Why Indian Casinos, Anyway?

A majority of the casino gaming in the US is run and even regulated through the Indian reservations, usually with simple nods to the Feds. Let us hav a look at American history, society, business and law enforcement.

From the earliest days of colonial period, Americans have had a rocky relationship with their Indian neighbors. The Native Americans resented European expansion; the settlers pushed west onto tribal lands. Conflict was inevitable.

By 1890, the western ‘frontier of settlement’ was a thing of the past, and the Indian tribes had mostly been confined to a series of reservations across most of the 48 contiguous states. These Indian reservations had, and still have, an ambiguous relationship with the US and state governments.

Formed by treaties between the Federal authorities and the individual tribes, the reservations are, technically, sovereign entities, not bound by state laws and only loosely bound by Federal regulations and laws. Given the history of distrust between Indians and whites, it’s an uneasy relationship; sometimes it works well, and sometimes its bursts into violence (think Leonard Peltier).

Will Obama Legalize Online Gambling?

Conventional wisdom says that an Obama Presidency will be good for the online gambling industry. What does the candidate’s record have to say about it?

With the November election rapidly approaching, Americans are starting to wonder what how a President Obama or a President McCain would lead on various controversial issues. While the ‘big ticket’ issues, the economy, the war in Iraq, and Iran’s nuclear program, get the press coverage, smaller issues are also on the voters’ minds. Online gambling is one of those smaller issues.

According to conventional wisdom, an Obama Presidency would likely legalize, regulate, and tax the online gambling industry. Obama has the highest ‘liberal’ rating in the US Senate, and he has consistently voted in favor of increasing government regulation in a variety of industries. He has no statements on record against online gaming.

The Case for Regulating Online Gambling

In new attempts to reverse the UIGEA law banning online gambling, the US is excited about the prospects of collecting taxes on the huge sums of money spent on online gambling. In addition, regulation could help reduce some of negative effects on consumers, says a new study by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Western Ontario.

Understanding online casino gambling
The study, entitled “Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online Versus Casino Gambling,” is due to be published in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Kathryn LaTour, associate professor in the UNLV Harrah College of Hotel Administration, says that the integration of online gambling in the home can more easily “turn gambling behavior into a component of a consumer’s everyday life, like watching television.”

Income Access and Gold Mobile Casino Announce WAP Casino Affiliate Program

Income Access and Gold Mobile Casino have announced that their WAP affiliate program will be targeting the French market with a new site, http://wap.goldmobilecasino.com/fr , new banners and new French gaming software. With research reports showing the France as one of the hottest mobile commerce markets, Gold Mobile is excited to offer its affiliates the tools to penetrate this lucrative market. While already a hot spot for mobile commerce, with over 9 million users currently accessing the mobile web, France is predicted to rapidly expand in mobile web penetration. The market research firm IDATE has predicted that the French mobile commerce industry will grow to approximately 19 billion Euros by 2009. With this expansion comes a rapid increase in the number of mobile web sites, creating a huge opportunity for mobile operators such as Gold Mobile Casino to build affiliate traffic.

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Who is Stanley Ho?

Stanley Ho, also known as Ho Hung-sun, was born November 25th, 1921. He is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho picked up the nickname “The King of Gambling”, which reflects the government-granted monopoly he held for over 35 years in the Macau gaming industry. Ho is by far the wealthiest person in all of Macau, and one of the wealthiest in all of Asia. Ho’s estimated net worth is around 7-billion-dollars, according to Forbes magazine. He’s tied for the 104th rank of wealthiest person in the entire world. Ho owns many properties in both Hong Kong and Macau and has taken part in all kinds of business ventures including entertainment, shipping, real estate, tourism, air transport, and banking.

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The Rise of the Cirque Du Soleil Circus in Las Vegas

Eight time winner of the Las Vegas Best Production Show for Mystére, Circque Du Soleil is also winner of several other awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Bambi Award and three Gemini Awards. The Cirque Du Soleil Circus currently is operating five permanent shows in the city of Las Vegas with plans for three additional Las Vegas productions. Considering that the first of the permanent Las Vegas productions did not open until the year 1993, the phenomenal success of the company is laudable. Prior to Las Vegas, the company had several years of struggle and financial setbacks. Several times, Cirque Du Soleil (literally Circus of the Sun) narrowly escaped financial ruin. To go from those beginnings to a estimated annual revenue of $600 million. In Las Vegas alone, the existing Cirque Du Soleil performers play to over 9000 people daily. That’s about one in every twenty people who visit the city daily.

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A Short Travelers Guide to Atlantic City

If you’re ready for the experience of a lifetime, then pack your bags and get ready to set out to one of the world’s most famous cities. Atlantic City has been known for decades as one of the most exciting places in the USA. It’s most famously known for being the “other” city. But as any ocean lover will tell you, Las Vegas can be a little too hot and a little too far away from the water. Atlantic City sits just yards off of the Boardwalk, and has some of the best casinos around. AC is the total package. You get all the great entertainment that Vegas can offer, and you’re guaranteed to save money on room accommodations, food, and much more. Atlantic City is the best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, casinos and bars.

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The World’s Largest Casino: The Venetian in Macao

Out of the thousands of casinos in the world, many often wonder which is the largest. Though America boasts some big casinos in places like Las Vegas and Connecticut, it’s China that tops the list with their monstrous casino, The Venetian. The Venetian Macao is a casino resort in Macau, China, and is owned by the Las Vegas Sands hotel-casino chain. This 40-story building is set to be the anchor for the 7 resort hotels which are currently under construction on the Cotai Strip in Macau. Modeled after its sister casino in Las Vegas, the Venetian Macao is an astonishing 10,500,000-square-feet, and is the largest single structure building in all of Asia, and third largest in the entire world. The main hotel tower was finished in the summer of 2007 and the resort officially opened for business in August of the same year. With over 3,000 suites, the Venetian also has 3400 slot machines, 800 gambling tables, and a 15,000 seat arena for sports and entertainment events.

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A Brief History of Foxwoods Resort Casino

Foxwoods Resort Casino is a stunningly beautiful hotel-casino located in Ledyard, Connecticut. It is by far the largest casino in the world, as measured by sheer floor-space for gambling. With 340,000 square feet of gambling space, Foxwoods can hold more people than almost any two other Atlantic City casinos. The entire resort comprises 4,700,000 square feet of space. The casino area has over 380 gambling tables which include blackjack, craps, poker, and roulette. There are well over 7,400 slot machines, and even a bingo room and keno parlor. There are several restaurants located there, including a Hard Rock Café. Foxwoods has 1,416 hotel rooms and a two-story arcade, which is mainly for children and teens.

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A short history on Indian Casino Gaming

Indian casino gaming as we know it all began with the Seminole tribe of Florida. It wasn’t very long ago at all. The Seminoles first opened a high-stakes bingo hall on their reservation in 1979. And just like anything in the United States, the government in Florida quickly moved in, attempting to close down the operation. However, the courts interceded and stopped the attempts by Florida to overthrow the bingo hall. But despite the early victories in court by the Seminole tribe, the legality of Indian casino gaming was still very much in doubt. There have been a few landmark events which sparked a flame of revolution in the Indian casino gaming venture. One important case took place in California.

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