Bailouts, bankruptcies, and Brett Farve leaving the Packers are just a few reasons to kiss 2008 good bye and welcome 2009 with a new sense of hope. Currently, the casino and poker news from the Midwest looks good...even promising. Oklahoma casinos continue moving forward with major growth and expansion, creating new jobs and opportunity, as well as many card rooms throughout the Central Time zone. They're also adding new tournaments and expanding existing venues. Several noteworthy events proving that poker is alive and well and showing continued growth in the Midwest are listed below:

1. Shakopee, MN-Canterbury Park announced the addition of a new tournament to their schedule. Jerry Fuller, VP of operations, commented on it, saying, "Even with tournament participation down around the country, the tournaments at Canterbury continue to see strong fields and prize pools. That's because players know they will get a great customer and tournament experience every time they come to Canterbury Park. With that in mind, we're very excited to add another major tournament for loyal players," The Great Minnesota Freeze Out, to our calendar. It's scheduled to run from Wednesday, January 21 through Sunday January 25, and Canterbury is offering $300 satellites or a direct buy of $1,500 + $120. For additional information log on to www.canterburypark. com or contact the card room at 1-800MNPOKER.

2. Hammond, IN-According to The Northwest Indiana Times, the newly renovated Horseshoe outshone all area competitors according to figures released for November, and lifted Indiana riverboat revenue out of its recent doldrums. The reported $46.5 million November take reported by the five Lake Michigan shores-docked casinos resulted in a 5.1 percent increase over 2007 figures. "The Horseshoe's $500 million expansion was unveiled in August of 2008, and has proven to be a draw to gamblers, even in these tough economic times," stated Ed Feigenbaum, whose Indiana Gaming Insight tracks the state's casino industry. In addition, the Horseshoe now hosts a new World Series of Poker circuit event, the first of which was an astounding success.

3. Milwaukee, WI-Potawatomi Casino, one of the busiest poker rooms in the Midwest, recently moved into their newly expanded facilities, a new room featuring 45 tables, a spacious atmosphere, and state of the art amenities. Watch for some excellent tournament action from this location in the future.

4. Tulsa, OK-The Cherokee Casino recently announced plans to re-brand as a Hard Rock property, and is in the midst of a major expansion. In addition, their popular tournament venue will be doing business as usual and beginning the year on a positive note with the Oklahoma State Championship event. That's scheduled from February 5 through February 16. This series includes a variety of daily tournaments, and features a $3,150 buy-in for the main event.

Oklahoma casinos in general are doing so well, that I beginning to wonder if they could offer some advice to Wall Street. For example, Winstar in Thackerville has recently added 1,500 jobs, and the newly remolded Creek Nation, slated to open in February, has also created 1,500 new jobs. The constant expansion and remodeling also keeps construction crews busy throughout the state.

Congratulations on a job well done to all of the Midwestern casinos, a hearty "Thank you!" for creating new jobs. Good luck in 2009 and in all your continuing efforts.

Bonnie Demos from the midwest, Gambler, poker player and award winning chef, has enjoyed working in the gaming industry for the past several years. Write her at bdemos1@wi.rr.com