Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On (l.) predicts the city’s gaming industry will see a year-on-year decline of 32 percent, reflecting what he calls the city’s “new normal.” Some say Chui is artfully preparing Macau for the worst, to make the actual outcome seem better, although previous government estimates have always been on the low side of actual revenue.
A House subcommittee, chaired by Sheldon Adelson acolyte Congressman Jason Chaffetz (l.), held a hearing on the Adelson-backed restoration of America’s Wire Act—which would ban online gambling in the U.S.—and the hearing brought out what critics are saying are the usual anti-gambling voices. Still, despite criticism for a stacked anti-gambling witness list, some testimony against the bill emerged.
The city of Springfield, Massachusetts and MGM Resorts celebrated a groundbreaking last week for the $800 million MGM Springfield that, more than any other casino in the Bay State, can be considered the first shot in the Northeast casino war. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and MGM Resorts President and CEO Jim Murren (c.) turn the first shovel.
Harry Reid, Nevada’s senior senator and the Minority Leader in the U.S. Senate, last week said he would not stand for re-election in 2016, ending a 28-year career in Congress and stripping the gaming industry of its most influential member.
Nevada and Delaware have officially launched their online poker network, which connects players from both states in the same online poker games. 888 Holdings is providing the platform for the network. Delaware Governor Jack Markel and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval (l.) say the pact will produce more competition.
Lawmakers who support the legalization of casino gaming in Japan are rushing to submit a casino bill by the end of March. Officials including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) hope to pass the bill so casinos can be developed in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Indian tribes outraged by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Carcieri v. Salazar ruling are pinning their hopes on a “Carcieri fix” introduced by Senator Jon Tester. But the road to a law is rough and full of potholes.
London-based listed payments provider Optimal Payments is reportedly preparing a bid to buy competitor Skrill for €1.1 billion. Optimal Payments runs Neteller and the purchase would strengthen the company’s presence in the online gambling transactions market. The company also announced it will accept Bitcoin payments.
Sun International Ltd. Will purchase competitor Peermont Global for $768 million. Johannesburg-based Sun is South Africa’s biggest hotel and casino operator with 27 resorts across Africa and the Americas. Peermont owns the Emperors Palace resort (l.), near Johannesburg, plus properties located in South Africa and Botswana.
This week the GGB Podcast sits down with Allon Englman, the senior vice president and chief design officer for Scientific Games, discussing how the mergers of WMS, Bally and SHFL have made Scientific Games one of the premier supply companies in gaming.
A new international airport and a multibillion-dollar casino are planned for the Van Don Economic Zone in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province. The casino partners include VinaCapital, Macau-based SunCity Group and Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd. Investments include the Quang Ninh International Airport (l.).
Gaming taxes from Cambodia’s 59 casinos rose 12 percent in 2014, according to government officials. The state expects more moderate growth this year, and projects a year-on-year rise of 4 percent for 2015. The Star Vegas casino in Poipet recently sold for $360 million.
Two global gaming companies saw their earnings in the Philippines surge last year. The results indicate that the country has remained largely insulated from the effects of China's crackdown on gambling, which has depressed overall gaming revenues in the region. Meanwhile, Kazuo Okada’s Tiger resort (l.) got the OK.
The gaming industry in South Korea has risen for the ninth year in a row, but has tapered off from previous years. According to the numbers, 2104 gambling and lottery sales exceeded US$17.64 billion, but that’s just 1 percent over the year before.
The Hilton Park Lane Casino, which opened last year, will add a gaming space in a rooftop garden so gamblers can smoke while they play. The casino attracts a large contingent of high-rolling Middle Eastern players who pay with membership costing £1,000 (US $1,480).
A new study from researchers in the UK and the Netherlands could prompt the British government to consider taxing poker winnings. The study offers persuasive evidence that poker is a game of skill, and thus liable to a levy from the tax collector.
Toronto is again looking to change is fortune through casino expansion. A proposal to expand the racino offerings at the Woodbine racetrack (l.) has been met with sharp criticism among local officials.
After reports surfaced linking owner Michael DeGroote to illegal activities, the Dreams Corporation will close all operations in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The city of Richmond, British Columbia has been scrutinized lately by the local council regarding revenue spending. The city budgets $15 million a year from revenue brought in through its casino and lottery, but with a lease on the casino ending in 2041, some feel it's time to put some of that cash away.
California’s Jerry Brown (l.), who normally gives Indian tribes what they want, has said that he won’t sign an internet poker bill unless racetracks are allowed to participate. Some gaming tribes insist they will never support a bill that allows racetracks to offer the games.
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have been given new licenses by the UK Gambling Commission under the country’s new online gambling laws. The sites had been operating under temporary UK licenses after being previously licensed through the Isle of Man.
New Jersey’s Palacasino.com online gambling site has added 27 new games and improved its user interface. The site is one of the newest operating in New Jersey, launching in late 2014.
Independent watchdog group eCOGRA has launched a free service to help in disputes between UK gamblers and the country’s online gambling operators. The group is authorized to provide the service by UK gaming regulators.
888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley (l.) says the company is not for sale, but is looking at possible mergers now that the UK has adopted a new point of consumption online tax. His statement comes after a reported move by British bookmaker William Hill to takeover 888 came to nothing.
With one exception, Canada’s provinces are entering the field of online gaming with arms and hands outstretched to grab expected profits. Nevertheless whether internet gaming is actually legal remains untested in the courts.
The U.K. Gambling Commission has suspended the operating license used by Metro Play Ltd., the online arm of 666Bet. On its Twitter page, 666Bet did not acknowledge the review, and only said its website is temporarily down for maintenance.
Malta has issued a gaming license to online sportsbook Pinnacle Sports. The company had a change of ownership in 2014, but has not disclosed who the owner is.
Rep. Dana Young’s (l.) comprehensive gambling legislation, HB1233, recently was the focus of discussion in a legislative workshop in the Florida House. The measure would allow two destination casinos in South Florida, decouple dog racing from slots, set up a gambling commission and ban new gambling in the state. The Seminole compact has yet to be addressed.
A bankruptcy judge has appointed Richard Davis (l.), a former Watergate prosecutor and assistant Treasury secretary as an independent investigator in the Caesars restructuring case. In Nevada, regulators heard testimony of former employees who lost their pensions and came down on the company.
American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman (l.) recently discussed the group's goals, including receiving more Homeland Security funds for Las Vegas and opposing the IRS' proposal to lower from $1,200 to $600 the amount required for reporting jackpot winners. The organization also continues restructuring with 11 new members, following nine new additions in January.
The Granite State’s Senate last week narrowly passed a bill that would allow two casinos. The bill will now be taken up by the House, where similar bills have been unceremoniously smothered to death.
A preliminary report from Atlantic City’s state-appointed emergency manager does not call for the resort to declare bankruptcy, but instead calls for more municipal spending cuts and layoffs. The city faces a budget deficit of $101 million. Critics argued that the report covers nothing new and has unnecessarily delayed legislation on casino tax rates in the city.
After being pitched with yet another suggestion they form an REIT, MGM Resorts International may have had enough. The company has asked its shareholders not to vote for any board members suggested by Land and Buildings Investment Management, which owns less than 1 percent of the company. L&B wants the company to sell the Crystals shopping mall (l.) at CityCenter.
As Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Illinois starts its 90th year of horseracing, legislators are working on an expanded gambling package that would allow Illinois' five tracks to have slots. State Rep. Robert Rita has proposed legislation similar to last year's, which includes slots at tracks and a Chicago casino among other proposals.
Touted as a major redevelopment project for Atlantic City, plans for Stockton University to build a city campus at the former Showboat casino are being challenged by Trump Entertainment, owners of the neighboring Taj Mahal. Though the bankrupt casino’s future is uncertain, the company fears a campus next door will lead to problems with underage gamblers, threatening the whole deal.
Currently Tennessee law allows a state lottery and emphatically bans "games of chance associated with casinos." But state Rep. Jason Powell has proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow casino gaming and direct revenues toward education and gambling addiction programs. The proposal must pass both houses and be approved by voters.
A bill allowing Indiana riverboats to move onto land adjacent to their docks unanimously passed two Senate committees. The legislation, House Bill 1540, also would allow live dealers at the state's two racinos, extend the free-plan tax credit, eliminate the admission tax and offer incentives for new casino construction.
Lawyers for Revel Atlantic City’s unsecured creditors said that interested bidders in the property continue to tour the site, but no new offer on the $2.4 billion tower has been made. Meanwhile, a federal bankruptcy judge will hold another hearing on the proposed sale of casino to Florida developer Glenn Straub (l.) this week.
Elaine Wynn (l.) has inadvertently given fuel to the fire in regards to the argument Wynn Resorts is using against her. It has surfaced that her nephew, Andrew Pascal, was part of a competing land deal with Wynn Resorts.
While bidding has begun in the Southern Tier for a fourth state casino license, there is currently only one contender, Tioga Downs. The Montreign project (l.) in Sullivan County has been underway and going at a breakneck pace.
A Louisiana legislative committee delayed voting on the state's $3.6 million annual contract with the city of New Orleans until it receives a report on the impact of the city's upcoming smoking ban. Seeking an exemption, Harrah's officials said the ban will cost it, the city and the state millions of dollars.
Trump Entertainment Resorts has been fined by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for not notifying the state about a customer assault. The company also has to pay $2,600 won by underage gamblers.
In light of increased competition in other states, a select committee of West Virginia lawmakers will undertake a comprehensive study of horse and dog racing and report back to the legislature in 2016. Currently West Virginia has four racinos and one casino.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has filed suit against Atlantic City to block the resort from borrowing $43 million to repay a state loan. President Tom Balance (l.) contends the move violates a previous city ordinance to borrow $140 million to repay property tax refunds such as $88.25 million owed to Borgata.
It is surprising to many that in a state built around games of chance, there is no lottery. Assemblyman Harvey Munford (l.) has written legislation, that if passed, would change just that.
After countless people have complained about hotel resort fees on the Las Vegas Strip, one man has decided to take his battle to court, claiming the Palazzo (l.) hid their $28 per night resort fee online.
After missing the Mississippi Gaming Commission's April 1 deadline to prove it had proper financial backing, Rotate Black officials said the company has been restructured, financing is in place and the Hemingway Resort and Casino project is moving forward. Previously valued at $112 million, the development now is estimated at $170 million.
Sam Von Kennel says he found a way to open a legal poker room, the Texas Card House, in Austin: All of the money players gamble leaves with winners at the end of the night. The business makes money by selling memberships.
The Maine Gambling Control Board's annual report showed the state's two casinos lost slots revenue last year. Oxford Casino was down $15 million from 2013 and Bangor fell "only" $10 million—dramatically less than the $100 million drop it experienced from 2012 to 2013 after Oxford opened.
The New Mexico House and Senate both unanimously passed legislation that would have raised testing requirements for horseracing in the state. But Governor Susana Martinez vetoed the bill, saying the state racing commission already meets or exceeds international horseracing standards.
Although MGM Resorts International has been quiet on the matter, it has been reported MGM is in the talks with the city of Arlington, Texas to build a hotel near the Arlington Convention Center.
Casino mogul Phil Ruffin will pursue the Emerald City Casino in Kansas on his own. The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma and Chairman John Berrey (l.) Downstream Casino quit a joint venture with the Wichita native after Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt filed a federal lawsuit preventing it from expanding into Kansas onto property currently used as a Downstream parking lot.
Strange bedfellows might be one way to describe the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribe, who have been forced to cooperate with each other in order to fight casino competition from out of state. It took a lot of soul searching for them to come to the realization that they needed each other. Mohegan Chairman Kevin Brown (l.) says unity is difficult.
A tribe whose gaming compact with California was overturned by the voters last November has filed a lawsuit to force the state to negotiate another one. The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians is the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Fresno.
The Cowlitz tribe of Washington has fought long and hard to build its $510 million casino resort (l.) in La Center. The tribe is declaring victory, but opponents aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
One goal of the Seminole Tribe Florida's $1.6 billion expansion at its Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa is to attract more international guests. Across the state in Hollywood, the Hard Rock debuted Kuro, an upscale Japanese restaurant controlled by Executive Chef Alex Becker (l.).
The Pamunkey Indian tribe, which claims Pocahontas as an ancestor, will find out any day whether it will receive federal recognition. The designation would allow the tribe to open a casino—a possibility that has alarmed MGM Resorts International, which is building a $1.2 billion gambling complex on the border of Northern Virginia in Maryland.
The public is invited to comment on the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' proposed $480 million casino and tribal village near South Bend, Indiana, at an April 14 meeting hosted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The development would create 1,400 construction and 2,000 permanent jobs.
Wine growers in California’s Napa Valley have sounded the alarm when they got a hold of a purported agreement to between the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians and a casino developer to find property in the wine country for a casino.
The Eastern Shawnee Tribe's country-western themed Bordertown Casino and Arena (l.) will April 2 in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, offering casinos and bull-riding. In the panhandle, a group is fighting the Shawnee Tribe's proposed Golden Mesa Casino in Guymon. The tribe is awaiting the Bureau of Indian Affair's land-trust decision.
Tired of waiting for litigation to end, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is moving forward with a $5.5 million renovation at its Fond-du-Luth Casino (l.) in Duluth, Minnesota. The tribe needs land-trust approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to proceed to expand into the adjacent Carter Hotel, which it also owns.
The Fort Peck Tribes of Montana will build the Buffalo Rivers Casino in Poplar, Montana, after receiving a $29 million loan. The project will create nearly 100 jobs.
While most lottery jackpot winners enjoy the notoriety, at least for a short time, many find it a great burden over time. Some states want to change that.
Catherine Walker (l.) has been relieved of her duties as president and CEO of the Seneca Gaming Corp. Walker will be replaced by Audrey Oswell, who currently serves as COO.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians have named Frank Freedman as chief operating officer. Freedman will replace Matt Harkness, who helped to launch the enterprise.
Ladbrokes has announced that its managing director of digital, Jim Mullen will become chief executive, taking over on April 1st from Richard Glynn. Mullen joined Ladbrokes in November 2013 after three years at William Hill.
Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana announced two personnel changes. Twenty-year management and corporate sales veteran Kathan (Kit) Musgrove was named director of convention services and former Ameristar Casino Vicksburg executive chef James A. Shields has returned to Paragon after a three-year absence.
The top publication of the public relations industry has recognized Caesars Executive Vice President Jan Jones Blackhurst for corporate social responsibility.
The Rainmaker Group has kicked off its 2014 Hospitality Client Summit in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to a record number of attendees from around the world.
Oasis 360 Mobile Concierge gives players full touch-point access to their favorite casinos, directing them to their favorite slot machines and increasing loyalty and profits. Aristocrat will be in NIGA booth 1231.
Scientific Games will bring an array of products from former companies Bally Technologies, WMS Gaming, Shuffle Master and SG Interactive to the NIGA trade show.
Kevin Washburn, assistant secretary for Indian Affairs at the federal Department of the Interior, will be a keynote speaker at this week’s Indian Gaming trade show.
