Day three of the LA Poker Classic saw the remaining 152 players fall to 54 by the end of the day’s play, as a number of big names departed.

Of the starting field of 791, numerous famous faces had already come and gone on days one and two, including Mike Matusow, Kathy Liebert and Phil Laak.

A separate bet saw Joe Sebok and Gavin Smith agree that the first player to exit would get the other’s initials tattooed on their posterior. Smith lost the contest but it is unclear if he has yet gone under the needle.

The more conventional cash-based play on day three culminated in Bill Edler leading the pack with a chip stack worth $696,000. Jason Strasser is not far behind on $677,000, with a host of other players also sitting on at least half a million dollars.

As ever, the worst position was that of bubble boy, with Jimmy Sachindis being the last player to exit before prize money kicked in. The top 54 are all guaranteed at least $22,780, but most will be looking for rather more as day four gets underway.

New proposals due to go before the US Senate within the next few weeks could see an influx of tourists into popular American destinations such as Las Vegas, it has been suggested.

The proposals centre on a suggested change to the Visa Waiver Program, which would increase the number of nations for whom it is easier to enter the US due to an absence of stringent visa requirements.

The move would be welcomed by the Las Vegas casino industry as, despite posting large profits for 2006, is now finding Macau to be a strong rival for its status as gambling capital of the world.

Avoiding lengthy interviews and paperwork would be of benefit to both the tourist industry and the tourists themselves, according to an MGM Mirage spokesman.

“All they want to do is come here and spend money. For that we are putting them through an interrogation. An interrogation that, I might add, no American would put up with,” said Alan Feldman, according to the Las Vegas Gaming Wire.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit main event held in Rincon, San Diego, has been won by Peter Feldman, it has been revealed.

Feldman secured the $281,000 first place prize after holding off Davidson Matthew, who went home with just under $150,000.

Stiff competition also came in the form of 2006 Poker Player of the Year Gavin Smith, who eventually went out in seventh position.

In winning the tournament Feldman became just the second player to have won two WSOP Circuit competitions, having won an event in New Orleans in May 2006. Chris Ferguson was previously the only player to have won two events.

Despite being chip leader as play began at the final table, Feldman insisted he did not feel too confident.

“I came in with a lot of chips and that’s kind of a tough situation sometimes. You feel like if you don’t keep accumulating chips you could start pressing things,” he commented.

One of the UK’s many poker satellite television channels is to attempt to break away from the pack by launching versions of its content in Germany, France and Scandinavia, it has been revealed.

The Poker Channel was the first of its kind when it launched two years ago, and features a number of televised tournaments such as the European Poker Masters. Events from yesteryear such as Joe Hachem’s victory at last year’s Aussie Millions are also screened regularly.

The move into Scandinavia is unsurprising given the popularity of the game in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, but the channel’s forthcoming presence in France suggests that there remains a market for poker event in countries which are seeking to prohibit the game from flourishing.

“The channel has been a huge success in the UK, attracting up to one million viewers a month, from just 8m homes, since its launch in March 2005. We are delighted to be broadening our reach across the whole of Europe, having agreed deals with the leading networks in such fast growing poker territories,” said chief executive and founder of the Poker Channel Crispin Nieboer.

The inaugural PokerBowl event, which will see a number of teams representing cities from across the US face off against one another, has announced a further list of famous names set to feature in the unique event.

Held from May 1^st to May 6^th, the tournament offers $1 million to the city which manages to successfully see off its rivals.

With 25 cities competing and six players representing each location, the 150-strong playing pool leaves plenty of room for star names.

Jeff Madsen, the youngest ever player to win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, is the latest professional to sign up for the event. Madsen will join the Los Angeles team alongside Joe Sebok, Joe Cassidy, Theo Tran, Brandon Cantu and Gavin Smith.

The event is being organised by the US Poker League and will be held in Las Vegas, with the home team set to put out a strong showing. As befits the gambling capital, the Vegas team will be made up of a mixture of hardened pros such as Phil Hellmuth and glamorous celebrities such as Jennifer Tilly.

The PokerBowl location will be announced next month, with the likes of the High Roller Room in the Venetian thought to be in the running.

The Aladdin casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment and remodelling process, will operate under a new name when it re-opens later in the year, it has been revealed.

Co-chairman of casino owner OpBiz Robert Earl has said that the casino could be called the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino as part of its new look.

Mr Earl added that costs on the project had gone significantly over budget, but was confident that the new building would be a success, with visitors to the site able to monitor progress.

“All of those people are at various stages of permitting and getting done,” he commented, referring to a host of potential tenants, shops and services.

“The plan is that every month that you come here, each time you revisit you’ll see more of the project open, culminating in it all being finished by October.” 

“By the middle of this year, you’ll never know the Aladdin existed,” he added.

The Aladdin was originally named the Tally-Ho when it opened in 1963, and changed to the King’s Crown a year later before settling on its current moniker in 1966.

The ongoing buy-out of casino giant Harrah’s by two private equity firms is set to move a step closer to completion following the expected filing of approval applications.

A series of potential regulatory concerns are thought to have been addressed in the documents, though lawyers working on the case expect many months to pass before they appear in front of the relevant Nevada gaming organizations.

The complicated nature of the buy-out is in part down to the fact that officials from eight separate states as well as those in Canada, England and South Africa will need to approve the deal.

“We’ve already, at great effort and expense, organized all the back-up documentation. In trying to expedite this process we’re already prepared for an investigation right after we file the applications,” said transaction attorney Frank Schreck, explaining part of the process.

Harrah’s is one of a number of casinos thought to be considering a move to help build the new super-casino set for Manchester, England.

A new ordinance to be voted on by Atlantic City Council officials next week is set to raise the maximum height limit for buildings in a section of the New Jersey city, it has been revealed.

Currently any buildings built on the land between the Boardwalk and avenues in the centre of the city can not exceed 485 feet in height, but the new measure would see that limit rise to 800 feet, along with an extra 100 feet for mechanical or aesthetic items.

The ruling would enable the proposed casino from Revel Entertainment to become one of the country’s biggest buildings.

Officials said they did not expect opposition to the new building, given the current state of the area.

“There were fabulous buildings in the area. There were fabulous streets. And we lost all that. [It’s] an eyesore and it creates this whole blightedness that fosters crime and […] people want to see those lots cleaned up and developed,” said first ward city councilman G. Bruce Ward, speaking to the Press of Atlantic City.

Recent reports suggest that annual revenue from Atlantic City casinos could decline in 2007 for the first time in history. On Sunday Harrah’s announced plans for a $550 million expansion of its Atlantic City resort.

Net income at MGM Mirage more than doubled in 2006 thanks in no small part to the company’s ten Las Vegas strip casinos, the firm has announced.
Net income for 2006 totalled $201.6 million, compared to $97.8 million in 2005, MGM said.

Meanwhile quarterly revenue was similarly healthy, increasing by 11 per cent from $1.66 billion to $1.85 billion.

“MGM Mirage shares have traded up dramatically the past few months, we believe primarily due to expectations of corporate finance activities. [The] results showed more fundamental strength and illustrate MGM Mirage’s operating prowess,” said Steven Kent, gaming analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Company officials predicted similar success in the forthcoming year.

“As demonstrated by the significant increases in cash flow at The Mirage and MGM Grand, our efforts at Mandalay Bay, Luxor and several other properties should lead to increased customer volumes and better pricing at these resorts,” said president and chief financial officer Jim Murren.

MGM is again considering a plan to build a casino in Atlantic City, according to reports this week. The gaming giant has been constantly rumoured to be moving into the area for the past ten years.

The popularity of casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, was so great last year that more tourists visited the city than ever before, new figures reveal.

In total 38.9 million people visited Las Vegas, an increase of just under one per cent. But the figure is all the more significant given the fact that the number of rooms available in the region fell for the first time in 14 years – by almost 600 rooms.

Occupancy rates continued to rise despite such restraints, with officials praising the business spirit of the city.

“That really paints the picture of why Las Vegas has been successful,” said director of internet marketing and research at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Kevin Bagger.

However, the customer was often the one to suffer from such success, with higher occupancy rates allowing hotels to increase their prices by an average of $17.

In light of such increases many potential visitors may consider online venues to be a more attractive proposition in financial terms.