Gambling News by House of Odds

As reported by Globe Street: "Designs by developers of five different
proposed casinos here received criticism by a panel of architects and urban
planners during "Slots and the City: A Public Design Forum." It was held at
the Pennsylvania Convention Center just ahead of the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control Board's June 2 deadline for public comment, and a recording of the
event has been entered into the board's public record. "Each developer made
a 10-minute presentation, followed by comments from panel members. The least
criticized design was by Pinnacle Entertainment, except for the Trump
Organization. Its presentation contained no renderings, floor plans or
details, because, the developer said, they have gone back to the drawing
boards after obtaining input from neighbors at the site. "All but the Trump
proposal are at sites along the Delaware Riverfront. The six panelists
leveled as much criticism at the city as at the developers in respect to all
plans, but especially the riverfront four."

Victory for David Howell at the European tour flagship event, the BMW
Championship. Once again he gave notice to golfing world that he's a player
of the highest quality. His complete game was faultless and he reduced the
newly lengthened and toughened Wentworth course to its knees. He is, without
a doubt, the most improved player in world golf over the past three years
and I see no reason why he cannot compete for a Major championship. He is an
unobtrusive player who sometimes slips under the radar of many but he is the
'real deal' and will continue to win at good odds. Hard to think the way
Jeff Maggert finished off the Fed Ex Classic on the weekend was the form of
a man who has not won for over seven years. Like Tim Herron the week before
Maggert was able to move the doubts aside for a week and capitalise on a
leader board that was not moving forward on the back nine. It is hard to
suggest what this may do for Maggert in terms of winning again as it has
been so long since his last win, however he does have the game for a US Open
course and maybe he will compete at Winged Foot in two weeks.

Speaking of the US Open it seems that Tiger will not play at the Memorial
this week and will go straight to the US Open as his first tournament back
after the death of his Father. Tiger is a different class to everyone else
but this is obviously not ideal preparation and his price has crept out to
11/2 to win at Winged Foot. Is this the best price for Tiger ever or just
about right for a player who must be still shaken by his loss?

The US tour moves to Ohio for Jack's event, The Memorial Tournament played
at Muirfield Village GC. The Nicklaus designed course takes a page from
Augusta with the fairways being wide but positioning within the fairways
paramount. The rough is penal and there is both water and bunkers ready for
wayward shots, however it is the positioning of the tee that is key this
week.

Selections:

Fred Couples: this is a tournament Fred just loves to play at and his runner
up position in the last two years shows his form around Muirfield is as good
as anyone's. His putting is always the key to his game but I see no reason
why he cannot compete at good each way odds.

David Howell: fresh of victory last week at the BMW Championship he is back
to his best. Howell has both the composure and the game to win around
Muirfield and I expect him to contend.

Jose Maria Olazabal: I chose him last week in Europe and am keeping faith.
If his driving stays as consistent as it has all season then the Spaniard
must rate a good each way chance. He should have won twice this year already
and I think his short game genius will be required this week. A good each
way option.

Others to mention: Stephen Ames, K.J Choi & Vaughn Taylor.

The European tour moves to Wales for the Wales Open played at the Celtic
Manor Resort course. This course will play host to the 2010 Ryder Cup and
the 7,200 + yards provides a severe test of golf. The designer, Robert Trent
Jones Jr, has created a course that has undulating fairways that provide
challenging approach shots to large greens. Add to this the expected soft
conditions and you have a real slog!

Selections:

Anthony Wall: the Englishman has played solid golf all season and in a
tournament that does not have depth he is likely to contend this week. At
around 50/1 he represents good each way odds.

Simon Khan: finished second to David Howell last week and this was his first
display of form this year. However he was definitely a player to follow last
year and his season may now be 'kick started'. Expect him to contend.

Ross Fisher: the Wentworth player continues to play solid golf. He is a
player of great attitude and his game will be suited by the Celtic Manor
test. The more he knocks on the winners door the more likely it will open.
This could be the week.

Other to suggest: Peter Lawrie, Phillip Price & Stephen Gallagher.

Until next week - May The Golfinggods Be With You!

As reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "A Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board investigator arrested Saturday on the South Side has been suspended
without pay. "Control Board spokesman Nick Hays announced the suspension of
Justin Husar, 26, on Sunday and said the case is being investigated by the
state's Office of Professional Responsibility in Harrisburg. ".Husar makes
$64,000 a year as an investigator with the board's Bureau of Investigation
and Enforcement, which is responsible for looking into the backgrounds of
those applying for slots licenses. "Husar, who lives on Pretense Way on the
South Side, faces charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, escape
and public intoxication after a verbal and physical altercation with
off-duty police officers working a security detail at the Town Tavern on
East Carson Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, said Pittsburgh police Sgt.
William Vollberg, who helped subdue Husar."

After a three week rest, the ParkerTech Racing Services crew is ready to
start burning some alcohol again. Their VIPsports.com funny car is loaded up
and ready for Topeka, Kansas and the May 26th - 28th NHRA O'Reilly Summer
Nationals. The Heartland Park Topeka track promotes itself as "the world's
fastest ¼ mile" and the crew is hoping that feature will work to their
advantage. "For Frank Parker, owner of the VIPsports.com Dodge Stratus, the
time between races hasn't been very restful. "We've freshened up the whole
car since Atlanta and made some adjustments," he said. "If it moved, we took
it apart and put it under the microscope. If it didn't move, we polished it.
I made the mistake of taking a brief nap and woke up to my four-year old
rubbing polish on my leg."
Danny Townsend, driver of the VIPsports.com Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dan
Parker, co-chief, have been studying past data from Topeka and working on
set-ups and strategy. "We're a real close second in Division 3 points and
holding on to number five in national points," said Townsend. "With one win,
out of only two points meets, the odds are in our favor for a great season
finish."

Round one of Top Alcohol qualifying is on Friday, May 26, at 3:00 pm and the
second at 6:00 pm. The final qualifying session takes place at 11:00 am
Saturday. Eliminations begin at 4:00 pm Saturday and pick up again at 11:00
am Sunday.

In the past two years poker has exploded to become one of the worlds
favorite past times. At the same time what was once a small community for
friends to catch up with each other has grown be one of the most popular web
portals on the internet. Today an internet start-up company has announced
the launch of its all new poker championship event and website that will be
bringing these two explosive markets together for one huge event. Working
with the internets top poker rooms, MSPokerChallenge.com has planned a World
Championship Poker Event to take place July 29th, 2006. This event will be a
$30+3 buy-in tournament and will crown the first ever world champion poker
player of MySpace. Leading up to the main event, MSPokerChallenge.com will
be hosting several satellite tournaments where players can win their entry
into the main event for free. In an interview with MSPokerChallenge.com
director of marketing Steve Cook, he stated "We are confident that by
bringing together two of the most popular trends in the world right now,
(myspace & poker) we have an idea that simply will not fail" The MySpace
Poker Challenge is a first of it's kind and is targeting an audience of over
80 million members. Although the main event is a $30+3 buy-in, members have
the opportunity receive a free entry by referring 50 new members to the
website or by winning one of the freeroll events.

In a phone interview with MSPokerChallenge.com CEO Jeremy Enke, he stated
"Our marketing plans for this promotion are so well thought out, it is
scary. We are integrating both viral marketing as well as network marketing
to bring together MySpace members from throughout the world who play poker.
I have no doubt that this will be one of the premier online poker
tournaments of the year."

MSPokerChallenge.com is independently owned and operated by Poker Affiliate
World Inc. and has no relation to myspace.com.

Three more players qualified to represent Sweden at the Everest Poker
European Championship to be held in September. Tobias Eriksson won the
Gothenburg, Sweden qualifier on May 6 to secure a seat representing Sweden
at the Everest Poker European Championship. Tobias is from Stockholm.
Charles Elisson from Gothenburg placed second while Rickard Sollander from
Gothenburg placed third. In Virsbo on May 13, Daniel Olsson and Peter
Lindström each won a seat in this qualifier and secured their places in
representing Sweden. The event took place at Wirsbo Pokersällskaps clubhouse
in Virsbo.

During May, Swedish players can compete for free to represent Sweden in the
Everest Poker European Championship finale being held at the Casino de
Barcelona on 9 September 2006. The finale will be a free roll offering a
?50,000 prize pool. Upcoming Sweden live qualifiers are in Nyköping and
Kristianstad. "We are bringing two really good poker players to Barcelona
from the Virsboro event," said Jack Hansen, Everest Poker Event Manager.
"There is a strong possibility that one of these players will walk away with
first prize in September."

The Everest Poker European Championship (EPEC) is open to all Europeans. The
event will consist of a series of free poker tournaments in 7 countries
including Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, and Denmark from
March to June 2006. Players from all over Europe can also qualify at free,
online satellites at EverestPoker.com from May to August 2006.

Ultimately, 100 players from throughout Europe will qualify to represent
their country in a European Championship finale which will take place at the
world famous Casino de Barcelona in Spain on September 9, 2006. The prize
pool for this free roll is ?50,000 offered by Everest Poker.

As reported by the Mississippi Press: "The Choctaws' plan to build a casino
in Jackson County isn't quite as simple as a roll of the dice, despite
public perception that the tribe can do pretty much whatever it wants. "In
fact, winning federal, state and local support for a casino resort may be
the tribe's biggest gamble yet. "...The Choctaws also have to convince the
governor to allow a casino -- Haley Barbour has balked at their proposal --
and have requested the support of Jackson County voters, who have
overwhelmingly rejected gaming in the past. "But before jumping those
hurdles, the Choctaws must place their 100 acres of land, located along
Miss. 57 near Interstate 10, into a trust for the purposes of gaming, as
required by The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. "...In order for all
100 acres to be considered for gaming, the tribe must follow five steps set
out in the act and one self-imposed requirement..."

As reported by the Temecula News: "...In an effort to enrich the educational
experiences of local high school students, the tribal leaders and the
management of Pechanga Resort & Casino have committed to making a yearly
donation of $50,000 to each of the high schools in the Temecula Valley. This
contribution is expected to offset the costs associated with academics,
extracurricular activities, athletics and scholarship programs. "With the
recent addition of Lakeside High School in Lake Elsinore, eight local high
schools each received a $50,000 check during a special luncheon on
Wednesday, May 24, at Pechanga. Representatives from those eight high
schools, including principals, teachers and students, gathered with the
members of the Pechanga Development Corporation and the Pechanga Tribal
Council..."

The first time he saw China's planned Cotai Strip development four years
ago, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson thought the Chinese
government was banishing him to some faraway no-man's land. Much of the
Cotai Strip was submerged under several feet of water. Engineers were just
beginning to reclaim land from the South China Sea and transform the area
into an industrial complex. Adelson had other ideas. Las Vegas Sands Corp.,
was already spending close to $300 million to build a Sands casino on the
waterfront of the Macau Peninsula, a former Portuguese colonial region that
is the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Government sponsors asked Adelson to look at Cotai, which is just minutes
south of Macau by car, as another potential gaming destination.

"At first, I thought it was political exile," Adelson recalled. "I thought
(rival Chinese casino developer) Stanley Ho had some influence that he got
me off the peninsula because that's where he believes the center of
everything is. All I was hoping was that I could get a location in which I
could really do something."

By the end of the decade, Cotai, which derives its name from its position
between the islands of Taipa and Coloane, could be home to more than a dozen
hotels with 20,000 rooms, casinos, showrooms, restaurants, convention space,
shops and a 15,000-seat sports arena.

Adelson guided Cotai's development, persuading some of the world's largest
and most profitable hotel chains to join Las Vegas Sands in opening
locations on the Cotai Strip. North American hotel companies, such as
Hilton, Starwood and Four Seasons will join Asian hotel company Shangri-La
to build properties using some of the world's most recognizable brands --
Sheraton, St. Regis, Intercontinental, Conrad and Holiday Inn.

The hotel operators will manage their own rooms and restaurants. Las Vegas
Sands will run the properties' casinos and showrooms.

The anchor centerpiece of the Cotai Strip, the $3 billion Las Vegas
Sands-owned Venetian Macau, is well under construction on slightly more than
67 acres. It will open in 2007.

With 3,000 rooms, 565,000 square feet of casino space, a 1
million-square-foot convention and meeting center, a 2,000-seat showroom and
a 1 million-square-foot version of the Grand Canal Shoppes, the Venetian
Macau emulates its sister property, The Venetian in Las Vegas.

The sports arena is also part of the Venetian site.

The development of Cotai helps complete a personal vision for the
72-year-old Adelson: creating a second, somewhat smaller, Las Vegas.

In a long interview with the Review-Journal, Adelson, the majority
shareholder in Las Vegas Sands, said developing Cotai almost didn't happen
until he investigated the location.

"When I went out to see it, I said to myself 'this could be what I'm
dreaming about. I could create another Las Vegas,'" Adelson said. "That's
when I got excited about (Cotai). Nobody wanted this and it wasn't even land
anyway. It was just a bay."

Adelson said architects and planners helped his company devise a U-shaped
Strip with seven sites covering a little more than 147 acres. Each site
could hold several hotel-casinos. Adelson thought Asia, which includes
China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, deserved its own Las Vegas.

"There isn't anybody who knows anything about hospitality, lodging, casinos
and entertainment that would deny, if you picked up Las Vegas and brought it
over to anywhere in Asia, it would be a grand slam home run," Adelson said.

Adelson said he had little trouble conveying his vision and encouraging
hotel operators to build on Cotai. Many of the hotel sites could be under
construction by 2007. One 15-acre site controlled by Las Vegas Sands remains
in development negotiations.

Even rival casino developer Steve Wynn, who Adelson says at first scoffed at
the idea of developing Cotai, is asking the Chinese government for
permission to build three or four casino-hotels on about 50 acres of Cotai
Strip property east of Las Vegas Sands' development.

"All you have to do is go over there," Adelson said. "You can't help but see
it if you go over there."

Wall Street analysts estimate Cotai, which is about 25 miles from Hong Kong
via ferry, could lead one of the world's most lucrative gambling markets.

By decade's end, Cotai Strip casinos, along with casinos in Macau, could
collectively report anywhere between $15 billion and $18 billion in annual
gaming revenue. In 2005, Macau casinos, including the Sands Macau which
opened in 2004, churned out almost $6 billion in gaming revenue. By
comparison, Nevada, the nation's leading casino market, reported gaming
revenues of $11.6 billion in 2005, an all-time record.

Macau casinos operated by Wynn Resorts Ltd. and MGM Mirage are scheduled to
open in the next 12 months.

"A lot is going to depend upon how loose the Chinese government gets in
opening up travel restrictions," said Steven Wieczynski, gaming analyst for
Stifel Nicolaus in Baltimore. "There are anywhere from 2 billion to 3
billion people living a short distance from Macau and Cotai. Once those nice
properties are built on Cotai, a lot of people are going to want to get over
there. Our estimates have been $11 billion (in gaming revenues by the end of
the decade) but we're a little conservative. While $15 billion is a big
number, it's absolutely doable."

Wieczynski said savvy investors understand what Las Vegas Sands is doing in
China.

In March, Las Vegas Sands shares were trading in the $50 price range on the
New York Stock Exchange. The company's stock price climbed to a 52-week high
of $72.69 on May 9 but investor profit-taking brought the share price down
below $60 this past week. However, shares in the company closed at $69.63
Friday on news that Las Vegas Sands won its bid to build a $3.6 billion
resort in Singapore.

Much of Cotai's approximately 250 acres has been reclaimed and is being
prepared for development.

Adelson said the Cotai Strip will create, in essence, two Macaus. The
downtown area, dominated by the Sands Macau, Stanley Ho's Lisboa casino, and
the soon-to-open Wynn Macau and MGM Grand Macau, will be the domain of
day-trip Chinese gamblers. The Cotai resorts will be packed with destination
travelers.

Though competitors may disagree, Adelson thinks the Cotai Strip properties
will be the true destination resorts in Macau; he envisions free-spending
gamblers and tourists flocking there.

"Downtown (Macau) is not a destination market," Adelson said. "When my
competitors say they are building a destination resort, to me, it's like
saying you're building a destination resort in downtown Las Vegas. You have
to be sensitive enough to the market to understand what the people want and
what they respond to. I frequently touch the numbers and I know what's going
on over there, and it's not a destination resort."

But revenue from casinos in the Macau Peninsula area won't vanish. His
company's Sands Casino is expanding, ready to capitalize on its location
less than a mile from Macau's ferry terminal.

Gaming analysts agree with Adelson's assessment that Macau's market will
change.

Wieczynski said Macau could see a boost in day-trip gamblers who would flood
the downtown casinos while high-end gamblers gravitate toward the Cotai
properties.

Expansion of the Macau International Airport to accommodate more airline
traffic and the building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge by 2011 or
2012 would connect regions now separated by water.

Susquehanna Financial Group gaming analyst Brian McGill said pent-up demand
for more gambling in Macau will drive the market. He said the Cotai Strip
will turn the area into a true travel destination.

"What they've done with the Sands Macau has already exceeded everyone's
expectations," McGill said of the casino, which reported revenues of $278.2
million and cash flow of $103.4 million in 2006's first quarter.

"There is a lot that doesn't exist in Macau that Las Vegas Sands is helping
to create," McGill said. "(Adelson) is clearly a visionary in the industry
and he's been proven right more times than he has been wrong. There was a
lot of skepticism on Macau and Cotai early, but most have come around and
believe he'll be right on this."

One early skeptic was Wynn.

In a 2005 interview with Fortune magazine, Adelson said Wynn dismissed any
notion of building on Cotai, a claim he repeated recently to the
Review-Journal. Adelson even offered witnesses to corroborate his story,
people who were with him when he approached Wynn outside a meeting in Macau
and proposing a partnership in the Cotai project.

"I said 'Steve, I have this idea about doing a Strip. I think if you and I
did it together, it would be unbeatable,'" Adelson recalled. "He turned me
down flat. He said it was the most stupid idea he had ever heard in his
whole life. I think he now sees that it is happening and everybody is trying
to buy into it, so now it's a perfect time. Of course, when he gets ready to
open his first (casino), I'll have seven hotel-casinos open on Cotai."

Wynn was traveling last week and could not be reached for comment.

To complement its projects on Cotai, Las Vegas Sands signed an agreement in
October with the city of Zhuhai to master plan and build a 1,300-acre
nongaming resort on Hengquin Island, less than a mile from the Venetian
Macau site and a short trip by water taxi to the main areas of Macau.
Adelson said the Hengquin Island site, which will have golf courses, resort
villas and a marina, will serve as an amenity to Macau tourism.

Adelson said Cotai and Macau will combine to make the Chinese region the Las
Vegas of the Far East.

"In the Asian culture, there is a great propensity to play, but they're not
gambling addicts," Adelson said. "Gambling is a form of entertainment to
them and that's their social activity to gamble. Every Chinese New Year,
they give family members little red envelopes with 'lucky money.' The
concept of luck is in all their thoughts."

Although he believes Asian visitors will flock to Cotai, Adelson believes
few Americans will have any reason to venture halfway around the world to
visit.

"Would Americans want to go? No," Adelson said. "I think Americans will go
for convention purposes. But Americans already have Las Vegas. Why would
they want to go to an Asian Las Vegas? To me, it's a broadening of the
market so that Asians will want to come to the real Las Vegas, which is the
mecca of entertainment."

Wall Street analysts examining the Columbia Sussex Corp. deal to buy Aztar
Corp. tell us the $54 a share price amounts to an astronomical record $30
million an acre for the 34-acre Tropicana site at the south edge of the
Strip. They reached the estimate by looking at how much the Tropicana in
Atlantic City and Aztar's Midwest properties contribute to its financial
performance. Quietly, they say Pinnacle Entertainment was smart to bow out.
They say that combining Aztar with Columbia Sussex makes operational sense.
But the strain on finances and human resources for Columbia Sussex to
develop its first megaresort may prove overwhelming. More to come.

Nevada has more Starbucks stores per resident than any other state,
something overlooked in recent reports about the Seattle-based chain.
Industry analysts told us the reasons were a combination of three factors:
wise investments since Starbucks owns most of its stores and land in Las
Vegas has been leading the nation in appreciation, savvy marketing and a
caffeine-craze driven by Las Vegas' 24-hour economy where many casino
workers never sleep, or so it seems.

A lot of readers took exception to remarks by MGM Mirage Chairman Terry
Lanni, reported here, that it's unfair to discriminate against immigrant
workers who have helped build our economy and companies such as MGM Mirage,
and it's impractical to talk about shipping illegal immigrants back home.
Experts, however, say at reasonable rates and given government escort
policies, it could take a century to send them all back. Plus,
three-quarters of the touted 12 million figure are simply undocumented
because of U.S. government foul-ups or the intimidation it has encouraged.
Lanni seems to have a point.

Wall Street analysts are touting sales in MGM Mirage's three-tower Signature
development as a barometer of land values on the Strip. The sales price per
square foot for the hotel-condos has climbed to a death-defying $1,057 per
square foot, the cost of construction is actually coming in lower than
expected, sales are going great guns and profits are surging. Extrapolate
from that and it's not hard to imagine land at $25 million an acre,
realistic or not.

What does this tell you about your investments? By Thanksgiving, mutual
funds will be required to file the same anti-money laundering reports with
the U.S. Treasury Department as casino operators. Treasury officials say the
new requirements are part of a campaign to nab drug dealers, terrorists and
other criminals who launder money. It sounds as if Al Capone's got our
money.

Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith can be reached by phone at 477-3893 or by
e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com.

As reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal: "The Atlantis Casino Resort wants
to build a sky bridge over Peckham Lane to pipe guests to and from the
Reno-Sparks Convention Center as part of a $50 million expansion. "The
hotel-casino could begin work late this year on a 116,000-square-foot
expansion that would add significantly to the casino floor and convention
space, officials said. "...The casino expansion plans have been approved by
the city as part of the company's 1998 master plan, Co-Chairman and Chief
Executive John Farahi said. The bridge and skywalk connecting the convention
center and hotel-casino will need approval from the Reno-Sparks Convention &
Visitors Authority board of directors. "...The entire project should take 10
to 12 months to complete once work begins, Farahi said..."

Women's Poker Club, the largest organized international group of women poker
players, has been in existence for over three years. WPC is free to join and
offers programs catering to all levels of players, from those just learning
how to play to women who play professionally or semi-professionally. It is
because of the growing number of members from the United Kingdom, that they
are pleased to announce their first live tournament overseas. The WPC UK
Showdown will be a No Limit Hold'em tournament, held at Grosvenor Casino in
Walsall on June 17, 2006, with a £50 entry fee.

The lucky winner will win her share of the prize pool, plus an additional
prize of a WSOP package. Bluesquare will be adding a prize of a seat to the
World Series of Poker Ladies event for the champion, including hotel, entry
and travel funds.

"Women's Poker Club is very excited to be working with Bluesquare and
Grosvenor Casinos on the first WPC tournament in the UK. We welcome and
encourage all women players to join the tournament competition, and
experience what is guaranteed to be a fabulous time." Said Maryann Morrison,
founder of Women's' Poker Club. "The added prize of a trip to the World
Series of Poker, is an excellent way to show support to the growing
demographic of female poker players in Europe."

Single table satellites will be offered at Grosvenor Casino on the morning
of the main tournament, at £5 or £10 entry.

"There are many UK women playing poker online, that would find going to a
live game very intimidating. I helped to organize this event so that myself
and other UK women would have a welcoming, friendly and fun experience."
Said Jacky Reynolds, Tournament Coordinator and UK Member of Women's Poker
Club.

Dawn Dineen, Tournament Coordinator and WPC member adds, "The time has come
for women to step away from their computers and experience the environment
of a live casino. The staff of Grosvenor Walsall and BlueSquare have been a
pleasure to work with in making this possible, and in showing their support
for the growing demographic of women who enjoy poker. All women should look
forward to a brilliant weekend of poker!"

There are opportunities for women in North America to also to win their way
to this event, including travel funds to the UK, by participating in online
satellites.

All women are invited to attend.

As reported by the (Biloxi) Sun Herald: "Treasure Bay could be the fourth
casino to reopen after Hurricane Katrina. "The Biloxi City Council on
Tuesday put its reopening on a fast track by unanimously voting to rezone
the property and dropping a usually required lag time for a new land use to
become effective. "The action allows Treasure Bay to go before the
Mississippi Gaming Commission with its plans next month instead of in July.
Under a best-case scenario, the casino could reopen some time next month..."

Poker Royalty, the premier poker agency representing poker players and
properties, is pleased to announce that it has been hired by Go Big or Go
Home Tournament 1, LLC to provide poker industry expertise and business
consulting services for the "Go Big or Go Home Poker Party." This unique
No-Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament is structured like a professional
sports season with league games, playoffs and finals. League games will be
held at casinos throughout the United States beginning in May. Winners will
advance to the playoffs which will be held in August. Play culminates with
the playoff winners advancing to the finals which will be held September
6-10, 2006 at the luxurious Sun Village Resort and Spa in the Dominican
Republic.

"We look forward to working with Poker Royalty in making this tournament
fun, exciting and rewarding for the players and the charities," said Zac
Hartog, Executive Director of Go Big or Go Home Tournament, LLC, in
announcing the alliance. "Go Big or Go Home Poker Party" features
professional poker players, professional athletes, celebrities and amateur
poker players of all skill levels. All players will compete for the
opportunity to play for a final estimated purse of $3,000,000 and a host of
other prizes. The all-inclusive buy in for the finals at Sun Village Resort
and Spa is $15,000 which covers player entry, airfare, hotel, meals and
incentives at the lavish resort. More information about the tournament can
be found at www.gobigpokerparty.com. "Rarely has a Celebrity Pro-Am event
been played for stakes at such a high level," said Chris Porter, Director of
Corporate Marketing for Poker Royalty. "Combining this tournament format
with an incredible setting in the Dominican Republic makes this event
incredibly exciting."

ABOUT POKER ROYALTY:

Poker Royalty is a full-service poker player marketing and representation
agency specializing in the poker industry. Founded in 2003, Poker Royalty
has successfully negotiated over 200 poker related sponsorships,
endorsements, speaking appearances, licensing and consulting agreements.
Poker Royalty's relationships within the gaming industry are unparalleled
and include exclusive management of the games most marketable players.
Please contact Poker Royalty if you are interested in poker marketing
opportunities, furthering your poker related business ventures or wish to
hire poker players for speaking engagements or personal appearances.

What do you get when you combine a deck of cards, professional poker
players, celebrities and professional athletes, fans, amateur poker players,
worthy charities, exotic locations, incredible prizes and millions of
dollars? You get the ultimate poker party.the "Go Big or Go Home Poker
Party." The "Go Big or Go Home Poker Party" is a No Limit Texas Hold'em
poker tournament structured like a sports season with season league games,
playoffs and championship finals. Those final players lucky enough to win
their games and make it through the tournament playoffs will advance to what
we can easily say will be the biggest, most luxurious poker finale one can
dream of!

This unique event features professional athletes (retired and active),
celebrities, and the world's top professional poker players competing
against each other in a game of No Limit Texas Hold'em. To add to the
excitement, the tournament is open to the public for a once in a lifetime
opportunity for fans and amateur poker players to bid on limited seats at
the various tables and play along side their favorite players and
celebrities.

LEAGUE GAMES
The League games will be a series of casino and internet based satellite
poker tournaments where poker players will compete for a piece of the prize
pool which will be determined by the number of entrants. The league games
will be played throughout the US at selected Native American casinos where
players can win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. The winners of each
league tournament will advance to the 2006 Season Playoffs where they will
compete against the athletes, poker players, celebrities and fans.

PLAYOFFS
Here, the top players of the League Games and those who choose to buy-in at
a higher amount to skip the League Games will compete for a ONE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLAR prize pool and will get pampered during a fun-filled
weekend. The winner of the tournament will get an all-expenses-paid trip to
the "Go Big or Go Home Poker Party" Tournament Finals where they can walk
away with a number of prizes - cars, boats, vacations, and cold hard cash to
the tune of $3,000,000! ($2,500,000 main event and $500,000 second chance
game. Sliding prize pool based on 300 paying participants)

THE FINALS!!!
The Finals can be summed up in five little words, GO BIG or GO HOME!!! This
larger-than-life televised championship will be hosted at the beautiful Sun
Village Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic over a four day period. This
all-inclusive poker party vacation includes tons of additional prizes,
entertainment, complimentary guest services and much more. The tournament
winners representing the top ten percent of players will split a $2,500,000
prize pool (sliding prize pool based on 300 participants).

SECOND CHANCE ALL-STAR GAME
But even if you get knocked out early and end up on the bench, there's still
a chance to walk with a ton of cash and more prizes. The "Go Big or Go Home
Poker Party" features an additional Second Chance All-Star Game with a prize
pool of $500,000 - Winner takes all! The top three finalists and several
invited celebrity guests will automatically qualify for this high stakes
game. Then there are an additional six Wild Card winners drawn in lottery
fashion from the losing participants. And finally, any player that still
feels they have a bit of luck left can pay a buy-in fee and shoot for one
last shot. In keeping with the "Go Big or Go Home" theme, the location of
the final game is a private luxury yacht accessible from the hosting resort.

SPONSORSHIP
Throughout the entire Playoffs and Finals, our name brand sponsors
sporadically incorporate "purse perks." In various rounds of play, products
get dramatically revealed on the playing tables and the winner of that
particular hand wins that prize along with that round's winnings. Players
may not walk away with the big purse or even make it to the second chance
All-Star Game, but by even winning a single hand in the "Go Big or Go Home
Poker Party" they could walk away with incredible prizes like tickets to
sporting events, a boat, an exotic car, or another wonderful vacation!

FAN APPRECIATION
In addition to the top finalists participating in the Tournament Finals, a
limited number seats will be reserved for additional fans and amateur poker
players who wish to pay to play along side their favorite athletes,
celebrities, and professional poker players and are willing to pay an
all-inclusive entrance fee of $15,000 which covers their buy-in, second
chance lottery card, airfare, hotel, meals and incentives at the lavish
resort.

These players will span the globe, as well as economic levels. From the
average basement player to the Vegas-favorite high roller, the wide variety
of contestants offers exciting degrees of playing experience, diverse
backgrounds, and tremendous potential for a variety of storylines. These
days reality television reigns and televised poker is currently the third
most-watched sporting event in the world. The "Go Big or Go Home Poker
Party" is guaranteed to take the world of poker to another level - ante up!

Sun Village Resorts today announced that "Go Big or Go Home Poker Party"
will take place from September 6-10, 2006 at its upscale four-star
all-inclusive Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi on the northern shores of
the Dominican Republic. As Official Host Hotel and Party Central, the
panoramic Cofresi vacation destination will allocate a majority of its 305
luxe rooms to participants and the general public for the exclusive $3
million prize purse event, one of the biggest No-Limit Texas Hold 'em poker
tournaments and parties in the world.

Derek Elliott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Village Resorts,
calls the tournament and event "the first of many world-class events that
will take place at our resort properties in the Dominican Republic over the
coming year."

"Go Big or Go Home Poker Party is not just a high stakes poker tournament,
it is the definition of a new breed of unique high end poker parties and Sun
Village is the perfect location to throw such a party," says Zac Hartog,
Co-Founder of Go Big or Go Home Tournament 1, LLC.

The tournament is open to professional and non-professional card players,
and will feature a lineup of guests that includes pro athletes and
celebrities. Bookings for the poker tournament can be made at
www.gobigpokerparty.com The site offers complete tournament information
including registration and accommodations, as well as a current list of
participants and guests. For more information on the "Go Big or Go Home
Poker Party" and other planned events at Sun Village Resort &Spa, go to
www.sunvillageresorts.com . . .2/ Page 2/cont'd/SUN VILLAGE RESORTS OFFICIAL
HOST HOTEL. . .

The company's flagship vacation destination, Sun Village Resort and Spa is
set to open The Spa at Cofresi and its overlooking spa suites in Summer
2006. The Caribbean's most exclusive and modern facility, The Spa at Cofresi
is a 5,000 square foot destination that will offer the most comprehensive
services and products for mind, body and soul of any five-star resort spa in
the region, and promises to be the "must" in resort spa dream vacations in
both the high-end and mid-range travel sector. With a fully equipped gym and
workout facilities, the million dollar venue will be managed by Germany's
Ronald Ganswindt.

Sun Village Resorts, the largest Canadian-owned resort company in the
Dominican Republic, is managed and operated by Elliott. Sun Village Resort &
Spa in Cofresi is an all-inclusive luxury hotel with 305 rooms, seven
swimming pools and five unique dining facilities. The resort's upscale
amenities are found in a dramatic mountain-beach setting that is
unparalleled on the north coast of the Dominican Republic and is accessible
in less than 30 minutes from the International airport in Puerto Plata. Sun
Village is set to open its second all-inclusive resort in Juan Dolio, along
the country's south coast, in fall, 2006. For more information about Sun
Village Resorts, visit www.sunvillageresorts.com

As reported by the Washington Post: "Online poker players will have to fold
their hands if a Virginia congressman gets his way."Today, the House
Judiciary Committee will mark up a bill introduced by Rep. Robert W.
Goodlatte (R) that would ban much online gambling, including bets on
sporting events and games of chance -- namely poker, which has enjoyed a
boom in recent years.". The bill would update the Federal Wire Wager Act,
which prohibits gambling over telephone lines but may not apply to Internet
gambling because not all Web traffic travels over phone lines. It also would
force banks to block transactions related to online gambling and would
empower law enforcement agencies to force Internet service providers to
remove or disable links to gambling sites.

". Poker players argue that their pastime should be excluded from
Goodlatte's ban because it is a game of skill, not chance. Last month, three
World Series of Poker champions visited a House office building to defend
their game against attempts to ban it online.

". 'We don't believe that simply putting the word 'Internet' in front of
'poker' should make the game suspect,' said Michael Bolcerek, president of
the Poker Players Alliance. 'Poker is a skill game. You can influence
events. The original cards are random, but you can influence your success or
failure,' .

". Three House members from Nevada -- Jon Porter (R), Shelley Berkley (D)
and Jim Gibbons (R) -- yesterday introduced legislation for an 18-month
study of online gambling and whether games could be regulated and taxed, as
they are in Britain .

As reported by the Associated Press: "The Bangor City Council unanimously
approved a series of agreements to pave the way for a $70 million permanent
slots facility that will eventually replace the temporary Hollywood Slots
that has been in operation since November.. "Penn National Gaming Inc. has
been operating a temporary slots facility with 475 machines at the former
Miller's Restaurant. Its permanent facility will have 1,500 slot machines
and will generate at least $2.1 million a year for the city of Bangor. "
"Penn National's permanent racino will include a parking garage, restaurant
and retail space. Penn's off-track betting operation will also be housed in
the new facility. "Construction on the new complex will begin in 2007 or
2008."

A Massachusetts man won a years supply of cake and $10,000 in Poker.com's
recent "birthday tournament." A year after Poker.com launched their online
poker software they celebrated by rewarding their players with a unique
promotion. 694 Poker.com players took their seat and lined up for a shot at
$50,000 in prizes plus a year's supply of cake. After over 7 hours of play,
and by his own admission through a little luck, P0kerFaceB0uy, a 26-year-old
student from Lawrence, Massachusetts was the last man standing.

"P0kerFaceB0uy had the following to say on his win: "I just kept telling
myself it's like any other final table, play the cards, play the players.
About halfway through I had enough of a chip lead to try to bluff a big pot
with nothing after the flop. Got called with my pants down (9-10) and hit a
K high straight with a J on the river. It was turning from conservative to
aggressive play at final table, combined with incredible luck that let me
win. Poker.com has the best tournaments and competition I've found on-line.
I love playing against the crowd here. It was just my lucky day."

HollywoodPoker.com helped raise more than $30,000 for the 4th Annual Dennis
Quaid Charity Weekend. The proceeds from the May 4-7 event will benefit four
Austin children's charities. New to this year's event was the
HollywoodPoker.com Texas Hold 'em Celebrity Challenge, helping to push the
weekends contributions over $300,000. Quaid, who has called upon his friends
at Hollywood Poker in the past to help raise money for the victims of
Katrina, knew they would come through for him at this worthy event. An
elated Quaid said, "The Hollywood Poker event was a blast, we had so many
people turn out, it was amazing. Next year we'll make it even bigger."

More than 900 people attended the poker event where Brett Cullen ("The West
Wing") was the highest placing celebrity in the tournament. Other celebrity
participants for the weekend include Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear (Little Miss
Sunshine), Topher Grace (In Good Company), Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac),
Zac Efron ("Summerland"), Richard Schiff ("The West Wing"), Robert Loggia
(Wild Seven), Rex Linn ("CSI: Miami"), Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue"), Gregory
Itzin ("24"), Don Felder (The Eagles), Kyle Massey ("That's So Raven"), Otis
Thorpe (NBA Player) and many others.

The Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend presented by H-E-B was founded in 2003. All
expenses of the Quaid Weekend are fully underwritten by sponsors, which
allows 100 percent of the gross proceeds generated from the sale of event
tickets and participant slots to directly benefit the following non- profit
organizations: Any Baby Can, Austin Children's Shelter, Dell Children's
Medical Center of Central Texas; and the International Hospital for
Children. The Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend was formed for the purpose of
supporting both International and Austin, TX children and is held every
year. The weekend raised approximately $340,000. More than $700,000 has been
raised since 2003.

TitanPoker.com announces the signing of supermodel and actress Joanna Krupa
as an official spokesperson. Over the past twelve months, Krupa has appeared
on the cover of Maxim's US Calendar and was also featured on the cover of
Playboy. Joanna was voted 'sexiest woman in the world' by magazines in
Australia, USA, South Africa, England, Czech Republic and Germany. Aside
from Playboy and Maxim, her covers include GQ, Esquire, FHM, Inside Sport,
TV Media, TV Spielfilm, Fitness Rx, Trump World and Men's Fitness, and she
was the featured model of the week at Askmen.com. Krupa was voted one of the
top 10 Supermodels in 2004 by Austrian bestselling magazine TV Media and
voted model of the year by Maxim in 2004 and TV Media (2005).

After winning a Trump Tower charity poker event, Joanna fell in love with
the game. "I am excited about being part of the Titan team and look forward
to playing online against players from around the country."

Krupa's endorsement contract will keep her very involved in the poker world,
representing Titan Poker at public appearances and autograph signings.
Joanna will also be playing at the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.
In future months, players will be given a chance to win a 'behind the
scenes' pass to a swimsuit calendar shoot.

"We're thrilled to have such an international super model like Joanna Krupa
representing Titan Poker," commented a spokesperson from Titan Poker.

In preparation for her WSOP Main Event appearance, Krupa will be playing
regularly on TitanPoker.com, including Thursday, June 1, from 8-10 p.m. EDT.
To play poker online with Joanna Krupa or to see a recent photo visit
www.titanpoker.com .

As reported by the Post-Standard: " .While the harness track's new owners
await permission from the state to open, they're spending $4 million to
renovate restaurants, the grandstand, parking lots, barns and a never-used
casino. "No opening date has been set for the track or the casino, but
American Racing officials are optimistic the track will open this summer. ..
"Work crews from VIP Structures in Syracuse are focused on adding a buffet
area to the casino and renovating the Miracle Mile restaurant in the
grandstand. Both areas will feature betting and nightly entertainment. The
casino will have about 900 machines.

"The work is the first phase in a five-year plan that will completely
renovate and link the hotel, casino and grandstand.The entire complex will
carry a Vernon Downs-history theme. Gone will be the Polynesian theme
previous owners chose for the casino."

The odds improved Wednesday for one of the major Las Vegas-based casino
companies to enter the British gaming market big-time. In London, the Casino
Advisory Panel announced a short list of eight locations that will be open
to development of the first Las Vegas-style casino in the United Kingdom.
American operators with interests in British projects include Harrah's
Entertainment, MGM Mirage, and Las Vegas Sands Corp., all of Las Vegas;
Kerzner International and Isle of Capri Casinos. The site list released by
the British government-appointed independent advisory board had Blackpool,
Wembley Stadium, Cardiff, Glasgow, the Millennium Dome, Manchester,
Newcastle and Sheffield as U.K. sites for the proposed Las Vegas-style
casino.

The short list of largely economically distressed areas was whittled down
from 27 applications.

The development of Las Vegas-style casinos in Great Britain is particularly
important here because of its ability to feed Las Vegas' voracious demand
for visitors, said Brian Gordon, a partner in the Las Vegas-based market
research company Applied Analysis.

"A significant share of our international visitors come from the United
Kingdom with some travelers visiting Las Vegas more than once a year," he
said. "Expansion of gaming in England will give gaming operators in Las
Vegas an opportunity to increase our profile, pique consumer interest and
generate added visitor traffic."

Matthew Jacob, senior gaming analyst with Wall Street-based Majestic
Research, said the British market is doubly valuable for Las Vegas
operators, both because of Britons' high propensity gamble and its potential
as a feeder market.

"It's essentially the Harrah's (Entertainment) model applied
internationally, cross-marketing casinos there with the market here," he
said.

The Harrah's business model focuses on developing regional gaming operations
and feeding customers into a computerized, national players network and
major casino operations.

Jacobs said the development of a supercasino in Great Britain is important
because the potential for growth within the United States is limited with no
new markets opening and the best sites spoken for in established markets.

Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said the final selection will probably
depend on how much a supercasino could add to the efforts to redevelop one
of the depressed areas, based on estimates by the British government.

Las Vegas Sands has two agreements with the Rangers Football in Glasgow and
Sheffield United Football clubs in Sheffield.

MGM Mirage has focused early development efforts in Birmingham, which did
not make the final list. However, it also has an agreement with Newcastle
United for a 50-50 joint venture, and is pursuing opportunities in Glasgow
and Sheffield.

Kerzner is involved with the Millennium Dome. Isle of Capri, which owns
two-thirds of three Blue Chip pub casinos in Dudley, Wolverhampton and
Walsall, has focused development efforts on Coventry, which also did not
make the short list.

MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said his company is pleased to be
associated with three of the final sites selected and still hopes that other
supercasinos will be developed.

He added that the U.K. market is particularly important both because of its
size and because of the well-established tradition of wagering.

Las Vegas Sands spokesman Ron Reese also said his company will continue to
pursue opportunities in the United Kingdom in addition to the two deals it
already has. The company is now talking with authorities in Blackpool, he
said.

Harrah's has been pursuing opportunities to develop a supercasino at Wembley
Stadium.

A spokesman for Harrah's had no comment.

British officials who will hear detailed plans for each bid will visit each
of the sites over the summer.

A recommendation for the eventual supercasino site is to be delivered to the
government in December, with a final decision in early 2007.

That decision, however, may not be the end of the story for Las Vegas
operators, Falcone said.

In March, the British government was reported to be considering expanding
the supercasino concept from a single site, as authorized by Parliament last
year, to possibly four sites.

The legislation approved in 2005 includes a supercasino with unlimited table
games and a maximum of 1,250 slot machines plus eight large casinos with
unlimited table games and a maximum of 150 slot machines.

However, Falcone noted that the legislation represented a significant
reduction from previous proposals.

"A report from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister claims that after
three years the U.K. could see another 40 super-casinos as well as hundreds
of smaller ones," Falcone said.

Ja Rule is the latest in a series of celebrities who have entered the
booming online poker market. StarsOnPoker.com opened its doors with a
$500,000 Freeroll, a free poker tournament with top prize of $200,000. The
cardroom offers popular multiplayer poker games like Texas Hold'em, Omaha,
Omaha Hi/Low, 7 Card Stud and exclusive games like Chinese Poker, Guts
Poker, Panguigne, and Big 2. StarsOnPoker.com offers its full suite of poker
games in free download. Players at www.starsonpoker.com can enjoy unique
features like a link to recording star Ja Rule's website; a music player
with Ja Rule's music, and an online store with cool merchandise from the top
hip hop player in the music business.

The Action Poker Network is ranked in the top twenty poker networks
worldwide and counts as its members ActionPoker.com, TigerGaming.com,
Nine.com, EnglishHarbourPoker.com and many other fast-growing brands.

The network is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and the
proprietary gaming software is independently certified by iTech Labs.

Tigergaming.com Sponsors the Canadian Texas Hold'em Charity Championship

TigerGaming.com of Action Poker Network sponsors the Canadian Charity Poker
Championship: www.charitypokerchampionship.com

A national and regional Hold'em tournament, the Canadian Charity
Championship started in Montreal and then expanded to Toronto in 2006. On
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 regional tournaments will be held in Montreal and
Toronto to determine the final top 10 players who go on to compete in the
final table championship in Las Vegas. A total of 10 top finishers from the
Montreal and Toronto tournaments will be awarded exceptional prizes for
winning their local tournament, and then be flown to Las Vegas to compete in
the final table championship for the grand prize - travel, accommodations
and entry fee to the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, which all adds
up to a prize package with a $15,000 value

All proceeds from the tournament will go to support various Canadian
hospitals and Street Kids International.

Proposals to ban Internet gambling took another step toward becoming law
Thursday as a House committee passed two bills designed to outlaw online
wagering. The action by the House Judiciary Committee means the House could
vote as early as next month on whether to shut down Internet gambling, which
has quadrupled in the past six years into a $12 billion industry. If the
House approves an Internet gambling ban, it would still have to pass the
Senate before being sent to President Bush to be signed into law. The
committee voted 25-11 to pass a bill by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., that
would update a 1961 federal statute known as the Wire Act so it would ban
all forms of Internet gambling and apply to new gambling technologies that
may be developed.

"Offshore online gambling Web sites are cash cows and the greed that propels
these companies leads them to solicit bettors in the United States despite
the fact that the Department of Justice already believes this activity is
illegal," Goodlatte said in a statement after the vote.

Goodlatte estimated there are as many as 2,300 gambling Web sites and they
receive about $6 billion annually from U.S. gamblers.

The committee also passed by voice vote a bill by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa,
that would prohibit credit cards and checks from being used to make Internet
gambling payments.

The committee also approved by voice vote an amendment to the Leach bill by
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, that would preserve states' rights in regulating
gambling.

House Republican leaders would like to merge the Goodlatte and Leach bills
into one piece of legislation that could be brought to the House floor by
the first or second week of June, sources said.

Goodlatte and Leach have expressed a willingness to blend their bills.

"We have had sporadic contacts, and I would think today's votes by the
committee will expedite our negotiations," said Gregory Wierzynski, Leach's
chief of staff.

The committee's debate on the Goodlatte and Leach bills did not include any
mention of a bill introduced Wednesday by Nevada lawmakers that would set up
a one-year study of Internet gambling by a federal commission.

Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, said
Congress may not have enough time this year to pass an Internet gambling
ban.

"There are about 35 legislative days left, and if they are going to merge
these two bills, that's going to take some time," Fahrenkopf said.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., argued that the Goodlatte bill would be ineffective
because 85 foreign countries permit Internet gambling and are unlikely to
cooperate with a ban.

Scott also complained the bill would create an enforcement nightmare for
financial institutions.

"This bill, as written, does not prohibit Internet gambling," Scott said.
"It prohibits running the (offshore) operation. If you wanted to be
effective in prosecuting illegal gambling over the Internet, you would
prosecute the individual gamblers."

Goodlatte responded that his bill modifies a federal statute which applies
to gambling entities, not gamblers.

To address concerns by the Department of Justice, Goodlatte said he amended
his bill so it will not include an exemption for horse racing.

Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., contended the bill still exempts horse racing
and offered an amendment that would exempt dog racing and jai alai. When the
committee voted 21-15 to reject his amendment, Wexler offered another
amendment that would ban all forms of gambling on the Internet.

Goodlatte described the second Wexler amendment as a "poison pill" similar
to a measure backed by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff in July 2000 The
committee rejected Wexler's second amendment by voice vote.

Goodlatte blamed Abramoff, who was convicted of bribing members of Congress,
for defeating efforts to pass an Internet gambling ban six years ago.
Passing a ban this year would "expunge that smear on the House of
Representatives," Goodlatte said.

Poker has soared in popularity because, unlike other sports, the average guy
sitting in front of his TV set figures he can win the World Series of Poker,
a champion player said Thursday. Professional poker player and television
commentator Howard Lederer said the charm of poker is that "people at home
believe they can be part of it. Anyone can win. Occasionally you get a guy
who has a lucky run." Lederer was the keynote speaker Thursday at the 13th
International Conference of Gambling and Risk Taking at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.
He also participated in a panel discussion on the future of poker.

Nicknamed "The Professor" for his serious style of play and the way he
calculates his chances of winning a hand, Lederer has won two World Series
of Poker bracelets. He hosts the Fox Sport Network's "Learn from the Pros"
show. His sister, Annie Duke, is one of the world's top female players.

He and others credited TV broadcasts of tournaments on ESPN and other
networks for the surge in poker popularity in the past five years. They also
predicted continued growth in the game's popularity as more and more women
begin to play and the game is exported around the world through televised
tournaments.

"Poker is the new American dream for 20- to 30-year-old men," said Jeffrey
Pollack, Harrah's vice president of sports and entertainment marketing. "I
can go play against Howard Lederer. You can get off the couch and play for
life-changing money."

Pollack credited the victory by amateur player Chris Moneymaker in the 2003
World Series of Poker for helping spread the fantasy that anyone can win at
poker. Moneymaker, an accountant, parlayed the $39 he paid to enter an
online tournament into the $2.5 million grand prize.

Until its emergence on television, poker was considered a game for the
"pretty old, pretty male and not as much teeth as you want," said Steve
Lipscomb, producer of the televised World Poker Tour.

"It was the black sheep of the family who was the poker player," he said.
"Now the poker players are the coolest, hippest guys at the cocktail party."

Their praises of poker, however, were challenged by Arnie Wexler, who runs a
hotline for problem young gamblers in New Jersey.

Wexler said that one-third of the calls he receives are from underage
players addicted to poker.

"The kids think they all can be professional poker players," added Wexler,
who called for television to start empathizing the potential problems of
poker playing.

Lederer maintained it would hard to become a compulsive poker player "based
on the skill element. It is a skill-based game."

"You have the skills," Wexler told Lederer. "They think they have the
skills."

The Stratosphere is approaching the city about building a nightclub atop its
centerpiece tower in place of the roller coaster, which was shut down in
December. Stratosphere executives were to present a site plan to the Las
Vegas City Planning Commission on Thursday night. The idea is to build a
6,880-square-foot nightclub 900 feet above Las Vegas. The nightclub would be
on the tower's 111th and 112th level and include an outside revolving
observation deck. "We would have a 360-degree view and it easily would be
the most spectacular nightclub in Las Vegas," Stratosphere spokesman Mike
Gilmartin said. No designs or renderings have been drawn up.

Gilmartin said the nightclub would take advantage of its location atop the
Stratosphere Tower, offering skyboxes and views of the city.

"We would like to turn the site of the High Roller (roller coaster) into a
nightclub setting," Gilmartin said.

The High Roller, a fixture at the Stratosphere since its opening in April
1996, was considered the country's highest roller coaster. It carried some 4
million riders around the 32-degree banked track since opening.

Work crews have been disassembling the 840-foot track over the past few
months in the evening hours. Three rides remain atop the Stratosphere Tower;
The Big Shot, X Scream and Insanity.

The proposed nightclub is just one of a number of changes being planned over
the rest of the year by Stratosphere owner American Casino Entertainment
Properties, a subsidiary of the Carl Icahn-controlled American Real Estate
Partners. Plans include a casino renovation and more entertainment offerings
and could include the construction of an additional hotel tower.

Gilmartin said the Stratosphere had an additional item pulled from the
planning commission agenda on vacating portions of Philadelphia and Commerce
streets, where the casino's ownership has acquired land parcels for
expansion.

He said the Stratosphere taking over those streets wouldn't affect residents
or businesses since the casino company has already purchased that land.

To travel or not to travel, that's the question facing millions of Americans
as they contemplate Memorial Day holidays to Las Vegas and elsewhere this
weekend. Gasoline prices, which averaged about $3.14 per gallon for regular
unleaded on Thursday, are a large reason for their concerns. AAA predicts
that the number of Americans driving and flying over the holiday weekend
will increase only slightly this year as consumers respond to higher
gasoline prices and air fares. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
spokesman Vince Alberta said 291,000 visitors are expected to visit the city
this Memorial Day holiday, about the same as last year.

Room occupancy is expected to hit 95.9 percent, up just 0.3 percentage
points from 95.6 a year ago, and the nongaming economic impact is expected
to hit $190.4 million, up 4.8 percent from $181.7 million in 2005.

Alberta said there are not enough data to suggest what effect surging
gasoline prices may have on Las Vegas this summer, although the authority is
monitoring the situation.

However, individual hotel-casino operators are already feeling some impact,
although they are feeling it differently. Operators believe there are
factors others than gasoline prices affecting consumers' decision making.

The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas, for example, had expected a drop-off
based on national predictions, but instead spokeswoman Bonnie Crail said
this weekend is the most heavily-booked Memorial Day in its history.

Further, the property's reservations office said so far there are no
indications gasoline prices are a factor for most visitors, either for
Memorial Day or later this summer.

"This year's Memorial Day strength here may relate to increased awareness of
Lake Las Vegas as a destination," Crail said.

By contrast, New Frontier spokeswoman Melanie Mabry said her property
expects a drop-off in business this weekend and over the summer.

"This is a time when I can almost always depend on the whims of my drive-in
customers to jump in the car and run away to Vegas for a couple days," she
said.

"However, I am expecting that I won't see as many of those folks as often as
I usually do," Mabry said.

However, she said gasoline prices are among several factors involved.

"It's hard for me to realistically predict where we might credit any kind of
fall-off in business right now, since I have some unique factors to
consider, such as the speculation of a date for our closing," she said,
referring to the company's plans to implode the building to make way for a
new megaresort. "However, I am expecting the gas prices and the anxiety
about the economy that those prices have fueled, to have an effect
continuing through the summer months."

Other properties fall somewhere in the middle, with strong booking trends
continuing from previous months and little effect from oil prices.

Sources at Aladdin said surging gasoline prices have had no adverse effect
on its business, which they described as booming. Bookings at the property,
which is being converted to a Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, are very
strong for Memorial Day and up from last year, they said.

Reservations for Memorial Day weekend are similarly mixed across properties
owned by MGM Mirage.

MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman, for example, said his company is seeing
some softness in advance reservations for Circus Circus and its properties
in Primm.

Although high gasoline prices may be starting to take a toll, Feldman said
he expects to see some offsets as families that otherwise might have taken
long driving vacations this summer to visit national parks or relatives come
to Las Vegas instead.

"Even after the offset, though, I expect (business) will get slower this
summer," he said.

Harrah's spokesman David Strow said there has been no evident effect on the
seven hotel-casinos his company operates here and none is expected.

That may be partly because Harrah's is just completing the integration of
its Total Rewards program with the Caesars Entertainment operations that it
bought last year.

Matthew Jacob, senior gaming analyst at Wall Street-based Majestic Research,
said although it is difficult to separate out factors causing some softness
in the market, the price of gasoline has to be having some effect.

"If fuel prices continue to ramp up, it may be a cause for concern, even
though, (historically,) the gaming industry has been resilient to broad
economic trends," he said.

Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the Memorial Day weekend will
serve as a barometer for how the current gasoline price surge will affect
hotel-casinos here.

Schwer said that although any new sharp price increases inevitably will
result in some visitors not coming to Las Vegas, the relatively low cost of
Las Vegas as a destination may lead some consumers to substitute vacations
here for ones in costlier destinations.

Nevertheless, Jacob said Las Vegas hotel-casinos are likely to experience a
slowdown if gasoline prices continue to climb.

And overall, Schwer said it is likely increasing gasoline prices will have a
drag effect on local hotel-casinos, cutting into the strong growth rates the
properties have experienced over the past couple of years.

"In the final analysis, it is likely spending will be relatively flat
compared with year ago levels. There might even be a very modest percentage
decline. But we should expect the adversity impacts of higher fuel prices on
travel spending will be far less than the percentage change in gas prices."

As reported by the Sun Herald: "Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. plans to develop
a casino resort in west Harrison County and has leased a site on the north
side of the Bay of St. Louis south of Interstate 10... "...'While the
project is in the early planning stages, we are extremely excited about its
potential,' said Tim Hinkley, president and chief operating officer of Isle
of Capri Casinos Inc. "...The company said the project is still subject to
licensing, approvals and permits..."

vsGaming and vsTechnology are pleased to announce their incorporation into
Gaming Technology Solutions plc (GTS plc). This is a natural progression
following strong growth in both companies, growth which is in line with the
phenomenal expansion that the e-gaming industry is seeing. The formation of
GTS signifies the advent of a powerful leading global supplier of open
end-to-end soft gaming solutions for delivery to IP enabled devices and iTV
boxes. With a strong background in research and quality of service
provision, vsGaming and vsTechnology have already established themselves as
market leaders in developing cross-platform delivery and virtual sports soft
gambling titles for the industry. vsGaming is an innovative and highly
respected games supplier, specialising in the creation of 'sticky' games for
internet gambling portals. They have a wide catalogue of games covering
virtual sports, games of skill and games of chance, including their
pioneering Virtual Horse Racing - one of the first commercially successful
online games of its kind. vsTechnology is a specialist technology provider
to the online gaming industry. Their patented and TST (Technical Systems
Testing) accredited EdGE (Enhanced Gaming Engine) architecture provides a
high quality black box solution for the 'cross platform' deployment of games
onto PCs, mobile phones, interactive TVs and games consoles.

The combination of both companies' expertise and resources puts GTS forward
as a unique and major pacesetting international games technology supplier to
many of the world's most successful online gambling businesses across Europe
and the Americas, including Bet and Win AG, SportingBet plc, Bet24, Victor
Chandler, Grand Central Sports, Bowmans International, BetWWTS, World
Gaming, English Harbour, Silver Dollar, Caribbean Gold Casino and Unibet.

QUOTE

The formation of GTS makes delivery of complete 'Soft Gaming' solutions to
its customers more seamless in offering a world-class entertainment
experience.

By year's end, Venetian customers could be the first in Nevada to gamble
somewhere inside the casino using a wireless hand-held device. An agreement
between Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Cantor G&W, the first company licensed by
Nevada gaming regulators to distribute mobile gaming devices, is expected to
be announced today. The deal calls for Cantor G&W to be the exclusive
distributor of mobile gaming equipment to both The Venetian and Palazzo, Las
Vegas Sands' new $1.8 billion Strip resort expected to open next year.
Neither company would disclose financial terms of the agreement. Cantor G&W,
an affiliate of New York-based financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is
free to strike similar deals with other casino operators.

"Obviously, this is a goal we've been working toward for quite a while,"
Cantor G&W President Lee Amaitis said Wednesday.

Once the technical standards for usage of the devices are completed --
possibly in the next 30 days, said Gaming Control Board member Mark Clayton,
who is overseeing the process -- mobile devices and related equipment, such
as servers and systems, can be submitted to regulators for approval.

Cantor G&W managing director Joe Asher said the company would have a product
ready for investigation as soon as possible. The goal is to begin testing by
December.

Amaitis said the size of The Venetian offers Cantor G&W a large platform to
demonstrate both the capabilities and safeguards of mobile gaming.

"Some people might have thought it would have been easier for us to go into
a smaller casino and test out our product," Amaitis said. "But we think
introducing this product at The Venetian is making a bold statement about
how we believe our mobile gaming devices will perform."

Venetian President Rob Goldstein said he is curious to see what type of
customers mobile gaming attracts. He said the company had a continuing
dialogue with Cantor G&W over the past two years and Las Vegas Sands views
mobile gaming as another amenity to offer customers.

"I really don't know how to predict what the response will be to mobile
gaming or who would use the product," Goldstein said. "That's the main
reason we want to get it out there to be tested. I've enjoyed playing with
the devices and we think our customers will look at them as a convenience.
Honestly, we're happy to be out in front on this."

Amaitis said The Venetian's customer demographics covers all age levels and
incomes because of Las Vegas Sands' reliance on convention attendees through
its large convention facilities, and the increasing customer volume The
Venetian is experiencing through the property's new restaurants,
entertainment venues and nightclubs.

"We think The Venetian gives us a tremendous demographic makeup to launch
mobile gaming," Amaitis said.

Cantor G&W spent two years pushing hand-held gaming legislation through the
Nevada Legislature. In 2005, the company lobbied lawmakers to approve
Assembly Bill 471 and Gov. Kenny Guinn signed the measure into law.

The company also offered its comments while the Gaming Control Board wrote
the regulations governing mobile gaming. The regulations were approved in
March. Last week, Cantor G&W was licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission to
distribute mobile gaming devices.

Since the measure became law, some of the gaming industry's largest
equipment makers, including International Game Technology and Shuffle
Master, have expressed interest in bringing hand-held gaming devices to the
market.

Cantor Fitzgerald has invested more than $400 million in technology
development and was the first company to offer customers interactive
electronic bond trading. The company has supplied similar hand-held devices
for mobile gaming use in the United Kingdom.

Mobile gaming allows Nevada casinos to offer their customers use of a
wireless, hand-held gaming device, similar in size to a BlackBerry. Casino
patrons will be able to use the devices to place wagers from areas outside
the traditional casino. For example, gamblers could wager on hands of
blackjack or spins of a roulette wheel from poolside or the buffet line.

Gambling from hotel rooms or a property's parking garage is not legal.

Clayton said the control board and commission may look at where mobile
gaming is allowed on a property-by-property basis. Areas where there is a
high concentration of minors may be prohibited.

"Some casinos may not want mobile gaming allowed from their high-end
restaurant," Clayton said. "It will be up to the properties to determine if
some locations are appropriate for mobile gaming."

With the second leg of tennis' Grand Slam beginning Monday at Roland Garros,
PinnacleSports.com today released odds on who'll win the Men's and Women's
singles titles at the 2006 French Open. Although the tournament draw hasn't
been announced yet, PinnacleSports.com foresees history repeating itself on
the clay courts, listing 2005 French Open champions Rafael Nadal and Justine
Henin-Hardenne as the favorites to win again this year. The largest sports
betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com believes Rafael Nadal will
continue his clay court dominance at Roland Garros and lists the Spaniard as
a 10/11 favorite to win his second consecutive French Open title. Meanwhile,
the world's top ranked men's player and winner of seven of the past eleven
Grand Slam singles titles, Roger Federer is a slight 9/5 underdog to capture
his first title at Roland Garros. Outside of the top two players in the
world, PinnacleSports.com believes all other players are long shots to win
on the red clay of Paris. Argentinian David Nalbandian (23/1); Spaniards
Nicolas Almagro (31/1) and Tommy Robredo (48/1), Russian Nikolay Davydenko
(57/1), and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez (59/1) are considered the top
contenders despite long odds against them. The odds are also heavily against
top American players Andy Roddick (124/1), James Blake (225/1) and Tommy
Haas (225/1) winning the second Grand Slam of the year.

On the women's side, PinnacleSports.com lists last year's champion Justine
Henin-Hardenne as a 5/2 favorite to win her third French Open title. World
number two, Kim Clijsters and four-time 2006 WTA tournament winner Nadia
Petrova have the second best odds to win the tournament at 5/1. Winner of
this year's Australian Open, Amelie Mauresmo currently stands at 7/1 odds to
overcome the pressure and capture her home country's Grand Slam tournament.
After capturing her first singles title since her comeback,
PinnacleSports.com lists Martina Hingis as a solid contender at Roland
Garros at 10/1 odds. Other contenders on the clay courts include; Svetlana
Kuznetsova (11/1), Venus Williams (16/1), Maria Sharapova (16/1), Elena
Dementieva (35/1) and Dinara Safina (43/1). The women's champion in 2000 and
last year's runner-up, Mary Pierce is a 49/1 underdog to win her second
French Open championship.

Current Odds: *All Odds Subject To Change*

Odds To Win Men's French Open (favorites & notable)

Rafael Nadal 10/11

Roger Federer 9/5

David Nalbandian 23/1

Nicolas Almagro 31/1

Tommy Robredo 48/1

Nikolay Davydenko 57/1

Fernando Gonzalez 59/1

Gaston Gaudio 64/1

David Ferrer 70/1

Jose Acasuso 70/1

Marat Safin 88/1

Andy Roddick 124/1

James Blake 225/1

Tommy Haas 225/1

Odds To Win Women's French Open (favorites & notable)

Justine Henin-Hardenne 5/2

Kim Clijsters 5/1

Nadia Petrova 5/1

Amelie Mauresmo 7/1

Martina Hingis 10/1

Svetlana Kuznetsova 11/1

Venus Williams 16/1

Maria Sharapova 16/1

Elena Dementieva 35/1

Dinara Safina 43/1

Mary Pierce 49/1

Patty Schnyder 56/1

Francesca Schiavone 72/1

Anastasia Myskina 79/1

PinnacleSports.com will also offer betting lines on every French Open match
utilizing their unique -105 pricing model that provides more value and up to
50% better odds to players than traditional sportsbooks. For more
information and a complete list of odds, please visit
www.pinnaclesports.com.

About PinnacleSports.com PinnacleSports.com (www.pinnaclesports.com) is the
Internet's largest sports betting site serving customers in more than 80
countries worldwide. Founded in 1998, PinnacleSports.com was the first
sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model
that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional
bookmakers.

As reported by the Electric Paper: "Thailand is going all out to stamp out
illegal World Cup betting. "Bangkok police put the city's bookies on notice
yesterday, announcing they have set up some 100 special units to crack down
on football gambling during the World Cup finals. "...'These special units
will boost the existing police work to effectively crack down on football
gambling by focusing on bookies,' the city's police chief Viroj
Chantharangsi said. "He also warned that police would be punished if they
failed to arrest gamblers.

"During the three-week Euro 2004 championships, a polling agency estimated
$814 million ($1.3b) were laid down in Thailand, despite the arrest of
hundreds of bookies on the tournament's first day

"...Thailand will also ban 'live' broadcasts of World Cup games in prisons
in a bid to prevent football gambling among inmates..."

As reported by the Agence France Presse: "Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi
Buffon has been quizzed by prosecutors investigating alleged illegal
betting. "Magistrates in Parma and Turin want to determine if the Juventus
player - the world's most expensive keeper - struck bets on his team through
unauthorised bookmakers. "Buffon, who was grilled for two hours by
magistrates in Parma, is one of four people under suspicion of floating the
law on illegal gambling. "...Buffon has already admitted placing bets when
he voluntarily appeared before prosecutors in Turin on May 13. "But he
insists he stopped when the Italian football federation (FIGC) made gambling
on any matches an offence last year..."

vsGaming and vsTechnology are pleased to announce their incorporation into
Gaming Technology Solutions plc (GTS plc). This is a natural progression
following strong growth in both companies, growth which is in line with the
phenomenal expansion that the e-gaming industry is seeing. The formation of
GTS signifies the advent of a powerful leading global supplier of open
end-to-end soft gaming solutions for delivery to IP enabled devices and iTV
boxes. With a strong background in research and quality of service
provision, vsGaming and vsTechnology have already established themselves as
market leaders in developing cross-platform delivery and virtual sports soft
gambling titles for the industry. vsGaming is an innovative and highly
respected games supplier, specialising in the creation of 'sticky' games for
internet gambling portals. They have a wide catalogue of games covering
virtual sports, games of skill and games of chance, including their
pioneering Virtual Horse Racing - one of the first commercially successful
online games of its kind. vsTechnology is a specialist technology provider
to the online gaming industry. Their patented and TST (Technical Systems
Testing) accredited EdGE (Enhanced Gaming Engine) architecture provides a
high quality black box solution for the 'cross platform' deployment of games
onto PCs, mobile phones, interactive TVs and games consoles.

The combination of both companies' expertise and resources puts GTS forward
as a unique and major pacesetting international games technology supplier to
many of the world's most successful online gambling businesses across Europe
and the Americas, including Bet and Win AG, SportingBet plc, Bet24, Victor
Chandler, Grand Central Sports, Bowmans International, BetWWTS, World
Gaming, English Harbour, Silver Dollar, Caribbean Gold Casino and Unibet.

QUOTE

The formation of GTS makes delivery of complete 'Soft Gaming' solutions to
its customers more seamless in offering a world-class entertainment
experience.

As reported by the Internation