Indian country ended the final days of the 1st Congressional session in a strong position as Congress took its annual summer recess. Indian country, like the rest of the United States, continues to be affected by the economic downturn. But keep in mind that Indian gaming has been and will continue to be a resilient and strong industry that is capable of adapting to the economic situation.
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From Macau to Moscow, Randy Hedrick has literally sped through the world of gaming. He’s witnessed the inner workings of Russia’s most notorious casinos, played pokies with the locals in Australia, sat down with the whales in Macau, sojourned with Die Deutsche, and pulled up a seat next to tourists in Sin City. Throughout his 25-plus years in gaming, Hedrick has almost seen it all—until recently.
Once the sun sets near the equator, sun-bathed tourists often begin to flock to one of the many land-based or cruise ship casinos found throughout the Caribbean and Central and South America. Find out what's new in some of these regions' top gaming locales.
Molten iron and carbon no longer pump money into the Bethlehem Steel Mill in Bethlehem, Pa., but the chance of meeting lady luck sure does. What was once a booming steel mill that fueled the U.S.’s growing architectural, maritime and wartime needs through the end of the 20th century is now home to the newest gaming venture to open in the Pennsylvania marketplace, the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
People in the gaming industry being of sound mind can all agree that this recession has some mighty long legs. We might disagree on the hows, whys, and the what-to-do-about-it-alls, but it’s sinking in that we are all in the same boat. Megabanks, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, automobile manufacturers, our current and past president, and Congress —especially Congress, all led us into this recession.
In the movie Apollo 13, flight controller Gene Kranz commands that “Failure is not an option.” Lucky for most casino information technology departments, they don’t have to worry about successful spacecraft operation, although the technology that they administer could be considered just as complex and complicated. And there are many opportunities for failure in the 24/7 operational environment of the casino world.
On Feb. 11, 2009, Sen. Jean-Marie Lapointe reintroduced into the Senate a bill that has been his personal crusade for more than six years. Bill S-226, like its many predecessors, would make it illegal to operate video lottery terminals (VLTs) in restaurants and bars, restricting their use to casinos, racetracks and betting theatres.
Casino regulatory agencies face a variety of challenges—recalcitrant licensees, enraged patrons, media critics and constantly evolving technology to name but a few. Yet some of the most confounding challenges arise from within. As Walt Kelly’s famous cartoon possum, Pogo, put it: “We have met the enemy, and he is us!” The “enemy” in our world may be in the form of what we euphemistically call “partner agencies.”
Beginning July 1, 2009, many employers and insurance companies will be required to report claims for workers' compensation claimants that are also Medicare beneficiaries to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and become subject to a $1,000 per day per claimant penalty for failure to comply with this mandatory reporting requirement.
