Wembley unveils MGM deal - 2004-01-27
Six UK greyhound tracks might before long have the same owner as the world famous MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas after bosses consented to a £270 million takeover.

The directors of gaming group Wembley supported the acquisition by casino giant MGM Mirage after the UK company secured agreement with US prosecutors to separate an ongoing legal case from the sale of the company.

The deal ends uncertainty over the future of the group after it announced in November that it had received approaches from a number of would-be buyers.
Read the full story at Ananova

Texas Hold’em finds new players, thanks to television programs and casino tournaments - 2004-01-27
Tony Gines, 22, and Joe Melillo, 24, both of Paramus, sized up the competition for a Texas Hold'em poker tournament at the Sands Casino Hotel Friday night. At first look, the group looked like average poker players - older guys with bad toupees and loud shirts; young men with lots of attitude and bravado.

But Gines and Melillo weren't nervous. In this room they were seasoned vets. Melillo had been playing Hold'em for a solid year. Gines, all of six months. And the "players" in the room were dominated by doctors, lawyers, plumbers and truck drivers, not to mention a few grandmas and soccer moms, many of whom were in their first poker tournament ever. The buy-in for the event - $35 bucks.
Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City