But the relationship grew stormy in 1991, when Mr. Trump experienced financial difficulties in the rest of his real estate and casino empire.

Connecticut's Senate firmly rejected the bid by a phony aboriginal tribe to extend its glitzy casino empire beyond the confines of its "reservation."

They also hope to bury Stanley Ho's old casino empire, a collection of smoky ballrooms that thrived for decades by offering no-frills gambling.

AT the time of the handover, there was already a sense among some people here that Mr. Ho's casino empire had grown too powerful.

BUT Mr. Ho's past continues to haunt efforts to revitalize his casino empire.

But I didn't think that order was the most important thing in building up a huge nightclub and casino empire, in a world full of sharks all wanting a slice of the action.

Jack Davis built Resorts International, the casino empire, which in the eyes of gambling opponents does not exactly qualify him for sainthood.

The son of a compulsive gambler who died in debt, Mr. Wynn has spent his life fulfilling his father's dream of building a casino empire.

Mr. Trump was cool and confident in a case that comes to court just after he faced severe cash shortages in his real-estate and casino empire.

But even skeptics agree that Mr. Trump's casino empire is looking much healthier.