
The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City has begun the entire process of shutting straight down, beginning with the closure of just one casino tower.
The Trump Taj Mahal has entered early stages of a shutdown, even as the Atlantic City resort continues to talk to union representatives and state officials about deals the home’s owners say could save the casino.
Trump Entertainment filed a petition the other day looking for authorization to formally close the casino on the scheduled December 12 date that has been floated for some time now, and actions working towards that closing started initially to take destination on Monday this week.
The signs that are first the resort might be headed for a shutdown began on Monday, as soon as the Chairman Tower for the resort was closed. The Chairman is the more recent regarding the two hotel towers during the resort. In addition, the casino has stopped credit that is issuing customers, though gambling and hotel services are otherwise uninterrupted for the time being.
Concessions Wanted from Government, Unions
Trump Entertainment Resorts has said that the casino could remain open through a transfer of ownership to investor Carl Icahn. Nonetheless, both the company and Icahn have said that this could only happen if they could get tax breaks from Atlantic City and their state of New Jersey, and if they could get concessions through the work union that represents employees during the casino.
Neither the national government nor the union has shown much of a desire to surrender to these demands. However, speaks have been ongoing and there may be some signs of movement within the last few days, that could offer at minimum a small glimmer of hope to those who want to see the Taj Mahal stay in company.
Local 54 of the UNITE-HERE union, which represents about 2,700 workers at the resort, is appealing a bankruptcy court decision that could break the contract that is current the union and Trump Entertainment, which would in turn let the company to get rid of payments to your union health fund and retirement plans.
Icahn has publicly stated in turn will drop their appeal of the bankruptcy court ruling that he would be willing to agree to restore those health benefits for at least two years and create a new pension plan for workers, but only if they. The union has yet to comment on whether or not they would accept this type of deal.
New Legislation Could Provide Tax Relief
Meanwhile, a new bit of legislation introduced on Tuesday by State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3rd District) and State Senator James Whelan (D-2nd District) would offer a few of the tax relief that Icahn and Trump Entertainment are lobbying for. The brand new bill would allow Atlantic City’s casinos to pay for $150 million in place of their normal tax payments over the next 2 yrs, while additionally redirecting money originally made for redevelopment tasks to aid pay down Atlantic City’s debt.
While the tax relief has some features in normal with exactly what the Taj Mahal was asking for from the continuing state, Trump Entertainment CEO Robert Griffin would only say that ‘ we are going to see’ if the bill would be enough to help keep the Taj Mahal open.
The bill would also help secure some regarding the demands being made by casino worker unions by mandating minimum wellness insurance coverage and your retirement packages for casino employees.
‘My plan is made to protect Atlantic City from bankruptcy and position the city for future financial growth,’ Sweeney stated.
Four gambling enterprises have already closed in Atlantic City this if the Trump Taj Mahal were to close, only seven would remain in the city year.
Yahoo Poker Coming Off US Market Amid Classic Game Elimination
Yahoo will remove poker along with other games from its online collection on December 31. (Image: Yahoo.com)
Yahoo Poker will be removed the market at the end of the as Yahoo has announced that they will be eliminating a number of their older games at that time year. The move comes not long after a marketing that is strong for the game, one that prompted speculation that the Internet company could be seeking to enter the world of a real income online gambling.
‘As of December 31st, 2014, Yahoo Games will no longer offer the Yahoo Classic Games including Yahoo Poker, Yahoo Pool and Yahoo Bingo on internet or mobile devices,’ read a statement on the main Yahoo Poker page. The details also reappeared in a pop-up message for players once the game packed.
Marketing Push Suggested Big Plans for Poker
Yahoo Poker has been around in various forms for quite some time, dating back to at least the 1990s that are late. But, the site just recently began getting a noticeable marketing push that made some wonder if the company had larger plans for the Texas hold em game. In November, ads for the game started turning up on Yahoo’s dream football web pages, that will be a few of the company’s best ad space for attracting young male consumers, the same demographic frequently targeted for on-line poker.
This version of Yahoo Poker shared much more in common with a social game than any genuine money poker site, however. Players could buy additional potato chips and a handful of other perks in the game, but there were no awards and no games were really played for money. But one or more analyst saw the advertising push being a sign that Yahoo might be looking to do more into the poker globe.
‘The brand new Yahoo Texas Hold’em portal could be effortlessly monetized if the environment that is legal to become more favorable,’ wrote Marc Edelman, an associate at work Professor of Law at the City University of the latest York’s Baruch College, in a piece for Forbes. ‘It seems for now that Yahoo is certainly preparing ahead of time for the potential day of widespread, appropriate online poker.’
That analysis may happen a bit positive, as Yahoo has made no indication that these are typically moving towards providing real money online poker or gambling any place in the world. Nonetheless it launched speculation throughout the poker community, with some players saying they might welcome a new heavyweight in the planet of Internet gambling.
Yahoo Poker Could Return in New Form
The announced shutdown, however, should put an end to speculation that is such at least for now. According to Yahoo, the move was made because many of their games that are classic now outdated. Because the business’s sites now have higher security requirements and use brand new supporting technologies, these games are actually ‘incompatible, insecure and no longer functioning properly.’
Forbes also quoted an email by Yahoo Games PR Manager Sean Hamel, which said that the reason that is main games were being dropped was ‘to streamline our item offerings and focus our energy and resources on developing for Yahoo’s core experiences.’
If you will miss Yahoo’s poker game, there may be hope into the future. While no details are yet available, Yahoo has stated that new games will be launched that may better meet their pc software and security demands. It’s likely that these games will mostly take on the modern ‘free-to-play’ format that enables players to purchase perks that are in-game genuine money, a model known well to players of games like Farmville and Candy Crush.
Assemblyman Mike ladbrokes casino reviews Gatto Wants California Online Poker Bill Passage in 2015
California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, sponsor of Bill AB 9, which is still another try to legalize online poker in the Golden State. (Image: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)
A bill that is new seeks to legalize California online poker in 2015 has been introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto this week. Bill AB 9, dubbed the ‘Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015,’ aims to ascertain a regulatory framework that would permit the providing of internet poker for players located actually within the state’s borders.
If passed, it would allow games to be installed and operating within 180 days.
‘California has led the world in internet and computer innovation, and there is no justification why we can not continue to lead with a sensible online-poker framework,’ announced Gatto. ‘AB 9 borrows from time-tested business practices which will improve our government finances and keep our money within our house state.’
The bill adopts much of the language utilized by previously proposed legislation that have thus far foundered in California.
It limits potential licensees to current tribal operators and cardrooms, and pledges to be tough on ‘bad actors,’ outlining the unwelcome status of ‘any brand name or business name, including any brand that is derivative with the exact same or similar wording, or any trade or solution mark, software, technology, operational system, customer information, or other information acquired, derived, or developed directly or indirectly from, or associated with, any operation that has accepted a bet or engaged in an economic transaction related to that bet from any person into the United States on any style of Internet video gaming after December 31, 2006.’
Door Somewhat Ajar
At first glance, this language seems to preclude PokerStars’ entry to the market, nevertheless the bill also includes a clause stating that regulators will have the ability to waive the application of the above paragraph provided that the operator’s ‘use of the covered assets in connection with intrastate Internet video gaming will not adversely influence the integrity of, or undermine public confidence in, intrastate Internet poker or otherwise pose a risk to the general public interest or to your effective regulation and control of intrastate Internet poker.’
In other words: ‘We actually might let PokerStars in, but only whenever we feel like it,’ is the implied message. The home is not even close to wide available, but it really is slightly ajar.
The PokerStars question is a huge huge sticking point that has prevented stakeholders from agreeing in the language of previous bills, and it’s among the reasons online poker hadsstalled in California within the past.
A big coalition of tribal operators is vehemently opposed to an online that is regulated space that may consist of PokerStars. On the other hand of the coin, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, allied because of the poker clubs that are largest in the state, including the Commerce, the Bike and the Hawaiian Gardens, have signed an agreement with PokerStars to work together in a possible post-regulatory environment.
The San Manuel Band also recently defected to the PokerStars camp. But, it might well be that there is enough into the language of this bill to appease both camps.
Land-Based Sign-Ups Only
Another crucial aspect of the bill is that players will be required to generate accounts in person at the poker web site’s affiliated land-based cardroom, a measure presumably built to restrict underage play, but which might well stymie the development of the overall game in the state. Nevertheless, Gatto is confident that this bill could finally make 2015 the that California gets fully legal, regulated, and taxed online poker year.