Revel/Ten may have yet another name soon, now that wannabe buyer Bruce Defik has done what Glenn Straub wouldn’t: apply for a New Jersey gaming license. Straub continues to assert that there is no deal in place but “a court proceeding involving whether 
Straub needs a casino license to open Revel under the name Ten include details of a mortgage the proposed buyers have obtained,” reports The Press of Atlantic City. Defik would spend $200,000 on purchasing Revel, plus $175,000 sprucing the place up. The 200 million clams would ensure Straub — who bought Revel for $82 million — of a healthy profit. Defik plans 2,000 slots and 100 table games for the casino. Straub, meanwhile, continues to live in a world of his own. “If someone has a check, I do sell assets. We’re not stopping anybody from bringing a check in,” he told The Associated Press. “If you want to buy it, come in and we’ll check you out. But nobody has.” At the moment, the main obstacle standing in the way of a revived a big Straub payday is Straub himself.
* “These are actually more than just refreshing. These are brand new footprints,” said Katherine Spilde of San Diego State University, in reference to an arms race among SoCal tribal casinos. “The tribes are really responding to a mature tourist market.” For instance, Pechanga Resort & Casino has invested $285 million in a new hotel tower and a pool complex that will improve upon Pechanga’s teeny-tiny pool area. Pala Casino Spa & Resort will see Pechanga its improved pool area and raise it a hotel expansion of its own. The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians is starting from scratch, replacing its casino tent with a six-story hotel and casino. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is evaluating its options in Palm Springs, while the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is adding an event center and hotel to its casino, a $550 million endeavor. The old bingo hall will be converted to hold Gene Simmons’ Rock & Brews and George Lopez’s Chingon Kitchen. Bon appetit!
* Add Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania to the list of jurisdictions that are putting themselves in the running for ‘Category 4’ satellite casinos. Lawrence County Commissioner Dan Vogler has been actively courting all of the Keystone State’s existing casinos, which can have first dibs on the new licenses on Jan. 10. “As a county commissioner, obviously, as long as it comes to the county,” he tells a local TV station, “I’m happy.”
* Michigan lawmakers are working to finesse legalese that gambling must be conducted “in the casino” in re Internet gambling. The prevailing argument is that by locating the servers in properties like MotorCity Casino the constitutionality will be satisfied. However, ‘Net betting may require negotiation of numerous tribal compacts and be taxed in such a way that would bring Michigan’s effective rate down to 6% — the lowest in the nation. We like the sound of that.
* The eclipse of James Packer continues. Crown Tower at Melco Entertainment & Resorts‘ City of Dreams in Macao is being renamed Nuwa. WTF? It’s a good thing Kerry Packer isn’t around to see what Junior has done to the family business.
* If you’re interested in the minutiae of poker, you will enjoy this excellent story of how one player is trying to beat The Man, in the form of Station Casinos. Since the Nevada Gaming Control Board is predisposed to rule in favor of casinos whenever a jackpot is disputed, I doubt that Frank Fertitta III is losing much sleep.
* A moment of silence, please, for Keely Smith, who died last weekend in Palm Springs. A true Las Vegas legend, Keely and Louis Prima were casino fixtures for many years. “Many believe Smith and Prima invented the Las Vegas lounge act, until recent times an entertainment staple of the Las Vegas Strip,” according to Gaming Today. Smith is survived by two daughters.
