NEW YORK — Boyd Gaming jumped 6 percent Thursday after a association announced it was shopping Peninsula Gaming LLC. The understanding expands Boyd’s footprint in states like Iowa and Louisiana, where gambling foe is reduction extreme than on a coasts.

THE SPARK: The company, formed in Las Vegas, pronounced Wednesday it would compensate for $1.45 billion for Peninsula Gaming.

The understanding will supplement 5 casinos to Boyd’s operations. One is in Kansas, dual are in Iowa and dual are in Louisiana. Those markets are distant reduction jam-packed with casinos than Boyd Gaming’s hometown of Las Vegas, or East Coast gambling hubs like Atlantic City.

Boyd Gaming pronounced a new properties will give it a improved possibility to grow. CEO Keith Smith pronounced that a auspicious regulatory sourroundings in a South and Midwest, along with reduction competition, will broach improved distinction margins.

The understanding should tighten by a finish of a year. Boyd skeleton to use $200 million in money and about $1.2 billion in debt, already lined up, for funding. A note supposing by Peninsula for about $144 million will be partial of a deal

THE BIG PICTURE: Finding developed markets for enlargement is increasingly critical for casino operators as large markets build new facilities.

The enlargement of casino gambling has continued fast over a final several years, nowhere some-more fiercely than in a Northeast.

There is critical feud within a attention as to either a marketplace is oversaturated or either there is room for serve growth. But many determine it is worse to do business in a Northeast casino marketplace than it ever has been before.

Casino user David Cordish, whose association is building a new trickery in Maryland, warned that overbuilding could harm attention profits.

“What happens when we put mega-casinos tighten together is they generally not usually oversaturate a market, they don’t work,” Cordish told The Associated Press.

THE ANALYIS: Analysts pronounced a understanding was mostly certain for Boyd Gaming since it stretched a company’s strech outward of jam-packed markets.

But analysts were also discreet about how most a understanding competence boost Boyd Gaming’s profits.

Susquehanna International Group researcher Yinan Zhao pronounced a pierce will assistance Boyd Gaming, though a association still faces unbending “headwinds” since of lagging formula during a casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Zhao pronounced Boyd Gaming competence be means to boost income by fluctuating a patron faithfulness module to a new casinos, assisting pull some-more customers. Zhao confirmed a “Neutral” rating on a association an a cost aim of $8 per share.

At a finish of 2011, Boyd Gaming owned 16 casinos in Nevada, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and New Jersey

THE SHARES: Boyd Gaming jumped 42 cents, or 6 percent, to $7.40. Over a final year a batch has traded between $4.12 and $9.83.

That’s good next a stock’s rise levels, behind in 2007, when shares traded above $50. The gambling marketplace sank after a financial predicament of 2008, and casinos have been struggling to recover business and sales.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This element might not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Just removing to a casino used to be a pilgrimage. To Las Vegas, certainly. And later, yet with some diminishment, to Atlantic City. Or we had to cranky borders, to polyglot places full of tuxedoed group and long-dressed women.

This was some-more than sitting around a list with a rug of cards; we’re not articulate about gambling cinema per se yet casino movies. Ones in places with a atmosphere of a exotic, either from those European rounds of baccarat and roulette, or a lights of Vegas rising from a dried night.

In that atmosphere was risk in a form of spies, mobsters and cruel casino bosses. There was a possibility for outrageousness, not usually financial yet also passionate and usually plain crazy. (See: “The Hangover” and a most darker “Very Bad Things.”)

There was that clarity of being in a place that had no propinquity to a rest of your existence _ a stadium for grownups, with a cost paid in chips yet not remorse.

These days, instead of hopping a craft to a land of dreams, we can bound in a automobile for a outing to West Virginia, Pennsylvania _ or, now, a county adult north. The sorcery is now as fake as a sound of coins from an electronic container machine.

Don’t get me wrong. we have been to casinos in Vegas, yet also to one in West Virginia. But a latter, as sprawling and splendid as it competence have been, did not seem a arrange of place to supplement to a shade novel of casinos, a novel that is mostly entwined with journey and with Vegas, still a devout Mecca of casino gambling.

The James Bond novel “Casino Royale” has been blending for a shade 3 times (a TV prolongation in 1954 and cinema in 1967 and 2006), and there’s a Casino Royale in a Bond film “Never Say Never Again.”

TV has been drawn to Vegas again and again, including in a array “Vega$,” “Las Vegas,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (which has lasted some-more than a decade and will be behind again in a fall) and “Crime Story.”

The casinos onscreen mostly were monuments to resources _ yours sometimes, theirs some-more often. Time stopped inside their walls; they were a universe detached from a genuine one _ as prolonged as we have a income to live there.

Once small, limit outposts in a American West, they were incited into palaces _ and, in a film “Casino,” Martin Scorsese done them demeanour like temples. Legends walked by them, and by a cinema about them. Elvis sang “Viva Las Vegas,” we know.

The casino-heist journey “Ocean’s Eleven” was initial a home for a Sinatra/ Martin/ Davis clan, afterwards for Clooney/ Pitt/ Damon/ Cheadle/ and some-more (who went on to seem in dual sequels). Bogart’s “Casablanca” bistro had a casino in a back. Al Pacino, as “The Godfather’s” Michael Corleone, changed his family to Vegas; years later, Pacino would be behind in Vegas as a casino-owning knave in “Ocean’s Thirteen.”

The casino was a place for impulse and salvation. Warren Beatty, as Bugsy Siegel, mislaid his life in office of his prophesy of a casino. Pacino’s Corleone suspicion it was a approach to make his business legitimate, even yet he built that business on bloodletting. In “Indecent Proposal,” a integrate played by Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore consider a usually approach out of their financial troubles is to win in Vegas.

But they lose, environment adult a film’s proposal. Because casinos win some-more than they lose, mostly remorselessly.

“Croupier,” a easily nasty film set especially in a tiny London casino, shows a perils of grifting and a unimportance of many dreams.

“The Cooler,” a tiny gem, stars William H. Macy as a crook who can indeed send his loser-ness to anyone he is nearby _ creation him a ideal approach for a casino to “cool” prohibited streaks. So inflexible do casinos seem, some-more than one film has revolved around casino robberies _ “Ocean’s” again, yet also a likes of “Reindeer Games” and a ’50s film noir 5 “Against a House.”

However dour a outcome competence be, casino cinema can compensate off as films. “The Godfather” we and II, for example, arrange among a best cinema of any type. And we take that art, and a mythology it has created, whenever we travel yet any casino’s doors.

And what is in my head? Some of those already mentioned, including a “Godfathers,” “The Cooler,” “Croupier,” “Casino,” both versions of “Ocean’s Eleven” and a Daniel Craig “Casino Royale” from movies, and a ongoing hearing of life in casino enlightenment that is TV’s “CSI.” You competence also wish to try “Hard Eight,” a Paul Thomas Anderson drama, with Philip Baker Hall. we could list more.

But we wouldn’t wish to cut too low into your casino time.

___

Rich Heldenfels: rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com

___

(c)2012 a Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Visit a Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) during www.ohio.com

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Topics: t000002702,t000137071,t000002925,t000002409,t000002437,t000040181

Peninsula operates dual casinos in Louisiana: Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino in Opelousas and a Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia. The association also has properties in Wichita, Kansas and in Dubuque and Northwood, Iowa.

The merger is theme to regulatory approvals and approaching to tighten by a finish of 2012.

“Acquiring Peninsula Gaming is a transformative transaction that fits ideally into a expansion plan by expanding a Company’s scale, diversifying a platform, strengthening a financial profile, and generating suggestive value for a shareholders,” Keith Smith, boss and arch executive officer of Boyd Gaming, pronounced in a statement. “The Peninsula properties are a clever fit for us, as they are well-managed and work in volatile markets in a Midwest and South. We expect this transaction will be immediately accretive to gain and significantly boost a giveaway money flow.”

Boyd Gaming intends to account a transaction with $200 million in money and about $1.2 billion in debt.

LAS VEGAS — Boyd Gaming Corp. pronounced Wednesday that it will buy Peninsula Gaming LLC for $1.45 billion, boosting Boyd’s participation in a Midwest and Louisiana.

The understanding will supplement 5 casinos to Boyd’s operations. One is in Kansas, dual are in Iowa and dual are in Louisiana. Boyd Gaming pronounced those markets uncover some of a strongest expansion in a country.

The understanding should tighten by a finish of a year. Boyd has lined adult a financing it needs for a acquisition. It skeleton to use $200 million in money and about $1.2 billion in debt. A note supposing by Peninsula for about $144 million will be partial of a deal.

CEO Keith Smith pronounced a squeeze is approaching to immediately boost Boyd’s increase and money flow.

“We are profitable an appealing cost for these assets,” Smith pronounced in a discussion call with reporters.

Boyd Gaming will be thankful to make additional payments in 2016 if Peninsula’s Kansas Star casino reports gain before interest, taxes and other factors of some-more than $105 million in 2015. In that case, Boyd will compensate 7.5 times a increase that surpass $105 million.

At a finish of 2011, Boyd Gaming owned 16 casinos in Nevada, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and New Jersey.

Smith pronounced a association is not overextending itself in Louisiana, one of a many remunerative markets.

The understanding allows Boyd to enhance to dual new states: Kansas and Iowa. In Kansas, a understanding covers a squeeze of a recently non-stop Kansas Star Casino.

“Scale is really critical in a industry,” Smith said.

Shares of Boyd Gaming fell 1 cent to tighten during $6.98. The batch has traded between $4.12 and $9.83 in a final 52 weeks.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This element might not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Times-PicayuneA check would concede a city of New Orleans to be reimbursed for costs directly from Harrah’s New Orleans Casino instead of carrying to go by an allowance in a state budget.

Without objection, a row gave unanimous support to House Bill 183 by orator Pro Tem Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans. The bill, identical to one upheld by lawmakers though vetoed by Gov. Bobby Jindal final year, now heads to a House building for debate.

Leger pronounced that a state check bill, House Bill 1, now contains a $3.6 million a state has engaged to compensate a city for extended police, glow and puncture services in a area of Harrah’s casino.

Leger pronounced his check is designed to take a income for a “casino support services contract” divided from a check check — and a vagaries that go along with putting it together any year — and place it in a apart check that would need a city to get a initial $1.8 million of a casino proceeds, and a subsequent $74 million would go to a state for preparation needs.

The state and a city would order a rest of a income from a Harrah’s agreement uniformly with a state until a rest of a agreement volume is reached.

“We are perplexing to pass this so we won’t have to get a line object annually” in a state check bill, Leger said.

The row also authorized Leger’s messenger bill, House Bill 203, that no longer would need a agreement payments to be done to New Orleans each 3 months. Leger’s check would concede a payments to be done during any interval, not only quarterly.

That check now goes to a House building for debate.

Ed Anderson can be reached during eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Casino user Caesars Entertainment Corp. pronounced Tuesday that a first-quarter net detriment widened as a association faced costs from a formerly halted skill growth in Mississippi.

The net detriment for a entertain finished Mar 31 widened to $280.6 million, or $2.24 per share, from a detriment of $147.5 million, or $1.18 per share.

Income from operations fell 65 percent $138 million, especially due to a $172 million assign associated to a halted Biloxi, Miss., plan That was partly equivalent by a benefit of $45.8 million from profitable down debt early.

Revenue rose 4 percent to $2.27 billion from $2.18 billion final year, increased by aloft income in a Las Vegas and Louisiana/Mississippi regions and from a company’s online gambling business. That was equivalent by a decrease in a Atlantic City region. Analysts approaching income of $2.26 billion.

There were 1.4 percent some-more trips to Caesar’s U.S. casinos, though spending per outing fell 1 percent.

U.S. casinos have been delayed to redeem from a mercantile downturn. The association pronounced Tuesday that general visitors to Las Vegas increased gambling revenues.

Caesars owns or manages some-more than 50 casinos, many of them in a U.S. and a U.K. It has properties in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, as good as Indiana, Louisiana and several other states.

The Las Vegas association went open in Feb during $9 per share, lifting about $16 million.

Apollo Management Group and Texas Pacific Group took a association private in 2007 for $17.1 billion, with $12.4 billion in debt. It was famous as Harrah’s Entertainment during a time.

Shares sealed adult 11 cents during $14.75 Tuesday before a association expelled results.

Last month a Gaming Commission tabled skeleton for a casino, observant as presented it would be a smallest casino in South Mississippi.

The Sun Herald reports (http://bit.ly/IL6Y0K ) a offer could be brought adult again when a Gaming Commission meets Thursday in Jackson.

The new chronicle supposing to a journal increases a initial investment from $77 million to $83 million. It enlarges a casino building to 31,343 block feet with 200 some-more container machines and a sum of 26 list games. John Paulsen, CEO of Rotate Black, says that would make a casino building incomparable than Treasure Bay, Margaritaville and Grand Casino Biloxi.

Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This element might not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“You can feel a energy,” pronounced Larry Gregory. “Looking during it from a opposite set of eyes this year we couldn’t be some-more pleased.” Last year Gregory was executive executive of a Mississippi Gaming Commission. He late from a pursuit and now heads a Mississippi Casino Operators Association, that co-sponsors a show.

Since he became director, 28 of a state’s 31 casinos, including all 11 Coast casinos, are now members of a Mississippi Casino Operators Association. Gregory pronounced his idea is for a classification to be a vast cause in a state’s domestic routine in both tourism and casinos.

“I’m unapproachable of this industry,” he said. “Twenty years is only a beginning.”

Keith Smith, boss of Boyd Gaming, was keynote orator though sent word he wouldn’t be means to attend since of a business issue. James Murren, authority of MGM Resorts International, will pronounce during 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The executive roundtable filled Wednesday’s giveaway slot. R. Scott Barber, informal boss of mid-South operations for Caesars Entertainment, pronounced he expects outrageous increases in casino income for a stream casinos “as a businesses will be open this year.” Last spring’s flooding on a Mississippi River forced a casinos to tighten for weeks.

While casino income was adult during blurb casinos nationwide, according to a American Gaming Association’s State of a States report, Mississippi’s income was down in 2011 by 6.3 percent to $2.24 billion. That was in partial due to a flooding.

Jack Bernsmeier, ubiquitous manager of IP Casino Biloxi, pronounced a farrago of a labor marketplace in South Mississippi was one of a factors that Boyd Gaming saw as certain when a association acquired IP final year, and income from a BP oil brief cleanup helped boost revenues.

“The BP income we trust combined an economy within an economy,” pronounced Geno Iafrate, ubiquitous manager of Pinnacle Entertainment, that operates casinos in Louisiana. He pronounced a BP income has dusty adult though a Houston economy “has only been on fire.”

With so many jurisdictions legalizing gambling, he pronounced it’s misleading if a subsequent 20 years are going to be as good as a final 20.

Several other casino jurisdictions were represented during a Gaming Summit. The executive and emissary executive of New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement were among a speakers and James Kulak and Robin Carter of a Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission in Canada attended. All though dual of Alberta’s casinos are stand-alone and have no hotels. All are non-smoking, they said. Too fast growth stirred a duration on new casinos in a province.

Some of a speakers advocated Mississippi cruise environment smallest standards of investment and distance of growth before a new casino is approved.

Troy Keeping, informal ubiquitous manager of Delaware North Companies Gaming Entertainment, pronounced foe is a good thing. “That’s a beauty of vital in America from a rival standpoint,” pronounced “Investors have to be wise.” He pronounced some smaller projects will come in to fill a sold niche.

The Gaming Summit continues currently commencement during 9 a.m.

State military pronounced Thursday that a 12 riverboat casinos, Harrah’s downtown New Orleans casino and a 4 foe lane casinos took in $227.9 million. That’s a 5.8 percent benefit from $215.4 million won in Mar 2011 and follows an 8.7 percent boost available in Feb compared with Feb 2011.

“Most jurisdictions would be happy with a 5.8 percent growth, generally during a time when people aren’t feeling good about their finances,” pronounced Joe Weinert, a casino researcher with Spectrum Gaming Group in Linwood, N.J.

The riverboats won $154.1 million, Harrah’s took in $35.8 million and a lane casinos won $38 million final month. All of a state’s casino markets available year-to-year gains.

In February, a casinos won $217.2 million with an early Mardi Gras deteriorate and an additional day given of a jump year. Mar is typically one of a large months for a casino business as income taxation reinstate checks are issued. Analysts also contend wagering has benefited during slightest rather from a solemnly improving economy.

But some-more outlets will be competing for a wagering dollars in a future. Three additional riverboat casinos are in a works for Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and Shreveport-Bossier City.

Weinert pronounced it’s formidable to envision how many additional wagering a new outlets will attract and how many will be taken from a existent casinos.

“It varies marketplace by market, skill by property,” Weinert said. “There will be some cannibalization, and some enlargement of a market, though there’s no attempted and loyal predictor.”

Competition is skewing a inhabitant picture.

In March, Pennsylvania container machines won $233.1 million – an all-time high given casinos went into a state in 2006. In adjacent New Jersey, that has struggled given casinos came to Pennsylvania, a take during Atlantic City was down 5.5 percent final month as compared with Mar 2011. But Nevada saw a 5.7 percent boost in a February-to-February comparison, a benefit that state regulators pronounced was opposite a house for many casinos.

Mississippi has been traffic with foe from Florida Indian reservation casinos and a new further of container machines during dual Arkansas foe tracks. The February-to-February take rose 2.6 percent in Mississippi – usually a second time in a year that a state’s 30 casinos have shown a gain.

Among Louisiana’s casino markets:

- In Shreveport-Bossier City, a area’s 5 riverboats and a Louisiana Downs lane casino won $67.9 million, adult a tad from $66.8 million in Mar 2011. That marketplace taps into Texas for players – and competes with Indian republic casinos in Oklahoma for a courtesy of gamblers.

- The Lake Charles market, that has dual riverboats and a Delta Downs lane casino, saw a large benefit final month, as players left behind $63.4 million in March, adult from $56 million a year ago. L’Auberge Lake Charles was a biggest leader among a state’s riverboats, holding in $31.7 million.

- In a New Orleans market, that has dual riverboats and a Fair Grounds casino in further to a downtown casino, players mislaid $63.1 million final month, adult from $61.5 million in Mar 2011. That marketplace got a Mardi Gras boost in February, though final month hosted a NCAA Final Four basketball championships.

- In Baton Rouge, a dual riverboats won $19.4 million final month, adult from $17.9 million in Mar 2011.

- The sole riverboat in a Morgan City area won $4.9 million in March, adult from $4.6 million a year ago.

- The Evangeline Downs lane casino took in $9.1 million final month, an boost from $8.5 million in Mar 2011.

The total do not embody Indian reservation casinos in Louisiana, that are not compulsory to news their loot to a public.