Albritton Unveils New Alabama Gambling Expansion Attempt
After expansion efforts in Alabama last year fell short by a single vote, stakeholders are gearing up for another push. Senator Greg Albritton on April 3 released copies of his two-bill package that includes a constitutional amendment and a 141-page bill outlining several new gambling offerings.
According to AL.com, Albritton’s proposal includes a lottery, sports betting, electronic gaming at six sites, a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians for four Class III casinos, the formation of a state gaming commission and other details. Electronic gaming and sports betting would be taxed at 24 percent of net revenue, as well as an excise tax on each gaming machine and a wagering tax on every sports bet.
Electronic gaming would be approved at three former greyhound race tracks and existing bingo halls in three counties. Last year’s package was much more comprehensive, and ultimately came up just short in the state Senate.
“It is very trimmed down,” Albritton told AL.com. “It’s the least amount we can do that I think is economically viable. … We got federal money drying up. We’re doing a cutting of taxes in a lot of areas. We have an economy that is questionable right now.”
Bally’s Bronx Casino Proposal Gets Key Zoning Support
Two New York officials—Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Assemblyman Mike Benedetto—on March 31 announced plans to introduce legislation that would allow Bally’s Corp. to develop a 500,000-square-foot casino at the site of its Bally Links golf course in the Bronx, per the New York Post.
The development, which would also include a 500-room hotel and a 2,000-seat event center, needs to be reclassified as parkland in order to qualify for one of three available downstate casino licenses, so the legislation is crucial for Bally’s efforts. The company is one of 11 vying for the licenses, which will be awarded by year’s end.
Notably, the two politicians said in a joint statement that their support of the project is for the Bronx, not Bally’s.
“In order to keep this process transparent and allow for the community to properly review a complete proposal, we are introducing parkland alienation legislation required for the application process,” they said. “This is not an endorsement of this project, rather it is our determination that the Bronx should be allowed to participate and submit an application.”
A’s Ballpark Project Secures Land Use Permits
The soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s got unanimous approval for a slew of land use permits from the Clark County Commission for the team’s $1.75 billion, 33,000-seat stadium project along the Las Vegas Strip. The permits ranged from recreational or entertainment facility to outdoor dining and more.
Construction on the stadium is expected to start between April and June, to be complete in time for the 2028 MLB season. The A’s are playing in a minor-league stadium in Sacramento in the interim. With permits in tow, the team will now be establishing a season ticket office in the city and will begin pursuing various partnership deals.
“At some point we will announce a date for the groundbreaking and we’ll get the chance to see that beautiful structure come out of the ground,” A’s President Marc Badain told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It will be another piece of infrastructure for Las Vegas to be proud of.”
According to the paper, the April 2 commission hearing saw several figures comment in support of the project, including reps from gaming companies, labor unions and more. The support for the project was a stark contrast to the Allegiant Stadium process, which was much more contentious, primarily due to the hefty public financing sum of $750 million.
Light & Wonder Pulls Second Game in Aristocrat IP Dispute
Light & Wonder (L&W) announced April 2 that it is now pulling all of its Jewel of the Dragon games from casino floors as a result of its ongoing intellectual property dispute with Aristocrat that originally centered around L&W’s Dragon Train game series.
Aristocrat amended its original complaint March 14 to include the Jewel games as well. L&W is accused of infringing on IP from Aristocrat’s Dragon Link family.
According to CDC Gaming, L&W CEO Matt WIlson said on a call with analysts that there were only 150 Jewel games in deployment, compared to 2,200 Dragon Train games. “It’s a small game in relation to the universe of games we’ve created,” he said.
CFO Oliver Chow told analysts that the revenue from the Jewel games was under $10 million and therefore “immaterial” to the company’s overall performance. The company ordered reviews of its games from 2015-2021 and 2021 onwards, and no new issues have been raised thus far from those reviews.
Fairmount Park to Become Illinois’ First Racino
Fairmount Park and owner Accel Entertainment on March 31 announced plans to invest between $85-$95 million “in casino facilities and improvements to the horse racing experience,” per Fox 2. By adding a planned 271 slots, it will become the first racino in Illinois.
“Soon, folks will be able to come in and enjoy the casino as well as racing here at the track,” Vince Gabbert, senior vice president of U.S. gaming and GM at Fairmount Park Casino & Racing, said in a statement. “We’ve brought in the best slot machines and electronic table games on the market. Every game on the floor is either brand-new or a fan favorite, making for an exciting selection.”
Urban One CEO Signals Potential iGaming Efforts
Urban One, the media company and developers behind two failed casino referendum attempts in Richmond, Virginia, has signaled an interest in pivoting to online gaming legalization efforts in Maryland, according to a March 31 report from RBR.
Per the report, Urban One President and CEO Alfred Liggins said on the company’s recent fourth-quarter earnings call, “Our Maryland effort was not around brick-and-mortar casino, it was around their iGaming legislation. It died again this year, but iGaming is a great business, as well. And it’s only in six states … versus 37 or 38 states that actually have brick-and-mortar casinos.”
