Kangwon Land has polished one diamond of a business out of a former coal mine. Located in the Gangwon province of South Korea, Kangwon is the country's only legal casino facility, featuring more than 130 tables and some 960 slot machines. Constructed atop a closed coal mine, Kangwon broke ground on the resort facility in 1999 and has since expanded to include two hotels, a theme park, 18-hole golf course, and an 18-slope ski resort. Kangwon Land Corporation even has its own ice hockey, judo, and ski teams. In concert with the opening of its casino, Kangwon additionally opened several gambling clinics to help prevent and treat gambling addictions.

Founded in 1998 and now celebrating its 11th year in business, Sportingbet was one of the first, and remains one of the largest, online gaming companies in the world today. Its website spans over 30 different markets, across Europe, Australia, Canada, South America and South Africa, localising each product to recognise different languages and currencies and, most importantly, offering local events to local people. From Wimbledon to the Melbourne Cup, and the Premiership to the Moldovian Football league, Sportingbet offers an unparalleled range of sports to its customers. Now with its market leading in-running betting feature, Sportingbet offers up to 8,000 betting markets every day.

Pennsylvania Lottery proceeds (more than $18 billion raised since inception) are dedicated to programs geared toward seniors (property-tax relief, rent rebates, reduced-cost transportation, co-pay prescriptions). Proceeds also fund more than 50 Area Agencies on Aging across Pennsylvania. State law mandates that at least 40% of lottery proceeds must be awarded in prizes, and about 30% must be used for benefit programs. Games range from the traditional Powerball to daily-wagering game Big 4.

You might say this restaurant company has doubled down on the beef. Wendy's/Arby's Group is one of the largest fast-food companies in the world with more than 10,200 locations encompassing its two brands, Wendy's and Arby's. The #3 hamburger chain behind McDonald's and Burger King, Wendy's oversees more than 6,500 restaurants in the US and about 20 other countries. Arby's, with more than 3,700 eateries specializing in roast beef sandwiches, trails only Subway and Quiznos as one of the largest sandwich outlets. About three-fourths of Wendy's/Arby's restaurants are franchised. Chairman Nelson Peltz and vice chairman Peter May together own more than 20% of the company through investment firm Trian Partners.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide has a little R&R on its mind. One of the world's leading hotel franchisors, Carlson operates five lodging chains with more than 1,000 properties in more than 70 countries, including the upscale Radisson Hotel brand. The Radisson chain offers upscale amenities at more than 400 locations in about 70 countries. Carlson also owns the mid-market Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts chain, as well as the Park Inn economy brand. In addition, its Country Inn & Suites chain provides extended-stay service at more than 480 locations. And with a 42% stake, Carlson is the largest shareholder in The Rezidor Hotel Group. Carlson Hotels is a division of leisure conglomerate Carlson Companies.

Islands Restaurants was founded in 1982 with a basic philosophy – serve great, fresh food with friendly service in a fun atmosphere. Entrepreneur Tony DeGrazier had a vision of a restaurant that would offer a simple, original menu featuring gourmet hamburgers, specialty drinks and a fun, tropical theme. In fact, he wanted to recreate the dining experiences he had in the 1960s while stationed in Oahu with his Navy buddies. Islands was an instant hit -- we ran out of food the first night at our West Los Angeles location, and we’ve been building a loyal following ever since. Since that first night, we’ve been slowly expanding and building upon our success. You can now find more than 50 Islands Restaurants throughout Southern California and Arizona, and more recently in places like Summerlin, NV and Sacramento. Over the years, we’ve added a few more burgers, served too many baskets of our fresh-cut fries to count, and perfected our salads and soft tacos, but our commitment to you – our guest – hasn’t changed.

The Windy City inspires the food and drink at BJ's. BJ's Restaurants owns and operates more than 80 restaurants in California and a dozen other mostly Western states under the names BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, and BJ's Pizza & Grill. The casual-dining eateries offer Chicago-style pizza, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and the company's own hand-crafted beers. Its dozen Restaurant & Brewery locations, which feature an onsite microbrewery, help supply beer to the rest of the chain. Holding company The Jacmar Companies owns more than 15% of BJ's.

Formed in 2002, Tragus is one of the UK's largest independently owned restaurant chain operators with over 280 sites across the country serving over 20 million meals every year. Our exciting portfolio of leading brands are operated as four divisions - Café Rouge, Strada, Bella Italia, and the Brasseries - with offerings ranging from inspired pizza and pasta to delicious French classics. Tragus is backed by The Blackstone Group, a global private investment and advisory firm, founded in 1985. The firm has raised a total of more then $67 billion for alternative asset investing since its formation of which approximately $30 billion has been for private equity investing. The Private Equity Group is currently investing its fifth general private equity fund with commitments of $15.6 billion, and has over 60 experienced professionals with broad sector expertise. Blackstone’s other core businesses include Private Real Estate Investing, Corporate Debt Investing, Hedge Funds, Mutual Fund Management, Private Placement, Marketable Alternative Asset Management, and Investment Banking Advisory Services.

Straw Hat Cooperative owns and operates Straw Hat Pizza, a chain of about 70 casual dining restaurants located mostly in Northern California. The family-style eateries are popular for their signature pizzas, pasta dishes, and sandwiches. In addition to its pizzerias, the company has a small number of Straw Hat Grill locations that specialize in hamburgers and other sandwiches, along with a few Straw Hat Express units found in strip malls and other retail locations. Founded in 1959, the Straw Hat chain is controlled by its franchise operators.

Carlson Companies began in 1938 as the Gold Bond Stamp Company, but has evolved into a leisure services juggernaut. Carlson Companies, Inc. owns 55% of travel giant Carlson Wagonlit. Its Carlson Hotels Worldwide owns and operates more than 1,000 hotels in some 70 countries under brands such as Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, and Park Plaza. In addition, its Carlson Restaurants Worldwide includes the T.G.I. Friday's and Pick Up Stix chains. Chairman Marilyn Carlson Nelson and director Barbara Carlson Gage, daughters of founder Curtis Carlson, each own half of the company.

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