mods please lmk if this violates the rules. i’m posting here because I write about the mob/casino and many relevant themes that are important elements of the Sopranos, in my opinion. I think they’re of the same medium and genre so wanted to post here. Hope that’s alright. Cheers! (11 min read) ————————————————————————
EDIT 2: TL;DR -
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.
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Every good filmmaker makes the same movie over and over again—Martin Scorsese is no different
Scorsese's Casino is a phenomenal story of the condoned chaos and "legalized robbery" that happens on a daily basis to gamblers who bett away thousands of dollars and return each day for more “FinDom,” but without any of the sexual sadism. The whole scam only persists because the house always wins: the odds are stacked 3 million to one on the slot machines, but the same shmucks return wide-eyed each day hoping for a different outcome, devoid of any rational re-evaluation required to maintain their grasp on reality, and the liquidity of their bank accounts.
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.
Robert De Niro plays Sam "Ace" Rothstein, recruited by his childhood friend Nick "Nicky" Santorno to help run the Tangiers casino, which is funded by an investment made with the Teamsters’ pension fund. Ace’s job is to keep the bottom line flowing so that the Mafia's skimming operation can continue seamlessly. De Niro's character felt like half-way between Travis from Taxi Driver (of course, nowhere as mentally disturbed) and half of the addictive excess, greed, and eccentric business-mind of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Ace’s attention to detail gives him a rain-man-esque sensibility; his ability to see every scam, trick, hand signal, and maneuver happening on the casino floor make him the perfect manager of the casino, and take his managerial style to authoritarian heights in his pursuit of order and control over what is an inherently unstable and dynamic scheme; betting, hedging outcomes, and walking the line to keep the money flowing and the gamblers coming back. I’m not claiming Ace is autistic, I'm no clinician, but his managerial sensibilities over the daily operations of the casino, from the dealers to the pit bosses, to the shift managers, are to the point of disturbing precision, he has eyes everywhere, and knows how to remove belligerent customers with class and professionalism, but ultimately is short sighted in “reading” the human beings he is in relationship with. Ace is frustratingly naive and gullible in his partnership with Nicky and the threat he poses to him, and in his marriage with Ginger.
Ace has no personal aspirations to extract millions of dollars for himself out of the casino corruption venture. Ace simply wants the casino to operate as efficiently as possible, and he has no qualms about being a pawn of the bosses. While Sam, “the Golden Jew”—as he is called—is the real CEO of the whole enterprise, directing things at Tangiers for the benefit of the bosses “back home.” Ace’s compliance is juxtaposed with Nicky’s outrage upon feeling used: he gripes about how he is in “the trenches” while the bosses sit back and do nothing. Note that none of the activity Nicky engages in outside of the casino—doing the work of “taking Las Vegas over”—is authorized by the bosses. Ultimately Nicky’s inability to exert control over his crew and the street lead to his demise.
In the end, capitalism, and all that happens in the confines of the casino, is nothing but “organized violence.” Sound familiar? The mob has a capitalist structure in its organization and hierarchy: muscle men collect and send money back to the bosses who do not labor tirelessly “in the trenches.” The labor of the collectors is exploited to create the profits of their bosses. The entire business-model of the Mafia is predicated on usury and debtors defaulting on loans for which the repayment is only guaranteed by the threat of violence. But this dynamic is not without its internal contradictions and tensions, as seen in Casino.
In a comedic turn, the skimmers get skimmed! The bosses begin to notice the thinning of the envelopes and lighter and lighter suitcases being brought from the casino to Kansas City, “back home”. The situation continues to spin out of control, but a mid-tier mafioso articulates the careful balance required for the skimming operation to carry on: to keep the skimming operation functioning, the skimmers need to be kept loyal and happy. It’s a price the bosses have to pay to maintain the operation, “leakage” in their terms. Ace’s efficient management and precision in maintaining order within Tangiers is crucial for the money to keep flowing. But Ace’s control over the casino slips more and more as the movie progresses. We see this as the direct result of Nicky’s ascendance as mob kingpin in Vegas, the chaos he creates cannot be contained and disrupts the profits and delicate dynamics that keep the scam running.
Of course I can’t help myself here! We should view Scorsese’s discography, and the many portrayals of capitalist excess not as celebratory fetishization, but a critique of the greed and violence he so masterfully captures on film. See the Wolf of Wall Street for its tale of money as the most dangerous drug of them all, and the alienation—social and political—showcased in Taxi Driver. Scorsese uses the mob as a foil to the casino to attack the supposed monopoly the casino holds on legitimate, legal economic activity that rests on institutionalized theft. When juxtaposed with the logic of organized crime, we begin to see that the two—Ace and Nick—are not so different after all.
The only dividing line between the casino and organized crime is the law. Vegas is a lawless town yes, “the Wild West” as Nicky puts it, but there are laws in Vegas. The corruption of the political establishment and ruling elites is demonstrated when they pressure Ace to re-hire an incompetent employee who he fired for his complicity in a cheating scam or his stupidity in letting the slot machines get rigged; nepotism breeds mediocrity. In the end, Ace’s fall is the result of the rent-seeking behavior that the Vegas ruling class wields to influence the gaming board to not even permit Ace a fair hearing for his gaming license, which would’ve given him the lawful authority to officially run Tangiers. The elites use the political apparatus of the State to resist the new gang in town, the warring faction of mob-affiliated casino capitalists. While the mob’s only weapon to employ is that of violence. The mafia is still subservient to the powers that be within the political and economic establishment of Vegas, and they’re told “this is not your town.”
I’d like to make the most salient claim of this entire review now. Casino is a western film. The frontier of the Wild West is Vegas in this case, where the disorder of the mob wreaks havoc on, an until then, an “untapped market.” The investment scheme that the Teamsters pension fund is exploited for as seed capital, is an attempt to remain in the confines of the law while extracting as much value as possible through illegal and corrupt means for the capitalist class of the mob (and the ultimately dispensable union president). Tangiers exists in the liminal space of condoned economic activity as a legal and otherwise standard casino. While the violence required to maintain the operation, corrupts the legal legitimacy it never fully enjoyed from the beginning. This mirrors the bounty economy of the West and the out-sourcing of the law and the execution of the law, to bounty hunters. There is no real authority out in the frontier, the killer outlaw on the run is not so different from the bounty hunter who enjoys his livelihood by hunting down the killers. Yet, he himself is not the State. The wide-lens frame of Ace and Nicky meeting in the desert felt like a direct homage to the iconic image of the Western standoff. The conflict between Ace and Nick, the enforcer and the mastermind, is an approximation of the conflicts we might see in John Wayne’s films. The casino venture itself could be seen as an analogy of the frontier-venturism of railroad pioneers going to lay track to develop the West into a more industrial region.
I would have believed that this was a documentary about how the mob took over control of the Vegas casinos in the 1970-80s … if it were not for the viewer being expected to believe that Robert De Niro could play a Jew; it's hard to believe a man with that accent and the roles he’s played his entire career could be a “CRAZY JEW FUCK!!” I kid! But alas, De Niro is a class act and the last of the many greats of a bygone era. At times, it felt like Joe Pesci lacked talent as an actor, but his portrayal of the scummy, backstabbing bastard in Nicky was genuinely remarkable, but I might consider his performance the weak point of the movie. It’s weird to see a man that short, be that much of physical menace. There are a number of Sopranos actors in Casino. I’m sure Vincent Chase watched the movie and said to himself, “bet, i’ll cast half of these guys.”The set design and costumes were gorgeous. The styles and fashion of the time were spectacular. Scorsese’s signature gratuitous violence featured prominently, but tastefully. The camera work, tracking shots through the casino and spatial movement was incredible and I thought the cinematography was outstanding, the Western-esque wide lens in the desert was worthy of being a framed still.
The Nicky//Ace dynamic is excellent and the two play off of each other well. The conflict between the two of them escalates gradually, and then Nicky’s betrayal of Ace by cheating with Ginger marks the final break between the two of them. Nicky’s mob faculties represent a brutal, violent theft that is illegal and requires the enforcement of violence by organized crime. Despite the illegal embezzlement and corruption at play with the “skimming” operation at work at the casino, the general business model of the casino stands in contrast to the obscene violence of the loan sharks. Ace operates an intelligent operation of theft through the casino, and his hands-on management approach is instrumental to the success of the casino. Nicky’s chaos pervades the casino, and the life and activities of “the street” begin to bleed into Ace’s ability to maintain order in the casino. “Connected” types begin frequenting the casino, and Ace unknowingly forces one particularly rude gambler to leave the casino, who happens to have mob ties with Nicky. The “organized violence” of the casino cannot stay intact perfectly, because the very thing holding it together is the presence of the mob. Nicky is in Vegas as the enforcer and tasked with protecting Ace but his independent, entrepreneurial (shall we call them?) aspirations lead him to attempt to overtake what he realizes is a frontier for organized crime to brutalize and exploit the characters of “the street” (pimps, players, addicts, dealers, and prostitutes) and the owners of small private businesses.
Nicky is reckless, “when i plant my flag out here you won’t need your [casino/gaming] license” Nicky thinks he, and Ace, can bypass the regulations and bureaucratic legal measures by sheer force of violence alone. But ultimately Nicky is shortsighted and doesn’t have a real attachment to the success of the casino. After all, he isn’t getting profits from it (or much anyway) and isn’t permitted to play a real, active role in its daily functions because of his belligerent, untamed personality. Nicky has no buy-in that would motivate him to follow the rules or to work within the legal parts of the economy, it’s not the game he knows how to play, and win. All that he is loyal to, or deferent too, is the bosses back home; for whom he maintains absolute, uncompromising loyalty to, but still holds intense spite for.
And now to the more compelling element of the narrative. Sam “Ace” Rothstein is positioned as remarkably intelligent, he makes informed decisions that aid in his skill as a gambler, he can read people to determine whether he’s being conned, he has an attention to detail—aided by the casino’s surveillance apparatus which monitors cheating—that is almost unbelievable. Ace knows when he’s being cheated, he knows how to rig the game so that the house always wins, enacting psychological warfare to break down the confidence of would be proficient gamblers, who could threaten Tangiers’ bottom line. But in the end, the greatest gamble Ace makes is his marriage to Ginger. Ginger is the seductive, charismatic, and flirtatious madame who makes her money with tricks and her sexual power. Ginger works as a prostitute, seducing men, and extracting everything she can, almost as a sort of sexual-financial vampirism.
Ginger is the bad bet Ace can’t stop making even when she destroys his life, her own, and puts their daughter Amy in harm’s way. Ginger is the gamble Ace made wrong, but he keeps going back to her every time, trying to rationalize how she might change and be different the next time. Ace is not a victim to Ginger’s antics. Ginger makes it clear who she is: an addict, alcoholic, manic shopaholic who will use all of her powers to extract everything she can from everyone around her. She uses everyone to her advantage and manipulates men with her sexual power in exchange for their money and protection. Ginger had a price for her hand in marriage: $1 million in cash and $1 million worth of jewelry that are left to her and her alone as a sort of emergency fund.
Ace’s numerous attempts to buy Ginger’s love—and the clear fact that no matter how expensive the fur coat and how grand the mansion, none of it would ever be enough to satisfy her—mirrored Jordan Belfort’s relationship with Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street. Both relationships carried the same manic volatility and conflict over child custody was found in both films, with the roles reversed in the respective films. Ginger may be irredeemable and a pathological liar, but Ace can’t claim that she wasn’t clear with him; when he asked her to marry him, Ginger said she didn’t love Ace. Ace replied that love could be “developed” but required a foundation of trust to develop. That trust was never there to begin with. The love was doomed from the start to destroy the two of them; two addicts, two gamblers, lying on a daily basis to one another and themselves about reality to justify their respective existences, the marriage, and Ace’s livelihood. And as Ginger pointed out, “I should have never married him. He’s a gemini, a triple gemini … a snake” Maybe astrology has some truth to it after all.
Now I’m not licensed (but hey neither was Ace, and he ran a casino empire!), but Ginger has the inklings of a borderline personality: her manic depression, narcissism, drug and alcohol abuse, and constant begging for forgiveness all seem indications of a larger psychological disorder at play. In the end, Ginger runs away with all the money Ace left her and finds her people in Los Angeles, the pimps, whores, and addicts she fits in with, in turn exploit and kill her for 3 grand in mint coins by giving her a ‘hot’ dose.
Overall, Casino is an incredible cinematic experience. I highly recommend watching this and seeing it as part of Scorsese's anthology of commentary on our economic system and its human victims. I’d argue that Casino, Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman all fit together nicely into a trilogy of the Scorsesean history of finance and corruption from the 70s to the 90s.
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EDIT 2: TL;DR —
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.

So I’ve been playing the Pepega Mod and thinking about base NFS Most Wanted’s Blacklist, and the inconsistencies I seemed to notice. For instance, why do we climb up the Blacklist knocking off posers in Golfs and barely-tuned RX8s while the intro cutscene has Razor in his busted Mustang at #15 and his tricked-out homeboys not even on the blacklist? Why do we face real tough, exotic-riding racers in normal, non-Blacklist races? Why is the Blacklist order decided by “gentlemanly” street racing rules when it’s supposedly a police registry? And so on.
So, here’s my conjecture about how Rockport’s racing scene actually works. I apologize if this has been done before or if some of you think this was obvious, but I needed to get this off my chest. It’s a pretty big read, too.
First off, the Blacklist as the police sees it doesn’t have places or numbers. It’s just a list of street racers who regularly and violently resist arrest and don’t bother hiding all the time; Racers who rack up a large cost to state and wreck police vehicles. The police probably does this to focus their efforts on really malignant threats instead of street-racing kids: After all, Rosewood College is part of Rockport and generates a lot of reckless kids.
Now, the more serious, driven and unscrupulous racers in Rockport heard of the Blacklist and decided to raise the stakes of the racing scene by creating a system where the greatest racers would be the most wanted ones; 15 of the best are ranked, and to be the best you must have more heat on your head than anybody else. The mechanic of losing your car if you challenge a Blacklist Racer and lose is meant not only to up the stakes and deter challengers, but also to prevent somebody from eclipsing their Blacklist superiors in bounty while being unable to best them in a race. The bounty requirement is why all of the super-fast, super-riced cars you race late in the game aren’t on the Blacklist: They don’t crave attention and they don’t wreck and harm police officers. Their world is probably structured like that of the more mellow and chill racers in NFS2015 or NFSU1. Plus, losing your car is a serious put-off: People who don’t engage with the Blacklist probably don’t make as much or race as often to avoid police detection, and before your arrival, #15 (Razor) was a strong opponent.
Many people think that before Clarence Callahan’s ascension up to the top of the Blacklist, Joe Vega was #1, Wes Allen was #2 and so on. While those two fit the bill as they seem to be strong, it’s not necessarily the case: After all, Razor and his gang defeated #14 through #1, setting their rep way back and probably taking or wrecking many of their cars. I’d say that nobody below Earl (If not Jewels or Kaze) could have possibly been above Razor on the old blacklist rankings.
So the previous Blacklist was probably even more destructive and dangerous than the new one, which makes it pretty obvious why RPD, Sgt. Cross and undercover agent Mia Townsend decided on such a weird hail-Mary scheme of destroying the Blacklist. But it does work out well: Mia finds the best street racer ever (Player) and talks him up. Razor cheats and beats said racer - even better, now he can be made almost completely into an RPD asset. I doubt he’s truly unaware that Mia is a cop after all of the red flags she exhibits over the course of the game, though, so he probably just goes along with it. The player character tears apart the Blacklist from the bottom up in record time, hypes up a huge race between Razor and himself that draws several dozen racer spectators, and gets them all arrested. Game ends.
So what’s the Player Character’s deal? In the course of two games and a prologue, he gets duped like four times (Twice by Darius, once by Razor, once-ish by Mia but he probably saw it coming). His relationship to the UG protag is not totally clear apart from Rog’s remark that the Player had been “underground”, so we’ll ignore those two games. The protag is a prodigy street racer from Palmont City whose career there has been cut short by Darius, who is probably some form of uncle figure or crew leader to him at first; there Darius just used him to take out a younger, less influential Wolf, Angie and Kenji and conquer Silverton Borough. The Player finds fortune elsewhere, and eventually rolls up to Rockport in his only tricked-out ride - alone. This suggests that the player character is kind of a loner by nature, and doesn’t attach to crews easily. He likes it his way, and isn’t very agreeable. Darius says that “greed’s always been [the player’s] problem”, and as much of an asshat as Darius is he’s probably right. Now, during Most Wanted’s prologue, the Player loses everything including his car - this happens for the first time, mind you, he did not lose not-his car in Palmont: he actually got to keep one of Darius’s. He starts working with Mia, whose “story” is that she just liked him and wants to help, and Rog, who he kinda-befriends after a race. Based on Rog and Razor’s warnings and Mia’s uncanny teetering around police and access to the rap sheet, I think the Player has enough hints that she’s a turncoat. Why does he not act more carefully? Because he’s still a selfish smug bastard, and he figures he has the girl in his pocket. He’s right, and she lets him escape with his car - though seemingly he doesn’t get the chance to get his cash from the safehouses. He escapes to Palmont, gets fucked by the loose end that is Cross, and is saved and employed by Darius. Not his first patron, not his first rodeo - he probably sees the betrayal coming. This time, though, he gets a right proper crew. Neville genuinely tries to be a pal - and in a sincere way, not Rog’s “street brother” way. Sal is a fanboy who looks up to the Player. The three Team underbosses were there when he left Palmont and start helping him uncover the mystery of that night. That’s a ton of teammates who genuinely help him. He even gets disgruntled-former-sweetheart Nikki back on good terms with him and trusts that she’ll be there to call off Cross when the time comes for Darius to “disappear” him, so his woman-subversion powers are still there lmao. He beats Darius, takes over his casino empire and seemingly gets back with Nikki. Happy end.
So in a nutshell, the Player is a selfish, greedy, smug motherfucker whose story arc is learning to share and generally experience actual emotions. Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

Has anyone ever setup aoe2 to on a dell XPS 15? Recently found my old games in cd form like aoe2 and casino empire and now I wanna start playing them again on my new laptop if possible.

I think it was pretty much just titled "101 Demos" or "101 Free Game Demos", something pretty much like that (If not 1001, but that seems like too much). The magazine may have been a one-off with the same title.
It included demos for Casino Empire, The Sting, A MechWarrior Game, an Abe's Oddysee game, Empire Earth.

I'm not going to get into every little frustrating thing but there is one main overarching frustration that I want to talk about.
Why would you keep helping a failing drug cartel when the longer he lives the more likely you are to die. Their incessant need to get on his good side when the dude is an apparent fucking lunatic, and doesn't seem very bright on top of that, is fucking nitwit level logic. "We have to show him we are valuable..." this is the premise of every fucking episode it's SO BAD.
Dude needs Marty to come up from his basement jail to show him how to enter his AOL password. He only speaks in riddles, he treats everyone like shit in a business where pissing all your friends off is the last thing you want to do.
He is fucking LOSING A DRUG WAR TO THE POINT HE'S WATCHING HIS FAMILY BE ASSASSINATED ON CAMERA. At that point all of his American servants who he has threatened and treated like shit over the years would easily bail on him and there wouldn't be a fucking thing he could do about it he would have to focus all resources on trying not to die in the immediate future...
But no what the fuck do they do... they just keep helping this guy. Over and over and over. Jam after jam after jam... WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM. IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE.
If you are going to say it's because they want power, they coulda easily just walked out from under him and taken the casino empire for themselves and run it clean, use it to launch into their political aspirations. Letting that guy get killed was their ticket out and it wasn't even discussed. They act like children trying to impress a disapproving father. It's fucking stupid.

A Chinese casino empire to rival Macau is investing big in Cambodia, transforming a once-sleepy seaside town into a hub for gangsters and shady operators:
Aljazeera 101 East mini documentary

The UFC is being sued in five class action lawsuits by 11 fighters in federal court.
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"UFC has five related class-action lawsuits filed against it in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California between December 2014 and March 2015 by a total of eleven former UFC fighters. The complaints in the five lawsuits are substantially identical. Each alleges that UFC violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by monopolizing the alleged market for the promotion of elite professional MMA bouts and monopolizing the alleged market for elite professional MMA Fighters’ services.”
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There have been approximately $6 million in cost saving measures by the UFC.
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"including approximately $6 million related to cost reduction initiatives in UFC "
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Although Endeavor owns 50.1% of the UFC, they do not control the UFC fully and are at the behest of the private equity “minority” investors. The private equity investors are also allowed to request an IPO for the UFC itself after the IPO of Endeavor.
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"We currently own 50.1% of UFC Parent’s common equity." and "Our control of UFC is subject to certain consent rights held by other equityholders of UFC, whose interests in UFC may be different than ours and yours”
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Each of the other two main private equity firms, Silver Lake and KKR own 22.9% each. However, they have all the power in the relationship. Silver Lake also is the majority owner of Endeavor, creating a circular ownership structure.
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"We own 50.1% of the common equity interests of UFC Parent. Affiliates of the Silver Lake Equityholders own 22.9% of the common equity interests of UFC Parent, and affiliates of KKR own 22.9% of the common equity interests of UFC Parent. The UFC LLC Agreement governs the management of UFC Parent and the rights of UFC Parent’s equityholders. The UFC LLC Agreement provides that the business and affairs of UFC Parent is managed by the directors appointed to its board of directors by Endeavor Operating Company.”
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The private equity investors are also allowed to request an IPO for the UFC itself after the IPO of Endeavor.
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"(ii) after February 18, 2019 but prior to August 18, 2021, an initial public offering of UFC may be requested or approved by at least one director designated by each of us, Silver Lake Partners and KKR, provided that a request or approval by any two of the directors designated by each of us....” and “(iii) after August 18, 2021, any of us, Silver Lake Partners or KKR, subject to certain ownership requirements, may exercise a demand right with respect to an initial public offering without approval by us or our director designees....”
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Endeavor is also not allowed to take dividends out of the UFC because some private equity investors have a special type of stock called cumulative preferred stock that pays at 13%. This means that every year massive amount of cash will flow out of the UFC to the private equity investors. The cumulative part means that in the case that the UFC cannot pay the dividend, it is still owed at a later date. This means that investors in Endeavor stock will never see UFC dividends until a massive capital structure change is initiated. An IPO would be the most logical event.
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"As part of the UFC Acquisition in 2016, UFC issued $360 million of preferred equity in the form of Class P Units. The holders of Class P Units are entitled to a cumulative distribution at an annual rate of 13.0%” and “The negative covenants for the Class P Units restrict our ability to make distributions from our UFC subsidiaries to the Company, and therefore limit our ability to receive cash from our UFC operating units to make dividends to the holders of our Class A common stock.”
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The preferred stock is worth $494.1 million, implying a $64.2 million dollar payout each year at 13%. It was issued at $360 million which is a $46.8 million dollar annual payment. Usually preferred payouts stay at issue level but this is a very aggressive preferred arrangement so it may be different.
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"Includes the UFC Preferred Units, which have a carrying value of $494.1 million as of March 31, 2019"
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These preferred shares are owned by the investment vehicle of Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Computers, M.S.D. capital.
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"The terms of the preferred units issued by UFC to affiliates of MSD Capital, L.P. as partial financing for the UFC Acquisition limit, among other things, UFC’s ability to issue dividends, repurchase or redeem equity, make certain restricted payments, issue preferred equity, incur indebtedness and enter into affiliate transactions.”
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There is an option for Endeavor to re-buy the preferred shares after the third, fourth and fifth year. However, coming up with $500 million could be a problem. There is also potential for the dividend to rise in the future.
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"...the holders of the Class P Units have the option after the fifth anniversary to switch the rate of the preferred return from the fixed rate of 13.0% to a floating rate of 10.0% plus the five year treasury rate. The fixed rate of 13.0% and the fixed portion of the floating rate of 10.0% increases incrementally by 1.0% after the seventh anniversary, 1.0% after the eighth anniversary and 0.5% after the ninth anniversary. After the third, fourth and fifth anniversary, the Company may elect to redeem any or all of the outstanding Class P Units at an amount per unit equal to the then current liquidation preference, plus a redemption premium of 105%, 102.5% and 100%, respectively."
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Dana White made $70 million in 2017-19 outside his normal compensation structure. He was the sole employee with equity.(i may have misread this one being solely Dana. I thought it was in the UFC section but it was in Endeavor as a whole.)
However Dana White is not mentioned once in the S-1 nor is his massive profit sharing deal with the UFC.
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"The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2018 over 2017 is primarily due to approximately $70 million of compensation expense related to a repurchase offered to employees in 2017, which will be paid in cash over three years, and which was not repeated in 2018.”
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The UFC gyms are 50% owned by the UFC. They have recorded equity losses of $1.3 million for a six month period in 2016. These are much older numbers than the rest of the report.
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"The Company has a 50%-owned joint venture to develop and operate UFC®-branded fitness gyms and manufacture, create, own and market retail home fitness and related products. Zuffa accounts for this investment under the equity method of accounting and recognized equity losses of $1.3 million and made contributions of $0.8 million during the period from January 1, 2016 through August 17, 2016.”
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There are $1.9 billion in loans against the UFC. These include loans that were used to pay for the UFC and also for some other acquisitions. This debt also forbids the UFC from paying dividends to Endeavor and allow Endeavor’s investors to receive the profits from the UFC. There is no way that Endeavor can profit from the UFC without spinning the UFC off in its own IPO after Endeavor goes public. The $425 million in second lien term loans is from the Fertitta era. They took that loan to pay themselves a huge dividend. During this same time period they were buying their Station Casino empire out of bankruptcy and hoping to maintain control.
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"As of March 31, 2019, we have borrowed an aggregate of $1.9 billion of term loans under the UFC Credit Facilities, consisting of $1.4 billion of first lien term loans and $425.0 million of second lien term loans.” and “Both the 2014 Credit Facilities and the UFC Credit Facilities contain restrictions on our ability to make distributions and other payments from the respective credit groups and which therefore limit our ability to receive cash from our operating units to make dividends to the holders of Class A common stock. “
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Frank and Lorenzo received $373 million when they sold their final portion of the UFC to Endeavor.
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"Endeavor Operating Company purchased additional common equity interests in UFC Parent for $373 million from certain of the previous owners of UFC Parent that rolled over in the UFC Acquisition, resulting in Endeavor Operating Company’s ownership interest in UFC Parent’s common equity now being 50.1%"
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The UFC pays another Endeavor subsidiary $25 million dollars a year for services rendered. This might be all the money Endeavor actually receives from the UFC until a separate IPO for the UFC.
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"In connection with the UFC Acquisition, a subsidiary of ours entered into a services agreement with UFC Parent under which such subsidiary provides UFC Parent with certain advisory and support services. Under the terms of the services agreement, UFC Parent pays such subsidiary an annual fee of $25 million in equal monthly installments, plus reimbursements for reasonable out of pocket expenses."
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https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1766363/000119312519155034/d681105ds1.htm#tx681105_12

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 90%. (I'm a bot)

"It's the end of an era," said Allan Zeman, the non-executive chairman of Wynn Macau, one of the territory's six gambling concessionaires, and a competitor to Ho's family fortunes.
Ho married his first wife, Clementina Angela Leitao, in 1942 in Macau.
In 1961, with the financial backing of Henry Fok Ying-tung, Ho won the sole concession for gambling in Macau - an enormously lucrative financial prize - with his company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau.
The Henry Fok Foundation to keep the children of Ho's second wife Lucina Laam King-ying as the majority shareholders of Hong Kong-listed SJM Holdings, one of the six casino license holders in Macau.
Lucina Laam, Ho's second wife, is the mother of three billionaires - daughters Pansy Ho and Daisy Ho Chiu-fung, and son Lawrence Ho Yau-lung.
Stanley Ho speaking at the 10th congregation ceremony of the University of East Asia in Macau, on October 6, 1987.

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Stanley Ho, patriarch of Asia’s largest casino empire and the ‘King of Gambling’ for more than half a century, dies at 98
Go1dfish undelete link
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Author: iD-Hex

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 42%. (I'm a bot)

HONG KONG: Macau casino king Stanley Ho, who built a business empire from scratch in the former Portuguese colony and became one of Asia's richest men, died on Tuesday at the age of 98, his family has confirmed.
Known as the "Godfather" of Macau casinos, the billionaire was instrumental in turning Macau into a gambling boomtown, with gaming revenue surpassing Las Vegas.
SJM rose as much as 8.5 per cent, passenger transport firm Shun Tak Holdings jumped 17.6 per cent and casino operator Melco climbed 4.9 per cent, outpacing a 2 per cent gain for the benchmark index.
In 2017, Ho stepped down as chairman from his Hong Kong-based conglomerate Shun Tak Holdings with his daughter Pansy Ho succeeding him.
He stepped down from his flagship casino empire SJM Holdings in 2018, and handed over the reins to another daughter Daisy Ho. His privately held company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau, or STDM, has stakes in everything from luxury hotels to helicopters and horse racing.
Ho spearheaded what is known in Macau as the junket VIP system, whereby middlemen act on behalf of casinos by extending credit to gamblers and taking responsibility for collecting debts.

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1/2, 800 deep. Villain limps CO, I 16 BU, BB cold calls, CO calls.
Flop Kc Jh 8c (49). Check, CO 30, I call, BB folds.
Turn 4s (109). CO 50, I call.
River 9c (209) CO x, I 265, villain tanks. He says this is so sick, he has a low flush but I bet 3x the pot (???). He asks if I will show if he folds. I tell him if he tips the dealer a fiver I will show. He says £2. I say £3 final offer. More tank.
Eventually he mucks and throws the dealer £3, I show him 56ss.
At this casino (Empire in London) they have a promotion where if you win a hand with 56 suited you don't pay any rake for the rest of the session, so it had to be done. Obviously even if he just mucks without tipping I show anyway because I have to show for the promo.
IDK if he really had a low flush, that would seem like an incredibly strange hand to take this line with (lead, lead, check/fold). He might have said that to get a read.
EDIT: Y'all are a bunch of nits

I know a lot of us feel that the gambling at the Diamond Casino has been rigged by Rockstar.
Some believe that the cards are pure RNG, while others believe that the cards reflect some underlying code designed to actively reduce the chances of a player winning.
It’s a seductive argument: Big Bad Rockstar rigged the odds against me.
But, do any of us actually have evidence, other than anecdotal, that the odds have been rigged against us beyond those that exist in any fair Casino?
Questions for the real life gamblers among us: Based on your experience gambling in the real world, do you think the Diamond Casino is rigged by Rockstar (anecdotal)? And, has anyone done any empirical comparison of win percentages between the Diamond Casino and a real world Casino (empirical)?
So far, on blackjack alone, I’m up over $2M through legit play. And while I’ve had plenty of hands that should have won based on the cards on the table, I don’t have any reason to think the Diamond Casino is rigged any more than any other casino.
Edit: u/Geoff_t below made a great point about the cards being reshuffled every hand.
Edit 2: How exciting! Apparently I’ve collected a troll-base who downvote all of my posts and comments. I’m in the Big Time, baby!

Last year, I played Hoyle Casino Empire and really enjoyed it, but for some reason, it would delete my sandbox progress, but keep my saves. I've played the game Casino Inc, but for all the cool 'modern' features it had, some of the game mechanics were way too unrealistic and frustrating.
I know this is an extremely niche genre, but has anyone heard anything about either a remastered Hoyle Casino Empire or an upcoming casino management game?

It would be great to see another Hotel Giant Game or Casino Empire?

I was able to figure it out in VirtualBox but even though I got it to work virtualbox runs like hot garbage. please help me I just wanna play Casino Empire.

UPDATE: Some fans I know from an interview we did way back asked me to come down and be in a cinematic movie trailer project called Left 4 Earl. It was shot partially at YouTube Space L.A. in partnership with the Stan Winston school. Check it out: VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc7kSijav4k&feature=share&list=PLG8dw_8LVfezbPXJGhckKiNOAotmtYOfW
A while ago my co-worker posted this on /Gaming. And, ever since then he has been mentioning how big of a response he got, how big the reddit community is, and how people wanted me to do an AMA. Alot of you actually came to my website and liked my stuff, and even asked about voicemails.
Well, here I am. My Name is Earl Alexander, I am a actor, voice actor, I am best known for playing Louis from Left 4 Dead, but I have done other acting/voice acting jobs, such as Half-Life Episode 2, The Suffering I & II, SAW I & II, and Casino Empire.
Ask me anything about, playing louis, working with valve, living in Seattle, or anything you want. Also, this is my first time using Reddit so please bear with me.
If you want to heasee more of me...
Facebook (like) - Twitter (follow)
Go to my website at earlswebsite.com where you can to check my previous work, bio, resume, critic reviews, and voice demo.
If you want to take me home, I have a pack of pre-recorded voicemail messages and gamer lines. It's a cheap package of $1.50 so help a brother eat! Also, I am available to do custom recordings where you tell me what you want me to record. These are for personal use only and can be easily ordered off my site. The customs are more expensive because I have to record one specifically for you, which takes time. I am trying to make it affordable for broke people, so I am asking from $5 to $9. If you want extra background noise (like street traffic or any other ambiance) then it will be $9.
I will be giving away six autograph copies of L4D video game, if you buy a the cheap package or custom voice recording then you will be automatically entered to win, so check you emails.
I will also be at PAX prime this weekend! Unfortunately I won't be doing a panel, but will be hanging out in the main Convention Center Street-Level Lobby, Saturday @ 5pm, to meet up with some fans. Follow my Facebook and Twitter for updates on that!
Finally, Me and my co-colabitor in crime are trying to do a custom announcer for Dota 2. So, Keep your eyes on the workshop for that!
edit: http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/418964_393470464052994_375111027_n.jpg
Some people asked for Verification.

So Gilbert is divesting more of his casino empire - any more talk about the reasoning??
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2019/04/05/dan-gilbert-jack-entertainment-sells-ohio-casino-kentucky-horse-track/39304919/
​

If its on some storefront where I can get it right now that would be incredible. It used to be one of my favorite tycoon games growing up! After looking a bunch I can't find it anywhere.
​
Also did ANYONE else enjoy this game? I haven't seen it brought up since I was a kid and it blows my mind because I remember it being really good. Maybe I remembered wrong?
​
Totally down to just gush about Casino Empire too.
Like how you can raise the proof of alcohol to get the patrons so drunk that they lose all their money. Then comping them so they don't get mad.
Or upgrading your casinos exterior with new fountains and decorations and it has that 90's PC game stank to it that is just so damn good.
​
Edit: Found it on amazon for $20 digitally....yikes.

The Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event is an event that returns only once in a while during the summer, and gives you a chance to gamble on slot machines for prizes. Slot machine tokens can be bought with credits, or are dropped in flashpoints and operations. The introduction quest is located on the fleet, look for floating blue terminals at the cross-sections.

NAR SHADDAA NIGHTLIFE EVENT

(JUNE 13 – AUGUST 22, 2017: BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5AM PDT/12PM GMT)
Guides

• Guide to the new Nightlife event items and updates by Dulfy
• Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event Guide by torcommunity (2015)
• Know of anymore up-to-date guides? Comment below!

Videos

• Nightlife Event Explained: How To Play - All Rewards by SWTOR Central
• SWTOR - Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event Walkthrough by Kid Lee
• SWTOR: New Nightlife Event Overview! by SWTOR Snoopy
• SWTOR: Nightlife Event 2017 by SWTOR TV
• Swtor: Nightlife Event Guide by Endless Rage Gaming
• The SWTOR Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event by Swtorista

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Travel to Nar Shaddaa from your Player Ship, then take a taxi to either the Star Cluster Casino (Republic) or Club Vertica Casino (Empire).
MISSION: Set course for Nar Shaddaa this summer, as the Hutts open their doors for the greatest spectacle this side of the Outer Rim. Watch as the galaxy's rich, famous, and desperate flock to the Smuggler’s Moon to unwind and find their fortune! So grab your friends, stockpile those credits, and set your blasters to stun - because the lights never go out at the Star Cluster and Club Vertica Casinos!
The stakes have been raised this year, with the greatest rewards yet up for grabs. Test your luck on the slot machines, compete with other high rollers, and create unforgettable memories! Sit back and relax -- we've got your itinerary covered:

• Trade in your credits for special tokens to use at the dazzling Star Cluster and Club Vertica casinos!
• Feel the surge of adrenaline as you try your luck at the slot machines and a chance to win lavish rewards!
• Rack up rewards with the Smuggler's Luck Slot Machine, then - if you're feeling lucky - go for jackpot with the Kingpin's Bounty Slot Machine!
• Win big with this year's two new grand prizes: Vectron BWL Wraith: Ride off on this sleek new speeder and be the envy of the Nightlife crowd! Gamorrean Guard Companion: Secure a bodyguard contract with one of the galaxy's most notorious armed thugs!
• Plus, with every pull of the slot machine you have a chance of winning grand prize items from previous Nightlife festivals - like the Vectron Opus speeder and Kingpin's Rancor Mount!
• With so many prizes, there’s a jackpot just around the corner!

From the book "Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas. How Jay Sarno Won a Casino Empire, Lost it, and Inspired Modern Las Vegas"

Workers started brining up whatever could fit in the elevator, and put it into whatever room looked like it needed it. Standing behind the front desk with a walkie-talkie in his hand, he kept an eye on who was checking, and which room they were taking. Watching Mr. and Mrs. Archie Smith register for room 603, he got on the walkie-talkie.
"Room 603, waht do we need in room 603?"
"Standby." per his instructions, the clerk was taking his time with the Smiths, giving Mason time to contact his man in the tower.
"Room 603, we're short a sofa and a lamp."
Mason then called down to the guys in the parking lot. "Get a sofa and lamp, standard, up to 603 pronto."
"We're on our way."
The desk clerk finally gave the Smiths their keys. As they started toward the elevator, Mason decided this would be as good a time as any to check in with the guys in the tower. He got into the elevator with the Smiths. It was a tight fit.
"That's a very fine couch you've got there," Mrs. Smith said to the workers standing behind it.
"Im glad you like it," Mason said and smiled. "It's going into your room."

Even if you hate the way Las Vegas is run today by shareholders and corporations, you can't deny that Caesars Palace is the root of why we are here today.
If Jay Sarno did not come to Las Vegas and build, Las Vegas wouldn't be what we know today. You may not know Sarno's name because he was a drunk, degenerate gambler, and notorious ladies man. He was not your typical casino owner or the face you'd want on your company - but he was a visionary.
Other Fun Facts about Caesars Palace:

• It was the first casino to have each department operate for profit. If the F&B department was failing, the casino would float it. That ended with Caesars Palace.
  
• The property was almost sold to the owners of Denny's
  
• When it opened, the state said they had to have X amount of keys (thing of as rooms nowadays). But construction was behind, and the hotel didn't have enough keys to open. So opening week, each room installed a lock on the bedroom doors, bathroom doors, closets, etc to get up to the regulated key amount. So you'd check in and be given 5 keys!
  
• Construction of the property in 1965
  
• Caesars Palace in 1966
  
• Caesars Palace, November 1966
  

In the most recent Lore Builder, CIG mentioned a fictional card game called Trigger and has asked the community for lore to flesh this out. Well, I went a step further (as I often do; some would say too far) and made a whole game and would like some feedback on it.  
First, let me tell you my goals. I wanted a game that

• Worked with the existing fiction. Based on the brief mentions, people were both playing the game casually and some people were upset over. Thus, Trigger seemed to be in the vein of a casual betting driven card game (Poker being the optimal example). So, the first constraint had to be many opportunities to bet and bluff.
  
• Is open to spectators. Traditional Poker is kinda boring if you don't know the player’s hands. Texas hold'em is more exciting due to the open cards on the table and the many betting rounds. So, I decided the cards need to be drawn out and open played.
  
• Is nothing like Poker in actual play so the game did devolve into or get compared to it. So, I said no matching and instead chose a trump-style game.
  
• Can be played by fans at events and such. To make this easy, I decided to use a regular card deck that everyone has access to and CIG already conveniently sells (only $10!).  
  

Thus, after some quick brainstorming and play testing with friends, I’ve come up with the following:
 
BASE RULES:
 

• Trigger is a card game played with a traditional Earth deck of 52 cards (no Jokers)
• Each player starts with a hand of 7 cards and there are a max of 4 players
• Each player is randomly given a suit at the beginning of the game This is usually determined by separate card draw, but some regular groups simply have a favorite suit they always use. You can also see players using a special 4-sided die or 'trigger tables' that have the suit determined by the OptiGlass table top. (for more picking options and equipment, see below)
• Players play out their hands one card at a time in clock-wise order (starting left of the dealer). The first card is drawn off the top of the reserve deck and then the first player plays. Dealer position rotates to the left each hand (just like most Poker).
• On each play, the player lays down a card next to or on top of the last card played, forming a line (which wraps if there is no room)
  • If your card you play is greater than the value of last card, you override the value by placing it on top
  • If your card is equal or lower in value to the last card, you start a new stack and the previous stack is finished (cannot be overridden)
• On your turn (and only your turn), you may optionally raise the bid once before you play. Other players cannot raise in response. Only meet or fold.
• Players can fold at any time, surrendering an opportunity at the pot
• Face cards are valued based on normal suit order (Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13). Aces are Low / valued at 1. NOTE: This was changed after play testing. The original rule is now the Heavy G variant.
• After all cards are played, the player with the suit with the most cards showing (on the top of the stacks) wins.
• Ties are resolved with a split pot (or, optionally, murder and mayhem).  

 
I also made a video to demo the gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wEiN23eaVs  
 
RULE VARIANTS:  
The Verse is a big place and there are lots of Trigger variants. Here's a few (I'll add more as I find them in my travels :) )  

• Mad Messer: remove all the face cards from the deck except the King. This variant was invented by Terran separatists toward the end of Imperator Messer XI's reign.
• Glaive: 2 player version were each player controls 2 suits. The most popular 2 player option.
• The Two Faced Banu (aka Double Burn when in polite company): Aces have the value of Low / 1 when played as a new stack and High / 14 when trumping.
• Tin Foot's Fortune (aka Billy's Bluff): Lowest scoring suit wins. Named for Tin Foot Billy, a notoriously inept pirate.
• Dump N'Drift: Players can discard and redraw up to 3 cards before play begins
• Europa Moon (aka e-moon): A popular variant where all the cards are dealt out (12-13 per player, depending on if you use 2s as markers). Betting is usually not allow during play in e-moon (ante only if any) and it is found more often in less risk-averse settings. You'll likely get made fun of for suggesting this variant in a bar setting.
• Murray Shot: 2 player variant where one suit is removed from the deck (named for a short cut in the 2940 Murray Cup made famous by the racer Tri'Kilavi)
• Heavy G: All face cards are valued at 10. Note: This makes the game more tense and betting focused. One bar on Ruin station has a rule that all Trigger games must use this variant (enforcement is ... lethal)
• The Dirty Advocate: whenever a King is played, a new stack is immediately started by drawing off the reserve deck. Note: we found this variant added an extra edge of uncertainty/ fun in play testing.
• The Last Laugh: Kings can be played as normal or played on top of other Kings. Kings that trump other Kings do not count as points. Instead they cause stacks to 'flip' (turn them over) counting as no points. (thanks Laughingstok)
• Snow Job: Jokers cause a stack to flip and count as no points. (thanks SnowCrash / Zoenobium)
• Zip: >4 player team variant. Requires an even number of players and extra decks (1 deck for each 2-4 player addition). Randomly determine suits with 2 players playing each suit (e.g. only use 3 suits for 6 players with the 4th suit either being non-player / non-scoring or pruned). Suit assignments can be static (Stuck Zip), rotate right each hand (Back Zip), or are randomly assigned each hand (Broke Zip). Zip games are likely ante only (no active betting to keep teams from raising each other). (thanks ZippityD and Zoenobium)  

CASINO PLAY  
Trigger is traditionally and primarily a Player vs Player game that is played casually or tournament style. That said, a casino variant of the game has been becoming increasingly popular over the last decade. It is not uncommon to see a "Kit Trigger" table or automated machine in the many casinos of Goss.  
KIT TRIGGER RULES:  

1. Player(s) antes
2. The Dealer draws a 9 card hand to themselves, all facing down
3. The Dealer flips over 5 cards, one at a time in order, playing the cards per the base rules of Trigger (only order and value affect placement)
4. The Dealer draws 5 cards off the stack and plays them in front of player(s), one at a time in order. Again, Card behavior is purely based on value and order drawn per the base Trigger rules
5. The highest number of points of any suit is the Player’s score
6. The Player can double their bet for an optional 2 cards
7. The Dealer flips / plays the remaining 4 cards in their hand, one at a time in order
8. Highest score wins (Player vs. House). Ties are a push in most establishments  

DESIGNER NOTE: This is just an initial proposal for this type of play. Like the base game, I think it has merit, but it needs some statistical massage. I’m not sure if 2 cards is a big House advantage or not. So, as before, this all comes with a Work In Progress qualifier.  
 
TOURNAMENT PLAY  
I've seen a good number of suggestions for >4 player play options. If you have an even number of players with a flat bet, check out the Zip variant. If you have an odd number or you want more betting friendly large group play, I've created a Hold'Em style variant with it's own lore.  
5TRI RULES:  
5TRI is a tournament style variant of Trigger meant for larger groups of players. Think “Texas Hold’em” where a larger group plays with a shared group of cards.

• 5Tri starts with each player being dealt 5 cards
• The table is dealt 8 cards face down
• One round of betting
• 2 cards are flipped and played one at a time from the tables deal
• Cards from the table are played only as value, in order (see Kit Trigger)
• After the play, another round of betting and the process repeats
• Once all 8 are played, one final round of betting before players play
• Players play all their cards, one at a time, ‘against’ the table’s stacks. The order of card play is player determined, but is unchangeable once laid on the table. “New” stacks are bumped to the next stack where they trump or get bumped again (Aces immediately go to end). This means that if the table has shows a 3, K, 6, 4 and the player plays a 10, 7, 3, A, J (order matters), the resulting hand would be a 10, K, 7, 4, 3, J
• Players play in lines ‘below’ the table line to keep their cards separate. Trumping cards are played directly below the cards they trump.
• The player with the most points generated in any suit (like Kit Trigger) wins the pot. Ties split the pot.

DESIGNER NOTES: Again, as with Kit Trigger, I haven’t done any statistical analysis here. The 5 and 8 card counts are simply off the top of my head. I’ll likely be scripting up some sort of model for this stuff at some point to see if I can optimize these values.  
 
 
 
And then I fleshed out the lore that fit with the game rules  
 
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT and CHEATING:  
I expect most 'honest' games happen on a OptiGlass table that detects the cards being played, handles the betting, and the final payout. Players either use smart cards that just track their locations or AR augmented cards that appear blank until played (to prevent looking over shoulders). AR card values can be seen by the individual players using MobiGlass monocles. Professional players typically have optical implants with encrypted CardLinks to insure the most secure experience.  
Backwater games likely use non-monetary bets and all physical mechanisms. Cheating is possible in said crude environments, but, since OptiGlass tables track the cards, sleeve stuffing is ruled out in most honest establishments. That said, dishonest gambling establishments have been known to hack the tables to allow house players an advantage.  
 
ORIGIN:  
Popular belief is that the name "Trigger" refers to the creation of the new stacks in the game. As in "pulling the trigger" when trumping a stack or stealing a win.  
In actuality, the game's name has nothing to do with the game's play. Trigger was the callsign of a human backwater smuggler named Elitimi Pfuntner, who is credited as the game's inventor and most notorious player. Trigger spent the majority of her free time in the bars of Pyro's Ruin Station gambling away any money she earned, but her audacious personality alcohol fueled antics insured the game was played a lot on that particular station and slowly spread around the 'Verse via both traders and pirates.  
Modern anthropology scholars believe that the Trigger card game is based on a much simplified version of the ancient Teverin game of Chil'a Cohook (roughly translated as "battle simulation of opponents supply lines and defeat through deception for great honor"). Colloquially known as Chill, the game revolves around placing tiles in a line (not too dissimilar from Trigger's card play with more tiles and a variety of special conditions) and then using the points gained each hand to move a complex chess-like set of pieces on a hexagonal board (which, in turn, gave advantages in the tile play). Additional tiles are used around the play board to denote battle phases, moral, field conditions, etc.  
This modern anthropological consensus is rooted in the fact that very similar games have been invented prior to Trigger in environments of mixed Teverin-Human cohabitation. Thus, the game of Trigger can be called many names, depending on the station / planet you are on: Bad Jump, Pipper, Hu'sic, and Soso Chill to name a few. Regardless, the name Trigger is now known universally for those looking for a game.  
Several other modern games have been derived from Chill's sub-components including games such as Gunner's Run, Drop and Dash, and Trapman. That said, Trigger is the most popular of the Chill derivatives by far.    
KIT TRIGGER LORE:  
Kit Trigger is named for and popularized by the bounty hunter come casino entrepreneur Katherine Lyra. Known to many in the hunter's guild as D1rty K1tty, Ms. Lyra created Kit Trigger with opening of her first small gambling establishment on Terra in 2930. Originally called simply D1rty K1tty's Trigger, the game's name has been shorten (and classed up) as her casino empire has grown.  
Ms. Lyra is publicly vocal in her opinion that she should own exclusive rights to the use of the game in casinos, but has been unable to prove her position in court. Thus, after a handful of unsuccessful lawsuits (on Terra) in 2941, many casinos and software vendors have started capitalizing on the game's relatively open intellectual property status and greatly increased its popularity and availability.  
5TRI LORE:  
In 2937, the Goss Conglomerated Gambling corporation decided to revitalize their gambling tournament entertainment division around Spectrum broadcast Trigger matches. While already popular, Trigger was trending relatively flat in viewership over the previous three broadcast seasons. Their initial effort to make Kit Trigger watchable failed when they were sued by Kat Lyra (a suit they eventually won years latter).  
In response to this set back, the GCG decided to create and market their own brand of Trigger-based games entertainment. After a couple failed marketing ploys (Trigger n’Sauce and WaterTriggers) they happened upon on a tournament variant played by some UEEN carrier squadrons. Named after the 5th Marine detachment, the Trigger variant’s deeper origins are murky (it had been around longer than anyone could remember) and the game was relatively unknown outside military circles.  
Regardless, during the 2938 Spectrum Gambling broadcast season, 5TRI became a huge success among viewers and the popularity has been spreading regularly ever since.
 
 
I WOULD LOVE SOME FEEDBACK :)  
Finally, here’s a link to the RSI forum thread I’m collecting everything in and documenting my playtesting and continued lore building: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/209875/

I travel a lot for work and would love to be able to play some games when away. I'm not the most tech savvy when it comes to PC gaming so would love to get your opinions.
I don't have too much of a budget, lets say £300-£400, but i'm really looking for something second hand, maybe somewhere in the £200-£300 region.
The games I play really aren't that high spec (I don't think) and running them on their highest settings doesn't really bother me.
Here are some examples of what I might be playing: Prison Architect, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, Planet Coaster, Starcraft II, Stronghold, Medieval: Total War, Age of Empires II, Northgard, Casino Empire, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth, Age of Mythology, Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War, Civilization VI etc.
Is something for a low price like this possible? If so, do you have any possible suggestions?
Sorry if it's a bit of a silly question and thanks in advance!