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Heard It On The River |
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Media world likes to focus on the events of the past year, but with the 2007 we had, who wants all that bad news rehashed. I, for one, have had enough of Iraq, daily bombings, Britney Spears, all celebs, steroids and HGH, global warming, Hillary and the rest of the wannabes, higher taxes and gas prices, food and toy recalls….when will all this insane stuff subside. Not in 2008, I am afraid..
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HARRAH’S has “gone green” with a unique initiative that was prompted by employee concerns and being Harrah’s, the announcement was done in a big way last week at an employee rally in the parking lot behind Horseshoe. With several hundred green-sweatered clad employees on hand, not to mention cheerleaders, GM BILL WRIGHT of Grand, Sheraton and Horseshoe, kicked off a big recycling and conservation program for the three properties that is expected to divert 150-200 tons of waste per month from landfills. Money received in the sale of recycled items will held fund Harrah’s Heart Fund available to employees in times of crisis.” Our employees really wanted to do this and they provided the momentum for the largest casino recycling program to date in Tunica,” he told us. |
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The summer heat must be getting to players and during my recent forays in casinos I have witnessed several episodes of players gone wild. And dealers are the targeted recipients, much to my chagrin. Therefore I take up my cudgel on behalf of dealers everywhere in Mississippi, the friendliest bunch of guys and gals anywhere in the casino universe. For boors, drunks and just miserable losers, the dealer is not your enemy. Yes, it is their job to rake in your losing bucks but that should not make them targets for your frustrations. |
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One of the most frequently asked questions directed at me when walking casino floors is the status of MYRIAD RESORTS, the hoped-for $1.3 billion world class destination resort to be located on 500 acres of land south of Hollywood Casino. My standard answer is that it’s not going to happen soon, if ever, as my efforts to reach the owners for interviews on it have gone unanswered, not exactly making me a believer in the project. Beside my inability to get a dialogue going with them, there is now the extension of the earlier announced closing on the acreage that was originally scheduled for August 1 and which has now been pushed off to Oct. 2.
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It is
somewhat amazing to learn that of the 61 boxing matches in a row that PRIZE FIGHT BOXING has staged in
Tunica’s casinos, all have been sell-outs according to the Southaven
promoter. Another full-house is expected on July 14 when FIGHTS AT THE FITZ resume. They will also be televised live on COMCAST SOUTHEAST and feature a hot and
upcoming prospect, RAFAÉL VALENZUÉLA,
in a six round featherweight bout with Mexican ADAÚTO GONZÁLEZ. Another match on the five-bout card features Southaven’s JASON MOSS against CHARLIE WARD in a four-round light heavyweight
match. Tickets at the Fitz gift shop or call 800-766-5825. |
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| There is a big blackjack tournament coming up
and you still have time to enter it. THE
FITZ is staging its first ULTIMATE
BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT, an offspring of the minds of THE MAV and his compatriot,
BIG ADOLPH. It has a $500 buy-in that includes two days of play, a comp
two-nighter in the newly decorated hotel, a comp breakfast each morn and a
tournament gift. |
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I’ve always been a big fan of CAFÉ SONOMA at the Horseshoe, so it grieves me to see it closed and
walled off as a new restaurant is being built to open sometime this month. The
service and cuisine were exceptional and unique to this area and I only had
great dining experiences there. But, casinos and restaurants re-invent
themselves to keep up with the changing tastes of gamers and we bid fond adieu
to Sonoma.
Knowing the Horseshoe top-quality mentality, another great eatery will replace
it. How about something southern-like, a
Delta dining experience, a grill if you will. You HEARD it here first. |
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In my role as a chronicler of times in Tunica County,
I hear a fair amount of complaining about various things at casinos, but when
you really assess the complaints and from whence they come, you wonder how
prevalent and relevant are these chronic whiners? A few can sound loud, but the
facts are much different as there is an extraordinary high level of
satisfaction with the industry here. I would hazard to guess that we have it a
lot better than visitors to Vegas or Atlantic
City. |
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The company
has a new office in Memphis, has hired some top-level executives and now comes word that MYRIAD ENTERTAINMENT will be closing on 500 acres of land behind
the levee in northwest Tunica County about four miles from Interstate 69. Our
efforts to reach Myriad have been unrewarding but the company has issued a
press release that a deal is supposed to go down in August between Myriad and the
JACK DAY PERRY, SR. family on the
acreage south of Hollywood Casino at Perry and Indian Mound Roads. NICHOLAS LOPARDO, chairman of Myriad’s
Board of Directors, says the company can now focus on development of the site
which, when finished, will cost around $1.62
billion. |
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| The
perils of staging outdoor events was brought home when the bolt of
lightning lit up the sky over the Mississippi River not far from where FITZ and PRIZE FIGHT BOXING were set to hold the ESPN televised match between ZAB JUDAH and RUEBEN GALVAN. An arena for 1,300 has been erected and was sold out, and then the rains came saying don’t fool with Mother Nature. |
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| By the time you read this all the tickets for the ESPN outdoor boxing matches at the FITZ, Friday night (April 13), are gone unless you know a scalper. The temp grandstands erected in the parking lot behind the casino on the banks of the Mississippi, hold over 1,300, so you can watch it at home, or better yet, in the Fitz. A hoped-for benefit from the nationally televised event will be top exposure for the casino and its extensive renovations. |
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It seems that the MISSISSIPPI
BAND of CHOCTAWS like progress and growth a lot and thus there is always
something new at their lovely PEARL RIVER RESORT, such as their
latest amenity, in a resort filled with amenities, the HILTON GARDEN
INN CHOCTAW.
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| FITZ will be making a bold move next month when it moves its regular
monthly fight nights promoted by PRIZE FIGHT BOXING from the Great
Hall to the outside…on the banks of the Mississippi River to be specific. It
will be a special venue and apparently ESPN2 thought so as well and will
televise the featured match between one of the best welterweights in the
country, ZAB JUDAH, who must win this match against RUEBEN
GALVAN for guaranteed shot at the world title against the champ, MIGUEL
GOTTO in New York. See the
feature story from Fitz for details in this issue.
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It’s going to be a stretch for some gamblers…is a first place prize of $100,000 worth a shot for a $1,000 buy-in? I’ve plunked down up to $500 several times to get into blackjack tournaments and will have to reach down to get in the quarter million bucks tournament that will take place at the HORSESHOE on Saturday April 21. But somehow I can’t miss this biggie, and that thought will drive a lot of players to pony up. |
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George Stadler is the new GM at Sam’s Town taking over for Ted Bogich who was promoted to Boyd Gaming’s Blue Chip Casino in Indiana for the good job he did in Tunica. Stadler comes with local market knowledge from working at Casino Aztar in Caruthersville and he also put in a stint in Laughlin, Nevada. For football fans, George is an Ol' Miss supporter and has one daughter still in school there and another just graduated. Personable and easily met, Stadler says right now his job is to continue the success that Sam’s Town has enjoyed for the past year. |
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Amidst the bills and junk mail
that plague our mailbox I spotted a classy looking white envelope and on closer
examination, the name Donald Trump popped out like a flash bulb from the return
address. 'The Donald', sending me an invitation. Wow. Did he want to fire
me on his show, hire me as a communications consultant for his casinos, or
maybe it was an invitation to buy a condo in Trump Tower, only for the rich and
famous of course, or just a simple thing like covering the grand opening of one
his fab properties somewhere. |
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As we move into the New Year, we took a moment to look at the progress of the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau in 2006 under the aggressive leadership of Webster Franklin; the accomplishments of the CVB were nothing less than phenomenal. Check it out at http://jackpotmagazine.com/ after January 5th, 2007. |
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January, with holiday expenses hanging heavily over most of us and tax time just over the horizon, is typically not the busiest time of the year in the casino industry, but two Tunica casinos have, year in and year out, figured how to smooth over that annual bump in the road when they convert Tunica County into the Poker Capital of the world. |
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| Scotty Nguyen (win) is
returning to defend his crown when the World Poker Open kicks off at Gold Strike on Jan. 3. He fully expects to play his way into the
championship event Jan. 21-25. There was little doubt that Scotty would return.
In the 2006 event last Jan. he took home nearly $1 million. He would like to
add to his stash with another $1 million for the winner this time, a second
gold bracelet and $25,000 seat in the World Poker Tour Championship set for
April at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
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| Thousands of poker players are in town with more to come to play in THE
WORLD SERIES OF POKER underway at GRAND CASINO RESORT. They may like
the prize money on the table but the pot at the end of the rainbow is a free entry into the 2007 WSOP
in Vegas. HARRAH'S, which owns and operates this prestigious
tournament, made Grand the launching pad for the WSOP circuit events
due the popularity of the game hereabouts and the excellent staff here
under KARIN KAEGIN that has a proven track record in running big
tournaments. The WSOP also includes a ladies event on Oct. 1 and the
final table will conclude on Oct. 4 |
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| Putting your money where you county is, a lot of praise can be sung
these days for Tunica County officials who had the foresight to make a
unique deal with the Mississippi Dept. of Transportation to complete
the new I-69 link from I-55 to Highway 61 three years ahead of time. It
will bring immense economic development to the region as tourists and
gaming customers have a faster, safer and easier access way to the
County. |
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| Nothing but positive news is coming out of the Gulf Coast these days as far as the casino industry is concerned. The Southern Gaming Summit returns to Biloxi after staging the industry event in Tunica last year. The 14th annual summit and trade show will be held May 9-10 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and attendees will get a
first hand look at how the region is rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina. What they will find is a thriving gaming business, but not much else as
residential and business reconstruction is lagging far behind as we write this column. |
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