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November 12, 2013

Two Cantor Execs Under Pressure From the Feds; One Pleads Guilty

Filed under: Casino — Tags: , — OCE News @ 2:47 am

In this first story: the Wall Street Journal has reported that Lee Amaitis, who is the President and CEO of Cantor Gaming, is under investigation by federal prosecutors. They are looking into whether Amaitis, who is Cantor Fitzgerald LP’s top gaming exec, was involved with the company allegedly taking illegal sports bets. These bets are said to have come a gambling ring known as Jersey Boys who are based out of New York.

Lee Amaitis, who is the one actually under investigation, started Cantor Gaming some nine years ago. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amaitis was suspected of being involved once a former director of Cantor Gaming pleaded guilty to accepting wagers illegally. This individual is Michael Colbert, who was a vice president of the company and director of the company’s risk management department. Colbert, who is 33, went to federal court on Sept. 21 and pled guilty in that New York court. It should be noted that according to the Wall Street Journal, no allegations have been made against Lee Amaitis to date.

A statement was released by Cantor Gaming official Robert Hubbell. It said: “We feel compelled to address this irresponsible and baseless rumor. The notion that Lee Amaitis is a target of federal prosecutors or that he participated in illegal bookmaking is baseless and false.”

The story on Colbert broke a few weeks ago.

According to press releases, Colbert, who is the former director of risk management for Cantor Gaming, pled to one felony charge. The charge was being involved with a conspiracy to take illegal sports bets on a national level for a betting ring based in New York. That ring was busted last year by police.

Colbert entered his guilty plea on Sept. 21. This was done in federal court in the state of New York and it came after the U.S. Attorney began to prosecute the case. This is according to court records.

Court papers say that Colbert was accused of knowing and allowing the New York-based betting ring to place illegal sports bets using what is called runners. It was said that runners are individuals who take and then place these illegal bets as part of their work with the ring. In Oct of 2012, police took into custody some 25 people who were alleged to be part of the bookmaking ring. Of those arrested, 8 were from Vegas. And of these, Colbert was among the most prominent.

It is no secret that Cantor Gaming is known for revolutionizing the then sports betting industry within the state of Nevada. Colbert played a major role in this when he was with M Resort in Henderson.

It is known that Colbert was very inventive with coming up with new betting options that were then offered by Cantor Gaming. One of his most popular ideas was with starting fantasy-sports wagering for football and basketball in 2012. Colbert never shied away from the media and would often analyze games and as well as betting patterns. He will be sentenced on Dec 9.

November 10, 2013

Culinary Union May Try to Provoke Members to be Arrested

Filed under: Casino — Tags: — OCE News @ 2:45 am

It seems as though the troubles between the Culinary Union and the Cosmopolitan will continue for some time to come. It was recently announced that over 100 members of the union are now planning to have themselves arrested by Metro Police when they next protest on the Strip. This will be the second time that the union has done this in their protest with the Cosmopolitan over stalled contract talks.

The union is calling this an act of civil disobedience. As of right now, the protest is scheduled to occur on Nov 1 sometime between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. What was not released by the union was just how the members who plan on being arrested will accomplish that goal.

If this happens, the new arrests will be the second time the union has taken this kind of action. The last time it happened was on March 20. At that incident, some 98 union protesters were arrested for sitting in the Strip and blocking traffic. At some point, Metro police officers stepped in and arrested the people, loading them into a police bus and taking them away from the scene where in excess of 2,000 Culinary union picketers continued to demonstrate. They were protesting for nearly 2,000 workers of the Cosmopolitan who have been showing up for work now for over two years but have not been able to get a new contract from the hotel.

According to union officials, the union is attempting to get a new contract with the Cosmopolitan that will include work weeks of 40 hours as well as conditions that will provide better job security. They are also seeking to get certain health care contributions. In addition, union members are also asking for new contracts that would include certain clauses that will promise that the new contract would remain in effect even if the hotel resort is sold to another entity. This particular clause is being asked for because the hotel resort which is owned by the Deutsche Bank is struggling financially and has been struggling for some years now. The Cosmopolitan opened in 2010.

As for the union, it is said to represent nearly 60,000 food servers, maids and bartenders. It has made no secret of its intention to get this new contract for these workers. In recent weeks, video has come out of some disturbing behavior by some of its members. Posted on the internet, the video that was taken shows a member of the union shouting at people who are entering the hotel, calling them names and causing some disturbances among other people who were on the property. When asked about this, union officials made no apologies, saying that they believe these types of tactics are fair game in a situation such as this. They say that their members are only taking advantage of their First Amendment rights and they see nothing wrong with their members being vocal on this issue. They vow to continue the protests until they get the new contract.

November 8, 2013

Hitting the Clubs Is Just About As Popular as Vegas Gambling

Filed under: Casino — Tags: , — OCE News @ 2:43 am

While it still true that most people come to Vegas for the gaming opportunities, another venue is now showing signs of becoming just about as popular. That venue is clubbing. As more and more entertainment venues come into existence, this trend is only going to continue. And that could mean some trouble to those businesses that rely on gaming customers.

In a poll that was taken earlier this year, conducted by a gambling lobby, it discovered that nearly 26 percent of those people who are casino patrons are now choosing to spend their money on clubbing. This is especially true for those who enjoy going to what are called the mega-clubs. As mentioned above, this is being seen as a problem for casinos who are now losing that income.

For their part, club owners are thrilled that they are seeing so much new, and steady, business coming through their doors. To keep the ball rolling, they are adding some big names to their entertainment lineups as well as investing in modern optics such as laser shows. Their goal is to provide their patrons with some of the most exciting evenings in Vegas. In terms of lasers, a few years ago, most clubs may have had one or two lasers. Now, it is not uncommon for clubs to have as many as 25.

Vegas now can say that of the 100 most lucrative nightclubs in the US they have 21 of those. This is according to Nightclub & Bar a respected trade publication. What may surprise some people is that 7 of the clubs that now operate in Vegas are earning over $25 million a year. That is some serious cash.

To get into the action, many casinos are now opening their own clubs in the hopes of competing with outside clubs. To bring in their own customers these casino clubs are planning to go all out in terms of offering customers the “wow” factor that they are looking for.

Some clubs are trying to attract customers by offering such novel ideas as 3D glasses to watch the shows with, bringing in professional lighting directors to set up shows, some will be adding new LED walls to their clubs to bring in even more visual entertainment. The main goal is to provide an all-out thrilling experience that patrons will not soon forget and cause them to return again in the future. Some are even adding cannons that go off in sync with the music that is being played. The cannons shoot out confetti that covers those who are on the dance floor. A few clubs are even buying handheld cannons that they can give to their patrons to shoot off as they wish. Hakkasan at the MGM Grand is one club that is already doing this.

How all of this will play out in terms of taking money away from the gaming tables is yet to be seen. For those casinos that are getting into the club action the loss may not be as severe as will be to those who are not adding their own high-quality clubs.

November 6, 2013

What Exactly Is That Vegas Eye in the Sky Looking At?

Filed under: Casino — Tags: — OCE News @ 2:42 am

Everyone knows that Las Vegas casinos are some of the most videotaped spaces on the Earth. Those tiny cameras are everywhere, and one might think it impossible to get out of their reach. It has been said that Vegas has more camera working than any airport in the US (per square foot). But, are those cameras looking at every square inch of a casino? Some people say no, and they are alarmed at what is not being watched.

In some casinos, it has been reported that cameras are not used to monitor guest room hallways and other areas where people travel as they get from one point to another. This, they say, may make these areas more vulnerable to criminal activity such as robbery and rape.

For their part, casinos say that there is no real need for any added security in these areas. They, did not, make much more comment beyond that other than to say that areas such as elevators, lobbies and gaming floors are always monitored.

Even so, it has been reported by the Associated Press that some 23 of 27 (major) casinos on the Strip do not have surveillance camera located in hallways or on the elevator landings. Of these, all but four are owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp., MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Or by Wynn Resorts Ltd.

According to The AP, they report that they came up with these numbers when interviewing casino officials. And they also went to those hotels that did not comment. It was also reported that only Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and the Tropicana Las Vegas have monitors in the halls that are located above the gambling floor.

It is no secret that hotel room burglaries are said to account for the majority of reported hotel and casino crimes. This particular crime is increasing while traditional home burglaries are going down for the city. This comes from numbers supplied by the police. Police officials have said that because there are no cameras in many hotel areas, criminals feel safe doing their dirty business in those areas. Without the cameras, it is also harder to make a case and prosecute those who are caught.

Some of those who are particularly worried about this lapse in security are hotel housekeepers. Many of these employees have stories that involve dangerous or threatening actions taken toward them. Many of these workers do not report altercations as they know there is no way of proving what they say without some type of filmed evidence.

The main excuse for not having this added security boils down to cost. Not only is there a cost of buy and installing the equipment, but there is also the added cost of having the systems monitored. Some experts suggest that lawsuits may also be a reason hotels are no so eager to add cameras to these areas. If something happened to a patron or employee and it was ignored by hotel personnel, lawsuits could follow.

November 4, 2013

More Trouble as Culinary Union Continues to Picket Now With Verbal Attacks

Filed under: Casino — Tags: — OCE News @ 2:40 am

It may now seem as if trouble will not go away when it comes to the Culinary Union picket that is taking place outside the Cosmopolitan. It has now been reported that the Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs was able to get video at a recent Culinary protest that included verbal abuse by some picketers. This is said to have occurred Oct. 5 and took place outside the Strip resort. The video was posted on YouTube. The Alliance has since said that it believes these actions were unwarranted and has asked that union officials intervene to stop these types of actions.

According to one Alliance member, “Lawmakers should see that the union bosses at the Culinary Union are engaged in guerilla tactics that give our state a black eye. The irony of Big Labor’s approach is that it results in less tourism, fewer jobs, less tips and a weak local economy, which ultimately hurts the very workers they claim to represent.”

For its part, culinary union officials have said that they see nothing wrong with the way their members are behaving or with the tactics that they are using. According to a union spokesperson, “The recent civil disobediences, rallies and pickets are exercises of workers’ First Amendment rights and part of the struggle for the Las Vegas Dream. Cosmopolitan workers are fighting for the opportunity to provide for their families, something all Vegas workers deserve.”

In the video that was taken and posted, a member of the union who is unidentified is shouting at into a megaphone. A APNJ member is also seen standing next to this person handing out cards. The video runs for about a minute and is entitled “Union Bosses From The Culinary 226 Harass Tourists”.

The APNJ is a project part of the Workforce Fairness Institute. Just last week they said they would launch what they call a counter-demonstration and that these would take place during Culinary protests that are being performed outside the Cosmopolitan. But, rather than picketing, the APNJ has said that it will distribute Thank You cards.

In the video, as the member of the APNJ hands out cards, the Culinary member yells out: “You guys are a bunch of losers.” This is aimed at some people who are entering the Cosmopolitan’s front doors. A little later in the video, the same man yells out at a verbal attack toward a couple. In the video he says, “You and your wife are a bunch of losers. Support the workers, guys. Don’t go inside of the Cosmopolitan.”

The Culinary Union represents an estimated 50,000 maids, bartenders, and food servers. The Union has said that it will remain on the picket line at the Cosmopolitan. The dispute stems from 2,000 workers who have been working for two years without a labor agreement. When those employees get a new contract, the protests will stop, according to the union.

Officials at the Cosmopolitan have not commented about the posted video and have been relatively silent throughout the protests.

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