Archive for August, 2008

WSOPE to take place at the Empire Casino in London

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

This years world series of poker Europe will take place in the heart of London at the Empire casino in Leicester  Square. The event will attract players from all over the world including some of the biggest names in the game. The WSOPE has quickly become the most premium event in Europe and the Empire Casino is the perfect for such event. Players will be battling it out for a huge winning pot. Here is a schedule of the biggest games at the event:

September 19th , 2008 – Event #1 – £1,500 – No-Limit Hold’em Day 1A (3-day event/2 opening days)

September 22nd , 2008 – Event #2 – £2,500 – H.O.R.S.E. (3-day event)

September 24th , 2008 – Event #3 – £5,000 – Pot Limit Omaha (3-day event)

September 27th , 2008 – Event #4 – £10,000 – World Championship No-Limit Hold’em (5-day event)

“We are eagerly anticipating World Series of Poker Europe this year,” said Ty Stewart, World Series of Poker Director of Marketing. “We have enhanced the schedule to provide more variety and game play, greatly broadened the worldwide television exposure and have brought the event under one roof to better the player experience for this prestigious and premiere event.”

Many of the WSOP main event final players have already brought in to compete in the final of the WSOPE which will take place a month before the WSOP main event final in Las Vegas. Make sure you check this blog regularly for up to date news in the casino industry!

Harrah’s is getting rid of some slots

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Harrah’s Entertainment has decided to get rid of some of their slot machines, leading many to believe there was a conflict between the casino operator and International Game Technology, which makes the slots being taken out.

Other experts in the industry are pointing to the fact that Harrah’s has done a lot of statistical research and does what is in the best interest of their casino and ultimately their company, which has nothing to do with an agreement with the slot machine maker.

“We try to offer our customers the games they like to play, which we determine through volume of play and regular surveys of our guests,” said Gary Thompson, a spokesman for Harrah’s Entertainment.

If a game at Harrah’s, or any casino for that matter, under performs that casino will fix the problem by doing away with the game or replacing it.

“The experiment has given Harrah’s a significant amount of data to work with to make decisions on participation games in other markets,” said Brian McGill, gaming analyst for Wachovia.  “With this is mind, we were not surprised to see Harrah’s pull out a significant number of Wheel of Fortune games.”

The numbers don’t lie in the casino business and the numbers are what casinos stand by, which is why the most likely reason for the latest actions by Harrah’s was purely a budgetary one.

Caesars Palace plans go Ahead

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Caesars Palace casino is going ahead with its expansion plans. The $1 Billion project will continue even though several construction projects have been forced to close due to the economic downturn. The project is being funded by the Harrah ’s entertainment group. The companies profits were in fact down from the last years quarter but the decision has been made to continue to the construction of the new casino.

Steven Wieczynski, gaming analyst for Stifel Nicolaus Capital Markets said,“Overall, the company indicated that the demand environment is tough, and they were not willing to estimate when the market would trough”.

Harrah’s Chief Executive Officer Gary Loveman said, “The first half of the year presented us with the most turbulent economic conditions the casino industry has faced in years. Customer visitation fell in the second quarter as consumers coped with higher fuel costs, declining asset values, the impact of widespread flooding in the Midwest and other financial challenges.”

Rising fuel prices along with the cutting back of consumer spending has resulted in a shard decrease in Vegas casino profits.

888.com announce revenue Increase

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Online gambling casinos giant, 888 holdings, has announced a rise in its overall revenues for the second quarter of the year. 888 holdings provide a betting, bingo, poker and casino service to online users and are one of the leading online sites. The companies operating income for the three months to June 30 was $69 million, up from $51 million a year earlier.

Chief executive Gigi Levy said, in an interview with Reuters, “We are definitely looking into a few acquisition opportunities.”We are quite likely to be doing an acquisition in the coming quarters,” he said, declining to give further details.The companies bingo, casino and betting sectors all grew, however there was a small decrease in the profits for 888poker. A drop in numbers of active players has seen profits decrease and the average stake per player has also got slightly less. This is believed to be due to sporting events of the recent months including the European 2008 football tournament.

The online poker industry has apparently felt the effects of fewer male player entering online games. Instead they have been watching the football or other sporting events. 888.com will no doubt continue to grow and improve its all ready trusted online gaming service. With plans for new acquisitions planned for the near future, its exciting times at 888.

UK online casinos are growing every year and 888.com is leading the way with new innovative ideas and entertaining games for users.