Genting Resorts World announced plans for a slots-only casino at the former Miami Herald property it bought in 2011. Malaysia-based Genting would partner with Gulfstream Park racetrack (l.) and use the permit granted to Gulfstream's nonprofit subsidiary. At issue is whether the permit allows operations in two counties. State regulators are expected to rule against it.
Macau’s economy chief Francis Tam Pak Yuen (l.) told lawmakers the government will consider limiting the growth of electronic machine games. His offered no details, however, and his remarks, stated as they were in very broad terms, left more questions than answers.
Britain’s Labor Party has joined the Liberal Democrats in calling for restrictions on the spread of electronic table games in betting shops. The move is turning up the political heat on the Conservative government to do something about the controversial machines, which are opposed by activists and local councils nationwide.
Tom Ballance (l.), COO of Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa says that New Jersey’s foray into online gaming is off to a great start and is not hurting Borgata’s brick-and-mortar casino. In fact, databases show that most online gamers rarely set foot in the actual casino.
Four casino developers filed applications for licenses to the Massachusetts Gaming Commissions by the December 31 deadline. That is far fewer than were expected when the process began. MGM’s project in Springfield (l.) is the only one with a virtual guarantee to win a license.
A legislative panel in Taiwan has all but shot down the possibility of casinos on the main island. At the same time, enabling legislation to bring gaming to the islands in the Taiwan Strait is reported to be headed for passage this year.
Kentucky lawmakers are slated to begin debating two bills that would change the state constitution to allow casino gambling, in what could be lawmakers’ last try to expand gaming. The bill has the backing of Governor Steve Beshear (l.).
Online poker may eventually be legalized in California, but probably not until next year, say supporters, citing looming national and state elections that could suppress support for the measure. California Gambling Control Commissioner Richard Schuetz (l.), however, says tribes are still concerned.
This week, the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Anna Sainsbury, the president of the geolocation company GeoComply, on her firm’s experience with the regulatory process in New Jersey.
An Australian investor in a casino in northern Vietnam has agreed to buy a controlling share of the Lao Cai International Hotel (l.) and remodel and expand the hotel. The casino offering is also set to expand significantly.
Berjaya Assets, a major Malaysian property developer announced plans for a luxury resort in the state of Johor that could include a casino. Only they didn’t bother to tell the state government. The chief executive, Datuk Mohamed Khaled (l.), says a casino is not even remotely possible.
Goa’s chief minister, Manohar Parrikar (l.), is anxious to burnish his anti-casino credentials in response to the rise of a new national political party whose populist agenda has the industry in its crosshairs. As a result, after March 1, local residents will be barred from the state’s gambling venues.
A gambler who won $55 million at a malfunctioning slot machine in Vietnam says he’s entitled to the money. A lower court, amazingly, agreed. Fortunately for the casino a higher court has now agreed to review the case.
The Macau government is taking away portions of the smoking areas from 14 casinos that failed two air-quality tests. The size of the reductions will be announced later this month.
The Chinese government has big plans for growing its $43 billion lottery market. That’s good news for the share prices of the companies, some of them foreign, that are developing the games and providing the know-how to take those plans forward.
Creditors have allowed Spanish gaming giant Codere to miss a loan payment as negotiations continue to fix the company’s finances and pay down more than €1 billion of debt. A key to the discussions is how much control the founding family will lose in the process.
Regulators in New South Wales say it will take three months to decide if Crown Resorts and Chairman James Packer (l.) is fit for a license to operate the billion-dollar casino the company plans to build on Sydney’s Darling Harbour. Given Crown’s far-flung holdings it’s an investigation that will span the globe.
Two members of South Africa’s Swaziland government could face expulsion after it was reported they made frequent visits to the territory’s casinos. By law casinos are off limits to all public officials in the country.
Genting is appealing a U.S. government order banning foreign workers from the casino “cruises to nowhere” the company is running in conjunction with its new Bahamas resort. Genting sees the service as a key to its strategy for penetrating the South Florida market.
Paragon Gaming says people are going to love its big new casino at B.C. Place. Casino opponents warn the relocation is an underhanded bid for expansion.
IGT Interactive establishes an industry first with a simultaneous online and mobile launch of Battleship, along with adaptations of several other classic board games.
Both PartyPoker and the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa, which are partnered to offer online gaming in New Jersey, are offering new apps for their respective online gaming sites. The apps are available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and allows players a number of new features.
The Bulgarian Parliament has revoked its 15 percent tax on gambling revenue in place of a tax on profits and done away with its blacklist restricting online operators in the country. The moves are part of a relaxing of online laws.
The latest figures from New Jersey show that more than 148,000 online accounts have been opened in the state since online gambling went live in November. The amount of accounts has been growing steadily even though some persistent technical glitches are still hampering play at some of the state’s 14 gambling sites.
Online gaming Company Zynga has announced that it is testing whether to accept the virtual currency Bitcoins as payments for some of its games. The new sparked a rally in Bitcoin prices, which topped $1,000.
The editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Times said the legislature should prohibit online gambling companies from also offering online lending. The board noted that the Lac du Flambeau Chippewas have two online payday loan companies plus an online casino that uses play money.
iGamingPlayer.com, the first affiliate site dedicated to the legal and regulated online casino industry in the U.S., has retained John Mehaffey, the editor-in-chief for USPoker.com, to contribute content to the site as a player advocate.
Atlantic City’s Atlantic Club casino will shut down January 13 as 1,600 employees will be out of work. Patrons must redeem all chips, vouchers and comps by midnight January 13. A Maryland casino has already held a job fair for former Atlantic Club workers and the city’s remaining casinos are making a bid for the closing casinos slots players.
Legislators in New Hampshire are considering several expanded gambling bills in the session that just began, including Keno and poker, plus bills allowing one or more casinos, with or without charitable gambling. A casino bill, supported by Governor Maggie Hassan (l.), passed the Senate but failed in the House last year.
A panel of government officials, state lawmakers and casino officials is studying ways to help Delaware’s three struggling racinos. Governor Jack Markell (l.) wants to reduce the state’s reliance on gaming revenue.
When Florida lawmakers reconvene in March, they are likely to pick up an old and divisive issue: an expansion of casino gaming in the Sunshine State. State Senate President Don Gaetz will likely propose a constitutional amendment permitting new casinos.
David Cordish, the noted Baltimore developer, has floated an idea for an arena (l.) in Downtown Las Vegas, put only put $50,000 into it. Plus there proposal has no commitment from any sports teams, or any momentum.
The Iowa Supreme Court told the Polk County District Court to review its decision suspending the gaming license for the Hard Rock Sioux City. That means the December 19 emergency stay granted by Justice Brent Appel will remain in place, allowing construction to continue on the $128.5 million casino.
Penn National Gaming and Carnival Cruise Lines have signed an agreement under which Carnival cruises will be offered as player’s club rewards at Penn casinos.
Construction will start this month on a $3.5 million "Vegas style" pool with a day and night club, bar, outdoor stage and cabanas at Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. The area will open this summer and accommodate 1,000 people.
Affinity Gaming has launched A-Play Connect Play4Fun Network, its first multi-casino, multi-state loyalty program. The platform will be used to build a loyalty program for all its casinos through play-for-free games.
Virginia state Senator L. Louise Lucas (l.) once again introduce legislation that would establish a state gaming commission and direct casino tax revenues toward reducing tolls on specified roadways. Lucas noted 39 states have legal casino gambling. "I hope Virginia and Utah won't be the last," she said.
Under a law that some legislators deemed archaic, New Jersey residents were often barred from contests of skill, usually decided by judges, for fear the contest would be called a game of chance. A new bill approved by the New Jersey State Assembly clears up the confusion.
International Speedway Corporation and Penn National Gaming, owners of Hollywood Casino, asked the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas for more time to begin building a hotel. The owners pledged to build a 250-room hotel within two years of the $200 million casino's opening in February 2012.
Disagreements on a possible casino at Saratoga Raceway are not likely to be resolved quickly. And these ardent opponents won’t go quietly into the night.
First Interstate Bank has taken control of 15 Deadwood, South Dakota properties owned by the estate of Ken Kellar, who at one point controlled 27 percent of the town’s casinos. Last September, the estate shuttered Miss Kitty’s, one of Deadwood's legacy properties that had housed three casinos and two restaurants.
As racing revenue declines in West Virginia, industry officials have commissioned a study on the economic impact of horse and dog racing in the state. Casino gambling revenue also is dropping. State Senate President Jeff Kessler blames recent new competition from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.
Two Ohio casinos--Horseshoe Casino Cleveland and Hollywood Casino Toledo—were temporarily closed due to severely cold temperatures last week. Both were shuttered more than 24 hours, with Hollywood closing and reopening two times.
The 2014 World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will start May 27 and run for 29 days. The $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold ‘Em WSOP main event championship will be held from July 5-14.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has gotten a boost from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which, by not acting, allowed the state tribal gaming compact negotiated between Governor Deval Patrick (l.) and the tribe to stand.
A New Mexico legislative panel is reviewing a proposed gambling compact between the state and the Navajo Nation, that would allow the tribe to operate five casinos. Currently the Navajos operate two Las Vegas-style casinos. The compact previously was approved by the Navajo Nation and Governor Susana Martinez (l.).
Some critics of Indian gaming, such as California’s Senator Dianne Feinstein, think that it’s time to rein in the practice of putting land into trust for casinos.
Foxwoods Resorts Casino has released an annual financial report to the public for the first time. It shows that the casino has experience challenging economic times in the last year.
The presence of one of the largest Indian casinos, Graton Resort & Casino, in the country may have helped jump-start a recovery at the California town Rohnert Park.
New York state Senator Michael Nozzolio (l.) says that by failing to pay property taxes, the Cayuga Indians are causing a $1.7 million budget deficit in his district.
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians announced it will invest $10 million to upgrade Eddy's Lake Mille Lacs Resort in Onamia, Minnesota. The band owns the Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley, as well as the Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel and the DoubleTree Hilton in St. Paul.
The San Carlos Apaches will build the $30 million Apache Sky Casino on its reservation near Dudleyville, expected to open in April 2015, tribal officials announced. The tribe owns the Apache Gold Casino (l.) located 50 miles south. A hotel and other amenities may be added later.
Officials of the Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin said it will complete $28 million in renovation and expansion projects this spring. The Ashwaubenon property will add a smoke-free gaming area and a Vince Lombardi-themed restaurant. The West Mason Street casino will add the state's first Countryville Bar & Grill.
Wynn Resorts COO Gamal Aziz is taking the reins at Wynn Macau, the Hong Kong-listed driver of the bulk of Wynn’s revenues. The move reflects the parent company’s increasing focus on developing its $4 billion Cotai megaresort.
In a change in direction for the industry’s major trade group, the American Gaming Association announced five new hires that will transform the organization to be more pro-active and advocate forcefully for industry positions, particularly in the iGaming arena. In addition, the AGA hired as a consultant former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina (l.).
Mark Lerner retired on December 31 as chief counsel for slot manufacturer Bally Technologies, capping a 17-year career during which the slot-maker soared to new heights.
Don Kornstein, the former board chairman, who butted heads with Affinity’s largest shareholder last year and was replaced during the summer, has resigned.
John Wald, the Klai Juba principal and part of the architectural firm since its 1995, will serve on the board of trustees of the Las Vegas Business Academy.
Casino Data Imaging announced two new additions to its sales and support teams, hiring Sue Bowman-Wulf as senior account executive and Stephen Sieglitz as client support specialist.
Ovations Food Services of Tampa, which provides food and beverages services at more than 135 public venues worldwide, named Steve Gregosky as senior vice president of Client Relations and Charles Lawrence as senior vice president of Business Development. Ovations is a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor of Philadelphia.
Cantor Gaming has announced a new name and a new corporate identity—the sports book and mobile gaming technology company is now CG Technology, or CGT. Meanwhile, CGT President Lee Amaitis (l.) has been cleared in a settlement with Nevada regulators over illegal activity of a former employee.
A report by Zacks Investment Research advises investing in the supplier side of the industry, and singles out slot-maker Bally Technologies as a good buy.
Echo Entertainment Group’s two Queensland venues, Jupiters Hotel & Casino and Treasury Casino & Hotel, have installed Konami’s gaming enterprise management system.
WMS Gaming has been awarded a patent for its video poker product which allows personalization of graphics, ergonomic button placement and other features.
International Game Technology will debut premium titles at the ICE Totally Gaming trade show in London, including Venture to Never Isle,” “Jenga Tower” and “Aladdin Prince of Adventure.”
