*For our readers' convenience we have posted recent, Mid-South- and Southern-centric gaming stories & press releases below. Please scroll down to read. These articles will be updated on a regular basis.
WORLD POKER TOUR® LAUNCHES ITS FIRST OFFICIAL LADIES POKER LEAGUE & TOUR—WPT LADIES™
WPTL Season I Tour Kicks Off January 20 at Borgata
LOS ANGELES (January 8, 2008) – With the dramatic rise of women playing tournament poker, World Poker Tour® (WPT) has expanded its female-focused tour offering with the launch of an official WPT ladies league and No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament circuit—WPT Ladies™ (WPTL). With buy-ins ranging from $300 - $1,500, the tournament circuit provides multiple opportunities for amateur, semi-pro, and professional female players to test their skills in a tournament environment at prestigious gaming destinations without having to pay a costly five-figure buy-in. Ladies also will have the chance at each stop to win a WPT title and a seat in the WPT Ladies’ Championship.
“Women are a rising force in poker,” said Robyn Moder, executive vice president of WPT Studios. “By bringing a WPT ladies league and tour stops to top gaming destinations across the US, we hope to support and perpetuate the evolution of the sport and recognition of the women who play.”
Season I of the WPTL tour kicks off January 20 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ, and will feature additional tournaments at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, and Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif. The tour will conclude with a $1,500 Championship tournament at Bellagio in Las Vegas, who also will host a player party in conjunction with the event. The WPTL Championship final table will be filmed on the WPT set for television broadcast on WPT’s new network home, GSN, in 2008. The winner will receive the first place cash prize and the WPT Ladies’ Championship title.
To help end breast cancer, a disease that statistically has or will affect one in every eight women[1] competing on the WPTL tour, WPT has partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures. Participants will have the opportunity to donate at each tour stop and 15 percent of each $1,500 buy-in at the WPTL Championship will be donated to benefit Komen for the Cure.
The WPTL Season I schedule* is as follows. Visit www.worldpokertour.com/wptladies for more details.
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Sheraton Casino Giving Away a New VW Rabbit Saturdays in January
Tunica, Miss. (January 11, 2008) – Every Saturday in January Sheraton Casino, the home of the Hot Spot, is giving away a new 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit and $5,000 in Free Slot PlayTM.
Total Rewards® card holders may receive one entry into the weekly drawing each day by swiping their Total Rewards card January 1 – 26. Guests may receive additional entries by using their Total Rewards cards when they play. Every Wednesday guests will receive five times additional entries. All entries must be picked up at the Total Rewards Center between 8 a.m. and midnight on the day they are accumulated. A drawing for the Volkswagen Rabbit is held every Saturday, January 5 through January 26 at 9 p.m. at the Sheraton casino main entrance. Entries must be deposited in the drawing drum located at the Winner’s Wall between 5 p.m. and 8:55 p.m. every Saturday.
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Internationally Renowned Gipsy Kings Bring Flamenco to Grand Casino February 28
TUNICA, Miss (January 14, 2008) – They travel the world selling out international arenas and now the Gipsy Kings are coming to Grand Casino Resort Grand Event Center Thursday, February 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 and $60 and are available through Ticketmaster at 901-525-1515 or at ticketmaster.com.
The most successful French musical outfit ever, the guitar wielding Gipsy Kings are big in Brazil, popular in Persia, honored at the Alamo in Texas and celebrated in China. Their international audience is won over purely by the music and the big, welcoming soulfulness of its creators. The bands vigorous guitar work and passionate vocals are the trademarks of an indigenous musical tradition known as “rumba flamenca.”
The Gipsy Kings consist of two bands of brothers: the Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchai, Andre) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego). They took initial shape when the teenage Reyes boys began backing their father Jose. Jose Reyes, singing alongside guitarist Manitas de Plata, did much to popularize flamenco internationally: John Steinbeck, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, Miles Davis and Salvador Dali were amongst the duo’s admirers. Jose’s death devastated his sons yet lead to a fortuitous encounter with the Baliardos at the St Marie de la Mer Gitan pilgrimage.
Since the 1987 release of the international hit single “Bamboleo,” from their platinum selling eponymous debut album, the Gipsy Kings have dominated the World Music charts and sold more than fourteen million albums worldwide—more than four million in the United States alone. Their platinum compilation, The Best of the Gipsy Kings, was on the charts for more than a year. Albums such as the gold-certified Mosaique, Allegria, Este Mundo, Gipsy Kings Live, Love & Liberté, Tierra Gitana, Cantos de Amor, and Volare! The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings have provided a steady stream of hits to Billboard’s world music, Latin, and pop charts. The ensemble’s music has been used in numerous motion pictures, including Peter Weir’s “Fearless” and Joel and Ethan Coen’s “The Big Lebowski.”
For more information about the Gipsy Kings visit: www.gipsykings.com
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Harrah’s Three Tunica Properties Institute a Recycling and Conservation Program on America Recycles Day.
Harrah’s to be the first gaming company in Tunica to “go green” with the largest effort of its kind ever in Tunica.
Tunica, Miss. – November 15, 2007 – In conjunction with America Recycles Day, Harrah’s Entertainment Mid-South Region announced today the implementation of a recycling and conservation program for their three casino and hotels in Tunica, Mississippi; Grand Casino Resort, Horseshoe Casino & Hotel and Sheraton Casino & Hotel. Harrah’s expects to divert 150 to 200 tons of waste per month from landfills with the implementation of this program. Money received in the sale of recycled items will help fund Harrah’s Heart Fund which is available to Harrah’s employees in times of crisis.
The launch of the largest casino recycling program to date in Tunica coincided with a news conference held behind the Horseshoe Casino in front of some of Harrah’s new industrial recycling bins that will be used to for recycling cardboard. Four hundred Harrah’s green team members were on hand to kick-off the program by filling the compactors up with paper and cardboard.
“We are excited to begin our new recycling program here in Tunica,” said Bill Wright, general manager, Grand, Horseshoe and Sheraton Casinos Tunica. “We hope our efforts within our three casino properties will positively impact the quality of life for generations to come and be a model for our community.”
Plans are to implement the recycling program in three stages. Stage one beginning November 15 includes: recycling corrugated boxes; cardboard; employee recycling of paper, glass, plastic and cardboard as well as instituting Hotel conservation at Horseshoe casino. Hotel conservation includes guests’ voluntary conservation of natural resources by the guests opting to reuse linens and towels rather than having them laundered on a daily basis.
Stage two beginning December 1, 2007 includes Grand and Sheraton hotels conservation and employee area recycling bins for plastic, glass and aluminum. Stage three beginning January 1, 2008 includes installing recycling bins in employee and office areas for paper recycling and public area bins for recycling of plastic, glass and aluminum as well as other efforts.
Harrah’s Mid-South current recycling and conservation efforts include technical optical reporting helping to conserve paper, power management settings implementation for computer and technical equipment, computer hardware recycling, use of eco-friendly vendors and lead free manufacturers and the switch from chemical treatment to ozone treatments for cooling towers conserving water, electricity and the environment. Harrah’s has installed paper conserving motion censored paper towel dispensers and water conserving sinks and toilets in bathrooms at their Tunica casinos. All five of Harrah’s hotels in Tunica have replaced incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs that conserve more energy. Harrah’s Tunica offices have been shredding and recycling office paper as well as purchasing recycled office products when possible.
Harrah’s Code of Commitment is a commitment to our communities to help make them vibrant place to live and work. Environmental recycling and conservation is a long term sustainable commitment to our environmental community.
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment through operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada nearly 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company’s properties operate primarily under the Harrah’s, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah’s also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
More information about Harrah’s is available at its Web site – www.harrahs.com.
 
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Pearl River Resort doubles their weekly dice and blackjack tournament offerings
CHOCTAW, Miss. (August 22, 2007) – Whether blackjack is your game or dice is more your style, Pearl River Resort now has two weekly tournaments waiting for you.
For the dice players, Pearl River Resort offers a tournament every Monday at Golden Moon and Thursday at Silver Star. The Golden Moon Tournament on Mondays is a $50 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 and first place takes $5,000. The Silver Star dice tournament each Thursday has a buy-in of only $25. The prize pool is $5,000 and first place is guaranteed $3,000. These tournaments are limited to the first 84 entrants. Registration begins at 6 p.m. at the tournament site. Early sign up will be taken at the casino cashier until 6 p.m.
If blackjack is your game, guests now have two chances each week to enter a tournament. Every Tuesday at Golden Moon and Wednesday at Silver Star Pearl River Resort is hosting a $25 buy-in blackjack tournament with a $5,000 prize pool and $3,000 first place award. These tournaments are limited to the first 60 entrants. Registration begins at 6 p.m. at the tournament site. Early registration will be taken at the casino cashier until 6 p.m.
For more information on these tournaments call 1.866.44PEARL. Pearl River Resort, located on Hwy. 16 W. in Choctaw, MS is a development of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Pearl River Resort is comprised of Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, Silver Star Hotel & Casino, 16 great restaurants, Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, Clearwater Key and The Beach Club. For more information about Pearl River Resort visit www.pearlriverresort.com.
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Dancing Rabbit Golf Club Recognized by Golf Digest
CHOCTAW, Miss. (June 18, 2007) – Golf Digest recognized Dancing Rabbit Golf Club’s courses as two of the best in their recent rankings of casino owned golf courses.
Dancing Rabbit’s Azaleas Course took the number 11 spot, while the Oaks came in at number 18 in “The Golf Digest Top 40 Casino Golf Courses” list.
Both rankings were published in the July 2007 issue of the magazine, currently on newsstands. The 40 best were selected by the Golf Digest Course Ranking Panel, a group of more than 800 low-handicap players. To be eligible a course must be owned by or share the same ownership as a casino. Pearl River Resort and Dancing Rabbit Golf Club is a development of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
“We are thrilled to have this honor named to both Dancing Rabbit courses,” said Pearl River Resort’s vice president of operations, Donna Brolick. “Our team takes great pride and works hard to keep these courses in great condition all year long. To have both courses in the top 20 is a testament to the dedication of our associates.”
Dancing Rabbit’s Azaleas and Oaks, both par 72 courses, roll out over a combined 14,000 yards and is wrapped in over five miles of meandering spring-fed streams. The Azaleas opened in 1997 while the Oaks opened in 1999. Both courses were designed by famed designer Tom Fazio and PGA great Jerry Pate.
Pearl River Resort, located on Hwy. 16 W. in Choctaw, MS is a development of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Pearl River Resort is comprised of Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, Silver Star Hotel & Casino, 16 great restaurants, Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, Clearwater Key and The Beach Club. For more information about Pearl River Resort visit www.pearlriverresort.com.
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TOM DASHIELL JOINS HARLOW’S, SET TO OPEN IN OCTOBER
GREENVILLE – Harlow’s Casino Resort, now set to open sometime in October, has named gaming industry veteran Tom Dashiell to the post of assistant general manager, it has been announced by Domenic Mezzetta, chief operating office and general manager.
Dashiell was most recently general manager of Lighthouse Casino and prior to that was an executive at Fitzgeralds in Tunica.
“Tom brings a lot of experience to Harlow’s, and having worked with him in the past, I know how well suited he is for this position. It is especially valuable in a start-up casino,” said Mezzetta. “Opening a new casino takes an executive who has worked in many capacities and he fits the role.”
Mezzetta also said that Sheila Green has joined the administrative staff at Harlow’s.
Harlow’s, with a theme that reflects the era known as the “Golden Age of Hollywood,” will have an art deco décor reminiscent of those years. It will be used throughout the 33,000 square foot casino and the approximately 150 hotel rooms. There will also be a 2,500 seat entertainment center, four bars, two restaurants and a poker room.
The license for the new establishment is held by Rick Schilling, a pioneer in Mississippi gaming, who opened Splash Casino in Moon Landing, Tunica County, in 1992.That casino paved the way for the gold rush in Northern Mississippi that now has nine casinos in the Tunica jurisdiction.
Strategically located between the bridges on Highway 82 where the road leads to the crossing over the Mississippi river, Harlow’s will be readily accessible to the Little Rock and Pine Bluff markets in Arkansas as well as to the large amount of vehicular traffic that uses the highway. With a population of some 41,000, Greenville in Washington County, is among the five largest cities in the state.
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GRAND’S SPA HEALS MIND AND BODY
By Rudi Schiffer
You have just competed in a long and stressful poker tournament, or finished a grueling game of golf in 100 degree heat and high humidity, or you just want a break from the gaming floor. What’s a body to do?
Go to a spa, of course, just like the ancient Romans did after slaughtering barbarians at the gates. The Romans had it good, but nothing like today’s centers for healing and nourishing the mind, body and spirit. Maybe a glass of wine or some grapes kept the gladiators happy with their soaking and backrub, but today visiting a spa is a little more involved and the list of services and how they are applied are extensive. The things that can be done to your body here covers over a hundred selections, more than any other spa in the region and it makes Grand’s Bellissimo Spa and Salon a special place.
Did the Romans have Chocolate Fantasy Pedicures, or Coconut Crème Body Glow treatments? Not to mention Pure Fiji Hot Stone massage? They did have Couples Massage, however, and the popularity of these sybaritic treatments endures and is also offered at Bellissimo. The Baths of Diocletian in Rome, whose ruins still stand as a lasting monument to man’s constant search for pleasure, could hold 6,000 bathers, but Bellissimo’s choices far exceed what the Romans, and the earlier Greeks, as early as 500 BC, had on the menu.
“Yes, we do offer a wide variety of services to pamper our customers,” said Gayla Abbot, the lady charged with running the spa. “It can be an overwhelming list of options for first timers but after we explain what is involved, the choices are made simpler.”
The Bellissimo carries on some of the ancient traditions of those great civilizations as water and how it is used for cleaning, heating, treatment and rest, is a ritual that spans the ages. Of course, we put a modern spin on such therapeutic treatment and the Bellissimo’s water treatments have evolved into Vichy showers, salt glow with Vichy, and the like. The Bellissimo has a large domain and a wide variety of clients, yet while the basics of body massage and treatments and water therapy are still popular there is a great deal of emphasis on facials, hair and nail services. After all, pounding those slots all day long takes a toll on ladies’ hands and nails.
A manicure and body buff with pure Fiji sugar was enough for this writer. As it turns out, the manicure is the most popular treatment that males seek at the spa. Manicures are nice but how can you beat a relaxing massage, especially when administered by Jessica Culver, a highly trained and state licensed professional.
“Our staff of 32 is uniquely trained to provide the ‘wow’ factor for our guests,” said Abbott. It results in a lot of return business. Women have their own section and the lounge there is frequented by them when their husbands are playing golf or otherwise occupied on the gaming floor”.
You have to peruse the spa’s brochure to see the wide variety of services and treatments offered but here are few to tempt you:
Couples massage
Hot stone therapy
Aromatherapy
Swedish massage
Sea mud with Vichy
Chocolate Mind buff with Vichy
Gentlemen’s Grand body buff
Facials of every type
Hair removal and waxing
Tension-free scalp and neck treatment
Haircuts and coloring
Perms
Tropical Paradise manicure and pedicure
Nail repair and sculpturing
Like we said earlier, this is only about a tenth of the selections offered and the cost, unless you are comped, has to be considered. But after a winning night at the tables or slots, what’s $150 for 80 minutes of the Grand Paradise body treatment.
Whatever your tastes or budget, the Bellissimo is set up to meet the diverse needs of its clients. The spa embraces its past, but today there are so many services offered, that it has become part of our lifestyle and is woven into mainstream culture.
If you are new to the spa scene, the Bellissimo offers specials Sunday through Friday, such as the Ladies Delight which provides a Swedish massage, Tropical Paradise manicure and pedicure for $159.00. The special changes so ask for the latest list.
The Bellissimo stays fairly busy and reservations are required. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and you can contact the office at 1-800-WIN-4-WIN, ext. 7050.
Grand Bellisimo Spa & Salon
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CHOCTAW ANCESTRAL LANDS TAKE ON A NEW LOOK
- Tribe Continues Aggressive Development at Pearl River Resort -
By Rudi Schiffer
The groundbreaking for a new Hilton Garden Inn on one of the most popular assembly grounds on the ancient Choctaw tribal lands in the piney woods of southeast Mississippi commemorates not just a new first class hotel, but symbolizes the Band’s perseverance in developing Pearl River as a world-class resort and a visible monument to its continued success.
The new full-service Hilton is located on a three-acre site adjacent to the famed Dancing Rabbit Golf Club and is the latest addition to the resort, owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaws under the leadership of Chief Phillip Martin.
It is a long way from Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, where the Tribe was forced to move in 1830 after the US government stripped their dominion over Choctaw ancestral lands. The resort, located on Highway 16 West in Choctaw near Philadelphia, MS., is comprised of the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, Silver Star Hotel & Casino, Dancing Rabbit with its two scenic golf courses, Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, Clearwater Key and the Beach Club, with more to come according to Chief Martin.
“The opening of the Hilton next year will have a big impact on tourism for the Resort,” said Chief Martin, who leads the tribe of nearly 10,000 members. “We are pleased to partner with organizations such as Landmark Resorts, a time-tested industry leader. We’ve led the region in economic development by pushing forward with new developments and will continue to do so.”
While the new Hilton will add 140 rooms to the Tribe’s hotel inventory of over a 1,000 rooms the total is not near enough to satisfy the Resort’s growing attraction. “We are looking for more proven investors,” said the Chief.
In an exclusive interview The Chief told Jackpot Magazine… “Some 1,000 more rooms are needed as we are maxed out. We also plan to develop Lake Pushmataha and a full-service RV park, and build more entertainment facilities as well.” Landmark Chief Operating Officer, Eric Lund, also said that the site will “also include mixed use and retail and more hotel rooms down the road. There is much more to come.”
Pearl River Resort President, Chuck Miller, said the new Inn will further enhance what Pearl River Resort and Dancing Rabbit already offer. “When you combine a great name like the Hilton with the unique attraction of Dancing Rabbit, you create an unbeatable combination that contributes to the Tribe’s vision of aggressive, sustainable economic growth.”
Also playing a very important role in the new facility was the Native American Land Development Company, a full-service developer that partners with Indian Tribes to design, finance, build and manage non-gaming assets. “The addition of the Hilton Garden Inn creates a new benefit for the business traveler or the golfer seeking excellence in close proximity to one the country’s best public courses,” said William Boulware, President.
Contributing to the development was the National Tribal Development Association located in Box Elder, Montana, and represented by Ronnie Joe Henry. This group assists Indian and Alaskan native communities to create socio-economic opportunities. Henry said the development benefited from a new US Treasury Dept. tax credit plan that the NITDA pushed for. He said it was the first such new market project granted.
Scheduled to open July next year, the Hilton represents Landmark as its flagship Inn and golf course since the Azalea course is ranked 32nd in the country. The hotel will feature complimentary high-speed Internet access and remote printing in its 24-hour business center, 2,000 square-feet of flexible meeting space, an executive boardroom with high-tech capabilities, a 24-hour complimentary business center and more.
The Tribe’s celebration of its rich culture was movingly symbolized at the opening of the groundbreaking ceremony when Ahinah Alex, the comely Choctaw Indian Princess, sang the national anthem in her native tongue. It was a stirring connection between the bleak past and the promising future for a tribe that looks toward the future on the lands “where the rabbits dance.”
Editors Note: Learn More About the Choctaws
The Mississippi Band of Choctaws is actually comprised of eight Choctaw communities who share their culture through a common language, social dance, tribal arts and crafts, lively stickball games, traditional food and more. For more information, visit www.choctaw.org. |
