AGA SmartBrief

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe has successfully merged the operation of its Mohawk Bingo Palace with the group's Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, N.Y., turning the casino into a destination for both gamblers and bingo players. The merger became official in October 2011, and the casino underwent renovation to make room for bingo. The casino will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a grand-opening gala on May 9 to celebrate the new facility. Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) (4/14)

The Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday amended and approved legislation that would allow private equity groups to make large sports wagers and give the state Gaming Commission the authority to regulate "entity" bettors. The measure "will increase transparency, bolster competition and move at least one small element of the billions of dollars of illegal wagering out of the shadows," said Mark Lipparelli, former chairman of the Gaming Control Board. Las Vegas Review-Journal (4/13)

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Abraham Lincoln,16th U.S. president

After the first two days of a hearing with Pennsylvania's Gaming Board, the majority of public testimony has been supportive of the idea of a second casino in Philadelphia. "If the only mandate you had was to generate gaming revenue from wagers, the board's decision would be relatively easy," said state Sen. Larry Farnese. "Build the biggest box you could, put in as many slots and tables as you could, and open the doors for business." There are six groups competing for the second license. Philly.com (Philadelphia) (4/12)

An entity of Downtown Project has acquired the Gold Spike casino hotel in Las Vegas from the Siegel Group Nevada. The casino's operation will close Sunday. "We saw early on the redevelopment potential that Downtown Las Vegas had to offer and are proud to have been an integral part of transforming this great area," Siegel Group President and CEO Stephen Siegel said. Las Vegas Sun (4/11)

The SugarHouse Casino in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia has submitted a modified expansion plan to the state Gaming Control Board. The revised plan, which would cost more than $540 million, calls for additional food and beverage outlets, a smaller parking garage, a new bike trail and a bigger promenade. Doug Harbach, a spokesman for the board, said the gaming board looks to hold a hearing on the casino's expansion plan next month. The Philadelphia Inquirer (4/11)

Rock Ohio Caesars is taking steps to buy a historic building where it is renting space for its Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland, according to Moody's Investors Service. Moody's said the company also plans to build a skywalk connecting the building to the gaming facility's parking garage. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (4/11)

Reps. Joe Heck, R-Nev., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., are working to create a bipartisan Congressional Gaming Caucus in Congress that would focus on issues and policies that affect the American gaming industry. Heck said he and Thompson are hoping that representatives of casino-host districts would join the group. "I look forward to working with caucus members to advance responsible federal policies that will allow the gaming industry to continue to thrive," Heck said. Las Vegas Review-Journal (4/11)

The WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Iowa, said it will add a 1,500-seat entertainment hall and expand its gaming floor in a $7 million project, which also calls for the construction of a bistro and a sports bar. "It's something that was needed for us, because our customer base is growing," said Ray Thomas, interim general manager of WinnaVegas. Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (4/11)

Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe which hopes to build a casino in Massachusetts' southeastern region, asked the state gaming commission on Thursday to reveal who advised it on whether to accept applications from developers of commercial casinos for the region. "The ability to independently evaluate the advice given to the commission is particularly important because it seems that the commission is choosing to ignore certain data that does not support its uninformed conclusion," Cromwell said. News Times (Danbury, Conn.) (4/11)

Caesars Entertainment has teamed up with Horseshoe Casino Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert to pursue a casino development in Toronto. According to Caesars, the partners will pitch their casino proposal to city officials next week. Jennifer Kulczycki, a spokeswoman for Gilbert's Rock Gaming, said the two are not restricting their efforts only to Toronto. "We are involved with Caesars in looking at the whole province of Ontario," Kulczycki said. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (4/11)

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Jonathan Swift,Anglo-Irish writer

Nevada's gaming revenue increased 15.1% to $1.073 billion in February, according to the state Gaming Control Board. That figure represents the largest amount of gaming revenue seen in the state since December 2007. Meanwhile, gaming revenues on the Strip rose to a record $696.1 million. "While February saw the timing benefit of a strong Chinese New Year, we think results still came in ahead of expectations," said Chard Beynon, a gaming analyst with Macquarie Securities. Las Vegas Review-Journal (4/11)

The Maryland Live! Casino in Anne Arundel County, Md., has officially opened 122 table games to customers. The casino, which has hired an additional 1,200 employees, will also add a two-story poker room with up to 60 table games this summer. "Pairing the shopping and the amenities we have, there's nothing like it in the rest of the country. Consumers have proven that so far with slots play, and we expect that to translate to tables," said Joe Weinberg, a Cordish Cos. partner and president of the gaming operation. The Baltimore Sun (4/11)

Las Vegas saw 3.03 million visitors in February, compared with 3.07 million in the same month last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. According to the LVCVA, the 1.3% decline was due in part to one less day in the month than in February 2012, and the rotation of some convention and trade shows. Las Vegas Sun (4/10)

The Missouri Gaming Commission said the six St. Louis-area casinos generated more than $100 million in gambling revenues in March. The Casino Queen's revenue for the month increased 3.8 percent to $12.5 million. The Argosy Alton and the Ameristar reported revenue of $6.6 million and $24.5 million, respectively. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (4/10)

Greg Spierkel, the former CEO of technology company Ingram Micro Inc., will become a member of MGM Resorts International's board of directors. Spierkel will be the twelfth member of the board, pending approval from gaming regulators. KTNV-TV (Las Vegas) (4/10)