-off with the Senate, which last year voted for a total smoking ban, no exceptions.

The smoking ban remains a hot issue, led by antismoking advocates encouraged by smoking bans approved in recent weeks in Wisconsin and North Carolina, a tobacco industry state where a smoking ban was once unimaginable.

But like last year, a stalemate looms again between Michigan's House and Senate over whether to allow smoking in Detroit's casinos. A state-imposed smoking ban would not affect American Indian-run casinos.

For the complete story, please see Chris Christoff, Michigan House OKs smoking ban, Detroit Free Press, May 27, 2009.

Fight Continues to End Online Gambling Ban

After coming up short in a first effort, a Democratic lawmaker has again introduced legislation that would roll back a ban on Internet gambling enacted when Republicans led Congress.

The legislation, introduced this month by Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, would allow the Treasury Department to license and regulate online gambling companies that serve American customers. Under the current law, approved by Congress in September 2006, financial institutions are banned from handling transactions made to and from Internet gambling sites.

At a news conference announcing the legislation, Mr. Frank, who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, pointed out that the federal government could collect increased tax revenues if Internet gambling was regulated. But he said online gambling should be legal as a matter of personal liberty, calling it an activity the government should neither encourage nor prohibit.

“Most actions the government should stay out of,” Mr. Frank said.

Mr. Frank’s bill has roughly two dozen co-sponsors, most of them Democrats. He did not seek the backing of the Obama administration or the leadership in either the House or the Senate.

The legislation does have the backing of those who enjoy poker. The Poker Players Alliance, one of the groups lobbying for the bill’s passage, says it has more than a million members and, in former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, Republican of New York, a well-known chairman to press its case on Capitol Hill.

For the complete story, please see Bernie Becker, Aided by Poker Devotees, Lawmaker Pushes to End the Ban on Online Gambling, The New York Times, May 25, 2009.

Bingos Not Exempt as Smoking Ban Passes House

Attempts to add an exemption for charitable bingos failed, as the Michigan House passed a smoking ban. Under this law proposal, the Detroit casinos and cigar bars patrons will be allowed to smoke, but bingo players won't.

The bill will now move on to the Senate.

From the Detroit News:

The Michigan House today approved legislation to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places but gives exemptions to Detroit's three casinos as well as cigar bars and tobacco specialty shops.

The vote was 73-31. The bill is nearly identical to one passed in the House last year. The Senate then approved its own version of a smoking ban that was a blanket prohibition with no exemptions. The effort to ban smoking died when the two chambers couldn't reach a compromise.

For the complete story, please see Charlie Cain, Michigan House OKs smoking ban, exempts casinos, The Detroit News, May 26, 2009.

China Gambling to Surpass Las Vegas?

The world economy may be slumping, but don't tell that to Macau -- the former Portugese colony which is set to trump Las Vegas heading out of the worst global downturn since the Great Depression.

In the smoke-filled gambling halls of Macau's MGM Mirage casino, hundreds of Chinese gamblers were crammed around tables flipping cards, playing roulette and rolling dice on a recent day, seemingly unaffected by the slowdown.

The ace up the sleeve of Macau, the world's biggest gambling market, is this steady influx of risk-loving Chinese flocking to the only place in China where casinos are legal. Las Vegas, on the other hand, is saddled with a stagnant U.S. economy and glut of new casinos preparing to enter the market.

"We've seen better-than-expected performance in the overall gaming market of Macau," said Credit Suisse analyst Gabriel Chan. "Vegas is still suffering and will take a longer time to recover, but in Macau, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Macau, a special administrative region that is now under Chinese rule, will be more resilient than Las Vegas thanks to its proximity to China, which is propping up its economy with a massive 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus package to offset a big drop in exports, analysts said.

For the complete story, please see Sui-Lee Wee and Deena Beasley, China ties make Macau casinos good bet to beat Vegas, Reuters, May 26, 2009.

Pulltabs Jamming in Your Ticket Machine? Here's 3 Quick Tips.

Probably the #1 bingo related service call we receive is about pulltabs (charity tickets) jamming in a bingo or club's pulltab machine. Often, a ticket jam is a pretty easy thing to fix, but can be a real pain if it keeps happening, especially if the person in charge has to make repeated trips back and forth to fix a machine.

To help prevent pulltab jams:

1. Don't write on your pulltabs with a permanent marker. Some bingos like to do this to help with their counts, but this can cause pulltabs to stick together.

2. Don't over-fan your tickets to remove ticket dust. This can bend them more than it's worth. If you do fan them, do so gently.

3. If your pulltabs are bowed, they can hurt dispensing performance. Different machines work better with the bowside up or down depending on the type and manufacturer. Ask your bingo supplier for help.

For the complete story, please see 3 Quick Tips for Dispensing Pull Tabs from Your Ticket Machine, Wholesale Bingo Supplies Article.

Smoking Ban Passes Michigan House

The Michigan House of Representatives has again passed a smoking ban. This version will exempt casinos and tobacco shops.

However, there is no word yet on whether or not charity bingos may join that list. Last year's smoking ban legislation (which eventually expired before a compromise could be reached) did include nonprofit bingos amongst their exemptions.

From The Detroit News:

The debate about a possible workplace smoking ban in Michigan continues.

A state House committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban smoking at most workplaces including bars and restaurants. But casinos and tobacco shops would be exempt from the ban, similar to plans approved by the Democrat-led House in 2007 and 2008.

The Republican-led Senate has not taken up a smoking ban bill this year. The Senate approved a ban with no exceptions last year. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop of Rochester said no deal has been reached on a compromise.

The Senate and House would have to agree on a version of the ban for it to become law.

Gambler Sues After Losing Millions

High-rolling Nebraska philanthropist Terrance K. Watanabe is mounting an unusual defense to charges he failed to pay $14.7 million in Strip gambling debts.

He is accusing Caesars Palace and the Rio, both owned by Harrah’s Entertainment, of providing him with a steady flow of alcohol and — in the case of Caesars Palace — prescription painkillers as his losses increased.

His Las Vegas attorney, David Chesnoff, lays out the defense in a letter to prosecutors, claiming that casino employees will testify that the resorts kept the prolific gambler in a constant state of intoxication in the latter months of 2007 in violation of state gaming regulations.

For the complete stroy, please see Jeff German, Gambler who lost millions claims he was plied with alcohol, drugs, Las Vegas Sun, May 19, 2009.

FireKeepers Casino Expected to Open in August

"So far I'm getting used to these chips."

Steve Feltner is on his first day of what he hopes will be his new career. He was laid off from his exterminator job and jumped at the chance to become a dealer.

"The way I see it, this job's gonna be here for a really long time," said Feltner. "Plus the bare fact that I absolutely love being around people, I just figured this would be a good career to undertake."

All four hours of the first day and part of the second will be all about the chips.

Cutting, stacking, pushing-- they're the foundation of the job.

Mark Agabashian is pretty good with the chips-- he's been a dealer for 10 years-- but was laid off from Motor City Casino in Detroit last month. Dealer school is a formality for him.

"It's like work, but it's not easy," says Agabashian. "The procedures are really precise."

Both Feltner and Agabashian have easy going, friendly personalities that would seem to make them excellent dealers from a gambler's perspective.

"I like this a lot," Agabashian continues. "It's entertaining. The players are amazing."

They are both after the same thing-- a career at the new Firekeepers Casino just off I-94 in between Marshall and Battle Creek. It's 45 miles South of Lansing-- which is 15 miles closer than Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant.

Construction is moving along well and doors are now expected to open in early August.

For the complete story, please see Jason Colthorp, New Casino Opening in August, WILX.com, May 18, 2009.

Legislature Folds on Casino Smoking Ban

It had been weeks since the Mohegan Tribe pushed a massive bet to the center of the table: a threat to immediately sue the state and place into escrow Connecticut's share of slot machine revenue if lawmakers imposed a smoking ban on their casino.

On Tuesday, with as much as $400 million in annual revenue from both of Connecticut's casinos at stake, the legislature finally folded.

Despite strong pressure from labor groups who want a smoking ban to protect their workers - and to demonstrate their clout after recently organizing some workers at Foxwoods Resort Casino - there has been widespread consensus among legislators and their aides that the Mohegans' bet was one that lawmakers and Gov. M. Jodi Rell could not afford to call, especially with the state facing a combined deficit of nearly $9 billion over the next two fiscal years.

For the complete story, please see Ted Mann, Finance Committee Kills Casino Smoking Ban Bill, TheDay.com, May 13, 2009.

Electronic Bingo Hall Moves Ahead Despite Death of Bingo Bill

Enterprise developer Ronnie Gilley said last week the bingo bill may be dead for now, but the Country Crossing mega-entertainment park isn’t.

“We’re marching on,” said Gilley last week after Alabama legislators allowed the Sweet Home Alabama bill to die in the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Quinton Ross of Montgomery and Rep. Marcel Black of Tuscumbia, would have regulated and taxed electronic bingo in Alabama and allowed a statewide referendum. Its death, however, does not stop Gilley’s plans for an electronic bingo hall at Country Crossing, where the primary focus will be on high-quality entertainment, celebrity-themed restaurants and luxury hotels.

“We’re moving full steam ahead,” Gilley said. “Construction activity will pick up dramatically in the next two to three weeks.”

For the complete story, please see Kay Kirkland, Bingo bill dies, development moves ahead, The Southeast Sun, May 13, 2009.

Presidential Daubers Are Here!

Wholesale Bingo Supplies is always looking for the latest bingo products, and the anytime new Designer Dab Daubers are introduced, they're always fun. Well they've outdone themselves this time with their Presidential Daubers.

These bingo daubers have a cool patriotic label and actually dab the likeness of the President which is pretty funny. So, if you're interested go check them out. They are a limited edition and won't be available for very long.

Also, if you're into Presidential collectibles check out this site MyBarocks.com run by a friend of ours.

Buying Bingo Paper Made Easy

Even the most experienced bingo managers can sometimes have a little difficulty when it comes to ordering bingo paper. With all of the different bingo book sizes, cuts and various terminology it can be confusing.

Here is a video that can help.



For more information on how to manage a bingo, please visit our Bingo Videos Page.

Vegas Gambles on Future

The slump in Las Vegas may be bottoming out, but odds are good that a coming wave of new resorts will hinder any rebound in hotel rates or casino revenue.

That could put a cap on profits at recession-battered casino companies.

MGM Mirage, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts Ltd. this week reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results, helping to boost their heavily battered stock prices.

"I see that starting in September – maybe October, more appropriately – we are going to have an accelerated booking pace ... I hesitate to use the word getting back to normal, but I think we are getting close to getting back to normal in 2010," Sheldon Adelson, Sands' chair and chief executive, said this week.

Analysts, however, warn that there is no concrete evidence as yet that the bottom of the downturn is in sight in Las Vegas.

For the complete story, please see Deena Beasley, Vegas rolls dice on an uncertain future, Reuters via The Toronto Star, May 10, 2009.

Video Bingo Benefits from Video Poker's Demise

Flying largely below radar, the number of video bingo machines in Louisiana has grown by hundreds over the past five years - mostly in parishes that banned video poker more than a decade ago.

In Lafayette Parish, which is one of those parishes, there are 75 machines in three places.

While the business takes in only a fraction of what the better-known video poker machines win from players, the devices' growth in non-gambling parishes has led critics to call electronic bingo an end-around by gambling interests.

"There are some people who voted out gambling and they're going to wake up and find it's there," said state Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth.

McPherson and state Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield, are pushing legislation that would ban video bingo in the 33 parishes that tossed out video poker machines during 1996 referendums. A similar move failed last year.

For the complete story, please see AP, Video bingo grows where poker banned, TheAdvertiser.com, May 10, 2009.

Foxwoods Casino Reaches Compromise on Smoking Ban

In an effort to extinguish a controversial issue, Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot nation Thursday for a voluntary, limited smoking ban at the Foxwoods Resort casino.

The agreement is similar to one that Rell signed earlier this year with The Mohegan Tribe to limit smoking in a wide variety of areas at the casino complex.

The deal was announced as the state legislature is still debating a highly controversial bill that would impose a phased-in, total ban on smoking at both casinos. Two major legislative committees have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the ban, and some proponents say the bill should still go forward even with the new agreement.

The tribes, however, have reacted strongly against the bill, raising the specter of a potential battle over nearly $400 million per year in slot-machine revenue currently added to the cash-strapped state coffers from the casinos.

Those threats remained real Thursday as the Pequots hailed the new understanding with Rell as a major step forward.

For the full story, please see Christopher Keating, Gov. Rell Signs Smoking Deal With Foxwoods Resort Casino, Capitol Watch, Courant.com, May 7, 2009.

Greektown Casino Disappointed with Low Bids

Greektown Casino-Hotel will spend more time looking at ways to reorganize its debts rather than selling the property to exit bankruptcy, after multiple bids came in lower than expected, a financial adviser for the gambling hall said Thursday.

Chuck Moore, an adviser from Birmingham-based Conway MacKenzie Inc., which is working on Greektown's bankruptcy, told the Michigan Gaming Control Board at its Thursday meeting that his team would shift focus toward looking at ways the casino can reorganize some $777 million in debt.

"There was disappointment at the values of the bids we've seen so far," Moore said. "Our creditors don't believe they adequately compensate for the performance of the property."

Officials in charge of Greektown's estate have been shopping the property around to potential bidders in a two-pronged approach to getting the casino out of Chapter 11 protection.

For the complete story, please see Nathan Hurst, Greektown Casino rejects low-ball bids, The Detroit News, May 7, 2009.

Mohegan Sun Fights Back Against Possible Smoking Ban

The chief executive officer of Mohegan Sun urged state lawmakers Tuesday to kill a proposal that would compel the two tribally owned casinos in Connecticut to ban cigarette smoking by 2011, saying the resulting drop-off in business would cost the state millions in slot revenues and lost jobs.

“We are now competing directly with thousands of slot machines in neighboring states,” CEO Mitchell Etess wrote to the leaders and members of the legislature’s Finance Committee, which received the bill Tuesday morning, when it was referred from the House floor. “Patrons who smoke will take their business to other states, if a ban is approved in Connecticut, and revenues could drop up to 20 percent. There will be layoffs, and a cascading loss of business to us and our vendors.”

Etess pointed to the examples of Illinois and Delaware, where the imposition of smoking bans cut casino business by 17 percent and 19 percent respectively, and also backed his conclusions with a new analysis from the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.

For the complete story, please see Ted Mann, Mohegan Sun CEO asks legislators to kill casino smoking ban bill, TheDay.com, May 6, 2009.

California Charities Turn to Legislature for Relief After Electronic Bingo Loss

After mixed results in court battles to keep operating casino-style machines, California charitable bingo parlors are seeking financial relief in the Legislature and from tribal gambling funds.

But casino tribes protest reinstating a $5 million account originally created to compensate charities for the anticipated loss of bingo machines.

Charity groups argue that losing electronic bingo will cost them critical revenues for programs for schools, communities and the disabled.

Tribes argue the slot machine-style games violate their gambling exclusivity rights and thus threaten California's ability to collect millions of dollars in revenue-sharing payments from Indian casinos.

Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, drafted legislation to allow charities losing bingo machines to seek compensation until Oct. 31 from a fund tribes pay into to offset impacts of Indian gambling.

For the complete story, please see Peter Hecht, California charities seek relief for loss of electronic bingo, The Sacremento Bee, May 4, 2009.

County Looks to Electronic Bingo for Revenue

County Commission Chairman Lynn Sasser said Friday the county must find new revenue somewhere, and bingo might have been the answer.

Asked if the county had considered electronic bingo as a means of possible revenue, Sasser said it is not an option now.

“We had it in mind with that 565 amendment and we were thinking about ways to help this county, but not now,” Sasser said.

In March, the commission unanimously approved a resolution asking House Speaker Seth Hammett (D-Andalusia) and Sen. Jimmy Holley (R-Elba) to repeal one of two Alabama laws that affect gaming in Covington County. If House Bill 821 had passed in the legislature this year, it would have repealed legislation from 1993 that sets rules for charitable bingo in Covington County.

Once those rules were repealed, the only governing legislation for charitable bingo in Covington County would be Constitutional Amendment 565, approved by statewide vote in 1994. That amendment gives the county commission the authority to “promulgate rules and regulations for issuing permits or licenses and for operating bingo games within the county.”

For the complete story, please see Michele Gerlach, Could bingo save county?, Andalusia Star-News, May 1, 2009.