HEARD IT ON THE RIVER: Casino City's Gaming Almanac is an essential tool for gambling enthusiasts

MICHAEL CORFMAN, a gentleman from Newton, Mass., just outside Boston, who has been a big help to me and the GOODTIMES RADIO SHOW, has a hugely popular internet site called CASINO CITY TIMES and another called CASINO CITY PRESS. One of the off-shoots of these enterprises is Casino City's NORTH AMERICAN GAMING ALMANAC and CD, which contains almost 600 pages on the North American gaming market, including profiles for each state and Canadian province.

If you are in the casino industry or do business with it, it is a must buy. Property rankings are also included with top properties listed by type of gaming activity with the number of gaming positions, machines, table games and hotel rooms. Each gaming market profile includes a market overview, net gaming revenue by type, gaming property counts, machine and table game counts and distribution, property profiles by type and location and, owner profiles and regulatory bodies.

Corfman, an MIT grad, says the Almanac is now a must-have for anyone seeking to understand the state of the gaming industry today. It can help them develop benchmarks, analyze competitors, monitor industry trends and gather market data for their business plan. Coupled with Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report, the Almanac provides comprehensive coverage of gaming in the North American marketplace. Details on it are available at www.CasinoCityPress.com

HARRAH'S ENTERTAINMENT has received approval from the NEW JERSEY CASINO CONTROL COMMISSION for the proposed acquisition of Harrah's by affiliates of APPOLO MANAGEMENT and TPG CAPITAL. The transaction remains subject to approval by other jurisdictions. GARY LOVEMAN, Harrah's chairman, CEO and president, said the deal will allow Harrah's to continue its emphasis on growth throughout the company's network of gaming destinations.

We all know that poker has soared to new heights across the world but HARVARD'S LAW SCHOOL new student-led POKER STRATEGIC THINKING SOCIETY has raised the game to new heights. A Harvard professor has scheduled a series of lectures and conferences to examine the role of poker in law and education. Some say going to court is a crap shoot but now you can get an edge through such lectures as "Poker: A Game of Truth in Life and Law." Or, "The Educational Value of Poker." Law Professor CHARLES NESSON says the lecture series will examine the complex legal and ethical issue relating to online gambling and poker. The pros are taking note and well-known players such as HOWARD LEDERER and MIKE SEXTON will also speak at the lectures.

THE NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST GAMBLING EXPANSION has called on the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION to investigate and regulate slots that they say are increasingly deceptive and addictive. NATASHA SCHULL a visiting scholar at MIT has found the action lacking in Cambridge, Mass. and has moved to Las Vegas to interview gamblers and slot manufacturers for her book. With three new casinos looking to open in the Bay State and huge FOXWOODS and MOEHGAN SUN down the road in neighboring Connecticut, she could have saved the money and visited there. But I guess players in Vegas have had longer to get addicted. Don't think the manufacturers will give her much time. "It really is no secret, The aim of these technologies is to make people play longer, faster and with more intensity," Schull said. Duh. Hey, if you don't have the bankroll you can't player longer and how do you play faster? The learned scholar goes on to say that winning becomes almost undesirable for these gamblers because what it does is it interrupts the flow of gambling. Hitting jackpots can interrupt this writer's play time anytime. Can't wait for your book, Nat.

Closer to home and on a more uplifting note, the 7TH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CASINO/ST.JUDE RED CARPET BASH takes place on Nov.10 and is a great continuation of the casino's strong commitment to live-saving research work at the Hospital. All of the benefits, of course, go to the kids there. God bless'em. It's a great night and check it out at www.stjude.org/redcarpetbash.com.

FITZ has an offer for casino employees who like to play craps. Each employee who presents a $25 free bet coupon (available in the last issue of Jackpot or online at jackpotmagazine.com) gets a free roll in the Oct. 31 Shake, Rattle and Roll tournament on Oct. 31.First prize is $5,000 with $10K in all on the line.

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