Goodbye to Star City's high rollers
Star City has decided to suspend its highroller program because of the extremely competitive nature of the business. Under this program, Star City offered rebates as well as other incentives to "high end" international players. With the increasing number of casinos world-wide entering this market, high levels of discounting are required to remain in this business - resulting in very low profit margins and a high level of volatility. Tabcorp, who owns Star City casino, also operates more than 13,500 video-gaming machines in 278 locations in Victoria and wagering at more than 500 off-track betting outlets.
Perth casino operator Burswood Ltd will not follow the lead of Sydney's Star City in abandoning the volatile high-roller market, despite declining revenue and an anti-competitive tax structure.

Casinos capitalise on Customer Data
Casinos have become masters of customer relationship management, having mined more complex customer data on a larger scale for a longer time than just about any other industry.
For instance, in its latest annual report, Harrah's Entertainment Inc. in the U.S. stated, "We know what our customers like," then provided examples of the kind of detail the company tracks. " Joyce and Ted like oceanfront views, thick steaks, Elvis slots. . . ."
Socio-economic databases, loyalty cards, the cross-matching of credit card data with other files are all at work in the gambling business. Loyalty cards are the key. At a typical casino, when a player swipes his card at a table game or slot machine, a network of databases jumps into action. The system captures, among other things, how long the person plays, how much he wins and loses and what his betting strategy is. It can compare statistics from previous visits and provide real-time hints to casino workers about how to treat a given customer, based on how much he is worth to the company.
Customers, meanwhile, collect card points as they gamble, eat, shop or see shows, which they redeem for prizes, such as free hotel rooms or tickets to hot shows.
The MGM Mirage casino at Las Vegas gave out US$286.3 million in such comps last year alone, and their databases can tell which of its 9 million customers are poker players who also like onions on their hamburgers. Apparently whatever they do gets tracked and logged into the system.

$200 million jackpot
A 66-year-old retired grocery clerk in San Francisco recently claimed a US$141 million lottery prize. The windfall, last month, is the largest single-state jackpot in U.S. history. Alcario Castellano of San Jose chose to take the money in a lump sum, which means he will receive $70,794,364, or about $42.3 million after taxes.

Boredom, depression can turn gaming into a problem
If you've been to a casino lately, you've no doubt seen senior citizens piling out of buses and filing up before beckoning blackjack tables and slot machines.
There's also bingo just about every night of the week, lotteries, the races and internet betting.
For many suspected reasons - age-related cognitive decline, boredom, underlying depression - older adults seem to be more vulnerable to problem gambling than other age groups.
Experts in aging, gambling, and problem and compulsive gambling met with members of the gaming industry at the University of Florida last month to develop policies and procedures aimed at identifying and helping seniors with gambling problems.
According to the study, gambling among older people may be an expression of anxiety related to aging and to fear of impoverishment. It's also one activity they can engage in regardless of physical problems.
"Many are looking for an escape from all sorts of losses in their lives, whether loss of a spouse, a profession (after retirement), their health, their physical abilities, their physical beauty. There aren't many other activities that are stimulating and exciting that they can do; gambling is one of the few left," explained a representative.
Researchers said that there are two broad types of senior gamblers - those who always gambled and now they have more time, then there's the newer gambler such as the escape gambler who is more likely to play lottery tickets.

Waterhouse to float betting business
A betting business run by controversial bookmaker Robbie Waterhouse will hit the boards of the Australian Stock Exchange later this year. WaterhouseBet Ltd, a chain of betting shops owned by Mr Waterhouse and his father Bill, will be acquired by Australian-listed firm Southern Equity Holdings Ltd.
Robbie Waterhouse, husband of one of Australia's most successful racehorse trainers Gai, will become a director of Southern Equities.
Mr Waterhouse last month won a 17-year battle to regain his bookmakers' licence after he was warned off indefinitely by the Australian Jockey Club in 1984 for his part in the Fine Cotton ring-in scandal at Eagle Farm. The company plans to expand the number of betting shops throughout the Fiji Islands and to offer a wider range of betting products.

Odds on for pokies at Burswood casino
Although Western Australian clubs and pubs will continue to miss out on poker machines, there's a chance that the Statewide ban could be lifted to accommodate the Burswood casino.
Poker machines differ from the existing electronic games operated by Burswood in that they operate on pure chance, allowing no input - or "skill" - from the gambler.
The contentious issue of poker machines is scheduled to be discussed on July 26.


Real Diamonds as Pokie Prizes
The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has installed the new Raining Diamonds(TM) video slot machines, which offer authentic diamond jewellery jackpots. Each Raining Diamonds(TM) machine features an exclusive, patented display unit incorporating a secure diamond vault. In addition, each game bank includes a larger prize vault, showcasing diamond jewellery in multiple prize tiers. The idea that customers can hit one of several possible jackpots and immediately select beautiful diamond jewellery to wear home is quite a novel approach.