Category Archives: Blackjack

When Hard Rock Atlantic City and Ocean Resort Casino (its name at the time) opened on the same day in mid-2018, the citys casino industry jumped from seven properties to nine.

And as it turned out, the new kids are alright.

Take Januarys revenue figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

In spite of COVID-19 capacity restrictions, there was a healthy increase in revenue at both properties compared to unrestricted January 2020.

Hard Rock jumped 23.9% to $26.6 million in brick-and-mortar revenue last month, while Ocean (now known as Ocean Casino Resort) similarly climbed 21.3% to $20.5 million.

The boosts moved Hard Rock third in January 2020 revenue in this category up to second place behind perennial leader Borgata, which easily led at $38.3 million in spite of a 30.6% year-over-year decline vs the previous January.

Worth noting is that Borgatas $33.2 million edge a year ago on Hard Rock declined to a mere $11.6 million last month.

Ocean, meanwhile, jumped from sixth to third place in January revenue, while Harrahs tumbled all the way from third to seventh at $14.7 million, a city-worst 37.7% decline.

In an ideal world, the gains for Hard Rock, which opened at the former Trump Taj Mahal site, and Ocean, the successor to ill-fated Revel, would come from an expanding pie of gamblers. But that wasnt the case, as brick-and-mortar industry revenue declined year-over-year by 16.6% and six of the other seven casinos were saddled with double-digit declines.

Tropicana ($15.6 million) and Caesars ($15.5 million) maintained their spots in fourth and fifth place, with Caesars 8.8% decline the most palatable figure among the losers.

Resorts ($10.4 million) and Golden Nugget ($10 million) swapped the seventh and eight spots, while Ballys again claimed the basement ($8.6 million) even while under new management.

The online casino gaming and sports betting revenues more than 90% of the latter coming from mobile apps left the DGE listing the industrys overall January 2021 revenue as up 15.3% to $346.4 million.

But as Hard Rocks Joe Lupo and other Atlantic City casino executives have pointed out, the latter two revenue sources are shared extensively with the casinos partners, while the brick-and-mortar revenue is theirs to keep.

Last month, the land-based revenue accounted for less than half the overall amount earned.

There is so much help that we really need with these properties, Lupo said in a radio interview last month. We need to see the city revitalized, and its not going to happen when the media is reporting increases when they add in online revenue that is going to third-party companies that dont have any stake in the game.

Online poker a natural beneficiary of most Atlantic City casinos having closed their on-site poker rooms during the pandemic was up 50% last month to $2.7 million.

Poker was the lobbying focus a decade ago when operators advocated for online casino gaming legalization, and those efforts bore fruit with the public launch of such entertainment options in November 2013.

But other online games such as slots, blackjack, and roulette immediately overtook online poker, and the gap has grown exponentially the past few years.

Last month, a record $103.7 million in online revenue was raked in by Atlantic Citys casinos and their online partners, leaving the contribution of online poker as little more than a rounding error.

Contrast that with January 2018, when pokers $2 million was coupled with the industrys $20 million from all other online casino games.

In January 2015, poker was at $2.3 million vs. just $9.3 million from other online casino gaming. Poker has danced above and below that $2 million figure almost from the start, while non-peer-to-peer gaming revenue from slots, blackjack, and the rest has soared beyond even the most optimistic expectations.

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Atlantic Citys New Kids On The Block Dominate January Revenue Figures - NJ Online Gambling

Most gamblers and casino players spend their entire life looking for a way to win when the answer is right in front of them. Blackjack is one of the best choices for gamblers who are willing to do what it takes to win.

Learning how to be a winning blackjack player is 100% possible. This makes it special in comparison to other casino games because most of them cant be beaten.

In this article, youre going to learn step by step how you can be a winning blackjack player. Be prepared for hard work, but you can do it.

Playing winning blackjack requires doing many things correct, but one thing is more important than anything else. To be a winning blackjack player, you have to play every hand the right way.

The number of possible hands you can have and the card the dealer shows is limited. It might seem like there are 1,000s of combinations, but in truth, there are only a few dozen. This is because theres no difference between having a ten, jack, queen, or king in your hand.

Also, theres no difference between a 5 and 7, a 4 and 8, a 3 and 9, or a 2 and 10 through king. All of these hands form a hard 12, so they all need to be played the same way.

The correct way to play is a mathematical equation. Each total you have with the card that the dealer is showing has one way to play that has the highest rate of return. If you dont play each hand this way, youre not winning as much as you can.

You dont have to worry about running the math on each hand, but you do have to make sure you know what the math says. You can learn what the best play is for each blackjack hand when you use a strategy card.

Now you know the importance of playing every blackjack hand the right way and how to do it, the next step is learning how to use the rules at the table to your advantage. Every blackjack rule does one of two things. The rules either help you win more or make you lose more.

One blackjack rule stands above the rest. If you make a mistake with this rule youre never going to be a winning blackjack player. You cant ever play blackjack at a table that pays 6 to 5 for a blackjack. This rule kills your profits.

Other rules that you should look for include tables that offer surrender, being able to double down after splitting a pair and the dealer stands on a soft 17.

The final thing you can do when you play blackjack in a land based casino is to use a trick to offset your losses. This is a simple trick that anyone can use.

Get a membership in the rewards club that is offered by the casino, so you get casino comps when you play blackjack.

Whether you play blackjack in land based casinos or online at one of the best mobile casino apps, the rules are important. The blackjack table with the best set of rules is always going to give you the best chance to win.

Its easier to find blackjack tables with good sets of rules when you play in mobile and online casinos. This doesnt mean that you cant find good rule sets in land based casinos, but each individual casino has a limited number of tables. You can access 100s of casinos online and on your mobile device quickly.

Online blackjack play offers some advantages and some disadvantages when compared to land based blackjack.

The main advantage beyond finding good games easier is that you can get a bonus at some casinos. You also have control over how fast or slow you play. Most online and mobile blackjack tables have lower table minimums than land based tables, so you can risk less and play longer.

On the other hand, online and mobile blackjack eliminates the ability to use advantage play like card counting. How fast you play can also be a disadvantage. When you play too fast, you risk more money, and without an edge, this means that youre going to lose more money.

When you play every blackjack hand the best way and only play at tables that have good rules you get the highest return that you can. But even when you do everything right, the casino still has a small house edge. And with a small edge, youre still losing money.

But there are a few special strategies that you can use to turn the small edge around and play with an advantage over the casino. Card counting is the best advantage play method you can use when you play blackjack.

Most blackjack players dont even try to count cards because they think that its going to be too hard. But you dont have to be a genius to use card counting. You can start with a simple system that you can learn to use quickly.

I recommend learning about the ace five count. This system only uses the aces and fives, and is easy to track. More importantly, this system gives you the confidence you need to start using a more advanced card counting system.

A beginning counting system can give you a small edge, but if you want to win as much as you possibly can, you eventually need to move up to an advanced system. The good news is that if you can win using a simple system, its easy to advance to a more profitable system.

The only differences between a simple blackjack counting system and an advanced system is that you track more cards, and in some systems, you have to make a simple conversion from the running count to the true count.

Nothing about blackjack counting is too hard to learn. You simply learn how the system youre using works and then practice until you can do it perfectly.

The most commonly used counting system is called hi lo or high low. Its easy to keep track of the count and is a powerful system. The only downside is that this system requires a conversion. This isnt the end of the world, but it is an extra step.

If you want to use a system that doesnt require a conversion and is almost as powerful as the hi lo, you can use either the knock out system, called KO, or the red seven system.

Before getting into the meat of this section, you should know that the things in this section arent something to focus on until you become a winning card counter. Card counting is the best blackjack advantage play, and thats where you need to focus until youre winning.

Just like counting, these techniques only work when you play blackjack in land based casinos. They dont work when you play online or mobile blackjack.

The first advanced technique is called hole carding. This is a technique that you can use with some dealers. Some blackjack dealers are lazy when they deal the cards and let you see a flash of the value of cards. This can be particularly profitable when you see the value of the dealers face down card.

Another advanced technique is called shuffle tracking. When the blackjack game is hand shuffled, you might be able to track where sections of good cards are located. This lets you bet more when the best cards are likely to be dealt.

The final advanced blackjack technique is ace sequencing. By keeping track of where aces are placed in the discard pile and the order theyre in, you might be able to predict when aces are going to be dealt.

Its going to be hard, but if you do things the right way, you can be a winning blackjack player. You have to do several things the right way 100% of the time. This is challenging, but with enough knowledge and practice, you can do everything you need to do to win.

You cant afford to play blackjack at a table with poor rules, whether you play land based blackjack or real money online blackjack. And you need to learn exactly how to play every hand you play a certain way. You cant afford to guess or make a mistake.

When you do these things, it puts you in a position to start using advantage blackjack techniques that deliver long range profits.

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How to Win at Blackjack - Best Blackjack Strategies and Tips - BestUSCasinos.org

Feeling like you need some gala experience to relax and have fun playing slots and card games? Sign up for an account at Gala Casino. Its name says it allthis is a place to loosen up as you play exciting video slots, jackpots and table games like roulette and poker.

For the best experience, consider specializing in either slots or table games. You can always both types of games. But find out which category suits you better below.

#1: You Like Simple GamesSlots

So, you love to play simple mobile games like Candy Crush Saga, Sudoku and Mini Metro? Youll love slots. These arcade-style games feature a video screen that does most of the work. Your only job is to place a bet and press Play.

Depending on your bet size, a slot game can take anywhere from a few seconds to five minutes. Then the video screen stops to show you whether youve won or lost. With todays video slots, the chances are much high.

The games feature higher payout rates than the classic slots designed before 2005. Whats more, they have loads of in-game features like bonus rounds and free spins, which ensures you win something even though its just free spins.

#2: You Like to Stay in ControlTable Games

When playing slots, RNG software does most of the work. Some people like it that way. If you prefer to play more involving games, however, then you should check out the table section of Gala Casino. Also, read a review of the website at bestonlinecasinos.org.uk. This will help you understand everything about the operator before you create an account.

Gala Casino is one of the biggest gambling brands in the UK. As a result, it offers nearly every table game in the world. The best part: you can play these games against RNG software or with real human players. RNG Software is great when you want to play a game like roulette or blackjack quickly.

But if you want a social experience and are in no rush, try out live casino games. With poker, roulette and even blackjack, you can participate in tournaments featuring hundreds of players. Depending on the number of people involved, you can see and interact with your competitors.

#3: You Dream of Becoming a Millionaire OvernightSlots

One of the beauties of playing slots is that they can make your wildest dreams come true. Jon Heywood, a British soldier best amplifies this statement. At 26, the Afghanistan veteran was dealing with an ailing father and being broke.

Then one day in 2015, he got onto his favorite casino to play Mega Moolah, a progressive slot that pays out from 10 to millions of pounds. After betting 25p, Heywood hit the games jackpot worth 13.2 million, instantly setting a Guinness World Record for the biggest amount of money won at an online slot machine.

Needless to say, Heywood got his sick father the treatment he deserved, bought a Bentley Continental and turned his life around. Heywood aside, over a dozen more people have won over 1 million from online slot, including a new record of 18.9M set in 2018.

#4: You Believe in LuckBoth

Almost all casino games at Gala Casino are based on pure chance. The degree of luck differs, though. For slots, youre 100% assured the likelihood of winning or losing is based on luck. With table games, the dependance on luck varies from one game to another.

Take Texas Holdem as an example. You receive random cards from a dealer or a shuffling machine. For this reason, you can be lucky and get a pair of aces. Or you could be unlucky and receive a pair of two-value cards. Without considering all other cards, a pair of aces wins always.

Fortunately, Texas Holdem isnt a game of two cards alone. Your opponent could get a pair of aces while you have a pair of two-value cards. But since they dont know your hand, you could bluff by increasing the stakes and force them to fold (concede). In that case, you would win with a lesser hand.

#5: You Like Skill-based GamesTable Games

Theres a reason why millennials prefer table games to slots. Poker, blackjack and baccarat are the closest things to skill-based games they can find at Gala Casino. Texas Holdem, in particular, is so reliant on skill that a New York-based court once dismissed a case because it didnt believe the game should ever have been categorized as a game of luck.

As we mentioned earlier, Texas Holdem relies on luck to a small extent. But its more reliant on skills. Thats why some people win consistently while others lose even when they have better hands. The best poker players in the world win high-level televised tournaments every year, winning millions of dollars in the process.

#6: You Love Social GamesLive Casino

Do you avoid online casinos because you would rather play games with real players? You should check out todays online casinos. A decade ago, it was fair to stick to land-based casinos because of their social atmosphere.

But in 2021, you dont need to leave your house to play a few hands of blackjack with a human dealer. Instead, you need to check out the live casino section of Gala Casino and choose your favorite blackjack variant.

The website provides blackjack variants like Royale blackjack, Lounge blackjack and Grand Blackjack. They all follow the same rules of blackjack, except they differ in betting limits and the number of players per session.

#7: You have no FavoritesBoth

Specialization is a great thing when trying to win casino games consistently. But if you only visit casinos to have fun, theres no point of limiting yourself to one type of games. Casinos allow you to play all their games, anyway.

So, test various video slots. Then move over to jackpots, video poker and live casino games depending on what you want to play. The goal is to have fun, so enjoy all types of games as much as possible.

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Are you better Suited to Gala Casino's Table Games or Slot Games? - Critical Blast

Michigan casino revenues are bouncing back from pandemic lows thanks to online sportsbooks and gaming options launched in late January.

There was already hundreds of millions of dollars being gambled here in Michigan every year. It was just being gambled illegally without any protections for people. And now when you make a bet on the Lions or, unfortunately, on the Spartans like I did last night your money can go towards our schools, towards firefighters that have gotten cancer, said state Sen. Curtis Hertel, of East Lansing.

Online and retail sportsbooks across the state brought in $150 million in just 10 days. Bets made after the Jan. 22 launch date yielded almost $112,000 in state tax revenue for the month of January. Online casino gaming like poker and blackjack yielded $4.4 million in state tax revenue.

The launch of online gambling has also been an opportunity for poker buddies to keep the game going under the pandemic.

Its given a lot of my friends that I would typically play with a reprieve from just the lockdown. Its been a welcomed addition to our personal lives, online poker player JR Miller said.

Miller and his friends are among the millions of Michiganders flocking to online casinos for table favorites like poker and blackjack as well as sports betting.

I have a couple of friends who have won a lot of money. Theyve been doing a lot of side bets more bets on games, golfers, and you know whatever they can bet, Miller said.

For Miller online gambling requires a certain level of restraint.

Its the dynamic of any time you get into a situation where youre betting. Its understanding theres got to be a limit that you have, unless you have unlimited resources, and then being able to ride out the ebbs and flows of winning and losing in any kind of sports betting or poker or whatever it is, Miller said.

Which is something the legislators who supported making online gambling legal here also thought about.

The gambling hotline numbers are required to be on all the apps while theyre going. So, if you feel like you have a gambling problem, we want people to call but people are taking advantage of it in a responsible way, Hertel said.

Richard Kalm of the Michigan Gaming Control Board says internet gaming operations are off to a good start. The taxes and payments from these services are expected to provide funding for K-12 students, the states tribal communities, and the state firefighters cancer presumption fund.

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Michigan casino revenues bouncing back with record-breaking online gambling launch - WSYM-TV

DANA WHITE said he is a 'degenerate gambler' and admitted to losing a staggering $1million boxing bet once.

The UFC boss is a notorious blackjack player but opened up on his love for betting on sports.

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Things did not go so well for him in 2007, though, when he lost $1m after Jermain Taylor was knocked out by Kelly Pavlik.

White told ESPN: Oh my god. What was the kids name? Jermain Taylor.

"And who did he fight? I know this for the ass-whooping I took. He fought the tall, lanky, white kid from Ohio, Kelly Pavlik.

"I bet $1million on Taylor and he got destroyed.

"It was the first time I ever bet $1 million dollars because I was so confident Taylor was going to win that fight."

White grew up in Boston but in the early 90s he left for Las Vegas after a run-in with crime boss Whitey Bulger.

Living in Sin City, where he later became UFC president, was how his love for betting started.

White said: Id say its about time. I like it. Its obviously a thing people love to do.

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"It makes whatever youre watching a lot more fun, a lot more interesting, so Ive always been for it. But Im from Vegas.

I play table games too much. Im a degenerate if youre not getting it. Im a degenerate, yes. I love to gamble."

Astonishingly, White has been banned from the Palms Casino Resort TWICE due to the success of his blackjack playing.

The first occasion in 2012, saw White retaliate by refusing to put on UFC events at the casino, where The Ultimate Fighter bouts had been staged.

But under new owners, the promoter was invited back in 2014.

It did not lost long, however, as between March 1 and May 21, White claimed to have won $2MILLION.

He found himself again barred from betting there, but this time he was awarded a BELT for being the 'undisputed blackjack champion'.

His childhood friends Frank and Lorenzo Feritta bought the UFC in 2001, and White was immediately named the promotion's president.

The Feritta brothers sold the UFC for $4.4BILLION to entertainment company WME-IMG in 2016.

White, who stayed on as president, is said to have pocketed $360m after the sale due to his shares in the company, according to Darren Rovell.

The promoter, who has an estimated net worth of $500m, denied in a 2014 Las Vegas Review-Journal interview that he had a gambling problem.

He said: Has it affected my personal life? Has it affected my professional life? Have I lost all my money?

"Theres nothing negative about what Ive been doing lately.

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UFC chief Dana White says he is a degenerate gambler and admits losing staggering $1million boxing bet - The Sun

While there is a fair degree of luck at play, Resident Evil 7s version of 21 rewards smart players who play Lucas' game.

No character in Resident Evil 7 suffers quite as much as Clancy Jarvis, the Sewer Gators trusty cameraman. Clancy manages to survive an encounter with Jack Baker first hand, even outwitting Marguerite in the Bedroom DLC, only to end up cooked alive during Lucas Happy Birthday game. Unlike Ethan who at least has a chance of getting a happy ending out of Resident Evil 7, Clancy lives to die and the Banned Footage DLC puts into perspective just how much he actually struggled.

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Find The Clown Key In Not A Hero

Before Clancy got a birthday party all to himself, Lucas Baker forced him to play a high stakes game of 21 against Hoffman a fellow prisoner. Unlike other DLC in Banned Footage, 21 features no conventional gameplay, instead playing out like a full fledged version of Blackjack (albeit with its own set of rules to add a layer of strategy to the game).

Lucas version of 21 features a single 11 card deck that both Clancy and Hoffman share, with no cards overlapping with one another. Lucas also doles out Trump Cards which can be used either by or against Clancy to take cards out of play or even raise an opponents bet. While there is a fair degree of luck at play, Resident Evil 7s version of 21 rewards smart players who hold onto their Trump Cards and dont make unnecessary gambles.

The first round of 21 features no Trump Cards, simply requiring players to plan out their hits carefully and utilizing some degree of card counting. The goal of Blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. Since there are no doubles in the deck, its not difficult to piece together which cards are still in play. Always play as if Hoffman has a better hand than Clancy, because he realistically does. Dont hit

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Beat The Final Boss In Not A Hero

If Hoffman ever stays only to hit later in the same round, it means Clancy is currently winning. Be smart and keep track of Hoffmans card cout to spot if/when he goes over 21. The loser of this phase has their fingers sliced off with blades. Ties result in both Clancy and Hoffman losing their fingers. Canonically, Clancy makes it to Resident Evil 7s main story with his hand intact, but expect to lose some digits.

After getting through the first phase of 21, Lucas will up the stakes by electrocuting the loser. The voltage increases with each round, burning the loser alive on contact. Lucas introduces Trump Cards into play here. The key is to use these cards strategically while also saving the best ones for the final round. Keep in mind that Hoffman has Trump Cards as well, many of which are designed to specifically counter Clancys.

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Complete The Daughters DLC

Trump Cards like 3 Card, 5 Card, or 6 Card are especially useful, allowing Clancy to pull cards out of the deck without needing to take a hit. Smart players can use this to build to 21 (while keeping in mind that Hoffman can potentially return Clancys last flipped card back to the deck). Hoffman also has a tendency to play Go For 24, which raises the target number from 21. Try to save any Two-Ups for the final phase. Play resourcefully and only hit when absolutely necessary.

Before the final phase of 21, Lucas will slide Clancy the Love Your Enemy Trump Card, granting Hoffman the best card in the deck on use. While deliberately designed to give Clancys opponent an advantage, the key to winning the final round of Blackjack is saving Love Your Enemy for the absolute last possible round. Once Hoffman is at his limit, Lucas will force a 21 against Clancy that players wont be able to naturally beat. The last round of 21 places a saw between both Clancy and Hoffmans faces, inching closer to the loser every round.

Make sure to use any Two Ups to raise the stakes against Hoffman and get to the final round sooner. As soon as Hoffman has 21 (in the final possible round), use Love Your Enemy to force him to hit. Hoffman wont be able to retaliate and Clancy can comfortably stay at any number under 21. For his loss, Hoffman has his face violently gorged open with a rotating saw. As a reward for his victory, Clancy gets to go star in the main games Happy Birthday puzzle.

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Resident Evil 7: How To Beat Hoffman In 21 | TheGamer - TheGamer

There are many casino-themed movies, but not many become blockbusters like 21 did back in 2008. The movie is based on a novel by Ben Mezrich titled Bringing Down the House, about a group of card-counting university students that take millions of dollars from Vegas Casinos. Despite the world of modern online casinos, 21 is all about the glitz and glam of playing at a real Blackjack table.

The movie made $160 million at the box office, and wasnt short of stars, with Kevin Spacey casted for one of the lead roles. After watching, you may be left wondering about the true story that the movie claims to be based on. Weve done the research, and in this article we separate the fact from the fiction.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the leading universities in the USA, and so its no surprise that this is where the card-counters studied. Its an incredibly difficult thing to do, and requires a significant amount of mathematical knowledge, as demonstrated in the 21 Movie. The group operated between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Jeff Ma is the real name of the main character in the movie, Ben Campbell. He actually made a cameo in 21 as a Blackjack dealer, and had a real involvement in the film adaptation of his story. Following his controversial success in the Blackjack team, hes gone on to have a very successful career in tech and analytics. Bill Kaplan is also one of the founding members of the MIT Blackjack Team, and his character is depicted by Spacey as a University Lecturer.

The movie makers were heavily criticized for their casting decisions. Although most of the MIT Blackjack Team were Asian-American, they were played by white actors. Despite this, the movie was a success, and given the approval from the team itself.

Every movie needs a good plot, and so of course, there are some added extras in the storyline that didnt happen in real life. The most notable being Ben Campbells (Jeff Mas) reason for joining the club in the first place. There was no desperate need for tuition money or the chance of not graduating this was added for entertainment.

The real MIT Blackjack team was formed of six students, and there was no university lecturer involved, despite playing a huge part in the movie. The whole thing was run like a business, including smart planning and calculations of probabilities and profits.

The 21 movie maintains the same cast throughout, but this isnt what happened in real life. The MIT Blackjack team changed many times, as people left, moved on, or formed their own groups. The most recent group of players in the late 90s looked very different to the original founding members.

At the end of the movie, the fictional university lecturer and ringleader tries to steal $600,000 from the team after he is caught. This is also just part of the 21 plot, and didnt happen in real life.

The MIT Blackjack team that the movie is based on had a long and successful history of making money from casinos. So yes, the heist really did happen, and these people really did outsmart casino operators for many years.

Very little is known about the real numbers, such as how much was originally invested and how much they actually walked away with. The financial history is kept very private, and casinos in Vegas dont exactly want to talk about their losses to the group either.

Some sources claim that the MIT Blackjack Team made 10s of millions of dollars during their playing years, but its impossible to know for sure. But these guys were good, and operated for over 30 years, so its very likely that they made an awful lot of money before disbanding.

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Did the Casino Heist in the 21 Movie Actually Happen? - Film Threat

News 12 Staff

Feb 17, 2021, 2:41pm EST

Updated on:Feb 17, 2021, 2:41pm EST

Here are some facts about the casino:

The property opened asHarrah'sat Trump Plazaon May 14, 1984.

Donald Trump himselfwas no longer an owner at the time of its closure.

Billionaire CarlIcahn assumed ownership of Trumps former casino company from bankruptcy courtin 2016.

The 10.5-acreproperty where the Plaza sits is owned by Icahn.

The property sits atthe center of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway.

Once cleanup iscomplete, city officials hope the property can be sold or leased and thendeveloped.

City officials hopeanother casino wont be built, and are pushing for more family entertainment.

Demolition wassupposed to take place in January, but a series of delays pushed the event to Feb. 17.

Bids reached as highas $175,000 to push the detonation button, but the auction was cancelledfollowing a lawsuit.

During its heyday, the Plazahosted Mike Tyson fights and WrestleMania IV and V.

Theformer casino once housed over 80 table games and 2,000 slot machines.

MayorMarty Small says demolition has nothing to do with politics, as the buildinghas been closed since 2014.

DonaldTrump lost a legal battle in effort to build a parking area over a home of awidowed mother of 5.

ThePlaza sits at Boardwalk and Mississippi Avenue.

ThePlaza stands at 321 feet tall, with 32 floors overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Thelast game ever played in the casino was a game of Blackjack on September 26,2014.

The East Tower opened in twophases, in October 1995 and February 1996.The expansion continued withthe May 1996 opening of Trump World's Fair. The renovation cost is $48 million.

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Trump Plaza implosion - 19 things to know - News 12 New Jersey

However, over the last few years online gambling has become a much more popular option to players. This is because fast internet has become more widespread so players have access to far more online options than ever before. What are the gambling options that are available to Nigerian players though?

Players have a number of different lotteries that can be entered within Nigeria. There are some huge prizes available and players have the option to win life changing amounts of money. Playing the lottery is an extremely popular method of online gambling for players in Nigeria.

Its also easy to carry out. The website makes it easy to buy a ticket and players can even set up a number of different tickets for different draws. Its much easier than in the old days where a physical ticket actually had to be bought. The advent of the internet has taken the lottery through to the next generation.

Nigerian players love sports betting. Its something that is loved the world over. Placing a bet on the big sporting events is something that adds some excitement to your favourite games. There are a large range of different sports available to players in Nigeria, including Soccer and Cricket. It means that there are some fantastic betting options available to Nigerian players and sports betting is hugely popular as a result.

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Its also one of the oldest casino games in the world. This is available to online casino players in Nigeria and is extremely popular. It is a mix of both skill and luck and players can improve their chances of winning if they are able to play to a high level.

Nigerian players enjoy playing Blackjack, especially as its a casino game that is allowed at both land based and online casinos. There are lots of different Blackjack choices available so if players want to enjoy different Blackjack rules then the option is there. Its a great game and is highly popular in Nigeria.

Roulette is another massively popular casino game around the world. As such its popular with Nigerian players. However, its not available at land based casinos. This hasnt impacted on the level of popularity at online casinos though. The reason for this is that Nigerian players have wanted to play the game for a while, the ability to do so at online casinos means that it has been taken up very quickly.

Roulette brings in huge numbers of players across Nigeria and it consistently grows in popularity every year. There are also a range of different rule options available at Nigerian online casinos available to players so it means it brings in lots of different types of players.

Video slots are probably the most popular casino games in the world. There are literally thousands of video slot games available all around the world and Nigerian players love them just as much as other players. What makes video slots so popular is a range of different features, lots of excitement and huge potential wins. There are also progressive jackpot games as well. These are linked to games all over the world which means that the possible prizes are incredible. Video slots are likely to remain popular to players in the long term due to the consistent release of new games to the market.

Dice games are incredibly popular in Nigeria. As they have been played in the streets for many years, its no surprise that online casino players enjoy them as well. Dice games are actually banned at land based casinos so its no shock that online players love to play dice games. Craps is without a doubt the biggest dice game on the market, and it has managed to keep its popularity as soon as online casinos started to increase in popularity.

Bingo is another massively popular game. Its really simple to play with players just having to select the numbers on their card as they are drawn out. The simplicity of the game is what helps to make it such a popular game with players. Its managed to become one of the most popular online casino games in the world and this popularity has carried on to Nigerian players. Its available at a lot of different online casinos and with its simplicity and big prizes its a game that Nigerian players keep coming back to. It also has a lot of different options available to players so theres plenty of variety available to keep players interested in the long run.

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WASHINGTON In January 2017, one of the governments newest weather satellites picked up the most bizarre signal: a wildfire moving at breakneck speeds across the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, wildfires dont spread across the ocean, and they certainly dont move at the pace being reported. What was going on?

It turns out the satellite one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations GOES-R series had accidentally detected a rocket launch off the Florida coast, mistaking the fiery exhaust of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for a wildfire.

It was actually honest by accident, where we saw a rocket launch on the East Coast of Florida, L3Harris Technologies President of Space Systems Bill Gattle told C4ISRNET. Our weather sensor actually sent a trigger and said theres a fire our weather sensor actually tracks forest fires or hot spots and today theres this fire moving very fast across the Atlantic and so they ought to go put it out.

That accidental discovery set L3Harris on a multiyear journey to transform its infrared weather sensor technology into a missile detecting capability for the U.S. military. The move would have the potential to bring in billions: The U.S. Air Force doled out $1.86 billion for just two missile warning satellites in 2014. However, the competition is tight.

Traditionally, the Air Force built one missile warning constellation at a time with limited overlap, with only a few companies awarded massive contracts. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for all four geosynchronous satellites that make up the Space-Based Infrared System, as well as the final two expected to launch later this year. Northrop Grumman was the major subcontractor, building the satellites sensors.

L3Harris isnt exactly a lightweight in DoD contracting its No. 9 on the Defense News Top 100 list of global defense companies and brought in nearly $14 billion in defense revenue in 2019. For perspective, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman secured about $57 billion and $29 billion in defense revenue, respectively.

After the decision to shift its weather technology to missiles, L3Harris immediate plan was to compete to build SBIRS successor, the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared. Like SBIRS, Next Gen OPIR will be made up of a handful of satellites in geosynchronous orbit with two more in highly elliptical orbit. L3Harris faced the biggest defense contractors in the business. But with billions of dollars in contracts at stake, the company went for it.

Starting in 2018, L3Harris began investing several millions of dollars into the effort, according to a company spokesperson, including building a new payload production facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The company quickly realized it needed to refine its weather sensor to meet the militarys needs.

When youre doing a weather mission, youre looking at the Earth, and youre scanning the Earth for weather, but weather doesnt move nearly as fast as a missile does, explained Gattle. We had to get to where we could actually track a missile very fast. So our sensor had to become much faster at tracking things.

The company also had to invest in algorithms that can cut out background noise picked up by the sensor.

You have to be very sensitive to whats happening in the background when youre seeing missiles. Theres a lot of noise, if you will, and [with] infrared theres a lot of heat signature off the Earth. So you have to be able to distinguish if what youre seeing is an airplane, a missile what is it?

The company fell short in its first attempt to break into missile tracking. The Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to build the three geostationary Next Gen OPIR satellites, while Northrop Grumman will build two more for highly elliptical orbits. At first, it might have seemed like the investment was for naught. L3Harris would have to wait years to compete for whatever satellites are added to or replace that constellation.

However, growing concerns over hypersonic weapons from the Pentagon and Congress opened new doors for the company.

The emergence of hypersonic weapons over the last few years poses a problem to Americas missile warning systems. When viewed from space, the weapons appear 10 to 20 times dimmer than traditional ballistic missiles, making it harder for satellites in geosynchronous orbit to pick them up. Because the weapons are maneuverable, they can theoretically move to avoid ground-based sensors. It became clear that the U.S. needed a new constellation of space-based sensors that could detect and track the new threat.

The solution that emerged is both simple and complex. Instead of relying solely on the exquisite sensors more than 22,000 miles above the Earths surface, the military will build a proliferated constellation located much closer to the planets surface in low Earth orbit less than 1,200 miles up. From that lower vantage, it is easier for infrared sensors to pick up the hypersonic weapons, track them as they move around the globe, and provide the targeting data to destroy them.

This tracking effort effectively has three parts:

The Space Development Agency is building those first two sections as part of its National Defense Space Architecture, a proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit that will eventually be made up of hundreds of satellites. The Missile Defense Agency will develop the medium-field-of-view satellites, known as the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, or HBTSS. Meanwhile, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is building Project Blackjack to demonstrate many of the technologies needed to make the entire system work.

In October 2019, L3Harris got its first hint that it could crack the missile warning enterprise. MDA awarded the company a $20 million contract to design an HBTSS prototype, placing the business among heavyweights Northrop Grumman, Leidos and Raytheon.

A second win came months later in May 2020, when DARPA revealed L3Harris was in the running to build an electro-optical/infrared sensor for the Blackjack demonstration. To be clear, there was no direct path from a Blackjack contract to an actual program of record with either MDA or SDA.

Still, the parallels between the DARPA demonstration and those efforts were clear, and a Blackjack program contract could be seen as a pretty significant leg up for those competitions.

Regardless, L3Harris bid failed. The companys proposal was too pricey, said Gattle, and the $37 million Blackjack payload contract went to Raytheon. In response, L3Harris invested to make sure it could build faster and present a more affordable solution. That would be key as the company prepared to bid on the SDA constellations.

SDA released solicitations for its initial data transport layer and tracking layer satellites last May. At stake were four contracts and 28 satellites. L3Harris made its bids.

The company failed to win a contract for the data transport layer satellites, losing out to Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems, the latter of which is another newcomer to building satellites for the DoD. While it was still in the running for the HBTSS and tracking layer satellites, L3Harris was now 0 for 3.

Based on feedback from SDA on its transport layer bid, L3Harris refocused its bid for the tracking layer around its ability to manufacture its own commercial bus for the satellite. That in particular was appealing to SDA, said Gattle.

That was enough to convince SDA that, yes, this was a commercial Ill call it a commercial-like offering, he said.

The real breakthrough and reassurance that the companys investments werent in vain came soon after.

Last October, SDA awarded the two tracking layer contracts to L3Harris and SpaceX. L3Harris received $193 million, while SpaceX got $149 million. The selection was a surprise: Neither of the winners had built a missile warning sensor for the government before. SpaceX hadnt even built a satellite for the government before.

While Elon Musks company fought its way into winning a massive Space Force launch contract last year and is working to integrate its Starlink broadband constellation with various weapons systems, no one expected it to be building missile tracking satellites for the military. SpaceX will build the satellite bus and subcontract for the actual OPIR sensor.

While L3Harris had been in the running for several missile warning satellite contracts, it had never gotten one over the line.

A decade ago, we probably didnt have a shot, said Gattle. To be honest, we were a component supplier. We would build a handful of anything that we built.

This is the culmination for us of a pretty big pivot in our company. We were known mostly as a weather sensor company in this particular area, infrared, he added. Then a couple of years ago we saw that our infrared sensors on our weather satellites could actually pick up rocket launches.

Chris Quilty, founder and a partner of Quilty Analytics, said L3Harris has accomplished a remarkable string of contract successes since it entered the satellite manufacturing business only a few years ago, noting an Air Force remote sensing constellation award, among others.

The fact that SDA awarded this contract to L3Harris is both a testament to L3Harris agility and an indication of SDAs desire to open the aperture to new suppliers, said Quilty, whose financial and strategic firm serves the space industry.

L3Harris started 2021 with more returns on its investment: Of the four companies designing HBTSS prototypes, only L3Harris and Northrop Grumman secured contracts to build their prototypes. L3Harris won a $122 million award, while Northrop Grumman got a $155 million award.

L3Harris journey from building weather sensors to building missile warning satellites kicked off in 2017, when the companys technology accidentally detected a rocket launch off the Florida coast. It turns out that rocket was carrying the third satellite for the nations prime missile detection constellation.

Theres a certain poetry to that story. The accidental detection of a missile warning satellite being delivered to orbit inspired a newcomer to enter the field, and that company went on to win a chance to help build the U.S. militarys new missile warning architecture.

In 2017, L3Harris had ambitions and a weather sensor. In 2021, its a missile tracking company.

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L3Harris leaped from tracking weather to tracking missiles, cracking a competitive field - DefenseNews.com