Virginia Greenlights Petersburg Casino
The Virginia Lottery has approved the location of a Cordish Companies casino project in the city of Petersburg.
On July 9, the lottery department, which oversees casino operations in the state, sent a letter to Petersburg City Manager March Altman and City Attorney Tony Williams advising it was certifying Petersburg as a casino host city and granting permission to “proceed to the local referendum.”
This clears the way for the Petersburg Circuit Court to approve a referendum for the November ballot to authorize a Petersburg casino.
Cordish subsidiary PPE Casino Resorts Petersburg LLC, the official applicant, plans a $597 million casino, hotel and entertainment complex on 92 acres of land in south Petersburg. The property would be built in two phases—a $142 million interim casino that would open within a year should the referendum be approved, and a $454.2 million permanent location to include the casino, five-star hotel, numerous restaurants and an entertainment venue.
Iowa Regulators Discuss New License After Moratorium Ends
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission convened July 8 to discuss a new casino bid for the city of Cedar Crossing, according to KCRG. This was the first meeting for the commission after the expiration of a two-year moratorium on new gaming licenses.
Last month, a joint application for the proposed “Cedar Crossing Casino” was filed by P2E and the Linn County Gaming Association. The city has already set aside land for the project. This is not the first attempt to bring a casino to the area, but Cedar Crossing Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said that the process is farther along than ever before.
“It’s giving us an opportunity as a city to make sure that the plans are in place for infrastructure improvements that would need to be done,” O’Donnell told KCRG. “It’s given P2E, who is the casino group that the city is aligned with, to adjust plans again to make sure that this facility really represents the way that people game today.”
WSOP Main Event Sets New Attendance Record, Again
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event tournament has set a new attendance record for the second consecutive year, with a total of 10,112 entrants when registration closed. Last year’s mark was 10,043, and before that the previous record was 8,773 entrants back in 2006.
The event, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment and held at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas, runs through July 21. The first place winner will take home a cool $10 million, second through ninth place will all net at least $1 million.
“10,000 entrants has become the new magic number for the WSOP Main Event,” WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart said in a statement. “The response has been overwhelming since our move to the Las Vegas Strip. Thank you to our partners, team members, and most of all, the players for another unforgettable summer.”
Live! Pittsburgh Begins $3 Million Renovation
Live! Casino Pittsburgh has begun a $3 million renovation to add a new gaming room and relocate the existing poker room into a 1,050-square-foot space. The existing poker room space will be converted into a social club.
The new poker room, on the casino’s first floor, will feature six tables offering Texas Hold’em and Omaha. A new 850-square-foot High Limit Room will include three live table games and a new bar, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“These improvements are a result of the continuous feedback we receive through a robust engagement process with our guests and our dedicated team members,” said Live! Casino general manager Sean Sullivan in a prepared statement. “We are proud to continue to reinvest in the facility and serve as a world-class gaming and entertainment destination for Westmoreland County. We think our guests will be delighted with the new offerings.”
Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Renovations to Begin Soon
On July 10, representatives for Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino, told the Nevada Gaming Control Board that planned renovations to the property would begin soon and finish by late 2025 or early 2026.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, Fertitta’s attorney Sonia Vermeys discussed financing matters related to the acquisition of the property last August, which the board recommended for approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
“We’re doing well and as you know, we have big plans for the property with significant capital investment,” the property’s General Manager Jason Sides told the board, per CDC. “Currently, one restaurant is under construction; that’s going to be a Saltgrass Steak House. We anticipate opening in September. One of our two hotel towers is out of order and construction is about to begin on that. We expect to have our first doors back in October in that tower. Then, subsequent phases of other construction touch basically every square foot of the property.”
Bally’s Partners with Maverick for New Poker Room
On July 8, Bally’s Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. announced a new partnership with Maverick Gaming to “elevate” and rebrand the casino’s 23-table poker room as the Bally’s Maverick Poker Room. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals.
In a release, General Manager Tony Rohrer said that Bally’s goal is to leverage “the knowledge and experience of Maverick Gaming to attract world-renowned poker players” to the venue. Maverick CEO Eric Persson added that the ultimate goal is to “hold tournaments seven days a week, with varying buy-ins to accommodate all types of recreational and professional players.”
Ocean AC Goes Cardless
Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort has initiated the city’s first cardless loyalty program. Using Konami’s Synkros casino management system with technology supplied under a partnership with Genesis and NRT/JoinGO, the Cardless Gaming system allows patrons to use their mobile phones to activate the tracking of their play through the player’s club.
Players can now use the Ocean Casino Resort Mobile App to “card in” to have play recorded on either slots or tables. At tables, the phone generates a QR Code that can be scanned by the dealer or pit boss at buy-in.
Players can also use their phones to record restaurant, gift shop, spa and other purchases across the casino resort, to earn points for all resort spend.
Players can still use their plastic mag-stripe loyalty cards if they prefer.
Live Poker Coming to Hollywood at Penn National
Two Pennsylvania Penn Entertainment casinos—Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and Hollywood Casino at Morgantown—will offer live poker beginning August 1.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville will offer live poker by The Eatery and racetrack entrance, the casino told local outlet Fox43.
After the grand opening event on August 1, poker will be offered Friday through Sunday, with exact hours soon to be announced on the Hollywood website, at www.hollywoodpnrc.com/casino/poker.
Tournaments, Bad Beat and High Hand promotions will not be available at the time of the Grand Opening, but are items that will return at a later date.
Penn is hiring both experienced and non-experienced poker dealers for each location. This includes paid dealer school, where dealers are able to keep tips once dealer school is completed.
