Sat, Dec 26, 2009

Opponents vow to continue fight against casino

The Cordish Companies' planned slot casino at Arundel Mills Mall last week finally received the county zoning approval viewed as its final legal hurdle. Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold signed the new zoning into law.

The planned 4,750-machine slot casino-a 215,000-square-foot facility, including a 125,000-square-foot gaming floor-had already received the sole slot license for Anne Arundel County from the Maryland Video Lottery Facilities Location Committee, but the County Council had repeatedly delayed a vote on a zoning change required to make the casino a reality.

The council had been under much pressure to deny zoning, as neighborhood groups protested a casino being placed close to their homes. One state lawmaker even submitted a bill to ban slots from within 1,500 feet of a mall, which would have essentially banned the casino.

Other opposition came from those still pushing for slots at the Laurel Park racetrack, also in Anne Arundel County. At the beginning of the bidding process, Anne Arundel was the only county in Maryland with competing bids for a license-one from Cordish; the other from Laurel Racing, the subsidiary of Magna Entertainment that runs the racetrack. Laurel Racing's bid was rejected because Magna failed to submit the required license fee along with its application-a decision Magna subsequently fought, unsuccessfully, in the courts. Magna is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and plans to sell the racetrack along with its other assets, including Preakness site Pimlico Race Course, at auction.

Two weeks ago, Joseph DeFrancis, former owner of the Maryland Jockey Club-the umbrella organization for Magna's two Maryland tracks, Laurel and Pimlico-announced his intention to submit a bid to acquire Laurel Park and Pimlico in Magna's bankruptcy auction, saying he hoped to revive the bid for slots at Laurel Park.

DeFrancis is one of six bidders for the Maryland Jockey Club. A Pennsylvania company, Blow Horn Equity LLC, became the latest suitor last week-also pledging to revive the slot quest.

Prior to the zoning vote, current MJC President Tom Chuckas predicted that slots at Arundel Mills will ultimately force Laurel Park to close.

Cordish, which is one of the other bidders for Laurel Park, has indicated it will opt for slots at its casino at Arundel Mills Mall even if successful at buying the track.

However, opponents to the slot casino at the mall have vowed to continue their fight. A group called Stop Slots at Arundel Mills has launched a petition drive to put the issue of slots at the mall up to a county referendum vote. Opposition groups would need to gather 19,000 signatures and file the referendum application within 45 days after enactment of the law, which was December 21.

Opponents of the mall plan claim the county's voters, who were pro-gaming in the statewide vote that authorized slot machines, likely anticipated that the Anne Arundel license would be granted to Laurel Park.

"The Maryland Jockey Club will fully support the counter initiative sponsored by the group Stop Slots at Arundel Mills Mall to bring this issue back to the voters of Anne Arundel County, who deserve the right to determine if a mall is what they wanted for gaming," Chuckas told the Associated Press. "We are going to continue to pursue all of our legal options and exhaust all means and measures to continue this fight."

The council also approved a second zoning bill that would expand the area zoned for slots to include Laurel Park, which would keep hopes alive to place slots at the track, in the unlikely event opponents of the mall plan succeed in derailing the project.

Leopold, who supports the Cordish plan, quickly vetoed that bill.

Cordish, meanwhile, is forging ahead with the Arundel Mills Mall plan. "Now we go to work," said CEO David Cordish in an interview with the Baltimore Sun.

He told the newspaper he will invest at least $300 million to build a first-class casino resort including top-tier restaurants and entertainment, and that he will consider opening a temporary casino while the permanent facility is under construction.

Cordish has predicted the permanent casino will be up and running by fall of 2011.

Cordish also announced last week that he is interested in the slot license for the city of Baltimore. Two weeks ago, the state commission rejected the application of Baltimore City Entertainment Group, citing the group's failure to meet deadlines for submitting plans and paying the license fee for the expanded slot floor it was planning. Cordish said he would be interested in that license, if the state would permit him to have two facilities.

"I would be very interested in Baltimore city if it was permissible," Cordish, whose company is based in Baltimore, told the bizjournals.com news service. "I love Baltimore city. Our company is in Baltimore city; we've been here for 90 years."

It would require an act of the Maryland General Assembly to grant Cordish his wish. The state's slot law does not permit dual-casino licensees.

By Staff   Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Kate Spilde has a long history in the academic side of Indian gaming. Prior to joining San Diego State as an  associate professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, she was managing director for the Center for California Native Nations at the University of California Riverside and a senior research associate at the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. She got her start as a researcher for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission in 1998. Now, as the first endowed chair of the Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, Spilde is responsible for overseeing the first and only four-year degree program in tribal gaming. She spoke with Global Gaming Business Publisher Roger Gros at G2E in Las Vegas in November.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

In three Illinois cities, Joliet, Aurora and Elgin, casinos have helped keep property taxes down. But with the withering effects of the economy hurting even gaming profits, these cities are having to either raise taxes or cut city expenses.

Joliet, which has two casinos, just passed a 12 percent increase in property taxes. It collected $28.3 million in taxes from casinos last year, which was about 20 percent less than the year before, a figure that was more or less mirrored by Aurora and Elgin, although they received less gross income: $12.6 million and $19.1 million respectively.

The decline in casino profits went hand in hand with declines in the income tax revenues, more unemployed and less consumer spending.

Instead of raising property taxes, as Joliet did, Aurora and Elgin cut city jobs and pulled the belt tighter on their budgets. But their property tax rates were already higher than Joliet's rates.

Joliet's city manager Thomas Thanas was quoted by the Courier-News talked about his city's philosophy on taxes. "I think it's a sign of what the city (of Joliet) has done for a long time, which is using other revenue to keep the tax rate down," he said.

Because it gets so much more money from casinos, Joliet's government has become somewhat dependent on that revenue, using it to pay city workers and for operations, instead of for one time capital expenditures, as it originally planned to do.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Gary Jacobs, an integral member of MGM Mirage's CityCenter team, resigned December 15, the day before the Aria Resort & Casino's grand opening. MGM Mirage and Jacobs, the company's president of corporate strategy, general counsel and secretary, did not give a reason for Jacobs' departure in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing December 18.

Jacobs played a pivotal role in the eventual completion of CityCenter. He helped resolve MGM's financial tangle with Dubai World, which led to a new joint venture agreement and a $2.6 billion recapitalization.

After CityCenter's financial woes were soothed, Jacobs told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the experience was "kind of like going down a river, but you would hit one set of rapids, then that the experience was "kind of like going down a river, but you would hit one set of rapids, then you hit another set of rapids, and another and then another one. It was nonstop."

Prior to joining MGM Mirage as general counsel in 2000, Jacobs worked as a lawyer in private practice in Los Angeles.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Tropicana Entertainment LLC is continuing to add experience to its leadership team with the announcement of David Zamarin's appointment to the position of senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Zamarin has a wealth of experience in marketing, having served as marketing vice president for Sol Casinos in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year. He also headed corporate marketing at Penn National Gaming from 2002 to 2008, where he boosted Penn's profile through a number of strategic marketing maneuvers. Tropicana Entertainment CEO Scott Butera said he thinks Zamarin will bring his expertise to the Las Vegas company, which is currently in the midst of purchasing Atlantic City's Tropicana casino.

"We are pleased to have David join our team," Butera said. "He brings us a wealth of knowledge and experience in database marketing, customer development and promotional activities. He also has the strategic vision to lead the development of a brand strategy that positions us for future growth."

Tropicana Entertainment is not related to the Tropicana Las Vegas resort, which is operated by investor Alex Yemenidjian.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Las Vegas's Stratosphere casino already boasts three thrill rides at the top of the sky-high tower, but the property plans to add another called Sky Jump.

The Sky Jump attraction involves bungee jumping with a wire, and would cost approximately $3.6 million of the Stratosphere's $22 million budget in 2010 to build. But first, the company needs permission from the city's building and safety department, after which the property will announce when the Sky Jump will be open for business.

Stratosphere's Big Shot, X-Scream and Insanity, the Ride are popular attractions for the casino, which has found that thrill-seekers love jumping, falling and riding atop the property's observation deck.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

The relationship between a casino company and the industry's largest union is never cozy, but when the company has failed to allow the union to organize its workers, it's downright nasty.

Case in point: Last week, UNITE HERE, which represents culinary and hotel workers across the country, issued a press release criticizing Pinnacle Entertainment for various missteps in Missouri-where the company has resisted organizing efforts by the union-and elsewhere.

At the top of the release, the union rehashes the resignation of former CEO Dan Lee, and bemoans the fact that the company has yet to name a replacement. It criticizes outstanding commitments to St. Louis, when the union admits that a slow economy is to blame. And the union can't understand why the company is fighting the introduction of even more competition into the already crowded St. Louis market.

But if Pinnacle agrees to allow the union to organize workers at its St. Louis casino, Lumiere Place and new River City Casino in suburban St. Louis, everything will be fine.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Leading table-game equipment supplier Gaming Partners International Corporation announced the successful delivery of its order for the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, which opened December 16. The order included all of the casino's gaming tables, casino chips, precision dice and other table game equipment.

Aria, which is part of the CityCenter project purchased GPI's popular Paulson line of gaming chips, a significant portion of which was fitted with high-frequency 13.56MHz RFID (radio frequency identification device) microchips. This technology enables casinos to track individual chips throughout the gaming floor and, with specialized readers and software, follow payments, fills and credits, table drops, tips, and wins and losses per table at any time of the day. GPI's high-frequency RFID chips are compatible with special player tracking hardware and software that allow for accurate tracking of play data from tables so casinos can follow player bets and accurately rate and reward players.

GPI also delivered 190 custom-built gaming tables for the Aria casino, which includes a poker room and three separate high-limit gaming salons. The hand-crafted tables, which were designed to complement the natural light aesthetic of the Aria casino, included poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and other casino table games.

"We are thrilled that the Aria Resort and Casino has chosen GPI to supply its tables, chips and other table equipment," said Greg Gronau, president and CEO of GPI. "Aria is one of the most highly anticipated new casinos this year, and their decision to utilize GPI gaming furniture and table products is a testament to the high levels of quality and service that GPI provides."

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Slot manufacturer Multimedia Games progressed in its effort to secure Class III licensing across the country last week, when the Mississippi Gaming Commission awarded the company a license to manufacture and distribute games to the state's commercial casinos.

Mississippi regulators also granted licensing approvals to members of the manufacturer's senior management team.

The licensing is Multimedia Games' first ever for a major commercial casino market. Company officials say they will submit several high-performing video reel titles to the commission's laboratory for approval in calendar 2010.

"We are grateful to the Mississippi Gaming Commission and its staff for the timely diligence in processing our license application, said Anthony Sanfilippo, president and CEO of Multimedia Games. "Securing this license represents a significant milestone in our efforts to expand the market presence of Multimedia Games. Over the last 18 months we have implemented key changes to the organization, including a centralized approach to new licensing efforts. Including the Mississippi license, Multimedia Games has now been granted 19 new licenses since implementing our new market licensing initiatives, representing an increase of over 40 percent in the number of licenses held by the company since we began this effort."

Multimedia as an additional 11 license applications currently under review by regulatory agencies across the country.

"Concurrent with our efforts to be licensed in commercial casino markets, Multimedia Games has made significant advances in our game development process and the Class III titles we plan to submit to the Mississippi Gaming Commission Laboratory next year for review," said Sanfilippo, "including Meltdown Core Reaction, Jambalaya Jackpot, Queen of the Desert, Ernestine's Ringy Dingy Reels and Sport of Kings, reflect the progress we have made in growing our portfolio of slot products with intuitive play features that offer high levels of entertainment and which generate an emotional connection with players."

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Leading slot manufacturer International Game Technology announced that its server-based gaming solution, the sbX Experience Management System, is live and fully operational at the new Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip.

"It's truly a game changer," said Patti Hart, IGT's president and CEO. "What was once a multi-year decision for a casino operator is now a 15-second decision. Before, an operator had to make a long-term commitment to a game purchase. With sbX, the operator can now have a machine with an entire library of games tied to it-allowing them unmatched flexibility for game mix decisions. For the first time, an operator can manage in near real time, making changes to their casino floor as their player mix changes."

The sbX system allows operators to download new games to machines on the floor, but also features applications allowing the player to make service requests right at the slot machine. In addition to IGT games, a select number of games from rival slot manufacturer WMS are linked to the sbX management system.

"At CityCenter, we are pleased to offer our players the personalization, customization and choices that sbX and the Service Window provide," said Bill McBeath, president and chief operating officer of Aria.

The ARIA casino floor features a combination of IGT's server-based network, incorporating the player-focused Service Window, sbX Floor Manager and Media Manager, the IGT Advantage casino management system, 100 WMS machines and 970 IGT AVP machines with 3-D Multi-Layer Display technology. This complete solution is known as IGT DynamiX.

"We are excited to join with CityCenter and IGT in the industry's first GSA-compliant server-based solution on such a large scale," said Orrin Edidin, president of WMS Industries Inc.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Dutch signage producer Signs4U has created 17 new signs for Casino Espinho in Portugal. The casino recently underwent a complete renovation of its interior, accompanied by a retraining of all staff with an eye to improving service.

Among the challenges faced by the designer were adapting some of the signage intended for use above banks of slots to lower-than-average ceiling heights. Some signs were also built to wrap around pillars. The company worked closely on the project with its Portuguese distributor, Trade Game.

Marcos Pintos of Trade Game said of the Casino Espinho project, "This casino has the most signs per square meter in Portugal (and probably in Europe) with an average of one sign per 30 machines."

Marcos said that it is a fact that the most attractive machines are those in banks complete with signage above them.

In November, Signs4U delivered three double-faced signs and 100 custom-ordered machine toppers to the new Sun International casino in Morocco, the Mazagan Casino.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Minnesota's gaming tribes have directed the lion's share of political contributions in the last decade to Democratic-Farm-Labor candidates in the state. Since 1998 tribal casinos have spent more than $4 million in political contributions. Republicans have received much less of this political largesse, although they do get some. Gambling spending may be key in next year's elections, when racetracks will have an initiative on the ballot that would allow them to deploy slot machines. A grassroots political organization has formed to push this initiative, and has recruited retiring Senate Minority Leader Dick Day as its leader. The organization is said to have raised $250,000 to push the issue. Tribal gaming  interests oppose these efforts.  • The Chickasaw Nation has been granted a license to operate Remington Park racetrack by the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission. The nation, through a subsidiary, recently purchased the track from the bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp. for $80.25 million. The sale becomes final at the end of 2009. The tribe expects to spend $12 million in the next few months. New machines will soon be added, bringing the total slot machines to 750. • The Ak-Chin Indian Community last week extended by five years Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s management contract to run the tribe's casino resort in Maricopa, Arizona. Harrah's has run the Ak-Chin casino hotel for the past 15 years.  •  As expected, Pennsylvania table game legislation will wait until at least January 6 for resolution, although there were rumors of a deal last week. State House leaders did not like changes to the table-game bill made by the Senate, including a measure to create a 15^th license, which would add a third 500-machine resort casino; and a tax rate of 14 percent that House Democrats feel is too low. The House adjourned without a vote on the bill. Governor Ed Rendell has threatened layoffs of state employees if the measure, which would provide $200 million to the state budget from taxes on table games, is not on his desk by January 8.  •  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge A. Jay Cristol has denied Fontainebleau Las Vegas' request to award $1 million in bonuses to the bankrupt resort's key employees. Cristol said the court "does not believe the payments do serve the interests of the creditors in this case," according to the Las Vegas Sun.  ·  Minnesota's Upper Sioux Community may be planning a multi-million dollar renovation of its Prairie's Edge Casino Resort, if the rumors are true. Tribal Chair Kevin Jensvold recently told the Advocate Tribune that the tribe is currently considering some enhancements to Prairie's Edge, but would not confirm a timetable.  •  The closed Silver Club casino in Sparks, Nevada opened its doors for eight hours last Tuesday to keep its gaming license active. Nevada requires casinos operate for a minimum of eight hours each quarter to maintain their licenses.  •  Lawyers for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reportedly are advising the board against granting an extension to Foxwoods Philadelphia to submit architectural renderings of its property. Last August, the board gave Foxwoods until May 2011 to have slots up and running at its waterfront location, and gave the developer a December 1 deadline to submit plans, which Foxwoods missed. In a recommendation for denial of the extension, board counsel Dale Miller wrote that Foxwoods had offered no facts supporting its request. The state Senate wrote an extension for Foxwoods into  the table-game legislation sent to the state House, but that is one of several provisions unlikely to survive a compromise bill.  • Florida regulators last month denied an application from Miami Dade County for a parimutuel license that would have allowed slot machines at Miami International Airport. The county hoped revenue from slots would help fund airport operations, but the Department of Business Professional Regulation cited statutes that deny any government, local or county, from receiving a parimutuel permit.  •  The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared the Palm Beach Princess casino ship to resume twice-daily gambling cruises out of Palm Beach, Florida, even though the 420-foot ship's main engine is dead. The Coast Guard cited safety concerns when it ordered the Princess to stop sailing on December 8. The company said it is shopping for a ship to replace the 46-year-old Princess, which  does not meet new international maritime safety standards that will take effect in October 2010.  •  With its acquisition of Resorts Atlantic City, Credit Suisse AG has become the second European bank to assume control of a U.S. gaming resort since the fall of 2008. It joins Deutsche Bank AG, which is paying to complete and open the $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  •  A federal judge has ruled that Keystone Development Partners, a group including casino mogul Donald Trump and Trump Entertainment Resorts, can proceed with a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board over rejection of its application for the TrumpStreet Casino in Philadelphia. The Trump group is alleging that the board discriminated against the project because of its ties to Atlantic City when the panel awarded the two Philadelphia slot licenses to SugarHouse and Foxwoods. The partnership, which planned a casino at the former Budd industrial site in the city's Nicetown section, also includes former Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified financial damages, claims the gaming board unfairly favored in-state developers and excluded any company with ties to Atlantic City. The board and the owners of winning bidder SugarHouse had moved for dismissal of the case.  •  Standard & Poors has downgraded the credit rating of Pittsburgh's Rivers Casino for the second time since September. Citing week operating performance and concerns that the casino may not have the money to meet its debt obligations, Rivers was dropped two notches, from B-minus to CCC.  •  Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said last week he will oppose a provision in the table-game bill as passed by the state Senate that involves distribution of the 2 percent local share of taxes. The Senate-passed table bill requires half of the local share to go to grants for nonprofit agencies, for education, child welfare, health care and other services. Nutter and other city leaders want the money to flow directly to the city's general fund.

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

"The Chinese people are some of the smartest at math in the world, but they stop believing in it when they come here. They come through the door of a casino and all that math vanishes."

-Melco Crown Entertainment Co-Chairman Lawrence Ho to the Times on why his casino in Macau will be successful

"We're not putting a gun to anybody's head. We're just saying the facts."

-Charles Hayward, president of the New York Racing Association, who says NYRA may be forced to eliminate the Belmont Stakes-the third leg in the Triple Crown-if New York does not choose a racino operator for Aqueduct

"I think the single biggest issue facing the e-gaming sector for the next five to six years is going to be changes to law. That's whether the United States market will open up and whether the free market will win out in Europe."

-Warwick Bartlett, chairman of the Association of British Bookmakers and founder of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Man Junior Chamber of Commerce

"A project of that magnitude in Atlantic City would expand our market. I think Atlantic City is still kind of in a growth phase, where projects that have 'wow power' will bring more people here."

-Jeffrey Vasser, president of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, who says a project like Aria in Vegas could do wonders for the South Jersey resort

"I supported it because I thought it was out-of-the-box thinking by the airport."

-Miami-Dade County, Florida, Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, on a failed plan by Miami International to fund operations with slots

"Hopes for an economic recovery in this upstate region of New York depend on authorization of casino gaming."

-New York Governor David Paterson, in a letter to President Barack Obama stating his support of off-reservation casinos; the St. Regis Mohawks and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans have attempted over the past decade to bring casinos to the Catskills

"I truly believe Atlantic City is permanently disfigured."

-Morgan Joseph & Co. gaming analyst Justin T. Sebastiano

"Everybody's been anticipating it. The fact that it's such a large amount and the fact that it's one of the leading casinos in the country-in the world, really-makes it significant."

-Gaming attorney Kevin Quigley, on the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, which  officially defaulted last week on a $21.25 million bond-interest payment due in November. The tribe owns Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut

"I don't feel the type of facility we're envisioning would be right for eastern Long Island."

-Shinnecock Tribe Trustee Fred Bess, who agrees with wealthy Long Islanders that a casino in Southampton could create traffic nightmares. The tribe, which is poised for federal recognition, are scouting off-reservation locales including Suffolk County, Belmont Park, Aqueduct and the Catskills

"It's lousy and despicable, and Pennsylvania taxpayers ought to be upset... The entire bill stinks. It's all politics and it's all special interests."

-Pennsylvania state Rep. Dan Moul, on the bill to add table games to the state's casinos

"This is what happens when politicians use the CRDA as their own ATM machine."

-New Jersey Assemblyman John Amodeo, complaining about a $16.5 million Casino Reinvestment Development Authority grant distributed in 2002 to Camden County for a sports arena that was never built—funds that were never returned to the state

"This is not the end, but the beginning. We're going to fight every permit, the covenants, everything."

-Rob Annicelli, president of Maryland anti-gaming group Stop Slots at Arundel Mills, vowing in a Baltimore Sun interview to continue the group's fight against Cordish Companies' planned slot casino at Arundel Mills Mall, which received final zoning approval

"People come to Las Vegas, they like the hotel they're in but they also like to get out and walk and visit. In Atlantic City we don't have that, a lot of people go into a hotel and leave, or go next door and then they leave."

-Harrah's Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman on why he doesn't think the completion of the Revel Entertainment property in Atlantic City will make much difference to the struggling town

"Every single big family has its own disagreements. When we all sit down together we talk about business less. When I sit with my father it is more like father and son than two competitors trying to chew each other's heads off."

-Melco Crown Entertainment Co-Chairman Lawrence Ho on gatherings with family members, father Stanley and sister Pansy

"It's my personal opinion that if you're in the gambling racket today illegally, you shouldn't be able to operate legally. It's my feeling we should be as strict as we possibly can."

-Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffee, whose board is under considerable pressure to quickly approve regulations that would allow vendors to install 21,000 video slot machines and the state to start collecting taxes; the board is also being pressured to allow those who have been illegally operating the machines up to now to be licensed

"I've personally delivered more than $50 million to the redevelopment of the historic district, which has become an art and cultural center. The last thing we need is something that does anything other than enhance the thriving historic district."

-Massachusetts state Senator Mark Montigny signals his opposition to a proposal to turn an old power plant in New Bedford's historical district into a casino

"That we are in a fiscal crisis cannot be denied: The state needs the revenue, and in this dire economy we surely need the jobs. But proponents of the bill must accept that if we are to bring casinos into the commonwealth, steps must be taken to ensure that this additional revenue does not come at the expense of the quality of life in our communities. "

-Tom Sannicandro, writing for the Worcester Business Journal about current efforts in the Massachusetts Legislature to expanding gaming in the state

"The commission needs more analysis and, especially, additional hard data before it can reach firm findings to provide a complete analysis to help guide decision makers and others as they grapple with the complicated, multilayered issue of whether to expand gambling."

-From the interim report issued by the Gaming Study Commission formed by New Hampshire Governor John Lynch to study the pros and cons of expanded gaming. A final report is expected in May