Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hot new slots at Resorts Casino Tunica

Resorts Casino Tunica has not only undergone a recent renovation, the casino has also added a lot of new slot machines to the floor. Resorts has everything from Playboy Playmate Party to Mayan Treasures, plus a Tunica exclusive - Big Vegas.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Isle of Capri bringing big names to Lula, Mississippi

by David Grisham
LULA, Miss. — One headline entertainer after another is set to appear at the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula as part of the Jester’s Jam 2012 Concert Series.
“The Isle of Capri in Lula is committed to enhancing our customer's experience by providing quality entertainment every month in our showroom, “ said Jose Oakley, VP/GM of the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula. “The Jester's Jam concert series is a company wide effort to showcase our properties and enhance the gaming experience at all Isle properties.”
Country music star Tanya Tucker kicks things off with a Memorial Day weekend concert on Sunday, May 27.
Tucker first hit the top 10 of the music charts as a teenager in 1972 with “Delta Dawn,” followed by the doubled-sided “Jamestown Ferry” and “Love’s the Answer.” She also had a No. 1 song in 1973 with “What’s Your Mama’s Name.”
Other hits followed in the 1970’s, including “Blood Red and Goin’ Down” and “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone).” She then topped the country charts with “Lizzie and the Rainman,” “San Antonio Stroll” and “Here’s Some Love.”
Tucker paired with Glen Campbell in life and in the recording studio in the 1980’s and their duets included a charting revival of Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover.”
Her career was revitalized with 1986’s Girls Like Me, an album that spawned four Top 10 country singles. In 1988, she had three No. 1 country singles: “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love” (with Paul Davis and Paul Overstreet), “If It Don’t Come Easy” and “Strong Enough to Bend.”
After many years in country music, her contributions were rewarded when the Country Music Association voted her the top female vocalist in 1991. Eight consecutive singles reached the Top 10 in the early 1990s, including “Down to My Last Teardrop,” “(Without You) What Do I Do With Me” and “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane.”
Tickets are on sale for $20. Hotel and ticket packages start at $129. Book Tanya Tucker hotel and ticket packages online or to book by phone, call (800) THE-ISLE (1-800-483-4753) and mention code TURN.
• The Temptations bring the Motown sound to Lula on Saturday, June 30. The group has released four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles and 14 Billboard R&B No. 1 singles. The Temptations were the first Motown act to win a Grammy Award. The group has won three Grammy Awards and six Temptations have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Three classic Temptations songs, “My Girl”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, are among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Tickets are $30 and go on sale on May 21.
Mickey Gilley comes to the Isle of Capri Lula on Saturday, July 21. He grew up alongside famous cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart and learned to play piano at an early age, but did not achieve the success like his cousin Jerry Lee until later.  Gilley recorded his first song in Memphis for Dot Records and later performed as a singer and pianist in cities throughout the South.  In 1971 he, along with a business partner, opened Gilley’s.  The club would grow and one day be known as the world’s largest honky-tonk.  It was here that Gilley started experiencing his first success when he released “Room Full of Roses.” By the mid-seventies his songs were hitting the country charts with regularity. Tickets are $25 and go on sale June 18.
Country music legend George Jones will perform in Lula on Saturday, Aug. 11. Jones’ one-of-a-kind vocals have made him a country music icon. Some of his most memorable hits, now featured on his latest album, include “He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today,” “White Lightnin’,” “You’re Still on My Mind,” “Finally Friday,” “The Race is On,” and “I’m A Long Gone Daddy.” Tickets are $40 and go on sale July 2.
Country music singer-songwriter Tracy Lawrence comes to the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula on Saturday, Dec. 15. Lawrence has released 14 albums and amassed eight No. 1 hits. His first was “Sticks and Stones” in 1991. Over the years he followed with such chart-toppers as “Alibis,” “Can’t Break It to My Heart,” “May Second Home,” “If the Good Die Young,” “Texas Tornado,” “Time Marches On,” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.”
For more information on the concert series, visit www.jestersjam.com. For more on the casino, visit www.lula.isleofcapricasinos.com.

Southland Park Gaming & Racing upgrades to the tune of $11 million

by Rudi Schiffer
New Player Rewards Center
WEST MEMPHIS - When the Mississippi River flood of a year ago devastated the gaming industry and temporarily shut down the casinos in Tunica, it created an opportunity for Southland Park Gaming & Racing, which had escaped the water and benefited from being the only gaming facility in the Mid-South available for ever-eager gamblers.
Once the doors closed in Tunica, the doors to Southland opened wider and the Southland management team and employees made the moves necessary to handle the influx of new customers. Southland has been busy ever since.
“While our business was doing very well before the flood, that flood brought new gamers to our doors who had never experienced Southland before,” said Troy Keeping, president and general manager. “It also put a focus on areas that would need upgrading to accommodate the new business and keep our customers happy. We immediately began 24-hour operations.”
Parent company Delaware North agreed with Keeping's assessment and appropriated $11 million for  expanding and further renovating the facility. The work is just about finished and final touches on a new lounge and gaming floor expansion are projected to come to a conclusion in July. The project is the latest in a series of more than $50 million in improvements to the 55-year-old racing venue, making it a leading player in the Southern gaming industry.
“Our customer service, amenities and working conditions go hand-in-hand in providing great service,” said Keeping. “The expansion will provide our staff with much-needed additional kitchen and serving space to keep our service level high.”
The project ensures that guests can make the most of their visits and be comfortable at the same time as they take in 200 additional new gaming machines, a new circular bar and lounge, a permanent stage for promotions and entertainment, a new and improved players rewards club area and an expansion for the World Market Buffet.
William Bissett, president of Delaware North Companies Gaming and Entertainment, said, “Southland has proved a great success story and the support from the region and state has been tremendous on the local and state economy.”
The success of the facility has allowed for the addition of 60 new jobs, bringing Southland's current workforce to more than 600 people.
This represents about $2 million in additional payroll and benefits, upping the total for Southland to $17 million. Its tax contributions to West Memphis, Crittenden County and Arkansas have risen by more than $3.4 million to just over $19.5 million annually.
“Southland is a pivotal fixture in the West Memphis community and will continue its role of supporting the area with jobs, business stability, and economic and charitable contributions,” Keeping said.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Greatest cigar smoker ever is coming up in Memphis to help Children's Heart Fund

Attention cigar lovers: This is a great party for a worthy cause

Rudi Schiffer
Rudi Schiffer, host of the new Goodtimes Gambling Network and columnist in Jackpot! Magazine, invites you to "the greatest cigar smoker ever staged in the Mid-South" at the 8th annual fund raiser for the International Children’s Heart Fund on Saturday, June 2.
Schiffer said the “Taste of Caribe” will be a hot Latin-themed night under the stars at the offices and parking lot of architectural group Askew Nixon Ferguson, located at 1500 Union Ave.
"For a mere $25 bucks you can salsa to the sexy throbbings of the Latin Pulse band, enjoy the cash bar and drink mojitos, fine Bacardi rum and Grey Goose, among others, and show off your cool island duds," the gaming guru and cigar aficionado said. "You can chow down on Caribbean cuisine, and best of all, light up and smoke some of the finest hand-rolled imported cigars you have ever wrapped your lips around."
"Wear your Panama hat, get your lady in a halter top outfit and light it up for the kids," Rudi said, noting that the money raised helps children from around the world with congenital heart defects. The proceeds go to the Memphis-based International Children’s Heart Fund.
Schiffer emphasized the importance of the cause, "Without support of the fund and its pediatric surgical program, these kids will die. Tickets are ONLY 25 BUCKS so give it up, friend. See you there. Ol'e!"
You can buy tickets in advance at (901) 869-4243 or visit www.babyheart.org.


Friday, May 4, 2012

Trop Casino Greenville opens today

Trop Casino Greenville is about to open for VIP event. It will open to public at 3 pm today.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

New Trop Casino Greenville opens Friday


Check out state's new casino this weekend

GREENVILLE, Miss. — Land-based gaming has come to Greenville with the opening of Tropicana Entertainment’s new Trop Casino Greenville. During a visit recently, construction workers were putting the finishing touches on the gaming floor, slot technicians were installing new slot machines, and the gaming tables were being placed. It was almost “go time” as the grand opening celebration of Friday, May 4 was growing near. Plan to get in on all of the opening night action this Friday.
The Trop Casino Greenville is located at the site of the former Lighthouse Point Casino, along the Mighty Mississippi in the city’s historic downtown district. The new, expanded casino replaces Lighthouse Point and the nearby Jubilee Casino riverboat, both owned by Tropicana Entertainment, Inc.
Standing in the new Trop Casino, it is hard to believe that almost a year ago to the day of the grand opening, the Lighthouse Point Casino had to be closed temporarily in advance of a rising Mississippi River. The Great Flood of 2011 was coming and would soon flood the land-based portion of the facility, making the floating casino impossible to access.
“The difference is night and day,” General Manager Chris Strobbe said. “Last year about this time, water was going through where we are now standing. Today, we’ve created a new and improved entertainment experience for customers in historic Greenville.”
Trop Casino Greenville features not only a new landside casino floor with new gaming machines, but also an improved dining experience at the new Big Waters Grille, and other renovations.
“We’ve got a lot of new machines with the latest and most popular themes – Betty Boop, Monopoly, Tarzan, Mr. Cashman,” Strobbe said, “as well as table games and video poker.”
Some 18 flat-screen televisions are positioned throughout the landside portion of the casino, as are 326 slot machines, six blackjack tables, a craps table and a video poker bar. Additionally, 216 slot machines are located on the riverboat, for a total of about 550 units. Slot tournaments, drawings and VIP events will also take place on the boat.
Casino floor at Trop Casino Greenville
Natural lighting, brick interior walls and exposed rafters are part of the new, upscale design of the 13,000 square-foot land-based facility. The Big Waters Grille is conveniently located near the front entrance and its dining fare will “capture the flavor of the region,” Strobbe said. Executive Chef David Paul was brought in two months ago to run the grill and all of the cooks, servers and supervisors are from Mississippi.
The new casino and eatery are only part of the story here, however. Trop Casino Greenville also includes the nearby Greenville Inn & Suites, a 41-room suite hotel that offers free shuttle service to and from the casino. The hotel has also undergone its own transformation, with new TV sets, mattresses, carpets, and more.
Marketing Director Cheryl Good said that Trop Casino Greenville customers also benefit from the recent introduction of the Trop Advantage customer rewards program, which will allow customers to redeem rewards at the Greenville facility or at other Tropicana properties located in Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey and Aruba. Good said the rewards program is currently in place at four Tropicana properties and will eventually be rolled out at all of the casinos.
Strobbe said another benefit for customers is a companywide focus on improved customer service. Two teams from Lighthouse Point and Jubilee casinos have come together to form one team, which has undergone extensive training leading up to the opening of Trop Casino.
“There is a new attitude, culture, promotions, player rewards program and a new state-of-the-art casino in historic Greenville,” Strobbe explained. “All of this coincides with plans to renovate downtown Greenville.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” he concluded, “and it is a true investment. It’s a great way to kick off downtown renovation.”
Tropicana Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded company that, along with its affiliates, owns or operates nine casinos and resorts in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Aruba including approximately 6,048 hotel rooms, 7,583 slot positions and 231 table games. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Goodtimes Radio Show moves to drive time on 1180AM KXIQ in Memphis market


Country's longest running live-format casino gaming show expands coverage area

MEMPHIS - For the first time in its 19-year-history as the only live casino gaming format radio show in the Mid-South, the Goodtimes Radio Show will now be broadcast during prime drive time radio in Memphis on Classic Country 1180AM KXIQ, a station owned by Pollack Broadcasting. In addition, it will be simulcast in KMIS AM/FM markets north of Memphis. 
Hosted by Rudi and Mike Schiffer, the networked show will expand to two-and-one-half hours on Friday afternoons from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and be rebroadcast later. Formerly on Yahoo Sports 730 AM, the change was made to take advantage of the opportunity to be on drive time not only in Memphis, but in adjoining markets. The move will increase the show's audience and reach with a clearer daytime signal from 5,000 watts of power offered by 1180 KXIQ.
GoodTimes Radio Show's Rudi Schiffer
“The show will increase its reach in the Mid-South and will also be broadcast on our sister stations, 1050 KMIS AM and 103.9 FM, serving the Missouri Bootheel, Northeast Arkansas, Northwest Tennessee, Southwest Illinois and parts of Western Kentucky,“ said owner Bill Pollack. “With coverage in Mississippi, the show is now available to over 1.1 million people living in the area covered by the new network.”
The first show, which now targets the affluent 35-plus demographic, will be aired on Friday, May 4, beginning at 3 p.m. and will include a half hour segment with John Robison, expert slot-play writer, along with gaming, promotion, strategy and entertainment, live interviews with other gaming experts and casino executives for Mississippi casinos, as well as from Southland Park Gaming & Racing in West Memphis, Ark. The show is noted for its giveaway trivia prizes supplied by sponsors including overnight stays, free play, dinners and buffets. Listen this Friday and call Rudi on the show at (901) 662-0022 for your chance to win.
The Goodtimes Show is currently sponsored by Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Fitz Casino & Hotel, Gold Strike Casino Resort, Pearl River Resort and Southland Park Gaming & Racing. Listen to live streaming audio on www.KXIQ radio.com. Follow Rudi on Twitter @rudischiffer. For more information, send an e-mail to goodtimesradio@comcast.net.