Legal iGaming Will Be on the Agenda in Maryland, Virginia
State legislatures across the U.S. will consider legalizing online casino in 2025, including Maryland and Virginia, where bills have been filed, writes iGB.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, chair of the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee, will again try to move an online casino bill in Maryland. HB 17 would allow for iGaming regulated by the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MSLGCC). It was pre-filed in December and was officially filed Jan. 8, the first day of the legislative session.
The bill is similar to one Atterbeary filed last year that passed the House but didn’t get to the Senate floor. Concerns about how digital gambling would cannibalize retail casinos became a sticking point. A Senate bill suffered the same fate.
Atterbeary’s latest version would allow for existing video lottery operators and sports betting facilities to apply for online casino licenses. The MSLGCC would also be able to issue five licenses for applicants who “meet the requirements for an internet gaming license under the subtitle.”
In Virginia, Sen. Mamie Locke pre-filed a bill that would legalize online casino in that state, including live-dealer games. Operators would be taxed at 15 percent of adjusted gross revenue. The proposal would allow for licensed retail casinos to apply for digital licenses. Casinos could have up to three digital partners.
Licenses would be valid for five years and would be required to pay a $1 million application fee. According to the text of the bill, each platform must have its own distinct brand. A second brand for online poker platforms would be allowed.
New Racino Coming to Decatur?
In 2019, Illinois enacted a large-scale gambling expansion package that included regional casino licenses and the ability for tracks to convert to racinos. The city of Decatur was not granted a casino license, but a new bill has been filed to allow for another harness racing license that would make way for a new racino to be built there, according to a Jan. 6 report from the Herald & Review.
The new license would technically be open tender but Virginia-based Revolutionary Racing has proposed a $150 million facility that would open in late 2026 if approved. In addition to the Decatur racino, the new bill would also reportedly put a deadline on nearby Hawthorne Race Course to build its racino.
Shortly after the gambling expansion was enacted, Hawthorne was granted preliminary approval for its racino and began some work before the project was halted due to financial difficulties. Stakeholders have grown tired of the inaction as Hawthorne technically has veto power for any proposed track in a 35-mile radius.
GOP Lawmakers Ask NH Supreme Court to Overturn Sanborn Ruling
In New Hampshire, several Republican lawmakers have reached out to the state Supreme Court to consider hearing an appeal for the revocation of Andy Sanborn’s gaming license, which happened in November after multiple deadline extensions on a forced sale of his Concord Casino ran out.
Sanborn, himself a former Republican state Senator, faces a litany of legal troubles centered around pandemic relief fraud. He was ordered to shutter and sell the casino in Jan. 2024, but was unable to do so after nearly a year of court proceedings. A prospective buyer had been in place for months and had reportedly cleared suitability proceedings, but the state refused to sign off on the sale for fears related to the deal’s financing structure.
In their request, the lawmakers made clear that they were not doing so in support of Sanborn—rather, they highlighted the fact that the casino is a key revenue driver for local charities and nonprofits. Refusing to allow a sale, they said, only hurts local communities.
“Charitable gaming’s impact on New Hampshire would be hard to overstate,” the lawmakers’ filing said, per New Hampshire Public Radio. “The revenue generated via charitable gaming raises funds for the budget (thus keeping taxes low for all citizens) and provides critical support to New Hampshire charities (many of whom rely on gaming revenue as their primary or even sole source of operating revenue).”
Potential Tysons Casino Developers Make First Comments on Proposal
The Comstock Companies has been working for two years to develop a mixed-use development that includes a casino near Tysons, Va. However, it wasn’t until recently that representatives commented publicly on the matter.
In a Jan. 7 online forum hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP, Comstock’s Executive Vice President for Development John Harrison said the project represents “an opportunity to bring an entertainment anchor” to the area, per FFXnow. Aside from a casino, the full development might include apartments, an entertainment venue, a hotel, a movie theater and other amenities depending on how much land is available.
That same day, Sen. Scott Surovell filed Senate Bill 982, which would permit but not require a casino referendum in Fairfax County. A similar bill was introduced last session but was deferred and ultimately killed. The license would be made available to bidders and Harrison acknowledged on the forum that the process would be “a very public competition.”
NJ Smoke-Free Law Sponsor: End Casino Loophole
Anti-smoking advocates and a casino dealer group in New Jersey have been battling for years to get the state to end the exemption to the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act that allows smoking in casinos. This week, one of the original sponsors of that act came out in favor of ending the loophole and banning smoking in casinos.
In an op-ed for NJ.com, former New Jersey State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, who was a key sponsor of the original bill banning indoor smoking, called on lawmakers to repeal the act’s casino exemption.
In the op-ed piece, Weinberg noted the pressure from the U.S. tobacco industry that led to the exemption of casinos from the 2006 indoor smoking ban.
“Eighteen years ago, I was a sponsor of the Smoke-Free Air Act,” Weinberg wrote. “With other legislators, I fought the powerful tobacco industry and the third-party advocates the industry manipulated and mobilized to fight smoking restrictions.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to pass the Act unless we excluded casino workers from its protections. We simply did not have the votes, so we acquiesced, trying to protect as many people as possible while expecting to close this unjustified loophole in the near future. I never imagined that nearly two decades later, casino workers and patrons would still be subjected to poisonous secondhand smoke.”
Weinberg called on Gov. Phil Murphy and Department of Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston to drop their opposition to a lawsuit filed by the dealer group, Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), and their union, the United Auto Workers, asking a court to declare that Murphy and Baston have failed to protect the safety of the casino workers by excluding them from the protections of the Smoke-Free Air Act.
“Gov. Murphy and Commissioner Kaitlan Baston of the Department of Health have been sued by casino workers who simply want to breathe clean air like every other worker in New Jersey,” Weinberg wrote. “The governor and commissioner should not defend this injustice. They could—today—agree that casino workers (and patrons) deserve safety and health like everyone else under the New Jersey Constitution, which prohibits corporate favors and guarantees equal protection.
“Or the Legislature could finally, quickly, end this long-running travesty because we now know the truth. Sen. Joe Vitale and others have been fighting for casino workers for years. How many more workers have to suffer, get sick, or die before we act?”
Weinberg also disputed casino operator claims that revenues will drop and casinos will close if smoking is banned. “We’ve seen it in the 21 states with thriving smoke-free casinos, including every state in our region except Connecticut and Pennsylvania,” she wrote. “In Pennsylvania, the most successful casino is voluntarily smoke-free. And what does it tell you that five of the nine Atlantic City casinos are seeking licenses in smoke-free New York? It means that they know smoke-free is good business.
Bills to end the casino exemption to the indoor smoking ban failed to reach a floor vote last year. The effort I expected to be revived in the new session this year. Murphy has said he will sign any casino smoking ban bill that reaches his desk.
Rivers Philadelphia Impacted by Data Breach
Rivers Casino Philadelphia has announced a data breach, but most of the details–including how much data was accessed from whom or even when the breach took place—remain unknown. In a statement to media, the casino said the following:
“Rivers Casino Philadelphia recently responded to and investigated an incident involving unauthorized access to certain Rivers Casino Philadelphia computer systems. Upon identifying the incident, Rivers Casino Philadelphia immediately secured the involved systems and launched an investigation. Through the investigation, Rivers Casino Philadelphia determined that an unauthorized actor accessed and/or took certain files stored on our computer servers. Rivers Casino Philadelphia is mailing letters to individuals whose information may have been involved in the incident.”
Notably, New York-based law firm Levi & Korsinsky LLP has announced its intention to represent those affected in a class-action lawsuit and has set up a website for that purpose. The firm is claiming that the breach happened before Nov. 18, but has not commented further as of writing.
Maryland Casinos Generate $164.1 Million in Gaming Revenue During December
Maryland’s six casinos combined to generate $164,105,250 in revenue from slot machines and table games during December 2024, a decrease of -0.9 percent compared to December 2023.
Casino gaming contributions to the state during December 2024 totaled $69,837,949, a decrease of $357,058 (-0.5 percent ) compared to December 2023. The December 2024 contributions included $50,413,308 to the Education Trust Fund, a decrease of $247,243 (-0.5 percent ) compared to December 2023.
Through the first six months of Fiscal Year 2025 (July 2024 through December 2024) casino gaming revenue is up 1.2 percent compared to the first six months of FY2024. Contributions to the state are up 2.5 percent year-over-year, and contributions to the Education Trust Fund are up 2.6 percent .
Casino gaming revenues also support the communities and jurisdictions where the casinos are located, Maryland’s horse racing industry, and small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Station Begins Durango Expansion
Station Casinos Jan. 6 began work on the previously announced $116 million Phase II expansion of its Durango casino in Henderson, Nev., which opened in late 2023. The new expansion, expected to take one year to complete, will feature 25,000 additional square feet of gaming space and 230 more slots. About 2,000 more parking spots are also being added.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the property will still offer valet and garage parking during construction.
Live! Louisiana to Open Feb. 13
The Cordish Companies announced the highly anticipated grand opening of the $270 million Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana will take place Feb. 13.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our grand opening date. We are so ready to go Live! in 2025 and deliver this top-tier gaming and entertainment experience that is unmatched by anything else in the four-state region,” said John J. Chaszar, executive vice president and general manager of Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana. “Live! is truly a one-of-a-kind destination, offering something for everyone—whether you’re a sports fan, a foodie, a gaming enthusiast, or just seeking an unforgettable night out, you’ll find it all under one roof.”
