Michael Pollok
Governor pledges support for new casinos
If Borgata succeeds in bringing in (visitors) who (currently) reject Atlantic City, it will encourage our board to come here," Lanni said. Lanni said he had no bottom-line figure on which a plan to develop a new casino or expand the Borgata would be based.
But Michael Pollock, a gaming analyst and publisher of Gaming Industry Observer, offered a guess. If half the gaming revenue results from an expanding market, that will be a strong indicator to move forward, Pollock said. McGreevey promised continued efforts to work with MGM and Boyd on additional capital investments.
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, which helped pave the way for the Borgata, also will encourage Lanni to push for more casino development, said Michael Egenton, the chamber's assistant vice president of government relations. "We want to make this the new Las Vegas," Egenton said.
Casino boosts profitability with customer tracking
Harrah's knows all about the Freehold, N.J., resident, thanks largely to Gary W. Loveman, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harrah's Entertainment Inc., who is credited with taking customer tracking to a new level and enabling Harrah's to boost profitability. Soon Loveman will apply his ideas on customer loyalty to a bigger organization.
Harrah's has agreed to acquire Caesars Entertainment Inc. in a $9.4 billion transaction that would make it the world's largest gambling company, with 47 properties in the United States and overseas and more than 90,000 employees. It will become the largest gaming operator in Atlantic City, with four casinos and almost half of the city's slot machines.
Loveman, a former Harvard Business School associate professor, is the quintessential data guy who never worked in the business world before joining Harrah's. His research explored the links between loyal employees, loyal customers and a healthy bottom line. In 1998, Loveman left Harvard for Las Vegas to test his ideas against the backdrop of slot machines and table games.
"Gary has brought a level of analysis and understanding of this industry that had never really existed before," said Michael Pollock, publisher of Gaming Industry Observer, a trade paper.
Michael Pollock's Gaming Industry Observer Newsletter Launches `Excellence in Gaming Analysis' Awards Program
Michael Pollock's Gaming Industry Observer, an award-winning newsletter and information service that tracks trends that impact the gaming industry, is launching a program to recognize financial analysts who publish high-quality research.
The "Excellence in Gaming Analysis" Awards will be presented in two categories: equity and fixed-income. The competition is open to any analyst in the securities industry who has published research on the gaming industry in calendar year 1998.
Gaming Industry Observer Renews Support for Global Gaming Expo
"Gaming Industry Observer and G2E are a perfect fit because they both offer provocative yet savvy insights into the future of gaming," said Publisher Michael Pollock. "When industry leaders read the newsletter and attend G2E, they learn about the full scope of emerging technologies, come face to face with such 'hot button' issues as Internet gaming, and arrive at business decisions better prepared to enhance their company's success."
Gaming Industry Observer Launches Regulatory Digest
Michael Pollock's Gaming Industry Observer, now in its 11th year, tracks and analyzes trends that impact the gaming industry. Winner of four national awards for editorial excellence, the newsletter is widely considered an industry bible that spots trends early. The entire Platinum Service is offered complimentary to site licensees who subscribe to Gaming Industry Observer at significantly reduced rates per reader.
Gaming Industry Observer Launches
The Regulatory Digest is delivered biweekly to Gaming Industry Observer Platinum Service subscribers at no additional cost. It joins the Capitol Gaming Monitor, Northeast Slot Report(C), and Quarterly Analysis series in the Platinum Service suite of proprietary reports, analyses and services. "We continually add value and actionable information for our highest-level subscribers. Regulatory Digest will provide reviews and previews of important decisions, petitions and other activity across the country. This is designed as an essential resource for gaming operators, regulators, equipment manufacturers, attorneys, investors, analysts and others impacted by regulation," said Publisher Michael Pollock, a former regulator with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Discussing AC's Competition
Likening the casino industry to the home improvement industry, Michael Pollock recently said that Atlantic City was to Home Depot, what "racinos" in neighboring states are to mom-and-pop hardware stores. Pollock, a long-time casino industry analyst, likes to makes seemingly off-the-wall analogies between casinos and otherwise completely unrelated business models. It's part of what sets his trade newsletter, Gaming Industry Observer, apart from the dry, lifeless writing style usually associated with trade publications.