{"id":18305,"date":"2016-05-27T12:52:45","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T20:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=18305"},"modified":"2016-05-27T12:55:52","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T20:55:52","slug":"straub-name-my-casino-rawa-breathes-its-last-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/straub-name-my-casino-rawa-breathes-its-last-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Straub: Name my casino!; RAWA breathes its last &#8230; for now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/launch.newsinc.com\/?type=VideoPlayer\/Single&amp;widgetId=1&amp;trackingGroup=69016&amp;siteSection=atlanticcity_hom_non_sty_pp&amp;videoId=30864132\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\" frameborder=\"no\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Glenn Straub<\/strong> has either thrown up his hands over the task of renaming <strong>Revel<\/strong> or is feeling the spirit of democracy. Either way, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pressofatlanticcity.com\/news\/breaking\/straub-offers-k-for-best-new-name-for-revel-twitter\/article_764a2696-22c8-11e6-8033-5b6e6071cd57.html\" target=\"_blank\">he&#8217;s taking suggestions<\/a> from the Twitterverse as to potential new monikers, with a $10,000 for the winning entrant. (We don&#8217;t think it will go to the person who nominated\u00a0&#8220;Crapsino.&#8221;) We could get behind &#8220;<strong>Straub Mahal<\/strong>,&#8221; though and &#8212; as the keeper of four cats &#8212; we definitely like the pitch for a feline-themed casino. Straub&#8217;s capacity to surprise certainly shows no signs of abating.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resorts Casino Hotel<\/strong> President <strong>Mark Giannantonio<\/strong>, meanwhile, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.northjersey.com\/news\/2-new-casinos-near-nyc-could-save-or-destroy-atlantic-city-1.1606020\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">struck a baleful tone<\/a> at a discussion of <!--more-->the ballot initiative to put two casinos in northern <strong>New Jersey<\/strong>. &#8220;Mark it down in your pads today: It&#8217;s going to happen,&#8221; he said of his prediction that as many as five <strong>Atlantic City<\/strong> casinos would close if the referendum passes. &#8220;The second these two new casinos open in north Jersey, <strong>New York City<\/strong> will retaliate violently,&#8221; Giannantonio added. <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14042\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/brown_chris_color.jpg\" alt=\"brown_chris_color\" width=\"151\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/brown_chris_color.jpg 151w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/brown_chris_color-102x150.jpg 102w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 151px) 100vw, 151px\" \/>Indeed, given the amount it will take to build two north-Jersey megaresorts, there will be a narrow window of opportunity before the five boroughs of the Big Apple\u00a0become eligible for additional casinos. Supporting Giannantonio, Assemblyman <strong>Chris Brown<\/strong> (R) asked sarcastically, &#8220;We are in an oversaturated market, and the way we&#8217;re going to help Atlantic City is to build another casino to compete with it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The would-be north-Jersey moguls weren&#8217;t taking this lying down. <strong>Reebok<\/strong> founder <strong>Paul Fireman<\/strong> proposed to bleed NYC dry with a $5 billion resort dominated by a hotel tower as high as 80 stories, supplemented by a golf course and nine restaurants. <strong>Meadowlands Racetrack<\/strong> owner <strong>Jeff Gural<\/strong> also jeered at the Boardwalk&#8217;s defenders: &#8220;Are they serious saying three to five casinos would close? Seriously? That&#8217;s crazy. The people that do those studies are the same ones who decided it would be a good idea to open Revel.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In a surprise move to help Atlantic City, Assemblyman <strong>Mark Eustace<\/strong> (D) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pressofatlanticcity.com\/communities\/eht\/north-jersey-lawmaker-proposes-slots-at-acy\/article_a98ce152-22ae-11e6-bbe4-4be77137bdcf.html\" target=\"_blank\">is proposing a constitutional amendment<\/a> to allow slot machines at <strong>Atlantic City International Airport<\/strong>, through which pass over a million passengers per year. Eustace&#8217;s bill is so broad that it leaves wide discretion for the number of slots and doesn&#8217;t specify who would benefit from their revenue. The <strong>South Jersey Transportation Authority<\/strong> was taken so off guard it had no official comment, although member <strong>James &#8220;Sonny&#8221; McCullough<\/strong> said, &#8220;This is the first that I&#8217;m hearing about it. I think it&#8217;s a terrible idea.&#8221; \u201cAs for creating revenue, I just don\u2019t see it,&#8221; added retired transportation executive <strong>Anthony Marino<\/strong>. &#8220;Most of the people who are using the airport are locals going on vacation. If they want gamble they will go to Atlantic City.\u201d We&#8217;d call Eustace&#8217;s proposal a legislative long shot.<\/p>\n<p>* Sen. <strong>Lindsey Graham<\/strong>&#8216;s attempt to sneak an Internet-gambling ban through the Senate is as good as dead, now that a companion provision has been withdrawn in the House of Representatives. Rep. <strong>Charlie Dent<\/strong>\u00a0(R) tried appending <strong>Restore America&#8217;s Wire Act<\/strong> [<em>sic<\/em>] to an appropriations bill but finally withdrew the provision. Pro-RAWA forces are now trying to stick their fingers back in the crumbling online-gambling dike by proposing a two-year federal moratorium, under the guise of &#8220;studying&#8221; the issue. We doubt that will fare much better than RAWA did but they&#8217;re welcome to attempt it.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qmYF67dqNaQ\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>* The <strong>Plaza Hotel<\/strong> has finally found a successful way to reposition its roof as a recreational space. In additional to the traditional amenity of a swimming pool, there will be a hot tub, gaming positions &#8230; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/business\/casinos-gaming\/renovated-rooftop-pool-food-truck-open-plaza\" target=\"_blank\">and a food truck<\/a>, of all unlikely things. A crane will hoist the latter into place, which surely will be a sight to see. The tennis and basketball courts have been retained, and the Plaza had added something called &#8220;pickleball,&#8221; which I gather is quite the rage\u00a0these days. The whole new shebang is scheduled to open on July 2.<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>Prairie Meadows<\/strong> racino in <strong>Iowa<\/strong>, the state&#8217;s top-grossing gambling venue, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kcci.com\/news\/prairie-meadows-board-enters-closed-session-meeting\/39723176\" target=\"_blank\">is crying foul<\/a> over an <strong>IRS<\/strong> audit that would revoke the track&#8217;s nonprofit status. Prairie Meadows will make the audit public in a month but, in the meantime, they&#8217;re appealing the ruling. If it loses, Prairie Meadows would still be considered a nonprofit under Iowa law but its charitable donations would plummet from 20% of gross revenues a year to 3%. Among the causes that might be left out in the cold under that scenario are the <strong>Central Iowa Homeless Shelter<\/strong> and the <strong>DMARC Food Pantry<\/strong>. For all those who claim that gambling preys on the poor, note that the indigent would be the first to suffer is the IRS ruling is allowed to stand.<\/p>\n<p>* &#8220;It was like finding a Corvette in a barn,&#8221; says former <strong>MGM Resorts International<\/strong> executive <strong>Mike Young<\/strong> about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/opinion\/columns-blogs\/doug-elfman\/pair-rescue-treasure-trove-mgm-s-studio-54\" target=\"_blank\">the discovery of a <\/a>cache\u00a0of old <strong>Studio 54<\/strong> relics &#8212; banished from <strong>MGM Grand<\/strong> in favor of <strong>Hakkasan<\/strong> &#8212; sitting at a recycling facility, exposed to the elements. Teaming with veteran party animal <strong>Joshua Greenrock<\/strong>, the duo bought up the discarded treasures, including giant vinyl photos of Studio 54 celebrity clients. When MGM had renovator&#8217;s remorse and wanted the items back, it was too late. Among the beneficiaries of Young and Greenrock&#8217;s largesse will be the <strong>Neon Museum<\/strong>, which will receive a dance floor sign. It&#8217;s nice to see nostalgia flourishing in oft-amnesiac Sin City.<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>Treasure Island<\/strong> has entered the online-poker industry, albeit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pokernewsdaily.com\/treasure-island-casino-launches-subscription-online-poker-room-28466\/\" target=\"_blank\">with a subscription-only site<\/a>. Prizes include <em>Mystere<\/em> tickets and three-night stay at <strong>Phil Ruffin<\/strong>&#8216;s Strip resort.<\/p>\n<p>* Congratulations to <strong>Kaw Gaming<\/strong>, newest recipient of the Tribal Gaming Visionary Award from the <strong>National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development<\/strong>. Kaw <a href=\"http:\/\/www2.smartbrief.com\/redirect.action?link=http%3A%2F%2Findiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com%2F2016%2F05%2F26%2Fkaw-nation-receives-national-award-visionary-leadership-gaming-164596&amp;encoded=hHbSBWqZAeCVnooHCidWriCicNJSRC\" target=\"_blank\">was lauded\u00a0for its creation of job opportunities<\/a> for Native Americans through such tribally owned businesses as its <strong>South Wind Casino<\/strong>. \u201cOur goal at the National Center is to create opportunities for Native-owned businesses to thrive in Indian Country and work with progressive tribal nations whose leadership understands the importance of Native-to-Native business, which creates commerce and jobs while protecting tribal sovereignty. Kaw Nation is an excellent example of this,\u201d said NCAIED board member <strong>Margo Gray<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>* Congratulations also to <strong>SugarHouse Casino<\/strong>, in <strong>Philadelphia<\/strong>, which had its license renewed <a href=\"https:\/\/news.worldcasinodirectory.com\/sugarhouse-casino-operating-license-renewed-27891\" target=\"_blank\">for an additional three years<\/a>. During the time it has been open, SugarHouse has grossed $1.5 billion, $600 million-plus of which has gone to the Commonwealth of <strong>Pennsylvania<\/strong> in tax payments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Glenn Straub has either thrown up his hands over the task of renaming Revel or is feeling the spirit of democracy. Either way, he&#8217;s taking suggestions from the Twitterverse as to potential new monikers, with a $10,000 for the winning &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/straub-name-my-casino-rawa-breathes-its-last-for-now\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,24,51,26,4,185,140,37,86,11,167,91,101,115,95,119,33,157,74,47,31,9,100,20],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18310,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18305\/revisions\/18310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}