Crusty Casino tycoon Kazuo Okada (l.) is suing Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc., the company he founded and the owner of Okada Manila, just it plans to go public. The Japanese billionaire seeks reinstatement as chairman and CEO. Tiger acquired an already listed company to begin trading on the Philippine stock exchange.
The worst blow yet to the hopes of the Mashpee Wampanoag’s to build the First Light Casino (l.) in Taunton, Massachusetts, happened when the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs sent a 28-page letter saying that it can no longer hold 321 acres in trust for the tribe. The BIA agreed with a federal court decision that the Mashpees were not a federally controlled tribe in 1934 as required by the infamous Supreme Court casino, Carcieri v. Salazar, preventing tribes outside of that definition from taking land into trust.
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment has won a competitive procurement process to be given the Niagara Bundle by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, to run the day-to-day operations of two casinos and an entertainment venue. They are Fallsview Casino Resort (l.), Casino Niagara, and the 5,000-seat Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre.
Dan Gilbert, owner of three casinos in Ohio and one in his hometown of Detroit, Greektown (l.), is reportedly considering selling his interest in them. The report comes from Bloomberg, which notes that he has hired Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to assist with a possible sale. One of the suitors is reportedly Gilbert’s former partner, Caesars Entertainment.
Sports betting in New Jersey more than doubled in August to an about $95 million handle as the state continued to add live and online sports books. About $74 million was bet at live sports books and $21.7 million was bet online. The sports books retained about 5 percent of the handle in win and sports betting has brought in about $16.4 million to N.J. operations in revenue since launching in June. And more have come on board in a week, including BetStars, the sports betting arm of PokerStars.
In terms of population alone—some 1.3 billion people—plus a growing economy and an appetite for gambling could make India the largest and richest untapped gaming market in the world.
Mariah Carey appeared in person to help unveil Aristocrat’s new Maria Carey slot machine, featuring six hit songs in a game on the innovative flame55 cabinet.
This week, the GGB Podcast features an interview with Robert Rippee who heads up the esports lab at UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, to talk about how the casino industry can create positive business models with esports.
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Philippines, which operates City of Dreams Manila (l.), plans to voluntarily delist from the Philippine Stock Exchange. The unit of the Asian gaming giant will buy back some 1.54 billion shares currently held by the public. The company says operating as a public company in the Philippines has not contributed to its ability to raise funds for expansion.
Of 47 casinos and slot parlors in Macau, just a dozen have submitted applications to have their smoking lounges approved under new Health Bureau rules. Of those, 10 lounges in two casinos have been approved.
A total of 33 companies have submitted proposals for an integrated resort in Marina City, Wakayama Prefecture (l.), on Japan’s south central coast. The RFI process kicked off at the end of August.
Macau junket operator Suncity Group will serve as a consultant to Golden Sun Sky Entertainment, now building a US$360 million beachfront integrated resort in Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia.
Donaco International Ltd. has shifted its player focus from VIPs, who contribute about 40 percent of revenues, to mass players and the online space for is Star Vegas casino (l.) in Cambodia on the Vietnamese border. Donaco still hopes to generate a quarter of revenues from VIPs.
Governor Won Hee-ryong (l.) of Jeju Island, South Korea, wants to limit casino development and prohibit the transfer of casino licenses in the market. Jeju currently hosts nine gaming halls.
Gross gaming revenues in Macau’s casino industry rose 17.1 percent in August, outperforming analyst expectations. But Deutsche Bank has slashed its 2019 outlook for the industry, recommended selling Galaxy (l.) and SJM, and some investors are selling off.
Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Wynn Macau Ltd. are taking extra steps to safeguard their business trademarks. Two Caesars units have applied for special protections and Wynn is warning against rip-offs.
For 2016, UK statistics for problem gamblers was flat despite a 6 percent fall in the number of people participating in gambling, according to a report by the UK Gambling Commission. The health survey found 1.2 percent of gamblers have gambling issues, or about 0.7 percent of the UK’s population.
A study backed by the country’s games and systems providers shows that EGMs are contributing more than A$8 billion a year to society in the form of taxes, overseas sales and other spinoffs. Wages are a major contributor, researchers found, from an industry that directly employs more than 46,000 people.
Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board has approved online gaming licenses for SugarHouse casino (l.) in Philadelphia and Penn National’s Hollywood casino. The two casinos were the fourth and fifth to receive official approval by the state, behind Parx, Harrah’s and Mount Airy. The board also announced that entities outside of the state may now apply for any if the seven remaining online licenses allowed by state law.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos (l.) has released details of a new online gambling framework. The proposal would set high fees for online gambling companies seeking five-year licenses. A variable tax on gambler’s winnings is also proposed.
One of the missing components in online gaming has been the wide-area progressives. IGT has solved that by launching its MegaJackpots WAP games in New Jersey at four online casinos there.
Slot machine and table-game supplier Habanero has agreed to a deal with Oriental Game, a live-dealer online gaming platform provider, in a move to expand its market in Asia.
Ohio is in no hurry to emulate its neighboring states and legalize sports betting. One major problem is that lawmakers may not be able to do it without a vote of the people to amend the Buckeye state constitution. But current Governor John Kasich (l.), who will leave office this year, opposes any gambling expansion.
Although residents of Texas might year to legally bet on sporting events, and may even spend billions on illegal betting, it’s unlikely to be legalized in the Lone Star State. At least not until top officials like Governor Greg Abbott (l.) and Attorney General Ken Paxton are no longer in office to oppose sports betting.
Genius Sports Group announced the completion of its sale to Apax Partners, a private equity advisory firm. The acquisition was announced July 30. Apax will provide its expertise in building technology companies, as well as significant investment to support the group’s growth plans.
More than $320,600 was wagered at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia in the first week of legalized sports betting, starting August 30. As of September 10, the state received $29,500 in tax revenue from the five casinos offering sports books. West Virginia was the fifth state to offer sports betting.
After an absence of two years, FanDuel has re-entered the Texas daily fantasy sports market. The company ceased operations there after state Attorney General Ken Paxton ruled DFS is illegal gambling. DraftKings, which sued the state, continued operating in Texas causing FanDuel to lose valuation. FanDuel also joined DraftKings' suit.
The political groups Driving Arkansas Forward and Arkansas Jobs Coalition, which promoted an amendment allowing four casinos, turned in 99,988 registered voters' valid signatures, surpassing the 84,859 required to qualify for the November 6 ballot. The casinos would operate at Southland and Oaklawn racetracks, plus one each in Jefferson and Pope Counties.
Penn National Gaming will invest $120 million in a mini-casino in a former Sears department store at a mall in Springettsbury Township (rendering at left). The facility will open in 12-18 months with 500 slots and 20 table games at first, plus a restaurant and sports bar. Penn National officials also have narrowed down Berks County locations for a second mini-casino.
MGM Resorts is offering $500 charitable donations in the name of each of the more than 1,900 people it is it is suing in federal court over last year’s mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The company is pushing for a ruling that it’s immune from liability for the tragedy under federal law.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s approval is a big step in Eldorado Resorts’ $1.85 billion acquisition of Tropicana Entertainment. Two Nevada casinos will be transferred to Eldorado—Tropicana Laughlin and Montbleu (l.) in Lake Tahoe. When the seven-casino deal closes as expected next month it will solidify Eldorado’s status as one of the giants of U.S. regional gaming.
A state audit of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority found a large number of accounting, operational and organizational deficiencies that resulted in years of financial mismanagement. CRDA Chairman Robert E. Mulcahy (l.) disputed some of the findings, but said he will work with the state to correct the problems.
Florida gambling regulators recently rejected the National Greyhound Association's proposal to offer greyhound racetrack tours. Lobbyist Jack Cory said regulators were "stopping the people from getting the truth about live greyhound racing." A group supporting Amendment 13, which would end live greyhound racing, called the tours "staged political photo opportunities."
Call it the Wynn effect. With regulatory changes still in development, the state Gaming Control Board has given licensees a preview of comprehensive new requirements to ensure they’re protecting workers from sexual harassment on the job, partially a result of the charges that ousted Steve Wynn from his company, Wynn Resorts.
After being largely shunned by Nevada sports book operators, the state’s fledgling sports entity wagering funds have learned they may have been operating in a federal gray area as well. Recently, two of them were charged by the SEC with selling securities illegally.
The MGM Springfield casino has installed the GameSense program at its newly opened facility in Massachusetts. GameSense staff members are there to help potential gaming addicts to get help if they need it. Massachusetts law requires that all casinos institute responsible gaming practices and the state sponsors the GameSense program.
Former MGM National Harbor baccarat dealer Ming Zhang pleaded guilty in federal court to helping players "win" more than $1 million in exchange for a share of the money. Zhang would show players part of an unshuffled deck before the player and others made large wagers on the hands.
The fledgling Alliance of American Football, which is scheduled to begin play in February, has already embraced betting on its games and has developed an in-house gambling app. The AAF deal marks the first time any sports organization has sold exclusive in-game betting rights to a sportsbook.
A casino in San Diego County has unveiled an 8-foot high bronze statue of a Native woman and authentic baskets entitled “Milky Way Woman (l.).” Harrah’s Southern California Resort on the Rincon Reservation says it’s the first of six artworks planned.
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians recently sued U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (L.) and the Interior Department for denying trust status to land where the tribe wants to build casinos. The tribe claims Zinke is obligated under the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act to approve the tribe's application.
The Talking Stick Resort Hotel and Casino in Phoenix will remain closed through September, after its electrical system was damaged in an August 11 monsoon storm. The golf course also was damaged but has since reopened. Some areas of the resort and casino that haven't changed since the property opened in 2010 are being refurbished.
The Board of Selectmen of the Massachusetts town of Aquinnah want to drop their longtime opposition to the plans of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to build a Class II casino on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s time to say, “What can we do to help?” said a selectman last week.
An Oregon resort in the remote Warm Springs reservation has closed after years of unprofitability. Nevertheless the Kah-Nee Ta Resort (l.) was much loved by visitors who attended its final weekend by the thousands.
A combined investigation by tribal and community police in Michigan uncovered a credit card scam ring that stretched over an area of the state that included two casinos. One of the four people identified with the scam has been arrested and the bail set at $150,000.
Walt Maddox (l.), the Democratic candidate for governor of Alabama, recently said not having a state lottery to help fund education is "senseless." He said without a lottery, Alabamians "will continue to education children in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia" and soon Mississippi. Governor Kay Ivey called Maddox's proposals, including expanding Medicaid, "a liberal agenda."
An estimated 10.6 million Australians aged 18+ gambled in the 12 months to June 2018, including 8.6 million who bought a lottery or scratchie ticket. These numbers show that lottery play is by far the most popular form of gambling in Australia according to the Roy Morgan “Gambling Currency Report.” The report found overall gambling in the country has been declining, though lottery play has remained steady.
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd. has appointed Francesca Galante as an independent non-executive director of the Asian casino operator. Galante has 20 years of experience in real estate investment.
Hong Kong-listed Summit Ascent Holdings, developer of the Tigre de Cristal casino resort in Russia’s Primorye casino zone, has appointed U Chio Ieong as a non-executive director.
HCK Capital Group Berhad Executive Director Leong Choong Wah has joined Cambodia casino operator NagaCorp appointed an independent non-executive director. Leong assumed the role September 10.
Genting Casinos has appointed Jeremy Taylor as managing director. Taylor was formerly group marketing director at Betsson. He will spearhead interactive casino and sports brands plans from the firm’s new Malta headquarters, the company said in a press release.
AGS has installed its first Class II games on the popular Orion premium cabinet, along with a library of high-performing games, at Wind Creek casinos in Alabama.
Scientific Games, which has been accumulating sports books clients through its SG Digital division, has launched a sportsbook operations team in Gibraltar led by Stuart Weston.
Gaming Standards Association has announced that chairman and immediate past two chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board will appear at its Technology Summit in November, which will focus on Blockchain standards.
At the 2018 Global Gaming Expo, October 8-11 in Las Vegas, the popular Innovation Lab once again will offer daily sessions under an overall theme, which this year will explore how to attract millennial players. Sessions will focus on using social media and esports to reach younger players.
