Odds no longer with the house for casinos?

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The odds are not looking good for casinos on either side of the Pacific.

Concerns that the Chinese government may act to curtail visits by mainlanders to Macau, the only place in the country where gambling is legal, have hit the stock prices of casino companies.

The Portuguese news agency Lusa, quoting unnamed sources, reported that Beijing may restrict individual visas to Macau to one visit every six months, instead of the current one visit every two months.

Starting next month, residents of mainland China will no longer be able to enter Macau on a Hong Kong visa.

In the United States, cash-strapped consumers are gambling, but they are spending less at the tables or shifting to cheaper slot machines, according to analysts.

Meanwhile, U.S. gaming companies have about $10.6 billion of loans maturing next year, debt that will have to be repaid or refinanced at a time when banks are tightening standards and charging more to lend.

Harrah's Entertainment, better known as the home of Harrah's and Caesars hotels and casinos, taken private in a $31 billion buyout earlier this year, is now grappling with a softer gaming market, higher debt and a pipeline of projects it needs to fund.

Detroit's Greektown Casino, in the midst of building a permanent casino, filed for bankruptcy protection in May.

Trump Entertainment Resorts, chaired by property mogul Donald Trump, reported a $29.8 million net loss in the second quarter.

But just because the casinos have run into head winds, doesn't mean the odds have changed for their customers.

(Reporting by Dena Aubin, Deena Beasley; Writing by Leslie Gevirtz, Editing by Michelle Nichols)