Yesterday I jokingly predicted the cresting of the poker wave, but here’s some evidence that the gambling wave–at least the Las Vegas one–is still building. Read about it, minus the tortured metaphors, from the LVRJ:

The “Big Six” gaming operators are starting 2006 with record-breaking profits, up nearly 45 percent from the first quarter 2005, thanks to surging demand for Las Vegas as a destination, strong table play in casinos and the two biggest mergers in industry history, analysts said this week.

With the major casino companies set to begin reporting first-quarter earnings next week, analysts are predicting that the combined net income for the six largest Nevada-based gaming companies will have surged to $572 million, up 44.8 percent from $395 million in the 2005 first quarter.
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Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said the earnings forecasts for the first quarter, as well as the remTainder of the year, are on the conservative side because economic fundamentals are proving to be stronger than expected.

“Growth (in the first quarter) was substantial, with regional markets benefiting from the mild winter and Las Vegas getting a boost from increased high-end play,” he said.

The Big Six gaming companies are Boyd Gaming Corp., Harrah’s Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Mirage, Station Casinos and Wynn Resorts Ltd.

Penn National, a major gaming company not based in Las Vegas, also enjoyed substantial growth, with first-quarter net income of $46.7 million, up 77.4 percent from $26.3 million a year earlier, analysts said.

The Las Vegas-based Big Six are expected to report combined revenue of $5.9 billion in the first quarter, up 55.7 percent from $3.8 billion a year earlier.

reviewjournal.com — Business – GAMING COMPANY REVENUE: Record profits for ‘Big Six’

They’ve got a really nice graphic with the logos of each company and their revenue info here. I wonder how long it took to put together.

No, you won’t be seeing anything like that in the Gaming Abstract soon.

I’m taking a second foray into celeb gossip because…I don’t know. I’ve got a real story I’ll post later. But take this wonderfully-inaccurate story with a grain of salt. From BANG via AZcentral:

Paris Hilton has been banned from her own casino and ordered into gambling rehab.

The socialite’s parents, Rick and Kathy, have barred her from playing in their Paris Hotel and Casino, which was named after her, after she gambled away her $180,000 Bentley car.

Now the hotel heiress has been ordered by her parents to seek help for her alleged problem, according to Britain’s Daily Star newspaper.

he 25-year-old ‘Simple Life’ star developed her penchant for gambling after spending the last few months playing poker in Las Vegas tournaments with her sister Nicky.

Paris revealed: “I’m obsessed with poker. It’s my favourite game now. I’m lucky in Vegas. I always win.”

But her lucky streak ran out after she lost her Bentley GT in a high risk poker game.

Paris agreed to stay away from the city’s famous strip of casinos but has now reportedly taken up internet gambling to get her thrills.

Paris Hilton’s gambling out of control

First of all, unless something has drastically changed, Harrah’s Entertainment owns Paris Las Vegas, not Rick and Kathy Hilton.

Second, I don’t think you can wager a car in a poker room in a Nevada casino. I was going to call a poker room to confirm, but I’m too busy. If anyone knows for sure, post a comment, but as far as I’m aware, you must bet with chips. How would they calculate the rake from a car, anyway?

Third, Paris Las Vegas doesn’t have a poker room, though Bally’s next door does.