Sat, Dec 24, 2011
After a shaky 2010 and a more encouraging 2011, the gaming industry is hoping the rebound will come in 2012. But that was the hope for 2011. GGB News writers recap the year and look forward to next in an exclusive peek into the jurisdictions and industry segments that will make the news—either good or bad—in 2012.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
In a ruling concerning the sales of lottery tickets online, the U.S. Justice Department says the 1961 Wire Act only applies to sports betting, leaving online poker—and most likely online gaming—in the clear. The American Gaming Association has urged Congress to act quickly now that this question has been clarified.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The island nation of Fiji has awarded the sole casino gaming license to U.S.-based One Hundred Sands, Ltd. The company will develop a $290 million casino resort and convention center, together with Native American partners Snoqualmie Tribe and Seventh Generation LLC. Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama (l.) said it was the company’s tribal background that helped to make the decision, but the tribe involved is confused.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The shape of gaming in Massachusetts will largely be shaped by the will and reputation of newly appointed Chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Stephen Crosby (l.). The new “czar” and his four fellow commissioners, yet to be named, will have nearly unlimited power in determining where and even if the three casinos authorized by the law will be built.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corp. and Chairman Cristino L. “Bong” Naguiat (l.) has agreed to hire an independent consulting firm to assure that all the regulations and stipulations that the developers agreed to are adhered to during the construction process for the Entertainment City being built in Manila.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The proposed €460 million Tipperary Venue project in Ireland may ultimately never be much more than a racetrack. Without a casino, the developer says, there will be no 500-room hotel.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Landry’s Inc., one of the country’s strongest restaurant companies, has recently purchased Morton’s Restaurant Inc. for $117 million. Tilman Fertitta (l.), the billionaire CEO of Landry’s, which owns Golden Nugget casinos in Nevada and Atlantic City, will update the décor and menu and expand the Morton’s steakhouse brand in China. Morton’s is another high-end eatery in a portfolio that includes the Rainforest Café, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp and Vic & Anthony’s.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Nevada Gaming Commission and Chairman Peter Bernhard (l.) last week approved the rules and regulations drawn up by the state’s Gaming Control Board that will oversee the legalization of online poker or online gaming in the near future.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Larry Echo Hawk (l.), assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, recently ruled on two applications for tribal gaming. He approved the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s request to move its gaming facility in Michigan, and sent back the application of the Cayuga Nation of New York to place land in trust for gaming purposes.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The first Pro League for video game players kicked off at Caesars Atlantic City recent, an event that combines casino games and video gamers. Thousands of gamers from all over the world attended the event
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Gaming stocks had a miserable year in 2011, with only three stocks showing an increase for the year. Why did that happen? And what does it mean for 2012? Depends on your strategies.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
This week, the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Salim Adatia, the CEO of TST, a GLI Company on why the testing of online gaming technology is going to play a crucial role in the legalization of the new industry.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A regulator with the Hong Kong stock exchange has closed his inquiry into irregularities in its operations and initial public offering a few years ago. The charges were made by former Sands China President Steve Jacobs (l.).
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The explosive growth of the Macau gaming market will slow dramatically next year, according to a report by the ratings agency, Standards & Poor’s.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Visitor numbers at the new, large Aspers casino inside the Westfield shopping center are running three times ahead of predictions.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Greece will have 16,500 VLTs operating by the end of 2012. Lottery operator OPAP is subsidizing the cost of getting the over 800 venues up and running.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The relatively new casino industry in Switzerland has had success since its start in the early part of this century. But the recent devaluation of the euro, coupled with the rise of the VLT in Italy, is proving difficult for casinos in the south of the non-E.U. country. Admiral Casino in Mendrisio (l.) has been particularly hard hit.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
When U.K. betting firm Betfred bought the state-owned Tote last summer, the competition authorities saw no problem nationally. Now, due to the addition of 500-plus Tote shops to Bet Fred’s 840, some individual areas are thought to be suffering from a lack of choice.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Isle of Man seems intent on expanding its gaming industry. An active licenser of online gaming, the government wants to amend the law on where gaming tournaments can be organized. Meanwhile, over 300 applications for a second casino resort are being studied.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A slim majority of Nepal’s 10 casinos has moved closer to solving their payment problems with the government. Six of the nation’s casinos are expected to have their licenses renewed, but problems remain for the others.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
In an about-face, the senate of the Northern Marianas Islands may be ready to endorse casino gaming on Saipan. The attraction now as opposed to the past is the need to shore up the territory’s retirement fund and pay for government.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
An indicted conspirator in the Black Friday online poker charges pled guilty last week, the second of the 12 people named in the indictment to take a plea bargain. What did he get?
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A report issued by the Maryland State Lottery Agency under a budget law says there is nothing in federal law to prevent the agency from launching an intrastate online lottery program.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Facebook is looking to the online gambling industry for new revenue streams, and one may be to offer casino games for monetary wagers where legal.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A fixed-odds sports book platform will “complete” U.K. betting-exchange operator Betfair when it is launched early next year, according to the company’s CEO.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, says the state constitution can be amended now, and lawmakers will have until 2014 to formulate its casino plan.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Christmas will last an extra day as the Kansas Star Casino opens its doors to the public on Monday, December 26. The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission recently certified the new casino, located south of Wichita in Mulvane. It will offer 1,310 slot machines and 32 table games.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Ohio’s four casinos are rising, with two of them, in Cleveland and Toledo, expecting to open early next spring. At the same time the first racetrack to apply to install slot machines, MTR gaming group, applied for a license for the Scioto Downs racetrack near Columbus to the Ohio Lottery Commission last week.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Orlando theme park has not joined Disney and SeaWorld in opposition to Florida’s mega-casino bill. Is a separate business relationship with Genting in Singapore (at left, the Universal Theme Park at Resorts World Sentosa) the reason?
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
About 18,000 people visit the Aqueduct racino, Resorts World New York, every day. Last week, the final phase including the Fifth Avenue Casino joined the Times Square Casino. And workers unionized with the blessing of management.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Minnesota Senate recently heard suggestions from various groups regarding financing of a new Vikings stadium. Several ideas include expanded gambling, including a proposal from the White Earth tribe to allow it to build and operate a casino to help fund the state’s share of the deal.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
With the Oxford casino opening this summer and voter approval to add table games to Hollywood Slots, Maine’s Gambling Control Board is looking to add new hires to police the state’s expanding gaming industry.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Caesars Entertainment will greet the new year with the opening of its much-anticipated Octavius Tower on January 2. The 23-story, 668-room tower, the sixth in the Caesars Palace empire, will offer large rooms and suites with technological advances, and create 450 jobs.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
As Atlantic City fast tracks a sports wagering bill for casinos and racetracks, a new PublicMind poll finds that Americans across the country are split on the activity. All eyes are on New Jersey, as the bill could be the ammunition the state needs to challenge the federal ban on sports betting.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (l.), opposed to the mega-casino bill, has linked casinos to organized crime—and pointed the finger at a Seminole gaming hall. At the same time, casino opposition is getting more organized and vociferous.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Atlantic City’s Revel casino has received a $2.6 million job-training grant to help with the training of 5,000 full-time employees. Revel will team with Atlantic Cape Community College on an education program for new hires, as well as for leaders within the company. The grant comes in the midst of the casino’s controversial short-term employment policy.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Florida Panthers, based in Sunrise, Broward County, has wined and dined casino companies in its quest to develop a casino at the site of its sports arena.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Though it wasn’t the ending he had hoped for, Governor Chris Christie has struck a deal to keep New Jersey’s Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks open through the 2012 season, without casino subsidies. Jeff Gural has signed a 30-year lease to take over the Meadowlands, while the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will run 141 races at Monmouth Park as the state continues to look for a private owner.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A revised design for a proposed casino in Natchez, Mississippi, did not go over well with the Natchez Preservation Commission. Instead of granting approval for the proposal from casino developer Premier Gaming, the commission voted unanimously to extend the public hearing to a later date.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A series of events must occur before construction can begin on the Margaritaville Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. Ground will be broken in late rather than early January, but the property still is expected to open in May, 2013.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert (l.), chairman of Caesars partner Rock Gaming, would not have qualified to partner with Caesars in Maryland absent a change in regulations.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Despite being on the record against expanded gambling to fix the state budget, Florida Governor Rick Scott said he wants to help school funding by increasing Florida Lottery ticket sales. Some lawmakers, however, would rather see three mega-casinos open in the Miami area.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
With the economy improving slowly, if at all, states such as Massachusetts continue to look at expanding gaming as a way of generating new tax revenue as well as creating jobs—especially in the building trades. The majority of U.S. states have in recent years expanded gaming in some way. Only a few states such as Maine and New Hampshire are resisting the tide.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Visitors from the St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida area will be able to choose from five instead of three flights to the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, starting January 5. Also in Biloxi, the former Casino Magic has been added to the city’s list of blighted properties.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Cosmopolitan, the Strip’s newest and flashiest casino has another non-gaming amenities: A “pop-up” chapel. Wedding ceremonies start at $80—$90 to make it legal. It’s the latest innovation in a city that hosts up to 120,000 nuptials each year.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The lucky 334 table-games dealers at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, are glad to have their jobs. More than 11,000 people showed up for the casino’s 1,300 positions at a job fair held last spring.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback hopes legislators will not address gaming issues in the upcoming legislative session. But his comments are not enough to keep a group supporting a racino at the Wichita Greyhound Park from seeking a referendum on the issue.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
A new 25-year lease recently was approved by the New Mexico Board of Finance, allowing the Downs at Albuquerque to keep operating a horse racetrack at the fairgrounds. The lease also allows the Downs to build a new $20 million casino on the property.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
The Sokaogon Chippewa tribe in northern Wisconsin has formed a partnership with the Blue Harbor Resort (l.) to build a casino in Sheboygan’s South Pier District. The city council has authorized the city to negotiate selling a land parcel to Blue Harbor’s owners—but the tribe also will need rare federal approval for this off-reservation casino.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Officials in Duluth are upset that the Fond du Lac Band recently asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs if it could expand its trust land in the city. Duluth would lose property tax income, but the tribe believes the city would benefit from new jobs at an expanded casino.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
TCSJohnHuxley has appointed 24-year industry veteran Tim Klok to the position of senior business development manager.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Lorena Amaya has been promoted to director of advertising at Primm Valley Casino Resorts. She previously was media buyer at the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Online gaming supplier Playtech has acquired games producer Ash Gaming for a sum that can reach £23 million depending on developments. The deal is seen as giving Playtech more opportunities to incorporate Ash Gaming products, while Ash Gaming will see greater penetration of its games across multiple gaming sectors.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Interblock-USA, through distributor Bally Technologies, has placed 295 games in its “Organic Island” multi-player setups at Resorts World New York City.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Researchers in Manitoba can apply for up to $1 million in grants to study responsible gaming and prevention and treatment of problem gaming in the province. The funding has been made available through the Manitoba Gambling Research Program, an arm of the Manitoba Lotteries.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Table Trac, Inc. will provide its first casino management under the CasinoTrac suite to the tribal casino of the Moapa Band of Paiutes north of Las Vegas.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
NEWave continues the winning streak for its “myCompliance” software suite with a contract to provide the product to Little River Casino Resort in Michigan.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
TransAct Technologies’ Epic 950 printer has been selected exclusively by the new Revel casino resort in Atlantic City for all of its 2,389 slot machines.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Paddy Power’s new deal with the BC Lottery is Patrick Kennedy’s first move into the potentially lucrative North American betting market.
Sat, Dec 24, 2011
Several vendors have revealed the products to be shown at the January ICE Totally Gaming trade show in London. IGT, JCM and Inspired Gaming reveal their strategies.
Sun, Dec 25, 2011
In order to give our writers, artists and employees time to celebrate the holidays, GGB News will not publish on January 2. The next issue of GGB News will be delivered on January 9. We wish our readers, advertisers and customers the very best of the new year.
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