After the Supreme Court of the Bahamas refused to recognize the U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed by Baha Mar Ltd., a delegation from the Bahamian government went to Beijing to attempt to salvage the $3.5 billion project. The government has threatened to liquidate the property and take it over.
In a sudden counter bid for bwin.party, GVC holdings upped its offer for the online gaming site to about $1.6 billion and reignited the bidding war for bwin. The battle had appeared to be over when bwin.party officials chose a ₤900 million offer from 888 Holdings over a ₤908 million bid from GVC. But GVC is now bidding ₤1 billion. A counter bid from 888 is expected.
Some U.S. senators, including the senator who authored the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, John McCain (l.), say that tribal casinos need more regulatory oversight. They are using a General Accountability Office audit of the National Indian Gaming Commission to bolster their assertion.
Starting in September, Cyprus will begin the two-part selection process that will eventually award a single integrated casino resort license. The country enacted gaming legislation last month. Tourism Minister Tiorgos Lakkotrypis (l.) says the casinos will have to attract half a million additional tourists each year to be successful.
In exchange for an additional delay in opening, Tiger Resort, the Manila project being built to Kazuo Okada’s Universal Entertainment, will invest a total of $2 billion in the project. The estimate is a third higher than previously announced, and may actually reach $4 billion before it’s finished. The company celebrated a milestone last week with a topping off ceremony (l.).
Lawsuits, including one launched by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh (l.), challenging everything that Wynn Resorts is doing in Massachusetts is rapidly eating up cash. At the same time, the uncertainty in the competition for the final license in the state is impacting the cities involved in the contest.
It’s been almost a year since James Packer’s Crown Resorts was approved to develop a VIP gaming resort at Sydney Harbor. Now the Australian operator has finally submitted plans for its $2 billion project, the Crown Sydney Hotel Resort (l.).
Reports surfaced last week that the Mirage in Las Vegas was up for sale by MGM Resorts. The iconic property is away from its parent company’s development focus these days and has been on the market for at least a year.
Rolling chip turnover for VIP games was up 69 percent year-on-year at the Star Vegas Resort and Club (l.) in Cambodia for the fiscal year that ended June 30. The turnover hit $3.88 billion from $2.30 billion in 2014.
The second quarter earnings figures are out and they look encouraging for almost everyone, regionals, REITs and more. And what does the retirement of Robert Evans mean for Churchill Downs?
Las Vegas Sands Corp., which earns 60 percent of revenues from Macau, saw a 19.4 decline in revenue and 30.1 percent drop in profits during the second quarter, but the mass market exceeded expectations. Macau has stumbled due to a crackdown on corruption by the Chinese government.
Can Vietnam really support multibillion-dollar integrated resorts? The country’s ban on gaming by most of its residents means the entire industry would be dependent on the tourist trade.
The South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has authorized casino gaming on cruise ship. The new law takes effect this week, but actual operations may not begin until later, possibly as late as 2016.
Tinian Dynasty (l.) in the Northern Mariana Islands has agreed to a $3.04 million fee to end a money laundering case brought by the U.S. government. The operator reportedly failed to file thousands of reports.
Olympic Casino Latvia SIA, an OEG company, has signed an agreement to acquire 100 percent of shares in Latvian casino operator SIA Garkalns, which owns the subsidiary SIA Post-Nevada.
The £2.3 billion merger of UK bookmakers Ladbrokes and Gala Coral, now awaiting approval from regulators, will result in the sale of hundreds of retail outlets controlled by the two operators.
As the slump in Macau drags on, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.—the Chinese territory’s most profitable gaming operator—is buying a piece of a Monaco resort operator, Societe des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco, or SBM (Hotel Paris at left).
Plans for a £32 million (US$49.8 million) “supercasino” in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire in the UK are unlikely to proceed, according to the English city’s mayor. But city council members say all may not be lost.
Macau Legend Development will build an integrated resort and gaming complex in Cape Verde on Santiago Island. The Cape Verde government has granted the company a 75-year land lease and a 25-year gaming concession.
A new multibillion-dollar casino resort project (l.) in Brisbane, Australia, recently awarded to the market’s current sole license-holder, Echo Entertainment, will pull out all the stops to bring in big-spending players.
Anti-gaming Aussie MP Andrew Wilkie (l.) has called for a review of the casino operator Federal Group, which now holds a gaming monopoly in the Australian state of Tasmania. Wilkie, an independent, says the license should be put out for bid.
Bettors in the Australian state of Victoria lost more than $2.5 billion on the state’s poker machines in the most recent fiscal year. The highest losses were incurred in the city of Brimbank, north of Melbourne.
Although the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, which is thought to have been created by Sheldon Adelson, has been introduced into the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, it has faced increased opposition from conservative politicians. New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (l.) recently wrote a scathing op-ed on the bill citing all of the issues with it.
Though considered a slow month for online gambling, figures show a slight uptick of online poker play in New Jersey for July. Online poker has been lagging behind play on online slots and casino games in the state.
The affiliate program for Caesars Interactive Entertainment—WSOP.com, CaesarsCasino.com and HarrahsCasino.com—will now be managed by Income Access using the company’s software. The move marks a better commitment to affiliates by CIE. Income Access CEO Nicky Senyard (l.) says CIE will be well placed in New Jersey and Nevada.
Antiguan officials say the U.S. may finally be ready to settle a 12-year-old trade dispute that stems from the U.S. blocking its citizen’s access to Antiguan online gambling sites. The issue may be settled by a $100 million payment from the U.S.
A bill in the legislature of Nagaland Province, India to regulate online games of skill has been referred to a select committee and will not be voted on. The committee has three months to complete a report on the bill.
Daily fantasy sports site DraftKings has announced about $300 million in new investment with Fox Sports paying about half of that figure for an 11 percent stake in the company. The money will be used to sustain growth, marketing and an expansion overseas. DraftKings has also made a major commitment to advertise on Fox Sports.
PokerStars is trying to build up a grassroots demand for the legalization of iPoker. It has taken its Let California Play pro tour to several card rooms in the state to pressure the legislature to adopt an iPoker bill this year. The tour includes appearances by poker superstars such as Daniel Negreanu (l.) and Chris Moneymaker.
New owner NYX Gaming Group has pulled the plug on Playboy Poker in the UK after reviewing its performance. The game had operated on the Ongame Poker Network.
UK online gambling group Gaming Realms plc has announced it is acquiring Seattle-based RealNetworks for $18 million. The group wants to use the company to develop online gambling products for its Slingo brand.
According to newspaper The Australian, federal police in Australia have asked Interpol to investigate bet35 and Ladbrokes Australia’s ‘click-call’ live betting features.
Betsson AB has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Europe-Bet through the acquisition of the Georgian company Chempionebi 111 LLC and associated firms for $50 million.
Rival Gaming has pulled out of the UK gambling market. The company has not said why it made the moves, but it is likely it made the move due to the UK’s new gambling regulations.
Trump Entertainment Resorts has hired a staffing firm to hire replacement workers should Atlantic City’s main casino workers union call a strike at its Taj Mahal casino. The union has voted to authorize a strike should it lose a court case to restore health benefits to Taj workers.
An Alabama Jobs Foundation poll showed 89 percent of Alabamians want to vote on a constitutional amendment allowing a state lottery and casino gambling, as proposed by state Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh. His measure also would urge Governor Robert Bentley (l.) to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Fake palm trees were set ablaze at the Cosmopolitan pool last week, which sent one guest to the hospital, while others faced minor injuries. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (l.) said he still opposes expanded gambling in the state because "it doesn't offer benefits that outweigh the negatives." But recently he said he would allow a constitutional amendment allowing casinos to become law if a majority of voters statewide approved it in a 2016 ballot referendum.
Professional poker player Phil Ivey (l.) has filed a countersuit against the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City over the casino’s charge that he cheated at baccarat by manipulating defective cards and won $9.6 million. Ivey’s suit maintains that the card manufacturer is responsible for the defect and that the casino destroyed the cards so they can’t be used in his defense.
A New Jersey Senate Committee—while sharply critical of Stockton University—has approved a bill that would void deed restrictions that have blocked the school from selling Atlantic City’s Showboat casino. The bill now moves to the full Senate.
On this somewhat roller coaster of a year, it’s only fitting that after the best month in gaming revenue for over a year and a half would be followed up with a huge drop off. Overall on the month, June gaming revenue was down 8 percent year over year for Nevada.
Files that have come to light in the case of the demotion of a Rhode Island regulatory official show that the state’s regulators may be too cozy with the casinos they regulate. In one case a high level regulator may have warned a casino operator of a possible investigation.
An Ohio man has filed a civil rights complaint against the owner of Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City over his failed prosecution for an alleged computer theft involving free play.
Delaware’s Dover Downs (l.) predicted more cost-cutting measures, possibly including layoffs, after state lawmakers adjourned without passing any financial aid measures.
Maryland’s Anne Arundel County could soon issue bonds for up to $22.5 million to finance a hotel and conference center adjacent to the Maryland Live! casino.
Thousands of pages of previously sealed court records recently were released regarding the 2011 federal corruption case in Alabama, in which two casino owners, two sitting state senators, two former state senators and two lobbyists faced federal corruption charges. The records reveal an extramarital affair and strangely missing phone text messages.
The casino at the Condado Plaza Hilton in Puerto Rico recently closed after 40 years. It's the seventh casino closure in five years on the island which is struggling with nine years of recession, a 12.6 percent unemployment rate and a $72 billion debt load. Currently 20 casinos are open on the island.
A New Jersey state audit has found that gaming regulators in the state were using state cars to commute to work, a violation of state rules. The audit recommends the agencies—the state Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Casino Control Commission—cut 50 cars from their 109-car fleet at a savings of $1 million.
Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York have taken different paths economically. The Ontario operation spurred billions of dollars in new construction since it opened in 1996. In New York, state law restricts how much revenue the Niagara Falls casino can take in.
Following the demolition of 1,400 stalls in April, the grandstand at Churchill Downs' Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida--now called Calder Casino—will be torn down in December, said officials at Gulfstream Park, which operates Calder racing. Tents will be brought in for the Gulfstream Park West meet, October 7-November 28.
New Orleans' citywide indoor smoking ban, which began April 22, is to blame for Harrah's New Orleans' revenue decline of $9.2 million, or 30 percent, to $20.7 million in June 2015 compared to June 2014, said General Manager Dan Real. He said gamblers who smoke are patronizing nearby riverboat casinos.
The Illinois Gaming Board recently voted unanimously to revoke the video gambling license of convicted felon John Conforti, owner of Mr. C's Family Restaurant in Chicago. Meanwhile, Governor Bruce Rauner says towns that legalized video gaming will get no funds from the state until a budget is worked out in the legislature.
A new retail project in a central space on the Atlantic City Boardwalk will add space for 16 new retail outlets, which are being plugged to national retail chains.
In Davenport, Iowa, members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 are protesting at the construction site of the $110 million land-based Rhythm City Casino, claiming they are being blocked from working on the project. Mayor Bill Gluba said he told developer Dan Kehl to use local labor.
A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Dotty’s employees will see them $375,000 richer. The court filing stated that employees were required to cover for shortfalls in the till at the end of the night, which left some making less than minimum wage.
Five Atlantic City hotels that allegedly were not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act have reached settlements with federal officials.
The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved the merger between Golden Gaming and Lakes Entertainment, as well as Joe DiSimone Jr. being granted a license to run the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino.
Atlantic City has scored another major convention in its drive to become a more convention-friendly resort. The city’s convention center will host a major Japanese anime convention for the next five years.
The Seminole compact with Florida expired at midnight, Friday, July 31. The five-year agreement gave the tribe exclusivity to offer banked card games in exchange for $1 billion. State officials gave the tribe 90 days to shut down the games, but the tribe said the state broke the agreement and has requested formal mediation.
The Wampanoag Tribe’s attempt to open a bingo hall (l.) on Martha’s Vineyard is facing opposition, not only from outside the tribe, but from tribal members. An injunction was issued last week to halt work on the project.
The Eastern Pequot Tribe of Connecticut doesn’t plan to give up its pursuit of federal recognition according to its new tribal chairwoman, Katherine Sebastian Dring.
Officials of the Catawba Indian Nation, based in South Carolina, have been in talks with Hard Rock International about potentially branding the tribe's proposed $600 million casino-hotel in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Catawba Chief Bill Harris (l.) said associating with Hard Rock would enhance the project, economically and politically.
A bill that would prevent the National Labor Relations Act from being applied to Indian tribes or casinos is moving forward in the House and Senate. H.R. 511, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Bill is supported by most tribes, but opposed by labor unions.
For the fifth year in a row the $28.5 billion Indian gaming industry has gained from the year before. Last year it increased 1.5 percent over the year before.
The Fond du Lac Band does not owe the city of Duluth $10 million in back payments, ruled U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson. Tribal Chairwoman Karen Diver said Duluth's "numerous failures in the courts has been ineffective in helping them understand the law." City Attorney Gunnar Johnson said Duluth was “reviewing its options.”
The U.S Supreme Court may be the last stop for Wisconsin versus the Ho-Chunk Nation. State Attorney General Brad Schimel asked the high court to consider his appeal of a federal court ruling that said the tribe can offer video poker at its Madison casino. Schimel claims tribe's compact prohibits the game.
A battle between two Washington gaming tribes over whether the Cowlitz tribe can build a casino on land near Portland recently put into trust is now before a federal appeals court. The casino is opposed by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, whose existing casino is 70 miles away from the proposed casino.
Federal Judge David Campbell has rejected as too onerous several discovery requests by the state of Arizona in a case where the Tohono O’odham Nation is suing for the right to open its casino near Glendale.
The Coeur d'Alene tribe lost a round when the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said Texas Hold 'Em is poker and poker specifically is banned by the state constitution. The tribe tried to argue hold 'em is a game of skill which is exempt. Nice try, said the court.
The opening of a casino in Plainfield has impacted lottery sales, claims the state lottery commission. It’s a challenge to the agency charged with maintaining sales while casinos are introduced in Massachusetts.
A reporter from China’s Xinhua News Agency has accused the head of the state-owned China Lottery Online of corruption and fraud. Wang Wenzhi passed his allegations on to the country’s Ministry of Finance.
James McHugh (l.), one of five members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and Executive Director Rick Day are leaving the commission. This is the first such departures since the commission was established three and a half years ago.
A former Genting top executive who decided to go off on his own, Christian Goode, has been chosen by the Chukchansi tribe of California to reopen its Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, which regulators ordered closed last October.
Gaming Laboratories International has named Garret Greene, a former compliance executive at Paddy Power, as the company’s new business development manager.
Openbet has announced two new hires in its senior management team. Tod Martin has been named COO and Dominic Le Garsmeur is the company’s new casino vice president.
World Poker Fund Holdings has hired Martin Owens to promote poker and help develop the industry as a whole. Owens is set to work with Native Indian tribes to help them gain recognition by the government and petition to set-up online gambling, especially in California.
A hybrid of slots and table games, Turn & Burn Craps recently debuted at River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California, owned by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians. Chief Executive Officer David Fendrick, who invented the game, said it's not enough to help the casino overcome its financial problems.
The American Gaming Association announced support for a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would boost training to help immigrant workers develop skills, while conducting a roundtable discussion with gaming experts.
The board of directors of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers unanimously accepted BetConstruct as a new member of the trade association.
