Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. has offered to buy the real estate assets of Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment—including L’Auberge in Lake Charles (l.) in a deal worth $4.1 billion. GLPI already owns the assets of Penn National Gaming. Caesars and MGM are also considering restructuring as REITs and operating companies.
Vowing to fight “economic warfare,” several top ranking Connecticut lawmakers, including Rep. Steve Dargan (l.), have introduced legislation that would allow for three more casinos in the state, under the management of the two tribes that already operate gaming in Connecticut. State voters aren’t impressed.
The sale of the closed Revel Atlantic City to Florida developer Glenn Straub was halted last week when a bankruptcy court judge decided she lacked the authority to approve the latest offer. Bankruptcy Judge Gloria Burns said a federal appeal from the casino’s tenants of an earlier approved sale—the property has been approved for sale twice before—superseded the current proposal.
Proponents of legal gaming in Japan led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) could try to push the casino bill forward by bypassing the busy cabinet committee and resubmitting it to a lesser parliamentary committee. Casino boosters say this could be the last year Japan could legalize casinos and benefit from billions in revenues.
According to several published reports, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (l.)—who is the main sponsor of the Sheldon Adelson backed bill to ban online gambling in Congress—abruptly left a conference call with officials representing states with online gambling and lotteries. Chaffetz basically ended his participation by saying that if the state officials don’t like his bill, they should introduce their own.
Australian gaming operator Echo Entertainment Group may move its headquarters from Sydney to Brisbane if the Queensland government OKs its bid to build a multimillion-dollar casino resort (l.) at Queen’s Wharf.
High 5 Games is suing IGT for breach of contract involving 81 of the manufacturer’s most popular games that were designed by High 5 and licensed to IGT. High 5 says the suit may delay or scuttle the acquisition by GTECH.
Stephen Martino announced he is resigning from his position as director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency to enter private law practice.
An aggressive takeover bid for the assets of Pinnacle Entertainment by Gaming & Leisure Properties shows yet again the value of this bifurcated arrangement. Will Caesars and MGM follow suit?
This week, a special GGB Podcast features Lyle Berman, the chairman & CEO of Lakes Entertainment, on the recently announced purchase of his company by Nevada’s Golden Gaming.
Analysts continue to be divided about the future of the world’s premier gaming market. Nomura Securities and Wells Fargo are on the side of the bears. Fitch Ratings is bullish on Macau “in the long run.” Everyone agrees the city will take time to stabilize and reinvent itself.
Japanese gaming mogul Kazuo Okada and his Tiger Resort development firm has received a two-year extension on its Manila Bay Resorts project. The US$2.3 billion venture, which was supposed to have been completed in first-quarter 2105, now has until early 2017 to finish.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. president and COO Rob Goldstein (l.), who is also interim head of Sands China Ltd., has some advice for junket operators hoping to be welcome in Macau: comply with governmental regulations, or get out of the world’s No. 1 gaming destination.
SJM chief Angela Leong (l.) has criticized the government of Macau for its “ambiguous” policy on smoking in casinos. Casino VIP rooms are exempt from a ban on smoking in public places, and smoking lounges also are permitted. Now those exemptions may be rescinded.
Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. plans to open a temporary casino on the island of Saipan sometime this year. The company previously announced plans to develop a US$7.1 billion resort on the Pacific Island.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. has announced a special stock dividend will be paid out at the end of the month, in hopes of combating the continual gaming decline in Macau.
As Greece’s new leftist government negotiates its next bailout installment, lawmakers are scouring the landscape for new sources of revenue. Finance Minister and economist Yanis Varoufakis (l.) is looking at selling gaming licenses to foreign operators.
After seven years of declining revenues, state-run Holland Casino in the Netherlands has posted a profit of US$13.3 million for 2014. The change follows a reorganization and cost-cutting that included layoffs of several hundred employees.
James Packer’s Crown Resorts Ltd. will begin to formally plan its Sydney resort now that New South Wales and Barangaroo developer Lend Lease Group LLC have made an agreement for the Barangaroo South complex.
In response to widespread noncompliance among Class IV operators, New Zealand is considering a hike in the gaming taxes that would more than double the fees. In most cases, casinos would not be affected.
The participation or non-participation of racetracks in online poker in California could be the sticking point that keeps legislation from passing this year. Aqua Caliente Chairman Jeff Grubbe (l.) says no iPoker in California is “preferable option.”
State Rep. Nick Miccarelli (l.) has introduced a second bill to legalize online gambling in the state. The new bill is different from a previous bill as it only allows for online poker and would include a “bad actor” clause to exclude sites—such as PokerStars—that offered online gaming to U.S. customers after a federal ban went into effect in 2006.
New online gambling tax rules have been sent to Ireland’s president to be signed into law. Online gambling sites would need to obtain a license in Ireland regardless of where they are bases and pay taxes on betting transactions with Irish gamblers, according to Finance Minister Michael Noonan (l.).
VirginCasino.com and TropicanaCasino.com have introduced a new bingo game for online play in New Jersey. The two are one of the first online casinos in the U.S. to offer real money 90 Ball Bingo. The game was developed by Gamesys.
Saying that the imminent launch of PokerStars in New Jersey’s online market would make it difficult to gain players, Pala Interactive is holding off on launching its own online poker site in the state. The company will focus on its already-launched casino games site.
Officials for bwin.party says talks on selling all or part of the company have entered a new phase and become more serious. Amaya Gaming has been identified as a potential buyer, but officials said they are considering several offers.
Sports data and insight/analysis operator STATS has introduced fantasy sports-based tools to its media clients. Starting with Major League Baseball, the products are tied to the fantasy scoring systems used at FanDuel and DraftKings.
PokerStars has extended its live dealers to non-poker casino games through a partnership with Latvia’s Evolution Gaming. Live dealers are available for Casino Hold ‘em, blackjack, roulette, and baccarat.
The Swedish Gaming Board has asked Apple to remove all gaming apps for Swedish players from the Swedish App Store. The move is seen as protecting the government-owned Svenska Spel, which has a monopoly on online gambling in the country.
Caesars gets its first bad ruling in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of its largest operating unit, as a Chicago judge approved the creditor panel opposed to the restructuring plan. Meanwhile, some former Caesars employees lost their pension payments as a result of the bankruptcy filing.
The Finger Lakes racino in Albany sued the New York Gaming Commission for recommending Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, just 25 miles away. Racetrack officials said the proposed $425 million Lago would cannibalize revenues and that the board did not follow its own rules. And with the fourth New York casino bid still up for grabs, Binghamton may get involved in the mix of potential areas for a proposed casino
MGM Resorts last week announced it would break ground on its Springfield, Massachusetts casino next week that will include the implosion of the old Zanetti School (l.). And KG Urban Enterprises is getting a spirited pushback from the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts in its vision of a $500 million casino resort it wants to build along the waterfront.
The two-month increase in revenues has ended for northwest Indiana's five casinos, which took in $79.35 million last month versus $80.25 million in February 2014. But the casinos are seeking ways to challenge competition, such as video gaming machines in Illinois, and are hopeful new legislation also may help the situation. But Dan Nita (l.), GM of Horseshoe Hammond, says pressures remain.
Officials with Portofino Resort LLC in Vicksburg, Mississippi have received Army Corps of Engineers approval for a floodwall and soon will file an application to begin construction of a 30,000 square foot casino at a land-based site previously occupied by Harrah’s, Horizon and Grand Station casinos. It would be the city's fifth casino.
A group of bipartisan legislators is trying to keep keno out of Maine, stating they have the authority to approve it, not Governor Paul LePage (l.). His administration said keno is similar to games the lottery already offers, and could generate $5.5 million in gross sales in the second full year.
The owner of Horseshoe Cleveland Casino (l.), Rock Ohio Caesars, has reached a deal with the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to release $7.5 million that can be directed towards overhauling the Public Square adjacent to the casino.
In a memo sent to Atlantic City municipal workers unions, the lawyers representing most of the unions warned them to prepare for a court fight if city declares bankruptcy. Governor Chris Christie appointed an emergency management team to make recommendations to solve the city’s financial crises, and a bankruptcy declaration is a definite possibility.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will hire a third party to help oversee the massive $2.3 billion Global Business District project. A newly formed committee has delayed to hire the project for at least another month though.
Billionaire Carl Icahn, who is seeking to take over the bankrupt Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City has reached an agreement with Donald Trump to keep the Trump name on the property. Trump had been suing to have his name removed.
The popular Brew Brothers microbrewery and restaurant at the Eldorado Resort Casino in Reno soon will have a second location at Scioto Downs Racino in Columbus, Ohio. Both operations are owned by Eldorado Resorts Inc., which acquired Scioto Downs in last year's merger with MTR Gaming Group.
Among the hundreds of bills that failed to survive the Iowa legislature's early deadline was a proposal allowing a non-smoking casino in Cedar Rapids—seen by many as a way to bypass the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which rejected a casino there last year.
While a bill designed to stabilize taxes for Atlantic City casinos languishes in the New Jersey Legislature, an important deadline for the filing of casino tax appeals is approaching on April 1. The confusion has created uncertainty for the city and casinos alike.
Caesars Entertainment hopes a federal bankruptcy judge will allow it to dismantle and liquidate five barges in Tunica County, Mississippi that previously housed Harrah's casino, which closed in June. Caesars still operates Horseshoe Tunica and Tunica Roadhouse Hotel & Casino, among eight remaining Tunica Resorts casinos.
Maybe because of four casino hotels closing in 2014, the city’s hotel rates saw a 10 percent increase. Overall visitation for the resort was down by five percent from 2013.
Three new restaurants will soon open as part of Tony Hseih's $350 million downtown Las Vegas redevelopment initiative. The restaurants will share a building on the 600 block of Carson Avenue.
Snowy weather and cold temperatures are being blamed for a 14.8 percent decline in Atlantic City casino revenue in February. Even removing the revenue from three casinos that closed in 2014, the city’s eight remaining casinos saw a 1.9 percent decline.
An ongoing court case being Sands China Ltd. and former CEO Steven Jacobs (l.) saw Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez force the company to pay the man nearly $250,000 in legal fees after the judge determined Sands was hiding behind an irrelevant law to hold documents.
Victory Casino Cruises based in Port Canaveral, Florida expects to greet its 1 millionth passenger this week. Chief Executive Officer Lester Bullock said the company has been "building the brand" since it set sail in July 2011. The ship offers 620 slot machines, 27 table games, bingo and sports betting.
Two Michigan legislators proposed measures that would establish as law emergency charitable gambling rules, set to expire in July. Last year a judge barred the state gaming board from enforcing rules limiting charity poker events, even though the board said it would not end licensing when the emergency rules expire.
Following approval by the Georgia Senate Regulated Industries Committee, the state Senate will have a chance to vote on a bill that would let voters change the constitution to allow parimutuel wagering at horse racetracks. Racing industry officials estimate parimutuel wagering could generate $25 million annually for scholarships.
In a 35-7 vote, the New Mexico Senate approved a gaming compact with the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache tribes and Acoma and Jemez Pueblos. State Senator Clemente Sanchez said the proposed compact would bring in more revenues to the state over the next two decades compared to the current compact.
Florida lawmakers have indicated they can live without the Seminole compact provision allowing exclusive rights to banked card games in exchange for $1 billion over five years. Meanwhile the tribe is running ads urging lawmakers to reconsider their position, as a far-reaching measure works its way through the legislature.
As the Tohono O'odham Nation builds a temporary casino structure in Glendale, Arizona, four regional mayors urged Arizona's Congressional delegation to pass legislation to "prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation from moving forward with its gaming facility near homes, schools, places of worship and child-care centers."
The BIA recently granted the Cowlitz Indian Tribe a reservation near La Center, Washington, where the tribe plans to build a 134,000 square foot casino. However, an appeal is pending regarding a U.S. District Court judge's ruling that the Interior Department has the authority to take land—including the Cowlitz tract--into trust.
The Forest County Potawatomi tribe recently paid the casino fee to Wisconsin it had withheld since last June. The tribe held back its 6.5 percent net win payment over concern the state could not meet its compact obligations if Governor Scott Walker had approved the Menominee tribe's $800 million Kenosha casino.
The Quapaw Tribe wants to expand its Downstream Casino (l.) in northeast Oklahoma to the parking that happens to be located in southeast Kansas. The National Indian Gaming Commission said that's OK, but Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is challenging that decision in U.S. District Court.
The ninth and newest casino operated by Cherokee Nation opened in South Coffeyville, Oklahoma. The $10 million facility employs 135 people, including 100 Cherokee citizens. With17,000 square feet, the facility features 300 electronic games and a bar and restaurant.
Factions of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Northern California are battling in court over alleged embezzling of tribal funds earned at the tribe’s Rolling Hills Casino (l.).
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Chief George Tiger received $31,500 to promote the Kialegee Tribal Town's Red Clay Casino that would have directly competed with the Muscogee Nation's River Spirit Casino. Tiger claims he did nothing illegal, according to a special report by the Tulsa World.
After six years of declining lottery sales, a bill has been introduced in New Mexico which would allow for debit cards to be used for the purchase of lottery tickets.
Winners of significant lottery prizes in North Carolina could remain anonymous under a bill filed by state Rep. Darren Jackson, whose father won a $1 million Powerball jackpot in 2007. Lottery officials oppose the measure, saying releasing winner information promotes credibility in the games.
MGM Resorts International last week announced that Renee West (l.), the president of Luxor and Excalibur Resorts, is retiring. The company said that Nik Rytterstrom has been promoted to general manager of Luxor
TCSJohnHuxley announced a number of key appointments, including Steph Nel as senior business development manager, Gavin Wright as business development manager and John Galajsza as brand ambassador.
Citing health issues, A.J. Holloway recently resigned as mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi. Holloway, whose sixth term would have ended in mid-2017, led the city through the growth of its casino industry as well as the devastation and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
After being dismissed from the Wynn Resorts Ltd. board, Elaine Wynn has decided to fight back to get back on. The company cites a conflict of interests, while Wynn is afraid her removal will create an all-male board which lacks necessary diversity.
The National Indian Gaming Commission will hold one of its periodic tribal consultations at four locations through the United States beginning in April. Associate Commissioner Daniel Little (l.) says the consultations have always been a benefit to the commission.
GameAccount Network will launch a simulated online gaming system for Maryland Live! Casino this spring. Based in London, GameAccount is a leading provider of an internet gaming system with proprietary award-winning internet and integrated third party games.
Based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Scientific Games Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of instant lottery games, recently participated in Georgia Manufacturing Day in Atlanta. The company designs and produces 98 percent of the Georgia Lottery’s instant games and also provides marketing, promotional and distribution services.
Novomatic will reclaim the right to sell multi-player electronic table game equipment currently distributed in an exclusive arrangement by TCSJohnHuxley.
Century Gaming, a Nevada route operator, has announced products set to hit the market this year featuring technological advancements, making the table-top gambling machines more interactive than ever.
JCM Global will hold its 17th annual golf fundraiser, the AGEM/AGA Golf Classic, on Tuesday, April 28 at Cascata in Boulder City, Nevada. Akai Isoi, JCM Global president, leads golfers out in last year’s event.
