Business

It has been a tough news cycle for taxpayers. Not only did we get a real-time look on April 17 at what we donate to the government, we also are getting a harrowing look at how the government spends it. More >

Sin City casinos are sticking with Kentucky and Ohio State as Final Four favorites and still think the Wildcats have by far the best shot of winning the NCAA title. Gambling expert RJ Bell of Pregame.com told the Associated Press on Monday that odds put out by Nevada casinos show they think Kentucky — the No. 1 seed overall in the tournament — has a better than 50 percent shot at the title, despite needing to win two more games.

Bell says casinos believe Ohio State has a 25 percent chance, Kansas a 15 percent chance and Louisville an 8 percent chance.

While jobless claims in the U.S. have dropped to a four-year low, getting a job in southern Nevada is still tougher than in other cities. In fact, a new report shows Las Vegas is one of the worst cities in the nation to find a job. More >

Las Vegas Strip gambling revenue increased 29 percent to $623.5 million in January on a surge in baccarat play, adding momentum to the recovery for the largest U.S. casino market.

Revenue for all of Clark County, including the Strip and downtown, increased 22 percent from a year earlier to $925.5 million, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said today in a website statement.

Maverick Aviation Group, the air tour company that opened a new passenger terminal at Henderson Executive Airport last week, is expanding its helicopter fleet. More >

In another sign of a continuing rebound in Las Vegas, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said Thursday that gambling revenue in December on the Strip rose 3.6% to $518.4 million. Statewide, revenue edged 2.1% higher to $855.7 million. Slot machine revenue on the Strip rose 6.4% while the table games win was 1.7% higher.

“We believe this month’s results on the Las Vegas Strip reflect the continued strengthening of trends with volume growth in tables without baccarat and slot,” wrote Joe Greff of J.P. Morgan in a note to investors. “We believe these trends are positive for Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and, to a greater extent, MGM Resorts (MGM) given its leverage to the Las Vegas Strip.”

The latest Las Vegas-area home price statistics show again that year-to-year sales are up while prices are down.

The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported Tuesday that local sales of homes, condominiums and townhomes in January totaled 3,591. That was down from 4,250 sales in December, but was up from 3,214 sales in January 2011.

Our latest featured stock, Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, is a play on “Asia’s Las Vegas.” Melco is an operator of casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities focused on the fast-growing Macau market — the only Chinese city in which casinos are legal. More >