Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 40

Monday, June 21, 1993 Reno Gazette-Journal Gaming 2F State gamblers put money on the tables i Nevada gamblers tossed their money on while Control i thetabksln A the tabkslfTApril tc giving the slot machines a rest, according Board. Its monthlv reoort showed, art overall 1 5 percenf'gain for the 'i i Vi s- ir i clubs compared with the same month a yeaT earlier. Slots posted a 9.2 percent gain and table and card games overall were up 28.3 percent. Table game winnings totaled $181.3 million in April and slot revenues totaled $335.4 million. Card rooms produced $6.3 million, for a total of $523 million for the month.

The combined 1 5 percent increase for the month compares with an average 5.2 percent increase for a 12-month period ending in April. Clarion plans $25 million expansion The Clarion Hotel-Casino south of downtown Reno plans to nearly double in size with a 285-room hotel tower addition, expanded casino space and a new entertainment complex. The Clarion, which added a 1 60-room, $25 million tower two years ago, plans to spend the same amount on its new addition, which will be connected to the existing tower in the 303-room resort complex. In addition to the new rooms, the Clarion will add 10,000 square feet of casino space to the current 18,000 square feet and construct a 10,000 square foot convention and gathering facility. No timetable for the expansion has been announced.

The Clarion's announcement comes on the heels of a decision by Circus Circus Enterprises and the Eldorado Hotel-Casino to build a $230 million, hotel casino between their properties in downtown Reno. Barbary Coast workers OK pact Workers at the Barbary Coast hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip have voted unanimously to ratify a new contract that ends a bitter four-year labor dispute with the hotel. Culinary Union officials said the pact approved 151-0 spans one year with a likely five-year extension after that. About 350 hotel employees, who have been working without a contract since June 1 covered by the agreement. The contract leaves the Frontier Hotel as the only major Las Vegas Strip resort still operating without a contract with the union.

Culinary Union workers have been on strike for 20 months at the frontier. Voc neeiing ot rireDOugn, reacts drawings Thursday evening. The club is holding four of the to having won $25,000 in one of the Eldorado Hotel-Casino's weekly drawings over a monthlong period to mark its 20th anniversary. PROMOTIONS $100,000 giveaway marks 20th Eldorado: Hotel-casino throws expensive, monthlong birthday bash. That's what the Eldorado Hotel-Casino in Reno is doing, in conjunction with its 20th anniversary.

The month-long giveaway started several weeks ago, shortly after the Eldorado announced its joint Project venture with Circus Circus Enterprises. The birthday bash isn't affiliated with Project development plans, which call for a $230 milliorkhotel-casino built by both gaming companies. The features a Thursday at 9:30 p.m. at the Eldorado, a ticket is pulled from among all entries received in that week's $25,000 giveaway. A ticket holder must be present to win.

If a ticket is pulled and no prize is claimed, more tickets are pulled until a winner is declared. In addition, throughout the contest period, there's daily drawings of $500 and chances to grab for money in the Eldorado's Whirlwind of Cash machine. Each day, the top 20 slot tournament play off, and the top three daily finishers win specified periods of time in the cash machine. new 700-space parking garage. "We want to thank tourists and local residents for their support, and also hopefully introduce them to the parking garage," said Joanne Eshow, Eldorado spokeswoman.

There are three ways to qualify for the weekly giveaway: Park: Use the parking garage, which is free if a parking validation is obtained. Participate: Play in an Eldorado slot machine tournament. Win: Hit a jackpot of at least 100 or more coins. From through July 1, each By Wayne R. Melton GAZETTE-JOURNAL "I 4 $25vOQO weekly grand prize during Imagine giving awav $400,000 "a four-week snan.

durine which to celebrate your own birjtfdajW, i'' the Eldorado also promotes its California lottery growth falls short of projections N. J. casinos push for sports betting Atlantic City casinos are waging a last-ditch effort to get a sports betting referendum on the November ballot by enlisting gamblers and using computers and ready-made scripts in a telephone lobbying campaign. But an Assembly sponsor of a sports wagering bill says it won't work. As part of a two-week, $500,000 lobbying campaign, patrons at each of the city's 1 2 casinos are asked if they want to voice their opinion on the matter and make calls to their legislators.

Willing customers are escorted to a room where their hometown; are entered into a computer terminal, which automatically dials their lawmakers. Once a connection is made, a script pops onto the computer screen asking lawmakers to help ensure that a vote on sports betting takes place in the Legislature. Afterward, patrons' names, addresses and phone numbers are entered into the computer. That information will be forwarded to the Casino Association of New Jersey, which is coordinating the lobbying campaign. Trump refinancing deal OK'd by state New Jersey's Casino Control Commission has approved a deal to let developer Donald Trump borrow $385 million to add 360 hotel rooms to Atlantic City's boardwalk.

Trump plans to use the money to pay off older, more costly bonds issued by Trump Plaza and pay off some of the money borrowed by his Atlantic City casinos that Trump personally guaranteed. The new junk bonds are expected to pay more than 10 percent interest, making them attractive to investors hungry for high yields. Under the deal with the Casino Control Commission, Trump will renovate the old 360-room Holiday Inn next to the Plaza and remove an abandoned steel structure at the site. The work is to begin in the fall. Associated Press "There's this sort of myopic view of what a lottery is.

A lottery is a business. Unless they treat it like one, it will never be successful. Sharon Sharp Lottery director ACR AM ENTO '( AP) California grew 30 percent during the Jjlft year but still fell short of difcctor Sharon Sharp's projections. At Thursday's meeting of the Lottery Commission, Sharp estimated sales of 1 .76 billion for the fiscal year that ends June 30. While nearly one-third higher than last year's sales, the figure is about $140 million less than Sharp banked on.

Still, in her first 18 months on the job, the former Illinois lottery director has turned around a recession-battered program. "This is the most dramatic comeback in lottery industry history," Sharp told the commission. Added Terri La Fleur, publisher of the Maryland-based Lottery Trends newsletter, "There's been a turnaround in the California lottery in the last six months. Everything is finally taking hold." She added that Sharp "had to go in and do major surgery," then "wait for the populous to get used to games being taken away and new games added. The whole lottery had to weather a storm." Sales climbed from about $1.35 billion last June, spurred by the introduction of Keno and new scratch-off games, the reshaping of lotto and a new advertising campaign.

Players spent $200 million on Keno, which started in November. Sales of scratch-off tickets increased 34 percent and Super Lotto increased by 1 7 percent. "Our customers are more optimistic and we're starting to see the results of some key changes we put into place to ensure better customer service," Sharp said. The success means $620 million of lottery money went to education programs, compared to $490 million last year. A ballot-initiative that created the lottery requires at least 34 percent of lottery revenues go to schools.

Despite the growth, there remains room for improvement. California trails most other states in per-capita lottery sales, ranking 25th out of the 33 states with lotteries in figures published in May by Public Gaming Magazine. California takes in 1 .77 for every person, compared to $6.19 by Massachusetts. The poorest per capita performance is 1 .01 in Missouri. Sharp said sales could improve further if the Legislature would change laws to allow more prizes and the use of a draw-poker and similar games.

But she said some lawmakers have privately told her the changes won't happen. "There's this sort of myopic view of what a lottery is," she said in an interview. "A lottery is a business. Unless they treat it like one, it will never be successful." The outgoing Sharp, who once danced on television with employees dressed as lotto balls, blames herself for the tough attitudes. "By my not having established friendships and the ability to go over there that was one part where I was lacking," she said, adding that she would push herself to lobby the legislative critics.

Sharp, 53, is approaching the average tenure nationally for lottery directors and her husband still lives and works in Chicago, but she said she has no plans to leave. Complete information on all weekly Business Licenses, Statistics, Activities and Construction information and subscriptions for the RENO BUILDER may be obtained by writing Reno Builders Exchange, 500 Ryland Street, Suite 100, Reno, Nevada 89502. Or call: 702786-4468. MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION: WATCH FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE DEPO CENTER p) Your Own Personal Sales Manager For all your automotive I rr needs. Sales Leasing.

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