When Ohio Governor John Kasich hired two consultants to study the gambling industry and determine the viability of his proposed tax increases, he probably expected them to agree with him. However, one of the consultants may disagree, at least if they’re going to stick to the theory they gave earlier.

Back in November, Spectrum Gaming Group released a report warning about the impact of a tax hike on the casino industry. In the report, they said that not only would it reduce profitability for the casinos (a no-brainer), it may also force the developers to build smaller casinos. In addition, increasing the tax rate could actually reduce tax revenue.

Spectrum said that before they were hired by Kasich, who wants the opposite answer. He hired them last month after proposing raising taxes and the licensing fee for casinos. Though they pay a $50 million licensing fee and 33% tax rate, Kasich thinks that is too low and wants the state to make more money off of the casinos.

In response to the uncertainty, the casino developers have halted construction. One developer, Rock Gaming, is putting off opening a new casino until 2013. They also said, echoing the Spectrum report, that they may build smaller casinos than planned in Cincinnati and Cleveland if the tax hike goes through.

In 2009, Ohio voters approved casinos at the current tax rate. Those rates were put into contracts with the casinos, which the casino companies expect the state to honor. Governor Kasich wants to renegotiate the contracts. The other consultant, Moelis and Company, may give a different answer than Spectrum. They make a commission on money they bring in, so they have incentive to propose a tax increase.

Today the CEO of a gambling hardware provider testified before a Nevada Senate committee about the prospect of allowing mobile gambling on resort property. Lee Amatis, CEO of Cantor Gaming, wants to amend a casino bill in the legislature to allow casino guests to gamble using their mobile devices.

A provision allowing mobile gambling was originally in the Assembly version of the bill, but the Assembly Committee on Judiciary removed it. Cantor is one individual who wants it to be reinserted in the Senate version of the bill. The provision would allow the casinos to use a mobile gambling device designed by Cantor Gaming. The device would be given to casino and hotel customers. They could use the device to gamble anywhere in the resort, including in their hotel room, at a restaurant, at a nightclub and elsewhere. The devices would not function off of the resort property.

Current state law only allows gambling on the casino floor, but allowing the mobile gambling on that limited bases would give players more opportunities to play. Amatis estimates that allowing the mobile gambling in resorts would bring in an additional $18 million per year in gambling taxes for Nevada.

When it was scrapped from the Assembly bill, the main concern was that it would be difficult to regulate. Opponents said that if you allow gambling from a hotel room, it’s hard to keep underage people from gambling. That may be true, but that’s where personal responsibility comes in. The adult who is given the mobile device would be given a PIN to unlock it. It is up to them to not unlock it and give it to a minor or tell the PIN to a minor.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Amatis said that in addition to more revenue and flexibility, it could provide more access for new players. Those who would be intimidated walking right into a casino for the first time and sitting down at a table could start off playing using the mobile device, he said. He suggested that they could “use it as a learning method” until they are comfortable enough to sit at a casino table.

No vote was held on the proposed amendment or the bill as a whole. The bill must clear the committee by Friday or it will be dead.

In a signal that an era has come to an end, one of the iconic casinos of the old Las Vegas strip is closing for good today. The Sahara Hotel and Casino, which opened for business 59 years ago, will have its final day in the sun today.

At noon today, the final guest is scheduled to check out of the hotel. At that time, the hotel, casino and everything else on the property will be closed for good. It will be a bittersweet feeling for many. The Sahara Hotel and Casino was the sixth casino to be built on the Las Vegas Strip, back when the casino industry was just getting started in Sin City. With its Moroccan theme, it was an instant hit when it opened in 1952. It became the place to be for the big stars, with the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, John Wayne and other A-listers frequenting the resort. Its fame was heightened by being used in the original Oceans 11 movie. That fame couldn’t last forever.

The problem with being an icon of the old age of Vegas is that it means you’re old. That was the main problem with the Sahara. It was iconic, but the Vegas Strip was full of newer casinos. Those newer casinos had more hotel rooms, more games, more amenities and simply looked nicer. While everyone may think it’s cool to walk by and see the old Sahara, they would stay at a different hotel and play at a different casino. The Sahara simply couldn’t compete with its newer competition.

In 2007, SBE Entertainment bought the Sahara and intended to remodel it. Then the recession hit. Recently, SBE announced that keeping the Sahara open was “no longer economically viable.” Last week, the famous roller coaster was shut down. Today, the casino and resort are closing. It is the end of an era and if the now-empty gift shop is an indication, at least the people of Vegas have an appreciation for the Sahara’s place in history.

April saw another bad month for Atlantic City casinos. In the same month that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s planned tourism district was created, casino gambling revenue dropped 7.1% from the same time last year. Keep in mind that 2010 wasn’t exactly a banner year, either.

In April of 2011, casino gambling proceeds dropped 7.1% overall to $289.4 million in April of 2010. Revenue from slot machines had a smaller drop, only 3.4% to $208.6 million. It was table games that saw the big decrease, though. Table game revenue fell 15% from this time last year, dropping to $80.9 million.

Those numbers are compared to 2010, but least year wasn’t a good year for the industry, either. For the year 2010, casino revenue in Atlantic City was $3.57 billion. Compare that to the high of $5.2 billion in 2006 and you see what a steep drop it is. Several things happened since 2006, when the industry was doing its best.

The two biggest factors were the Great Recession and increased competition. Casinos have sprung up in nearby areas, including New York and Pennsylvania, customers more places to play. In some cases, people in those states no longer have to travel to New Jersey to play. During the decline of the Atlantic City casino market, six of the eleven casinos either went bankrupt or restructured their debt in some way.

Governor Christie thinks that the tourism district will help revitalize the Atlantic City casino industry. He had better be right, because with revenue continuing to decline, you have to wonder how long the casinos can hold out.

Casinos in Deadwood, South Dakota are considering petitioning the government to amend the gambling laws. The casinos have been struggling lately, partly because of losing customers to businesses across the state that offer video lottery machines. Instead of trying to fight the lottery machines, they may ask the government to make changes to improve their own business.

Until recently, other businesses could only offer video lottery games. Slots, blackjack, poker, bingo, keno and more are only allowed at tribal casinos across the state and in the non-tribal casinos in Deadwood. However, last month the Lottery commission granted other establishments the right to offer games that “resemble” slot machines.

Senator Tom Nelson is the president of the Deadwood Gaming Association. He says that, though the casinos have not decided on a specific plan of action yet, they are considering asking for a constitutional amendment that would improve their casino business.

There are many possible options available. They could ask for an exemption to the smoking ban that prohibits anyone from lighting up in public indoor facilities. Smoking bans curt casino business because so many customers like to smoke while they play. The casinos could ask either for a full exemption or to be allowed to offer a smoking room that is separate from the rest of the casino floor.

Another possibility would be to ask the government to raise the bet limit on their casino games. Right now, players can only wager up to $100. By increasing the wagering limit, they could offer games with higher stakes. Though that can be risky for the casino, the house edge says that it will help business. Another option would be to allow the casino to offer more games, such as roulette and craps. Senator Nelson said that they haven’t decided on a course of action yet, but are considering many ways to improve the Deadwood casinos.

A county in New York is looking at a racetrack casino as part of an effort to boost its economy. On Wednesday, Nassau County announced plans to construct a new hockey arena as well as creating a racino. Both would require approval from voters and state lawmakers.

Edward Mangano, the Nassau County Executive, has a $3.8 billion plan that would add a casino to the Belmont Park Raceway, turning the racetrack into a racino. His plan would also build a new arena for the New York Islanders, an NHL team that has threatened to leave the area if they don’t get a new arena.

Last year, Mangano tried the same thing, but the plan stalled due to the recession as well as zoning issues. There is also the problem that, despite Nassau County being one of the wealthiest counties in all of America, Mangano was unable to balance the county’s budget. Opponents said that he had poorly managed its public finances for years. In January of this year, the state of New York seized control of the public finances of Nassau County. Because of that, even if county voters approve of the casino and arena plan, it would still need to be approved by state lawmakers.

If voters approve the racetrack casino, it will have competition nearby. In Queens, the Aqueduct racetrack will have slots added to it. Those slots are expected to be operational sometime this summer. The voter referendum on the casino and arena plan is scheduled for August 1. If it is approved by voters, it would have to get the okay from the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.

I like free things. You know what’s even better than that? Someone giving you something for free as a reward for taking something for free. Pretty cool, huh? That sounds like craziness, but it’s basically what Lucky Red Casino is doing right now.

From Tuesday, May 10 to Thursday, May 12, you can redeem a number of bonuses. If you redeem enough of them, they’ll reward you with another one. Here are the specifics. There are two different coupons, with one for slot and keno players and the other for table games. The slot players can get unlimited 65% match bonuses on their deposit. Table game players can receive unlimited deposit match bonuses of 55%. If you redeem either of those coupons five times, you can receive a $25 bonus from the online casino absolutely free.

The coupon code for the slot bonus is SLOTS65. The coupon code for the table games bonus is OTHERGAMES55. To redeem the free $25 chip, you should send an email to promotions@luckyredcasino.com.

Certain terms and conditions apply, as I’m sure you’d expect. The two unlimited bonuses can’t be combined, so only wagers on table games count for the table game bonus and only wagers on slots, keno or scratch cards count for that bonus. The slot bonus must be wagered at least 20 times before a cashout is allowed. For the table games bonus, you must wager it at least 25 times before making a withdrawal. The wagering requirement for the $25 chip is 10 times. To take advantage of any of those promotions, visit Lucky Red Casino.

The Las Vegas casino industry hasn’t had a lot of good news lately. They were perhaps hit the hardest of any industry during the Great Recession, when tourists stopped traveling and spending money. People began to conserve their money, either because they lost their job or were worried about losing it. Luxuries like casino gambling were cut out of most people’s budgets.

In March, Las Vegas got a rare bit of good news, though. Casinos on the Vegas Strip had almost a 13% increase in winnings from March of 2010. It was the highest win and biggest yearly gain since September 2008. The whole state of Nevada also saw winnings increase in March, up 5% from the previous year.

The additional casino revenue is not just important for the industry, but for all of Nevada as well. Taxes from the casinos account for almost one-third of Nevada’s general fund revenue. Overall, Las Vegas Strip casinos had a net win of $527.3 million in March, which is a 12.9% jump from 2010. Statewide, the casinos won $958.7 million, a 5% increase.

Though the industry is pleased with March’s numbers, the overall picture is still grim. Last week, the Economic Forum reduced its forecast for the state’s gambling revenue by almost $33 million. Considering the original projected revenue wasn’t optimistic, that’s not a good sign. When the Vegas Strip desperately needs significant growth from the depths of the recession numbers, the casino win has only increased by 0.67% overall so far this year.

Call this the billionth example that cheating at a casino isn’t a good idea. In the old days, cheaters ended up buried in the desert. Today, they end up in jail. Neither is a great option. The problem (for cheaters) is that casinos have great surveillance that is likely to catch you and if they do, they aren’t shy about making you pay. Just ask Young Su Gy and Wookyung Kim.

The Korean duo will be in prison for more than a year. Gy was sentenced to 18 months in prison while Kim was sentenced to one year and a day. It all stems from a cheating scam that prosecutors say defrauded a Connecticut casino of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to prosecutors, they used a holdout device to cheat at games of Macau-style midi-baccarat. The holdout device allowed Gy to switch cards to give him an advantage. In an effort to remain undetected, Kim acted as a blocker, distracting the casino staff while Gy used the trick to cheat at the game.

The cheating scam occurred at Foxwoods casino, with is a Connecticut casino operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. In addition to the jail time, the two were ordered to pay $870,505 in restitution. Still, they got off pretty light, considering the fact that their crimes carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

In addition, they were of course banned from all casinos in the state. And the next time they enter any casino they will have all eyes on them. Information and descriptions on cheaters spreads well in the casino community. Remember that old saying that crime doesn’t pay?

Caesars Entertainment Corporation is looking to expand their business beyond the gambling industry. Today, the Las Vegas-based company announced that it would begin using its brand for non-gambling hotels across the world.

Some of Caesars’ competitors, such as MGM Resorts International, have done the same thing before. The company will develop hotel properties outside the United States, particularly in Latin American and Asia, though licensing, management agreements and franchising. The non-gambling arm of Caesars will be called Caesars Global Life. That unit will be used to expand the presence of the company by allowing hotel developers to open more casinos carrying the Caesars brand, including in locations that don’t currently allow casinos.

CEO Gary Loveman says that the company hopes the non-gambling hotels they develop throughout the world will lead to casino opportunities. Caesars is looking for a way to expand and diversify their business model. Last year, 63% of their $8.8 billion in revenue came from gambling.

Expanding their business through licensing and management contracts allows Caesars to reach new customers and expand the brand without spending much money. They won’t have to pay to develop hotels, since someone else will do that. Instead, they will simply sell their brand name to be placed on hotel resorts.

The first non-gambling Caesars hotel is set to open in Las Vegas as part of a partnership with Nobu Matsuhisa. Over the next five years, the company plans to open 25 non-gambling hotels worldwide under the Caesars name as well as well as under the Flamingo brand. Alexander Mirza, vice president of Caesars Entertainment, said that Flamingo could be used as a “five-star brand in Asia.”