MN casino news

[Minn. Fatz]

The Duluth News Tribune reports leadership of the Fond du Lac band of Ojibwe is unsatisfied with the deal they have with the City of Duluth under which 19 percent of the machine take at the Fond-du-Luth Casino goes to the City's Community Investment Trust Fund. According to the story, last year Duluth cleared about $6.4m from this legal "rake," which would put last year's gross slot and VP revenue at Fond-du-Luth just under $33.7m.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articl ... ction=news


The Minneapolis Star Tribune notes Running Aces harness track and card room plans to lay off one-tenth of its current staff. Co-owners Southwest Casino Corp. are in a kerfuffle with Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes over management of their Oklahoma Lucky Star casinos; co-owner MTR Gaming reportedly is trying to deal its half-interest.



 
For any table poker players out there, Running Aces reportedly lays a $2-60 spread limit Hold 'Em game with a $200 max buy-in that is the closest you'll get in Minnesota to no-limit (other than bar poker freerolls and casino and cardroom tournaments).
 
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/28271064.html

[Minn. Fatz]

Mrs. Minn. and I having just returned from a rainy, but enjoyable, weekend in Duluth it's my sad duty to report that VP at Fond-du-Luth has gone far downhill. The $1 OEJ full-pay machines are gone. What's on offer is mostly 94-95 percent EV games like Coyote Ugly Deuces and 8-5-4 DB, and that on 10-coin max machines for quarters, halves and dollars. The best VP game in the place is probably 6-5 BP; the good news -- if there can be any -- is that this is on a bank of Royal Touch machines on the first floor which offer 800:1 payback on a RF regardless of the number of coins in. So you could play this just-under 96.9 percent EV game for a nickel a spin up to $5 a spin without further loss of EV. If you only played after midnight on quadruple points days you could add about 1.75 percent to that.
They do still lay six-deck blackjack under pretty standard rules, now clearly the best game in the house. As for me and Mrs. Minn., we'll probably just take the hotel casino comp package and maybe play a little VP for giggles if we're up after that.
My comment: Seems like the tribe has taken the first steps toward getting more return off this property, which is no less convenient or attractive than before, though I thought it might be a little less crowded. Time will tell if Fond-du-Luth will become nothing much more than a waiting room with slots for the bus to the tribe's main Black Bear casino. End comment.

[Minn. Fatz]

Over the weekend the Star Tribune reported Running Aces' new owners unexpectedly laid off more employees and are seeking to open next year's racing season on May 15, the same date as thoroughbred track Canterbury Park. Southwest is still managing the harness track and has retained an option to buy back its former half-share. (http://www.startribune.com/local/north/35346649.html)