Monthly Archives: August 2015

Poker Unlikely to be Impacted by Indian Supreme Court Ruling

Online poker’s next big growth market could very well be India. Many companies in the industry are certainly looking at that possibility, with PokerStars even signing their first Indian team pro, Aditya Agarwal, earlier this year. But the blossoming poker industry in India didn’t get any help from the Indian Supreme Court this week, as […]

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Penn National Gaming to finalize Tropicana Las Vegas acquisition

Penn National Gaming’s bid to purchase one of the Strip’s last Rat Pack-era casino resorts has received final regulatory approval.

The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) approved the $360m sale of the Tropicana Las Vegas to casino and racetrack operator Penn National Gaming (PNG) on Thursday and the deal is expected to be finalized on Tuesday.

PNG operates 26 facilities in 17 states featuring approximately 32,000 gaming machines, 760 table games and 3,100 hotel rooms. The NGC’s approval gives PNG their first foothold on the Las Vegas Strip.

“The addition of Tropicana Las Vegas to our national portfolio of gaming assets is an exciting and important milestone for Penn National as it fulfills our longstanding strategic objective to acquire the right resort at the right price on the Las Vegas Strip,” said PNG CEO Timothy Wilmott. “Tropicana Las Vegas will allow us to leverage our database of nearly 3 million active regional gaming customers while further diversifying our operations with another wholly-owned asset.”

Tropicana To Get New Restaurants, Possibly Hotel Tower

Nevada Gaming Commission has approved Penn National Gaming’s $360 million dollar purchase of The New Tropicana Las Vegas – A DoubleTree by Hilton from Onex Corportaion and Alex Yemenidjian . Before we get on with the PNG news, we definitely should salute Mr. Alex Yemenidjian for doing what many people thought was nearly impossible – he transformed the Tropicana from poop drooling, maggot infested, dirty bunghole of a casino, into a vibrant, fun, clean resort offering great rooms and decent gambling at a competitive value.

Turkey’s gambling-mad political party raided yet again

Authorities in Turkey have arrested more members of a new political party, the existence of which police maintain is a front for illegal gambling activity.

On Saturday, police raided offices belonging to the Future Party of Turkey (GTP), detaining seven individuals and fining 101 others for illegal gambling activities. Bayram Ilkkiliç, the chairman of the GTP’s provincial office in Adana, was among those arrested.

Ilkkiliç’s presence violated a court order barring him from entering the GTP’s provincial headquarters, based on previous raids in which police determined illegal gambling activity was being conducted on the premises. Police arrested eight organizers and fined 87 gamblers in the most recent raid, which was conducted one month ago.

To date, police have conducted over 100 such raids on the same building, which has been occupied by a succession of political parties and labor unions that police claim are simply fronts for illegal gambling operations. Prosecutors have alleged that the gambling organizers are taking advantage of Turkish laws restricting the ability of police to permanently close the offices of political groups.

La Ronge man wins lottery – and partner's heart

An early morning house fire in Riversdale has caused $175,000 in damage. The Saskatoon Fire Department responded at 2 a.m. Friday, finding smoke and flames coming from the second story of a home at 332… As the price of oil threatens to slip below $40, communities in western Saskatchewan are hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.