Rookies start in fast lane Cup newcomers speed ahead - 2004-02-12
Brendan Gaughan's a betting man, weaned on the action in his father's Orleans Casino back home in Las Vegas.

He still wouldn't put any money on himself to win the Nextel Cup rookie of the year award though. At least not at the moment.

"Wait until I go to 10-to-1," he said, when told Vegas bookmakers had opened a line and Brian Vickers was the favorite.

For now, Gaughan said, the 20-year-old reigning Busch Series champion is where the smart money is, even though this year's six-deep crop of newcomers is arguably one of the best and most diverse in NASCAR history.
Read the full story at Cincinnati Post

Colleges aim to up odds on getting into gaming - 2004-02-12
Here in the American Indian gaming capital of California, the casino and the campus have entered into a marriage of mutual financial benefit.

Two local institutions of higher learning are developing certificate programs in gambling-ology to train students for jobs in one of the few growth industries in the state: Indian casinos.

Grossmont College in El Cajon hopes next month to get approval to award a certificate of achievement for students finishing courses in the program Tribal Gaming: Culture and Policies. Officials at the two-year college hope the program will evolve into an associate of arts program, with units transferable to four-year colleges.
Read the full story at Contra Costa Times