AGA SmartBrief

If you missed the 2012 Ultra Lounge Uniform Fashion Show sponsored by CINTAS, then take a few minutes to watch the video on the G2E Blog. Future fashion trends are highlighted including the materials, fabrics and accessories that will be incorporated to make each outfit unique!

Sophia Loren,Italian actress

Conversion plans for the closed Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas are poised to forge ahead since developer SBE Entertainment has obtained $415 million in financing for the project. The groundbreaking for the boutique hotel casino is set to begin Tuesday. "I know these kinds of projects usually begin with an explosion. We've been on the property since it closed, maintaining the building and the facility. This week, we'll start the interior push," SBE CEO Sam Nazarian said. Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/12)

The developers of the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati are putting in place the last pieces of the gaming facility, including $23 million in infrastructure enhancements. The $400 million casino is nearing its scheduled March 4 opening. "When the cake is complete, you want to put the frosting on. And that's what we're doing now," said Steve Rosenthal, a partner with Rock Ohio Caesars. WCPO-TV (Cincinnati) (2/12)

The former Lady Luck casino hotel in Las Vegas, which will reopen as the Downtown Grand hotel at the end of the year, has offered a sneak preview of its guest rooms. The new casino hotel will include 650 rooms and a rooftop pool that features a bar, restaurant and gaming space. The gambling property is also planning to offer outdoor gambling. "Since this is a private street, we can put gaming right out on the street. And I can tell you, we will do gaming in the street," said Zachary Conine, chief business development officer with Fifth Street Gaming. Las Vegas Sun (2/12)

The members of two unions representing culinary workers and bartenders employed at Las Vegas casinos and resorts held a planning meeting Monday to come up with strategies for impending talks to renew their contracts with major casino companies. "We fear the current benefits status we have now will change. It's important for both the union and the corporations to work together to maintain it," said union member Dunnunique Ahmad. VegasInc.com (Las Vegas) (2/11)

The Casino M8trix in San Jose, Calif., has filed a lawsuit against the city, its Division of Gaming and Richard Teng, who is administrator of the city police department's division of gaming control, claiming that the delay of its opening is due to conflict of interest. "The unfortunate circumstance of the months of delay in opening the Casino M8trix is that the victim has not just been the casino and its employees -- some of whom had to find jobs elsewhere because of the delay, but also the city of San Jose and the taxpayers," the casino said. KNTV-TV (San Francisco) (2/12)

American Casino & Entertainment Properties has launched acePLAYpoker.com., its free-play online poker website. The company received a license to operate an interactive gaming website from the Nevada Gaming Commission in September. "With the launch of this free-to-play website, we can now bring the excitement of play found at our properties to anyone with Internet access, no matter their location," said Alec Driscoll, director of gaming development at American Casino. Las Vegas Sun (2/12)

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe said work to expand its Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish, Mich., may begin in April or May. The expansion project includes the installation of additional slot machines and table games and the construction of 150 hotel rooms and a diner. "The time has come to make the changes necessary to ensure we have continued growth and development within the Saganing area," said Ron Nelson, Arenac County District 11 Tribal Council member. MLive.com (Michigan) (free registration) (2/11)

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe took a step forward toward its plan to open a casino in Taunton, Mass., after it received favorable news about its land trust application from the Interior Department. "I write to inform you that the Office of Indian Gaming has completed its review of the Tribe's request for a determination that these lands qualify as the Tribe's 'initial reservation,'" Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn told the tribe in a letter. Taunton Daily Gazette (Mass.) (2/12)

The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians planned to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening of its new casino in Dry Prong, La. The Jena Choctaw Pines Casino includes poker tables, a sports bar and more than 700 gaming machines. KLFY-TV (Lafayette, La.) (2/12)

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Aldous Huxley,British author

Springfield, Mass., Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said he would negotiate with both MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming regarding their casino proposals. "I have decided that both proposals have qualified to proceed to this next step in the selection process," Sarno said. Kevin E. Kennedy, chief development officer for the city, said casino negotiations could begin next week. The Republican (Springfield, Mass.) (2/11)

Bill Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, died of cancer Monday at 67. "One of the coolest things about him was he had a global perspective of what we can do out of UNR for the gaming industry worldwide. He made that whole thing take off. He had a grand vision and he pulled it off. He was a good friend to the community. It's a great loss," said Greg Mosier, dean of the UNR College of Business. Reno Gazette-Journal (Nev.) (2/11)

MGM Resorts International, which owns a half interest in Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, has filed a petition to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission to re-establish its casino license in the state. "If our petition is successful, we would welcome the opportunity to once again be an active, contributing member of the New Jersey gaming marketplace through our 50 percent ownership of Borgata," the company said. The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) (2/11)

Six groups seeking a license to build Philadelphia's second casino will make a public presentation of their plans today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The casino license applicants include Steve Wynn and his company Wynn Resorts, Penn National Gaming and real estate developers Bart Blatstein and Ken Goldenberg. The Reporter (Lansdale, Pa.) (2/11)

Z Capital Partners, the largest shareholder of Affinity Gaming, is seeking to acquire all outstanding shares of the Las Vegas-based company, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. "Given the size of Affinity Gaming and that we already have a strategic ownership in Affinity Gaming, we believe this to be a fair price and we are convinced that your stockholders will find our offer extremely attractive," Z Capital CEO James Zenni said. Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/11)

Figures released by the Illinois Gaming Board and Missouri Gaming Commission show that the six St. Louis-area casinos took in $83 million in gambling revenues in January. "We feel the economy has definitely impacted the (casino) revenues across the Midwest. Hopefully, as the weather breaks, people will start to return to their normal spending habits," said Joe Branchik, vice president of marketing at Lumière Place and River City. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (2/11)

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City on Monday will launch its E-Casino program, which will allow its guests to gamble through hotel television sets. Four kinds of video poker and slots will be available under the new program. "This puts us in a position to leverage the technology into true mobile gaming and Internet betting later on. We're moving forward with the future of gaming, and this is that first step," said Tom Ballance, Borgata's president and chief operating officer. The Washington Post (2/11)