Casino News Today

It is good to see that my opinion regarding the future of the Brach factory is causing discussion. Because without discussions like those that have been occurring online and in this paper, certain truths would be conveniently left out of the discussion.

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TUNICA, MS- Looking for an escape?  Did you know the third largest concentration of casinos in the country is just 200 miles away in Tunica, Mississippi?  Just south of Memphis, the “South’s Casino Capital” is waiting to offer you good times, chance, golf, relaxation, and some of the finest food in the south.

The competition for your entertainment dollar is cut-throat and the winner is the consumer.  Harrah’s has re-branded the “Grand Casino Tunica” as a fully branded “Harrah’s” property.  The $50million+ makeover knocks you over with spoils upon entering the resort.

Three dramatic entry ways take you over a “moat” populated with huge turtles and fish.  New carpet greets you with easy to navigate signage.  The restrooms are the nicest public restrooms I have ever seen, complete with marble, tile, ample toilet and wash facilities and it was well attended to. 

None of this is going to make you hit 21 every time, but you feel better about being in the casino.  You feel like a high roller even if you are playing with your quarter rolls from home.  But the real difference is upstairs, and this is perhaps the most promoted part of any casino I have seen in 14 years of tracking Tunica’s casino industry.

Paula Deen, of Food Network fame, has her signature on the buffet and store.  Bar none, it is the best buffet I have ever been to.  Deen’s signature is southern cooking, and her favorite ingredient is butter.  The buffet is expensive, but well worth it.  Dinner for two will cost you $58.  It takes about 2 hours of table play with consistent play to get the meal “comped.”

The buffet:  Prime Rib, Alaskan King Crab, southern soul food, and home-made desserts are all must samples.  But what I cannot stop talking about is the bread.  The biscuits and hoe-cakes are beyond words.  The biscuits have cheese and a hint of garlic.  The hoe cakes are a soft type of cornbread that are out of this world.  Both have butter beyond belief… and are served with, of course, MORE BUTTER. 

I told my wife I would drive the 400 mile round trip for two of those biscuits.    WOW WOW WOW.

Yes, it’s still a casino.  Yes, it’s a buffet.   But Harrah’s has created a resort that leads the pack in Tunica.

Writer- Ben Boles

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BOSSIER CITY, La. AP) - A casino is promoting its 14th anniversary in Bossier City by making gasoline available for $1.40 per gallon, and police are bracing for possible traffic jams.

Bossier City police say they will have extra officers on hand to direct traffic when the Horseshoe Casino’s promotion takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at a gas station on Old Minden Road near Interstate 20.

There are limits on who can get the cheaper fuel and how much they can get. Only customers with cards from the casino’s Total Rewards program will qualify. They will have to pay in cash and the offer will be limited to the first 1,000 cars.

Horseshoe is holding the event in conjunction with KTBS TV and Cumulus radio.

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Tax revenue generated by Indiana’s casinos dipped nearly $3 million in June compared to the same period a year ago, despite the addition of new gambling centers in Anderson and Shelbyville.

Indiana casinos generated about $78.6 million in tax revenue for the state last month, a drop from $81.5 million last June, according to figures released today by the Indiana Gaming Commission. The two new casinos contributed $6.5 million toward that total. Those casinos opened in June, bringing the state’s total to 13.

Overall casino attendance also showed a decline, dropping to nearly 2.1 million from about 2.3 million last year.

Indiana Gaming Commission Executive Director Ernie Yelton, the gaming commission’s executive director, said the decrease was due to a number of factors, including the economy, gas prices and the tumultuous weather during the past month.

“Historically, the industry has been resistant to the economy,” Yelton said. “I believe this is the first time in gaming history that it has had an effect.”

The state’s two new “racinos” – Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson and Indiana Live Casino at Indiana Downs in Shelbyville – began offering slot machines in June. Hoosier Park brought in more than $3.9 million in taxes, surpassing French Lick Resort Casino’s $2,568,231. Indiana Live generated $2,567,287 in taxes for the month.

The new racinos paid the state $250 million in licensing fees to install the 2,000 slot machines in their racing establishments, and expect to draw more than 3 million visitors during their first year of operation. .

French Lick Resort Casino, which some believe will take the biggest hit from adding slots in Anderson and Shelbyville, reported fewer visitors and smaller revenues. The casino had 102,101 visitors, down from 111,617 in May. The $2.5 million in tax revenues is down from $3.2 million during the previous month.

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