Slot players at Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg, where the house enjoyed a handsome business in 2003. (Enquirer file)

WINNERS

Southeastern Indiana casinos. Gamblers left $684.6 million in Lawrenceburg, Rising Sun and Switzerland County last year. The lesson: Gambling brings in a ton of money, most of which lines the pockets of casino owners.

Anderson Township Kroger shoppers. A new store at the old Beechmont Mall - the biggest store in Kroger's chain - will include a Starbucks, jewelry store and drive-up pharmacy window. If you can't beat the folks at Wal-Mart, join 'em!

LOSERS

Cable television subscribers. New technology and rising fees by cable networks such as ESPN and CNN are helping to push cable TV rates through the roof, providers say. Rewind loves those DirecTV commercials, but with a maze of options and program packages out there, who really has the best deal?

Students at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati. The universities are cutting millions of dollars from budgets in the middle of school, hoping to make it through the year. More tuition increases seem likely to follow. Note to Rewind from self: Cut DirecTV expense and put money into kid's college fund.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I'm going to kind of milk this as much as I can. I've got kids that need to go to college, bills to pay, just like anybody else." This from Lillian Morris, "Big Lill" to you Survivor fanatics. She couldn't get her job back after the show, so now she's looking for endorsements and speaking fees. Rewind recalls the old saying: Fame is fleeting.

THE CRYSTAL BALL

Downtown office buildings will continue to scrap for new tenants, fighting an uphill battle against the suburbs for the supply of companies willing to expand. A new Western-Southern office tower will add to the available space. If there's an end in sight to the cycle, Rewind doesn't see it.