Anthony Sanfilippo, Pinnacle Entertainment’s president and chief executive officer, commented, “Pinnacle is one of Louisiana’s most active and successful developers and operators of casino entertainment properties and remains strongly committed to thoughtfully growing our operations in the state. We have approximately 3,800 employees throughout the state at our L’Auberge du Lac, Boomtown New Orleans and Boomtown Bossier City properties, have made significant investments in these markets and are moving forward with our plans for a substantial new investment in Baton Rouge. We also remain deeply committed to the community of Lake Charles and the surrounding area and believe our focus on operational excellence at L’Auberge du Lac will result in economic growth in this market. L’Auberge du Lac is a premier resort property in Pinnacle’s portfolio and our focus will further the property’s reputation as a best-in-region resort with extraordinary customer service.

“Our commitment to the state is also reflected by our development of a new property in Baton Rouge, where we look forward to continuing our work with local and state authorities to develop a premier casino entertainment facility that reflects the rich heritage of Baton Rouge and southern Louisiana. Our Baton Rouge project will feature approximately 1,300 slot machines, 50 table games, a hotel with at least 100 guestrooms and other amenities, and will create approximately 700 construction-phase jobs and approximately 1,000 permanent jobs for the area.”

Mr. Sanfilippo concluded, “Pinnacle’s updated Louisiana development and growth strategy reflects the Company’s focus on disciplined capital spending and expansion and our commitment to focusing on operational excellence throughout our property portfolio. We are confident this strategy will continue to strengthen the Company, providing us with a solid foundation for future growth which will also benefit the markets where we operate.”

The Reuters news agency reports that Chinese citizens traveling from the populous Guangdong province to Macau are having an easier time obtaining visas, sending casino stocks soaring Monday this week as industry executives bet on record October earnings as a result.

The Reuters report claims that the authorities were concerned that citizens were doing too much gambling, and consequently imposed new rules last year limiting them to two trips a year to Macau.

Government officials apparently began easing up on the rule as early as two months ago, and noticeably loosened the restriction at the start of this (September) month.

“The latest version is (they can travel to Macau) once a month out of Guangdong,” an anonymous casino executive told the news agency. “Gaming revenues for the first two weeks of the month have been good.”

October holds the promise of further improvement; it is a high travel season for Chinese because of the October 1 Golden Week holiday, and could see record monthly casino revenues following the more relaxed travel restrictions.

Macau has rocketed on to the global gambling stage in recent years following reforms earlier this decade that saw an end to a previous monopoly and awarding of licenses to multiple players, boosting competition.

The market grew 57 percent in 2007 alone, fueled by a huge influx of mainland Chinese, who now make up about 65 percent of casino visitors.

Macau generated HK$105.6 billion ($13.5 billion) in gross gaming revenues in 2008, more than double the HK$46.7 billion generated by the Las Vegas Strip during the same period.

More recently a combination of travel restrictions and the global economic recession has seen Macau revenues slump 12.5 percent in the first half of 2009.

At Tain, he succeeds Roberto Savio, who has been hired by Cake Poker as vice president of sales with special responsibilities to expand the range of gambling genres available to network licensees.

Per Sahlberg takes over as Tain’s CFO, moving over from Expekt, and AJ Thompson, previously MD of Tain Operations, becomes the company’s chief operating officer.

Virgin Games has partnered with the platform provider to offer customers access to a wider range of premier games, the popular Bejeweled being the first of many, a spokesman said this week.

The aim of the game is to link adjacent gems of the same colour, both horizontally and vertically and match a set of three or more precious chains; the more matches made, the higher the score and if more than three gems are linked wins are awarded. A jackpot of 20 000 credits can also be won with a single bet.

Bingo Bonanza brings the excitement of a lotto-ball draw combined with a bingo theme to the mobile platform. Six balls are drawn and any two matching balls complete a winning combination. The value displayed on the balls is multiplied by the players’ bet, providing the chance to win up to 20 000 times the original bet.

Spin3 has added Turbo Mode, which accelerates the animation to provide a quicker, more streamlined playing experience. A variety of colour schemes also allows players to personalise the look and feel of the game.

The bingo-style game is Spin3’s eighth web-based game and second web-based instant win game. Bingo Bonanza joins Spin3’s growing portfolio of lottery-style, instant win, non-casino style games such as the recently launched Dragon’s Fortune, Scratch ‘n’ Score and the classic Scratch Card.

Matti Zinder, Head of Spin3, said, “Combining the popularity of bingo with instant-win excitement is an ideal offering for a lottery industry looking to go mobile. Casino operators as well as lottery providers will see Bingo Bonanza as a great opportunity to provide their customers with a new and compelling instant win mobile game with a popular bingo theme.”

Xhilarate’s massage team have gained experience working across a number of poker events including the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) and World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE). Their client list includes London’s Palm Beach Casino, Virgin, Sony Ericsson and the BBC.

Xhilarate Poker will make their long-awaited debut for PKR.com at this year’s Poker in The Park in Leicester Square which takes place on August 13 and 14. All players taking part in tournaments at the PKR Poker Dome will be able to call on the Xhilarate girls for a relaxing massage for as little as £1 per minute.

Marketing Manager Erika Schwartz said, “Nothing quite compares to the glamour and style of the Xhilarate girls and their massages. We believe they fit in perfectly with our image and will provide some much needed relief and refreshment to our players when playing away from the computer screens and on the live circuit.”

Focusing on the neck, back and shoulders, Xhilarate massages employ highly rated eastern techniques such as Shiatsu, Ayurveda, Japanese, Thai and Indian Head Massage. The subtly applied treatments never disrupt players’ concentration at the table, using gentle manipulations and pressure points to alleviate stress. Players are left energised and rejuvenated with all treatments applied through clothing and without the need for oils. The practitioners themselves rank among the most attractive in the business, sporting an ultra-sexy corporate look, boasting corsets in an all black ensemble.

Upon completion in 2012, the 37-acre property will have added a third tower incorporating luxury accommodations and high-end suites, a 3,000-seat events center, entertainment and VIP lounges, 16,000-square-foot spa, new state-of-the-art digital poker room, Asian gaming room, restaurant and retail outlets, and hotel and casino parking garages. Harrah’s Cherokee is also renovating current casino facilities and doubling the size of its casino floor to 150,000 square feet while increasing video and table game capacity. The facilities will incorporate the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s extensive and important collection of Native American art. Significant investment is being made in technology and group services, from business and conference support to elaborate catering services.

Today’s groundbreaking ceremonies included Harrah’s management and executives, Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal leaders, government officials and local VIPs, construction and design representatives and members of the media. The project has significant economic impact for the region, significantly increasing hospitality-related and construction jobs available in the region.

Speaking at the event were Principal Chief Michell Hicks, Eastern Band of Cherokees; Norma Moss, Chair of Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise; Lynn Minges, Assistant Secretary/Tourism, Marketing and Global Branding, North Carolina; Darold Londo, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Harrah’s Cherokee; John Payne, Central Division President, Harrah’s Entertainment; Ken Leach, Executive Vice President, Turner Construction.

Principal Chief Hicks said that the Tribe — along with Harrah’s Entertainment — is proud of the massive expansion effort that will grow and transform the property into “a world-class entertainment and tourism destination.” Chief Hicks noted: “Despite the economy, the expansion will position the property in perfect position — ahead of the competition — when the economy rebounds and we can welcome new customers anxious for world-class entertainment, accommodations and service.”

Visitors to Harrah’s Cherokee enjoy nearby recreational, athletic and cultural attractions within the Great Smoky Mountains, and visits to Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual Gallery and “Unto These Hills” Mountainside Theater. Opening in September 2009 is nearby Sequoia National Golf Club designed by world-renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones II.

MGM Mirage is in talks with three investor groups to develop a casino in Taiwan, an executive said this week.

“I have a desire to aggressively expand in Asia. It’s the most exciting gaming market in the world,” Lloyd Nathan, MGM Mirage president of global gaming development, told Reuters at an industry conference.

Reuters said he declined to name the three groups for the project in Taiwan, an island nation working to allow casino gambling. Nathan said all were Taiwanese and would fully fund the development with MGM Mirage acting as operator.

Reuters quoted him as saying MGM Mirage was also looking at potential projects in Japan and the Philippines. MGM Mirage already has a stake in a casino in Macau — a market likely to compete with the development of a gaming market in Taiwan.

An executive with Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., also facing financial challenges, said at the same conference this week it’s looking to expand in Asia as well.

MGM Mirage this spring completed extraordinary efforts to finalize financing for its CityCenter project in Las Vegas and to bolster its balance sheet with the issuance of $2.5 billion in debt and equity.

The capital raise was needed because MGM Mirage was having difficulty serving its $14 billion in debt obligations as the recession reduced net revenue by 20 percent in the first quarter to $1.5 billion. Including a $190 million gain on the sale of the Treasure Island, MGM Mirage earned $105.2 million in the quarter, down from $118.3 million in 2008’s first quarter.

The biggest pot in the 20th session came courtesy of two pair over two pair. Antonius had flopped jacks and nines on a J-9-4 board with A-J-9-7 and managed to get a check-raise in. Dwan called with K-J-T-4 for top and bottom pair, but when a king came on the turn he improved to top two pair. With $50,000 already in the pot, Dwan managed to get his remaining $51,000 in and hold up through the river to take down a pot worth $153,225.

Unfortunately for Dwan, Antonius dragged several pots worth nearly as much. His largest, worth $147,000, came when he caught the nut flush on the river and got Dwan to call an all-in check-raise worth $64,000. The second largest pot for Antonius came courtesy of an Omaha action board; durrrr had flopped top two pair with A-K-Q-9 on the A-K-T flop, but the Finn made broadway on the same board. Antonius smooth-called Dwan’s $3,800 bet on the flop before getting him to three-bet all-in, and the straight held up through the river for a pot worth $140,000.

With the start of the World Series of Poker right around the corner it’s questionable whether Antonius and Dwan will make any more real progress with the Challenge in the near future, but if they do we’ll have updates for you here at BLUFF.

A deal was signed with Sullivan County by the Seneca Nation on Friday, a week after it had been agreed to. The deal will allow the Senecas to move forward with their plans of bringing anew casino to the Catskills.

The next step for the Senecas will be to meet with Governor Patterson’s office in order to secure all of the approvals that are necessary to move forward with the project. They also must receive Congressional approval to place the land for the casino into restricted fee status.

“This is just the next step in expanding casino gambling in the state of New York,” said observer Jack Hines, “with all of the expansion that has been taking place, it is not unrealistic to believe that the state will surpass Atlantic City in the future when it comes to casino revenue as a whole.”

Sullivan County made out good in the deal that was signed on Friday. They will receive $20 million for four years after the casino is built. They also will be paid $15.5 million in the two years while the casino is being built.