As the opposing sides entrench for an acrimonious battle over the assets of Caesars Entertainment, a few early losers are emerging. Unsecured creditor Robert DeNiro‘s Nobu in Caesars Palace is owed $459,964 and loud-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay can yell all he wants but he’s probably out $307,479. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
In better news for Caesars, the merger of its WSOP.com with 888poker.com (which uses the same software) has pushed the former to the lead in New Jersey gaming traffic, with a 50% increase. 888, also known as All American Poker Network also got a boost, up 75%. Borgata/PartyPoker now finds itself in third place. The two Caesars-hosted sites haven’t been completely merged but that’s possible for the near future. While they’re not, PokerScout headcounts of players will likely be inflated, counting some of the same players twice. Still, player head counts are important because you need a big player base to maintain liquidity, which in turn means you can offer bigger prize pools, which draws still more players …
* S&G applauds Caesars President of Operations Tom Jenkin, who has resolved to lose 30 pounds to raise money for local charity Opportunity Village, which helps the mentally handicapped. ““I thought it would be great to kick off 2015 by getting in shape while at the same time giving back to this amazing organization,” said Jenkin, “which has enhanced the lives of individuals with disabilities for the last 60 years.”
* An intended Borgata tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King went awry when some took umbrage at the menu: collared greens, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese. “Twitter users objected to what they considered racially offensive choices. Others called the criticism political correctness run amok,” reported The Associated Press. Borgata Senior Vice President Joe Lupo defended the menu selection as representing some of Dr. King’s favorite foods, adding that the restaurant manager, an African-American woman, made the selections. Lupo really shouldn’t have thrown her under the bus like that but we don’t see this as more than a tempest in a blue-plate special.
* Reno, which doesn’t get the love it deserves, may reap more of something just as valuable: gamblers. JetBlue will begin once-a-week nonstop service to Reno-Tahoe International Airport from JFK International Airport on May 28. University of Nevada-Reno 
economics professor Elliott Parker was very upbeat: “Having another company like JetBlue show they think our trend is up, not down? That is a big deal. It would also be a selling point to financial firms or others who need access to the New York market, as we can now say that moving here does not mean that it will be harder to get across the country.”
The new linkage addresses a sore point with Reno-bound tourists, namely “connectivity.” It was the lack of same that is blamed for the loss of the Safari Club International convention. “It’s New York,” said Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority CEO Chris Baum, “but it’s also New England, Europe. It makes other airlines look at their numbers again and see what they may have to offer us.” That access won’t come cheap: $450 is the contemplated ticket price. But it’s hoped that traffic on JetBlue will be strong enough to snowball into other carriers offering nonstop service.
“Reno-Tahoe International officials have seen their daily flight total shrink by half over the past decade amid recession, industry consolidation and airlines’ growing penchant for abandoning short-haul routes, the staple of Reno’s airport, in favor of more lucrative longer-range flights,” reported the Reno Gazette-Journal. However, Atlantis Casino Resort & Spa CEO John Farahi was nothing short of exuberant. “JetBlue opens up the whole East Coast. The dam has been broken. That market has opened for the first time ever,” he enthused.
