Petersburg Casino Referendum Approved
The City Council of Petersburg, Va. moved quickly on creating a November voter referendum on a new Live!-branded casino to be built by the Cordish Companies.
Petersburg’s city council unanimously approved the request for referendum approval at its July 15 meeting. The council voted 7-0 in a two-and-a-half-minute meeting, according to the Progress-Index.
From there, it went to the circuit court, which needed only two hours. The referendum was approved, and will be on the local ballot in November.
Petersburg replaces Richmond as one of the five approved casino locations. Richmond voters rejected the casino plan in two separate votes, and in February, the legislature voted to remove the city from the list of approved locations.
Voters in the other four cities designated to host a casino —Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth—approved their referendums.
Churchill Downs’ VA HHR Facility Draws Ire of Local Official
Churchill Downs’ proposed historical horse racing (HHR) facility at a mall in Henrico, Va. is facing pushback from Henrico Supervisor Dan Schmitt, who accuses the operator of submitting applications at the last second in order to avoid the implementation of new rules that would require a more extensive process.
According to Richmond BizSense, the facility would feature 175 HHR machines—anything more under the current framework would have required a provisional use permit (PUP) and a public hearing. New rules require a PUP for any such facility, regardless of machine count, but Churchill’s application was filed a week before they were approved.
Schmitt said it looked as if Churchill was trying “to jam this business into the location prior to an ordinance being enacted.” The operator did not say whether it would withdraw the application and refile it under the new ordinance.
Accel Acquires Fairmont Holdings in $35 Million Stock Deal
Route operator Accel Entertainment is buying Fairmont Holdings, owners of FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing in Collinsville, Il. in a stock deal valued at about $35 million. The company plans to invest an additional $85 million to $95 million to add a temporary and eventual permanent casino at the site, per KTVI.
Pending regulatory approval, the deal is slated to close by the end of the year. Early plans for the temporary casino would include 200 machines and four to six tables. That could open in mid-2025, with the permanent location coming in 2027 with 500 slots, 24 tables and a sportsbook.
Jonathan Tamayo Wins WSOP Main Event
38-year-old Texas native Jonathan Tamayo took down a record field at this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event and walked away with the $10 million first prize July 17. Tamayo outlasted second-place finisher Jordan Griff after three-plus hours of head-to-head play.
This year’s tournament set a record for the second consecutive year with 10,112 entrants. The final table was held at Horseshoe Las Vegas. Prior to this year, Tamayo had one other deep WSOP run when he finished in 21st place 15 years ago.
“There’s only so many Main Events you can run in a lifetime,” Tamayo told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So if you get one deep run, chances are that’s the deep run. And somehow I can’t believe I was able to get two, a second chance, and actually close it.”
Ohio Republicans Recommend Legalizing iGaming
Three Ohio House Republicans have submitted a joint letter to the state recommending that Ohio legalize online casinos and iLottery as a “net benefit” to the state. The message of Reps. Jay Edwards, Jeff LaRe and Cindy Abrams said the state should allow Ohio citizens, who already have access to online sports betting, to go online with casino and lottery games.
“While the state should proceed with caution and care with any expansion of this magnitude, with the right regulatory framework, these types of gaming can thrive with nominal impact to our current system,” the letter said.
The letter is part of a study commission report issued Friday on the future of gaming in Ohio. According to a report in PlayUSA, study commission met four times, including one session on online casino in February. Written testimony provided during the hearings makes up most of the 354-page report.
The letter from House Republicans could foretell filing the first Ohio online casino legislation next year. It noted “tremendous potential” in legalizing online casinos and iLottery.
Virginia Lawmaker: Skill Games Legal with No Skill
So-called skill games, which remain banned in Virginia after Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill to legalize them earlier this year, are still cropping up at Virginia convenience stores, with proponents claiming they are legal because they involve no skill at all.
Virginia Del. Steve Heretick, who has issued written opinions used by skill game companies and convenience store owners to claim some of the machines can be operated in Virginia because, skill game branding aside, there’s zero skill involved, according to a report in the Virginia Mercury.
In an interview, Heretick said his interpretation only applies to so-called “pre-reveal” games, which give players the option of looking ahead to see whether upcoming spins will produce a winning combo of symbols or not. Because players can study the machine to see what’s coming next and choose not to play, Heretick argues, there’s no element of chance that would make the games a form of gambling.
Four Queens Announces $24 Million Renovations
The Four Queens Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas announced that it is spending $24 million to renovate the hotel rooms in its North Tower. Tim Lager, general manager at the Four Queens, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the renovations are expected to be completed in 12 to 15 months. The property’s 400-room South Tower will remain open during that time.
“It was time for us to go in especially for our systems, like plumbing and HVAC,” Lager told the Review-Journal. “We can gut it and make it all fresh.”
In addition to systems, the 300 rooms are expected to see new closet organizers, carpet, bigger bathrooms and sound dampening windows.
Detroit’s MotorCity Closing Poker Room August 5
MotorCity Casino in Detroit will close its poker room August 5 at 6 a.m., PlayMichigan reported July 17. The casino did not add additional details as to why it was closing the room, but it previously discontinued its Poker VIP program at the beginning of July.
MotorCity ranks second among Detroit’s casinos in terms of revenue, far below MGM Grand Detroit. Through June, MotorCity has clocked $195 million in revenue.
Cordish Celebrates Topping Off of Louisiana Casino
A topping-off ceremony was held July 17 to commemorate the final beam being placed for The Cordish Companies’ Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana in Bossier City. Slated for completion in early 2025, it will be the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier market.
The finished casino will include 47,000 square feet of gaming space, 550 hotel rooms, convention space, pool area, fitness center and dining options.
“Having a celebration, not necessarily a halfway mark of the construction, but it certainly puts us into the home stretch of construction,” Joe Billhimer, executive vice president of Cordish Gaming, told KSLA.
Former VIP Seeking $2.5 Million in Damages from Beau Rivage
Biloxi’s Beau Rivage Casino Rivage is currently in trial with Florida resident Brent Nettles, who is suing the casino for $2.5 million for damages related to an incident in March 2022 in which he was removed from the property by security.
Nettles is alleging that casino security permanently injured his left hand by using excessive force to restrain him and place him under citizen’s arrest. The casino contends that Nettles was drunk and refused to leave when asked.
The Biloxi Sun Herald reports that the trial is expected to conclude in the coming days.
NJ Compulsive Gambling Council to hold Town Hall
The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) will hold a Town Hall in West Milford to raise awareness about the mounting issues related to problem gambling. The free event, which is titled “Protecting Our Future: Understanding Problem Gambling Harms,” will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 26 at the West Milford Library, 1470 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ 07480.
The Town Hall is part of the Council’s response to a marked increase in calls to the 800-GAMBLER Helpline: a spike of 277 percent since the state legalized sports betting in 2018. The event will discuss gambling as the hidden addiction, so named because, unlike substance addiction, there are no physical indications of a problem.
Rivers Philadelphia Names New GM
Rush Street Gaming announced July 15 that international gaming executive Susan Foster has been appointed general manager of Rivers Casino Philadelphia.
Foster began her casino career as a table games dealer in the U.K., Nigeria and the Bahamas. She later spent 14 years in Mississippi at Grand Casino & Resort and Bally’s Entertainment, where she led table games and poker operations. She then served as director of table games for Odawa Casino in Michigan, before accepting her first Pennsylvania job with Harrah’s Philadelphia.
“Susan’s broad worldview of gaming operations has significantly benefited Rush Street since she joined last spring,” said Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming. “Her history and familiarity with the southeastern PA gaming market has proven to be a great advantage for Rivers Philly.”
