Gambling

Steve Bourie, Casino Expert: Five Ways to Avoid Catastrophe

By Kyle Swenson Tue., Dec. 11 2012 at 9:05 AM
Categories: Gambling
Come on, the kid needs that PS3
With the holiday season rolling in fast, everybody could use a few extra dollars in the bank. For some, that means cutting back on spending or picking up a second gig. For others, the move is to grab next month's rent payment, sacrifice some chickens to the right patron saint, and head over to the casino.

But there's a right and wrong way to squeeze money out of a local gaming joint. No one know this better than casino guru Steve Bourie.

For almost 30 years, the Hollywood-resident has studied the ins and out of casinos, breaking the whole deal down into math and probabilities. After running local blackjack tables by counting cards for a number of years, in 1992 he began writing the annual American Casino Guide, an intricate state-by-state look at a gambler's best bets for success.

"People are so lazy they really just want to go in there and pull a handle," Bourie tells New Times. "In reality it's more complex."

Bourie briefed New Times on a number of simple tips for seizing the advantage inside a casino, whether you're trying to earn a few more holiday dollars or just improve your usual play. 
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Steve Bourie
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Gambling

Gulfstream Park Draws Ire From Horsemen for Running Last-Minute Quarter-Horse Race

By Stefan Kamph Tue., Apr. 10 2012 at 6:59 AM
Categories: Gambling
barrel-racing.jpg
Wikimedia
Two major horse owners' associations are once again miffed by a local casino giant's efforts to conduct races in order to keep a second gambling permit under Florida's twisted rules for pari-mutuel casinos.

Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach usually runs thoroughbred races, according to an extensive contract with the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA), which promises horsemen substantial purses and a cut of slots revenues. Under Florida law, this racing allows the casino to have slot machines as well.

It also retains a second permit, for quarter-horse racing -- which allows it to keep a second gambling-room permit, in case it should expand to a second location. To keep that permit active, Gulfstream has to run two quarter-horse races a year.

They ran one on Sunday, closing day of the regular season, with very short notice. And the horsemen's association is not happy.

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barrel racing, David Joseph, David Romanik, FHBPA, Gulfstream Park, Kent Stirling, Quarter Horse racing
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Gambling

Destination Casinos Are Nixed, but Pari-Mutuels Stagger Onward; Bergeron Eyes a New One

By Stefan Kamph Fri., Feb. 3 2012 at 2:12 PM
Categories: Gambling
jai-alai-dania.jpg
betdania.com
​This year's legislative session has issued its first blow to Florida gambling, roundly rejecting the proposed "destination casinos" like the one Malaysian company Genting wanted to build on Biscayne Bay.

So we're left with the current situation: Indian casinos like the Seminole Hard Rock, and the pari-mutuels: strange old bastions of jai alai, dog racing, and harness racing, where slots and poker rooms are also allowed. Every night, these old games proceed with minimal spectators while the slots and cards rake in the money.

But a few weeks ago, a proposal drew attention: Developer Ron Bergeron submitted a plan to build a jai-alai casino on his own residence at the swamp's edge in Weston. What gives?

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David Romanik, Gaming, Genting Group, jai alai, pari-mutuels, Ron Bergeron, Weston
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Dirty Laundry

Here's Florida's Blacklist of Everyone Excluded for Life From Pari-Mutuel Casinos

By Stefan Kamph Mon., Jan. 30 2012 at 6:48 AM
Categories: Dirty Laundry, Gambling
sandro-alonzo.jpg
Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering
Busted! Sandro Alonzo (right) in happier times.
​If Uncle Earl has been coming around and causing trouble recently, it might be because he was kicked out of the casino for card counting, stealing, or other stupid behavior. Wouldn't it be great to see a list of everyone who was excluded from the state's casinos in recent years?

Florida's Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering makes it easy to see a list of everyone who's been permanently excluded from the pari-mutuel facilities it runs. These include the dog and harness tracks, jai-alai frontons, and barrel-racing operations that are licensed to provide slots and poker as well. 

Oddly, though, the list is pretty brief. Apparently it takes a lot to get yourself permanently banned from a casino.
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blacklist, Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, Fort Pierce Jai Alai, Gaming, Mardi Gras Racetrack
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