New TV Show -- Gala Bingo announced plans to sponsor a ground-breaking ITV quiz show called I'm The Answer, which features the entire audience as contestants. Each has to guess the question to a provided answer for a big cash prize. The daytime show, hosted by Dale Winton, will begin airing later this month. The six-figure sponsorship was negotiated by Granada Enterprises and Unique Communications Sponsorship, sister company to Unique TV, which produces the quiz show. Gala Bingo will also advertise in the break bumpers and plans to integrate the game into its bingo clubs and Web site.
Moon River Winner -- Andy Williams' mother-in-law turned a quick trip to Trump 29 Casino last week into a memorable experience. Williams gave his mother-in-law, Mary Jane Myer, $100 in gambling money. The first-time gambler headed for the slot machines while Williams and wife, Debbie, went to a blackjack table. After she was playing for a while a friend come over to Williams and told him to "come quick, your mother-in-law ..." Concerned over the breathless message from their friend, the 76-year-old singer bolted from the blackjack table to find out what had happened to his mother-in-law, who was 200 yards away. A large crowd had formed and Williams feared the worst. He asked her what was wrong. "Wrong? I just hit the jackpot and won a new red Ford Mustang convertible by putting two quarters in this machine," Myer said.
Cali. Rally -- About 100 community representatives rallied at the California Capitol in Sacramento to criticize some tribes for damage to everything from roads to planning procedures. The rally came after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's called for Indian casinos to pay their "fair share." The demonstrators, who were joined by the Sierra Club and California State Sheriffs' Association, complained both about tribes that are trying to open casinos, especially on newly acquired land, as well as those with existing gambling operations.
Popular Publisher Passes On-- Chuck Di Rocco, the colorful publisher and founder of Gaming Today and a pioneer in bringing racing simulcasts to Las Vegas casinos, died Saturday morning after a long illness. He was 69.
In addition to publishing Gaming Today, a weekly gambling, horse racing and sports betting publication in its 28th year, Di Rocco's Dirson Enterprises also prints parlay cards for the city's sports book industry and sells the wallboards used to post race and game results in the books.
Horseshoe Update-- Officials with Harrah's Entertainment were hoping to close a deal on Friday for Binion's Horseshoe, but that plan hit a snag yesterday when former state Sen. Bill O'Donnell made a $1.184 million offer for one of the many separate parcels on which the Horseshoe sits. A hearing is scheduled before District Court Judge Michael Douglas on O'Donnell's offer. Officials with Harrah's are hoping to have the deal finalized not later than Tuesday morning.