Florida Qq Online Lawmakers View Dockside Plan

Florida lawmakers received a proposal last month to operate a permanently docked riveboat casino in Port Richey. Mollie Kolokithas set out plans that the city form a nonprofit organization with her family business, Paradise of Port Richey, which owns the local SunCruz casino boat operation. Under the preliminary plan, Kolokithas’ company would operate the riverboat casino, and the city would share profits with the county and other Pasco municipalities for public projects. According to City Manager Vince Lupo, the city could use profits from the gambling business to pay for a proposed city parking lot and other big-ticket projects. The plan would also help alleviate property taxes and curb a $4-billion deficit in the state’s budget for next year. Kolokithas envisions bingo, video and low-stakes poker on the Pithlachas cotee River’s bank: “This way we keep Port Richey in the game.” The city’s Mayor Eloise Taylor says she wasn’t interested in Port Richey becoming a gambling Mecca, but was willing to discuss Kolokithas’ proposal.

Caesars Is Priority for new CEO

Park Place Entertainment’s new president and chief executive officer, Wallace R. Barr, says better times are ahead for the world’s biggest gambling company. “More revenues,” Barr, 56, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “More is better. That’s my goal. That’s my mandate.” But industry experts say that Barr won’t have an easy time reaching the goals. He will have to oversee the turnaround of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, which has suffered from poor cash flow. Getting Caesars Palace to generate more cash flow is critical, says Barr. “Caesars is a priority for us as a brand.” Barr blamed the casino’s financial troubles on construction disruptions and an unlucky streak in table games. He says construction walls are down and traffic counts are up, both encouraging indicators that cash flow at Caesars would spike. Barr emphasized that the casinos have to be better managed, and efforts to draw people to individual properties should not overlap. The casinos should not compete for the same customers. Each distinct brand, such as Bally’s, Paris Las Vegas and Flamingo, has its own niche, says Barr.

UK Board Against Fixed-Odds Qq Online Betting Terminals

The United Kingdom’s Gaming Board announced last week that it will be taking action to clarify the legal position with regard to fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops. The Board has requested that the recently formed Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) cooperate in bringing the case to court. The Board also asked that ABB members not install further FOBTs pending clarification of the law. In a September letter to the betting shop operators’ associations, the Board set out views on its legal position, and has also voiced its concerns about the increased number of machines in betting shops. It was argued: “FOBTs offer the punter (bettor) a variety of games to play, including roulette and bingo. The Board believes that what is being offered is gaming, and that FOBTs should therefore comply with gaming regulations. Under current legislation there should be no more than two gaming machines per betting shop, with maximum stakes of about $47 and maximum prizes of about $39. FOBTs do not meet these requirements.” The ABB disagrees with the Board’s legal interpretation, saying its members are not acting unlawfully.