Inside Aria‘s “eye in the sky” … and also probably the last time you’ll see a player in a tuxedo on a Las Vegas casino floor.
* After eight long years — and without including Internet revenue — all eight Atlantic City casinos reported increased operating profit in 2Q16. Of course the roof will fall in at Trump Taj Mahal when strike-affected 3Q16 numbers are reported. But for now, “Having the amount of casinos we have now compared to the 12 that we had, people are able to bring in more customers,” says New Jersey Casino Control Commission Chairman Matthew Levinson. Is there any chance that good news like this will help persuade voters to stave off a gambling expansion in November’s referendum? Halfway around the world, the gross domestic product of Macao continued to slouch, although not so nearly so badly as this winter and despite a 16% downturn in baccarat revenue.
* As expected, Tioga Downs received a casino license, the first of four upstate New York projects to do so. The track had a head start on its competitors, having already been a racino when owner Jeff Gural got the state’s permission to upgrade to Vegas-style gambling.
* According to Inc. 5000, the number-one company in Oklahoma is burgeoning Casino Cash Trac. As its name implies, the company helps casinos follow the money — a more important consideration in these days of heightened money-laundered awareness. CCT has 100 clients (mainly tribal) in 10 states and has never lost a customer. Says a CCT executive, “Sometimes casinos have 10 people putting something in Excel. With our software, now they can do that with three people and give those people other jobs within the casino.”
