AGA SmartBrief

Retiring American Gaming Association President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf was honored by his colleagues Wednesday at the 20th Southern Gaming Summit for his years of leadership since the association began in 1995. Isle of Capri Casinos CEO Virginia McDowell said Fahrenkopf "brought instant credibility to the industry" and was "masterful" at promoting unity among the wide variety of personalities. The Sun Herald (Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss.) (5/8)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a state tourism summit that the casino industry, through three proposed casinos, would attract more tourists. Cuomo's casino proposals are subject to a referendum this year or next year and are still being negotiated with the state legislature. The Citizen (Auburn, N.Y.) (5/9)

Ultimate Gaming's chief marketing officer for Station Casinos said a development team is troubleshooting the glitches and missing features on Ultimate Poker and assured the players that they can expect improved and added features to be launched in the future. "We figured what we should do is prioritize the most popular game with the skinniest offering. That allows us to get through the field trial with few things that could hold us up in terms of hurdles," Joe Versaci said. VegasInc.com (Las Vegas) (5/9)

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors postponed its decision on a memorandum of understanding with the Pinoleville Promo Nation regarding a proposed 80,000-square-foot casino in Ukiah, Calif. The board wants to review a report on the casino's possible impact on roads in the area. The proposed casino resort would include 20 gaming tables, 749 slot machines, a hotel, restaurants and an events center. Under the MOU provisions, the tribe would pay fees for police and fire services and cover the cost of infrastructure improvements related to the project. The Ukiah Daily Journal (Calif.) (5/8)

Want to see how the gaming industry impacts communities across the country AND the national economy? Check out the AGA's new two-minute video that uses animation to "illustrate" how commercial casinos provide jobs, tax revenues, business opportunities for suppliers and a diverse array of entertainment options for our customers. Watch the video today, and share it with your colleagues to spread the word about the positive impacts of commercial gaming.

Charles-Louis de Montesquieu,French political thinker

Cordish Cos., the developer and operator of the Maryland Live! Casino, has put forward a $200 million project that would include the purchase, remodeling and expansion of a Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Mass. Cordish would rebrand the property, converting it a boutiqe hotel with meeting space, leisure facilities and a 1,250-slot machine parlor. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (5/7)

Foxwoods Resort Casino is planning to hire consultants to evaluate the economic impact of Foxwoods' $1 billion casino proposal in Milford, Mass., according to a law firm representing the town. Foxwoods, which is competing with Wynn Resorts and Caesars Entertainment for the sole casino license for the northeastern region, will spend as much as $3 million for the study. The Hartford Courant (Conn.) (5/7)

Revel Entertainment Group expects on Monday to obtain approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to reorganize the finances and ownership of its $2.4 billion casino resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The proposed reorganization would grant lenders ownership of the property in exchange for canceling Revel's $1 billion debt. "We are looking forward to the May 13 confirmation hearing, which marks the last major milestone in our restructuring process, and to emerging from our financial restructuring poised for a successful summer season," said Jeffrey Hartmann, interim CEO at Revel. The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.) (5/8)

Residents of Warren County, Iowa, voted down a referendum that would have allowed casino gaming in the county. Meanwhile, Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission Chairman Jeff Lamberti said that the commission will continue to review a casino proposal from an investor group in Cedar Rapids and conduct studies of how expanding gambling there would affect neighboring gaming markets in the state. The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Marion, Iowa) (5/7)

Details of a proposed agreement between Davenport Casino Group and the city of Davenport, Iowa, for a hotel casino were announced Tuesday. The agreement, which is subject to review by the Riverboat Development Authority, has the city shouldering $33 million in construction costs that in return would bring in roughly $11 million annually from a nearly 10% increase in gross gambling proceeds. Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa) (5/7)

Mohegan Sun, one of the companies hoping to build a resort casino in Palmer, Mass., held a forum Tuesday in which employees gave testimonials on how working at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut has helped them. "The job has treated me well," said former teacher Kevin Charron, a card dealer at Mohegan Sun casino. The Palmer casino could employ up to 3,000 people. The Republican (Springfield, Mass.) (5/8)

Saying there were no geographical restrictions on where the Tohono O'odham Nation could build a casino in Arizona, U.S. District Judge David Campbell ruled against the Gila River Indian Community and Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the state. The plaintiffs oppose the Tohono O'odham Nation's plan to build a casino at the edge of a sports and entertainment district in Glendale, Ariz. "The court concludes that the parties did not reach such an agreement and that the nation's construction of a casino on the Glendale-area land will not violate the compact," Campbell said. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (tiered subscription model) (5/7)

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said he will attend the Taunton City Council meeting next week to present additional design details for the tribe's proposed casino in Taunton, Mass. "It's important we go over the architectural design and needs of the destination resort casino to make sure it meets needs of the IGA, the city of Taunton and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe," Cromwell said. The Herald News (Fall River, Mass.) (5/7)

Flexo Gaming is focused on the sports and casino gaming industry by providing essential and effective solutions to help companies increase and manage their client base. Flexo Gaming provides data mining and betting intelligence services that will enhance trading and bookmaking activities for all types of clients. Over the past half-decade, Flexo Gaming has imprinted its technologies in many established casinos and betting sites, including The Venetian Macau, 188bet.com, betonline.com, Mansion88 and more. Flexo Gaming will exhibit at G2E Asia 2013 May 21-23 at The Venetian Macao. Check out Flexo Gaming's listing at G2E Asia 2013 for more information.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,German writer, artist and politician

A survey conducted by the American Gaming Association showed that the U.S. gambling industry's revenue increased by 4.8% from 2011 to 2012, totaling $37.3 billion last year. AGA President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf said the results indicate that the gaming industry has "weathered" the 2008 recession. "Whether we look at jobs, casino visitors served or tax revenues being produced, the bottom line is that there is much to be optimistic about in the commercial casino industry," Fahrenkopf said. Las Vegas Review-Journal (5/7)

PokerStars owner Rational Group filed a lawsuit to prevent the termination of its acquisition deal with the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. The sale fell through after Rational Group failed to get regulatory approval by the deadline set out in the purchase offer. The suit also included the offer price of $15 million, which hadn't been previously disclosed and would represent a record low price for a casino in the city. The judge considering the matter has issued a temporary restraining order forbidding Atlantic Club from accepting other purchase offers. The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.) (5/7)

Sioux City Entertainment President Bill Warner said Monday that the proposed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in downtown Sioux City, Iowa, is on schedule to be unveiled in July 2014. The developer is finalizing the project's design, and the groundbreaking is expected to take place in July of this year, Warner said. Sioux City Journal (Iowa) (5/6)

Horseshoe Casino Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert revealed that the second phase of the casino's construction is being designed and will overlook the Cuyahoga River. The project site was acquired by Gilbert's Rock Ohio Caesars for $85 million in 2012. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (5/7)