Galaxy Entertainment’s Phase II and Broadway expansions have opened on the Cotai Strip. The government’s allocation of just 150 new-to-market gaming tables does not bode well for other resorts due to open in Cotai, says Union Gaming. Galaxy had requested 400 tables, but claims to be happy with the allocation. It’s just the first of more than half a dozen integrated resorts that will open in Cotai in the next four years.
Pennsylvania and New York are considering legalizing iGaming. Pennsylvania is holding hearings on its gambling industry including the possible legalization of online gambling. Officials at the state’s Meadows Racetrack came out in favor of online gambling at the latest hearing. In New York, Senator John J. Bonacic (l.) has sponsored a bill legalizing iPoker.
A Florida appeals court last week ordered state gaming regulators to issue a slot license to a North Florida racetrack that features rodeo style barrel racing (l.). The court said because voters in Gadsden County approved the move, regulators must issue the license. The decision could have far-reaching implications for the gambling debate in Florida.
The Connecticut House passed a bill last week that would allow the state’s two gaming tribes to issue a request for proposals from communities to operate a satellite casino. The Senate previously passed the bill, which now goes to Governor Dannel Malloy (l.) for his signature, which is uncertain at this time.
Details of Crown Resorts’ planned $1.5 billion casino project at Barangaroo, Sydney are being withheld from the public, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. Meanwhile, Echo Entertainment will spend $100 million to upgrade its own casino in the port city.
The same day a casino project was announced at the Meadowlands racetrack, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (l.) commented that he is now in favor of a North Jersey casino. Whether the issue will be decided during this year’s legislative session is still doubtful, however.
Richard Lopes (l.), the head of California’s Gambling Commission, resigned last week under a cloud of scandal, the second official with the commission to step down in the last month.
Singapore-based hotel company Banyan Tree has issued a request for concept as it plans an integrated resort with gaming in Vietnam. The resort would be based at Laguna Lăng Cô in Thua Thien-Hue province.
This week, the GGB Podcast brings Steve Callender, the general manager of Tropicana Atlantic City to the mike to discuss the recent $50 million expansion of the property.
Despite warnings from Mainland China to keep gaming out of the Kinmen Islands (l.), the president of Taiwan’s legislature says the country will move ahead with its plan to bring a casino to the resort destination.
A Malaysian plastics manufacturer is going into the lottery business in Cambodia in a prelude to a full-blown gaming unit, according to company officials. Luster Industries Bhd. hopes to announce a strategic partnership in the coming weeks.
Casino workers in Macau can form trade unions, but those unions cannot legally represent the rank and file, call a strike, or bargain with management. Many workers want that to change, but a trade union bill has been vetoed five times.
Planned casino cruises off the coast of South Korea may end up on the rocks. Opponents of the cruise ships, which would allow Korean nationals to gamble at sea, include at least one land-based operator.
British bookmaker Gala Coral continues to explore the possibility of selling its 132 bingo clubs in the U.K. The clubs are said to be worth around £250 million (US$383 million).
Residents and businesspeople on Great Keppel Island in Queensland, Australia have come out in force to support a gaming hall in the community. (The proposed Fisherman’s Bay Resort Casino at left.) The government has targeted other locations for a casino.
A Chinese developer, a subsidiary of Alter City Group Holdings Ltd. of Macau, is moving ahead with its proposed casino project on Tinian in the Northern Marianas Islands. The company will lease 1.5 million meters of publicly owned property for the development.
The operator of the Reef Hotel Casino (l.) in Queensland, Australia plans to institute a new player loyalty program and a new marketing campaign to boost visitation or from Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Tsogo Sun Holdings Ltd. of South Africa is considering a real estate investment trust to hold its hotel, retail and office properties. Based in Johannesburg, Tsogo Sun is South Africa’s biggest hotel and gaming company.
With a bidding war underway between 888 Holdings and GVC Holding with Amaya gaming for bwin.party, the online gambling site’s chairman warned against jumping to conclusions about the possible structure of a sale. Philip Yea (l.) told investors that the bwin board is focusing on improving business and exploring consolidation.
Last week a bill that would legalize iPoker in California was moved forward by a second committee, the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Despite this, many feel that online poker doesn’t have much chance of succeeding this year due to infighting among the many groups that want it.
Federal agents have closed a network of illegal gambling sites and seized nearly $10 million. That money is now being distributed to law enforcement agencies. The investigation covered several states including New York, Florida, Indiana, California, Texas, Kansas and Nevada.
Canadian-based Amaya Gaming has been approved for a listing on NASDAQ. The company is waiting for approval to offer its PokerStars platform in New Jersey.
NYX Gaming Group has acquired online and mobile software supplier Game360, and will now integrate its portfolio or casino content to Game360 customers.
Figures released by the UK Gambling Commission show online gambling has grown in the country by about 50 percent since 2008. Gambling in other sectors remained fairly steady for the six years studied.
The Malta Gaming Authority’s Executive Chairman Joseph Cuschieri talks about the island’s plans to keep competitive in the online gambling industry. The Malta Gaming Authority is taking a fresh look at its operations and trying to future-proof the organization for the next ten years. Plans include an overhaul of gaming regulations and the creation of a “complete gaming ecosystem.”
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh (l.) is determined to stop the Wynn Everett from happening. Last week Boston added to the complaints in its lawsuit to stop the casino that was originally filed in January. In the southeast region, surrounding towns are lining up for their handouts.
A bill that would allow Chicago to have a casino and keep the revenue for seven years to pay off pension debt has been pushed to summer. State Senator Terry Link's (l.) bill also would permit casinos in Chicago’s south suburbs, Rockford, Vermilion County and Lake County, plus smaller “satellite” casinos.
The new owner of the Newport Grand (l.), Twin River Worldwide Holdings, wants to move the Newport to Tiverton, near Rhode Island’s border with Massachusetts, and open a casino with about the same number of slots, 1,100.
Indiana casinos may now move ashore but House Bill 1540 was written "to stop the bleeding" to competitors in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, said the bill's author state Rep. Tom Dermody. Evansville’s Tropicana and Gary’s Majestic Star (l.) plan to move, but Dan Lee, chief executive of Full House Resorts, sees no benefit to moving its Rising Star casino.
An audit by the Defense Department identified $952,258 in improper charges by personnel using credit cards in casinos, leading to proposed restrictions. American Gaming Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman called the proposals an overreaction and the latest misperception of the casino industry.
Caesars Entertainment has resumed payments to current and former employees in deferred compensation packages, suspended when its largest unit filed for bankruptcy.
Nevada Gold, who operates 10 casinos in Washington, and has a slot route operation in South Dakota, will purchase the Club Fortune Casino in Henderson, Nevada. The casino was one of the last privately held, successful casinos in the Las Vegas region.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Normandie Casino in Los Angeles, looking for evidence that the club has allowed some patrons to purchase poker chips using more than $10,000 in cash, in violate of federal law.
Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (l.) said his lottery-casino bill will be part of the "big picture" in a special session to address the state's projected $200 million-plus budget gap. Governor Robert Bentley said he will veto the current budget version that cuts spending by $200 million.
The outlook's not good for a bill allowing Iowa casinos to stop paying state sales tax on promotional offers. The proposal passed in committee but hasn't made it to the full House. The Iowa Gaming Association's Wes Ehrecke called it "a tax on unreal money" and said the bill would be brought back next year.
The eight remaining Atlantic City casinos saw their collective profits for the first quarter of 2015 rise by 26 percent. The numbers further support the contention that the closing of four casinos in the resort in 2014 consolidated the resort’s market and strengthened the remaining casinos.
The three developers competing to operate a casino in the Southeast Kansas Gaming Zone recently made another pitch to the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board in the second of four meetings. Each group paid $5.5 million in refundable application fees. A decision will not be made for several weeks.
A package of bills to aid Atlantic City that have been floundering in the New Jersey legislature are finally going to get a vote in June. The five-bill package includes a casino payment-in-lieu of taxes plan that lawmakers hope will stabilize the city's key revenue stream.
The Texas Racing Commission, which had approved rules for historical racing without the legislature's approval, will be funded and allowed to remain in existence. Lawmakers had sought to de-fund or dissolve the "rogue" agency. Commissioners recently voted to repeal the historical racing rules.
New Jersey’s Stockton University has filed a claim for $22 million in damages against Caesars Entertainment stemming from the botched sale of Atlantic City’s former Showboat casino. Stockton bought the property for $18 million from Caesars, but was blocked by a covenant Caesars had with the neighboring Trump Taj Mahal from using the property.
An anonymous tipster informed the U.S. Coast Guard about conditions aboard Victory Casino Cruises out of Jacksonville, Florida, leading the Coast Guard to inspect the vessel and discover mechanical problems that could have put passengers at risk. The company subsequently cancelled gambling trips until the vessel passed another inspection May 29.
The new owner of Atlantic City’s closed Revel casino says the property will not be ready for even a partial summer opening as he had hoped. The property is still being hampered by a fight between owner Glen Straub and the former casino’s power plant owners.
A program to help displaced casino workers in Atlantic City has found jobs for 70 people in less than a month, with many re-entering the city’s casino industry.
Although a federal judge declined their request to prevent the $360 million Jamul Indian Village in California to open, opponents plan to appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
More than six months after it was forced to close by the state and federal government, the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (l.) doesn’t look any near to reopening. That’s bad news for its former employees.
Although Indian tribes have all sorts of complicated rules for determining tribal membership due to what percentage of Indian blood members possess, there are some full blood Indians that suffer. Frequently they face prejudice and bigotry based on their race.
Little Rock, Arkansas officials are concerned the Oklahoma-based Quapaw Indian Tribe could build a casino on 160 acres it owns nearby. The tribe has applied for federal land-trust status to preserve ancestral graves and artifacts. Tribal Chairman John Berrey (l.) never categorically denied the tribe would build a casino there.
The casino that the Cowlitz tribe is preparing to build in La Center, Washington, may mean the end of three card clubs that operate in the town of 3,000. It would also mean the loss of significant revenue to the town government.
A House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees Indian Affairs recently conducted a hearing on whether the federal government uses “inadequate standards” when putting land into trust for Indian tribes.
A water park, spa and fitness center will be built at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, Minnesota, owned and operated by the Prairie Island Indian Community. The $19 million, 40,000 square foot expansion project is expected to be completed early next year and create at least 20 new jobs.
Penn National Gaming has plucked General Manager Richard St. Jean of the Hollywood Casino Toledo in Ohio and will put him in charge of opening its newest property, the $360 million Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego.
Judy Metcalf recently was named chief executive officer of the North Bend, Oregon-based Coquille Indian Tribe's Coquille Economic Development Corporation. Metcalf's role in helping to establish the tribe's Mill Casino, as a 10-year member of the Coquille Tribal Gaming Commission, was cited among her qualifications for the position.
Susan O'Leary was named director of eCommerce for the English Channel island, the States of Alderney. In her new position, O'Leary will promote the jurisdiction to eGambling operators through her extensive knowledge of the market and existing relationships with local service providers, licensees and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
Joseph Flynn recently was named vice president of sales, gaming and hospitality at revenue management software developers Rainmaker in Atlanta. Flynn brings 20 years of experience to his new position and will be responsible for driving market share growth.
Jay Chun (l.), the chairman of Hong Kong-listed gaming manufacturer Paradise Entertainment Ltd., said he hopes to install 1,000 more live multi-game machines in Macau and 700 machines in the U.S. market in 2015.
The newest law enforcement cadre in Massachusetts is in training to enforce the law in the first casino that will open in the Bay State on June 24. The training was provided by BMM Testlabs.
Aristocrat Leisure, Ltd. is looking to acquire more social gaming companies to grow its digital division as earnings soar thanks to last year’s acquisition of Video Game Technologies.
Scientific Games CEO Gavin Isaacs will address the subject of convergence in the gaming industry as keynote speaker at the International Gaming Summit.
The second Japan Gaming Congress will be held October 7-9 in Tokyo, as the country’s lawmakers debate legalizing casinos in the potentially lucrative market.
