1979 stories by Steve Bittenbender
Santa Anita Receives Approval from LA County to Resume Racing on Friday
Santa Anita Park announced on Wednesday that it received permission from the Los Angeles County Health Department to resume horse racing, which it plans to do on Friday. It will mark the first time in seven weeks The Stronach Group-owned track will...
Arkansas’ Oaklawn Casino to Reopen with Restrictions After Two-Month Closure
Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark., said Wednesday that it will be ready to reopen its casino Monday, May 18 at 9 a.m. in accordance with state guidelines. Monday is the first day Arkansas casinos will be able to open,...
Delayed Kentucky Derby Allows Churchill Downs to Add Summer Races as 2020 Qualifiers
As Churchill Downs gets ready to resume racing this weekend, track officials announced Tuesday they have added races to the Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying system. That gives horses more chances to accumulate points over the summer and earn a spot...
Magician Roy Horn Cremated, Remains Will Stay at Vegas Estate
Roy Horn will stay in Las Vegas. That’s according to Siegfried Fischbacher, the magician’s longtime partner, who told a German publication that the ashes of Horn will be kept at a chapel on the duo’s lavish estate. Horn, 75, died Friday from...
Pechanga Casino Scheduled to Reopen on June 1, Plan Focus On ‘Health and Safety’
UPDATE (5/13) - A Pechanga spokeswoman tells Casino.org that the casino resort has extended insurance benefits to all furloughed employees through the end of May. The article has been updated below. California’s largest casino announced over the weekend that it plans to...
Synergy Blue Study Finds 51 Percent of Bettors Willing to Return to Casinos
More than half of the gamblers who participated in an online survey say they will go back to casinos once they reopen from the COVID-19 crisis. However, younger bettors are far more likely than older patrons to head back immediately. Las Vegas-based...
Caesars Announces Plan to Reopen US Casinos That Abides by COVID-19 Social Distancing Guidelines
Caesars Entertainment Corp. on Monday revealed that it has developed reopening plans for its 36 casinos and resorts across the country that have been closed for nearly two months by the coronavirus outbreak. That plan will rely heavily on its locations implementing...
Retired Poker Pro Leads ‘Grassroots Effort’ to Recall Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman
Saturday marked the third day of an effort to recall Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, and the initiative led by a retired professional poker player is already picking up steam. Doug Polk posted on Twitter Saturday that he’s received emails from hundreds...
Preakness Stays in Baltimore as Bill Passes Without Governor Signing, 2020 Date Still Uncertain
The Preakness will stay in Baltimore. On Thursday, a bill that set aside funding to renovate Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, the latter which hosts the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, became law when Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan –...
Roy Horn, of Famed Vegas Magic Act Siegfried and Roy, Dead at 75 from COVID-19 Complications
Roy Horn, a master illusionist whose longstanding act with fellow magician Siegfried Fischbacher formed one of the most iconic entertainment attractions ever on the Las Vegas Strip, died Friday at age 75, MGM Resorts International announced. Multiple media outlets, including the New...
