The daily fantasy sports industry is facing its first major scandal after reports surfaced that employees of some sites—armed with insider information—are playing and winning DFS contests on rival sites. The scandal erupted after a DraftKings employee “inadvertently” released site information before play started in the NFL's week three games. It was later disclosed he had won $350,000 at rival site FanDuel. Nevada Sen. Harry Reid (l.) calls the DFS sites “scary.”
The Mainland Chinese government, whose anticorruption campaign helped kick off an extended decline in Macau’s casino industry, now is pledging to help the beleaguered city’s chief industry. But is it too late?
NagaCorp Ltd. is one of several casino operators looking at licensure in the Republic of Cyprus. Other bidders include Genting Group, Hard Rock International, Sun International and Bouygues, a French operator, with other large international operators expected to participate as well.
Sam Nazarian (l.) and his SBE Entertainment sold his 10 percent interest in SLS Las Vegas, bringing to an end an eight-year saga that attempted to expand Nazarian’s signature nightclub experience to a full casino environment. SLS Las Vegas has struggled since it opened two years ago.
The latest dispute to be heard by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in the bankruptcy case of Caesars Entertainment Operating Company could disrupt the operator’s plans. Owners Apollo Global Management and TPG Capital are struggling to hold onto such valuable properties as Caesars Palace (l.) in Las Vegas.
Defending its claim that it would be harmed if a Connecticut law that allows the state’s two gaming tribes to seek a third casino stands, MGM has renewed its assertion that it wants to build a casino in the state. But Mohegan Chairman Kevin Brown (l.) says a third tribal casino will be mean more jobs and tax revenues.
The Philadelphia Planning Commission has approved the plan of Cordish Companies and Greenwood Racing for the $400 million Philadelphia Live! casino. Construction, however, will not go forward until a suit filed by competitors is resolved.
Gaming’s most important trade show isn’t just a place to see new products and services, it’s also a time to discover what the industry really believes about some of the most cutting-edge issues. And what’s happening with Macau these day? Still confusing!
This week the GGB Podcast takes some time with Jim Simms, the CEO of Downtown Grand in Las Vegas, who was recently hired to bring the new property up to speed in a very competitive market.
South Korea’s Jeju Island may be getting a massive foreigners-only casino. Lotte Tour Development Co. announced the proposed Dream Tower (l.) integrated resort project, to be developed by a privately held affiliate.
Despite a 61 percent decline in Bloomberry Resorts stock, Enrique Razon (l.), the billionaire behind the Philippine casino operator, says he is confident the company and the industry will surge back. He says revenue is more stable in Manila than in Macau.
The Cambodian government has granted licenses for 10 new casinos, for a grant total of 75 nationwide. The new additions are concentrated in the coastal holiday resort of Sihanoukville (l).
As a tourism destination, Korea faces competition from other Asian countries, especially Japan, says a research group. But price comparisons come down in the Koreans’ favor.
The Vietnamese government is seriously considering allowing citizens to gamble in the country’s casinos. The proposal is now under review by the Institute of Regional Sustainable Development.
The agency in Cambodia charged with combating money laundering says its lacks the funding and manpower to do the job. The country has become a haven for laundering cash in foreign owned casinos.
The largest casino in Great Britain, the Genting International Casino will open October 26 at the $230 million Resorts World Birmingham. The seven-story property, designed to evoke a luxury cruise ship, also will feature a 4-star hotel and Asian-themed spa, retail outlets, 11-screen cinema, conference facilities and dining options.
Finland will consolidate its state-owned gaming operators, including Casino Ray (l.), into a single entity, the government has announced. The merger, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy, could ensure unified standards.
Critics of a 22-year-old gaming monopoly in the Australian state of Tasmania are attacking an arrangement that gives one firm the exclusive right to offer poker in the region.
Pari Mutuel Urbain and the Jockey Club Brasiliero have formed a joint venture to promote horseracing in Brazil through a new subsidiary, PMU Brasil. PMU will operate betting for the JCB and manage marketing activities.
The prime minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne (l.), complained to the United Nations General Assembly of the U.S. disregard of a World Trade Organization ruling against the U.S. internet gaming ban.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has created an official seal to be displayed on approved online gambling sites in the state. The seal says the site is approved for regulated online play.
Genesis Gaming and Big Stack Technologies announced a partnership to deliver video slot games to social casino operators as part of comprehensive solutions.
PlayStudios inked a deal with its first East Coast partner so its members can redeem their myVEGAS player rewards points at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.
Former competitors Evolution Gaming and Microgaming recently signed an agreement offering Evolution's Live Casino services to Micrograming's Europe-facing licensees. The highly recognized sportsbook and gaming brand Betway became Microgaming's first operator to employ Evolution's complete Live Casino solution via desktop and mobile applications in the U.K., Belgium and several other markets.
Playtech has been informed by the Irish Central Bank of its opposition to the company acquiring contracts-for-difference broker Ava Trade. Playtech says it will seek clarification from the Central Bank.
After Betfair announced a ₤6 billion merger with Paddy Power, major shareholders in the company sold up to 8 million shares at 32.50 pounds, netting about ₤260 million according to Barclays the firm’s trading book-runner.
Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise, which owns Connecticut’s Foxwoods Casino, is ending its partnership with GameAccount Network. The companies said simply they have different commercial objectives.
EveryMatrix has launched a new DDoS protection service aimed at helping the online gaming industry and other clients to protect their systems from DDoS attacks and ensure continued seamless operation and security for their customers. The company has also been approved for online wagering in Ireland.
With both companies already benefitting from prior business partnerships through the launches of Mega Pots Bar-X Gold and Giant Gems online games, Betdigital and William Hill announced a new four-year online gaming-services deal.
The one bidder for a commercial casino license in the southeastern gaming zone of Massachusetts, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, will have to wait until early spring to find out the fate of its proposal for a casino resort in Brockton. The Wampanoag Mashpee tribe won approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take land into trust in that region to build its First Light casino (l.).
In Georgia, state Senator Freddie Powell Sims (l.) and state Rep. Gerald Greene met with Georgia Horse Racing Coalition officers and others to discuss a measure legalizing parimutuel wagering and leading to a horse racetrack in the state. The lawmakers propose to resubmit the late state Rep. Harry Geisinger's House Resolution 1.
A new gambling parlor at the Red Mile racetrack in Lexington, now features instant racing machines. Red Mile is the second Kentucky racetrack to add the machines, which raked in more that $5 million in the first 19 days.
Alabama Circuit Court Judge William Shashy stood behind his earlier opinion that the state was "cherrypicking" by closing VictoryLand casino (l.), and ordered the state to return 1,615 gaming machines and $260,000 in cash to VictoryLand and allow it to reopen, or shut down all bingo operations in Alabama in 45 days.
Magic City officials announced Dania Jai-Alai Casino (l.) will open in January following extensive renovations. Last year Magic City purchased a 25 percent interest from the Argentine investor group that bought Dania in 2013 from Boyd Gaming. The fourth racino in Broward County, Dania will be renamed and offer 900 slots and 30 poker tables.
The Biloxi Pointe Casino (l.), the city's ninth, moved closer to reality as the city council approved plans to close the East Biloxi loop. The $260 million resort, to be built at the site of a former pet food factory, would create 2,000 jobs and generate $4 million in annual tax revenue.
Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has filed a court motion to dismiss a counter-suit brought by poker pro Phil Ivey (l.) in the battle over edge-sorting by Ivey at the casino. Borgata contends Ivey cheated at baccarat, while Ivey contends he simply took advantage of poor game controls by the casino.
In an unusual turnaround, a 1st District Court of Appeal panel recently reversed itself, ruling that Gretna Racing in Gadsden County, Florida may not offer slots without the legislature's authorization. The retirement of one judge, replaced by another appointed by Governor Rick Scott, made all the difference between the May and October decisions.
The Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York wants state gaming regulators to license its member businesses to introduce online gaming in clubs and bars.
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh told the Las Vegas Sun he remains positive about the results of his $350 million Downtown Project investment in Las Vegas and says critics should look more to local government to lead residential and other developments.
A New Jersey State Senate panel has approved a bill, the “Britney bill,” named after superstar Britney Spears (l.), that will give tax breaks to major entertainers who choose to play Atlantic City. The state hopes to attract more “A-list” entertainers to the resort.
A strike was averted at Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro, West Virginia where United Steelworkers union members and casino management reached a tentative agreement regarding health care premiums. Union members were concerned over an increase in premiums and certain language proposed for the new contract.
State-owned China Railway International anticipates breaking ground in September 2016 on a 230-mile high-speed rail line connecting Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The project would help China to beat Japan in exporting high-speed rail technology
Some casinos in Sioux Falls, South Dakota creatively skirt the state smoking ban. A video lottery facility, for example, has an inside door with a separate address, behind which is a cigarette vending machine and three video lottery machines. Unlike video lottery operations, tobacco shops are not regulated by the smoking ban.
Casinos in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts likely will make it too hard for a planned casino in Sullivan County, New York, to have a significant impact on New York’s economy, a local economist said.
After a state appeals court ordered it redone, the Tyre, New York, Town Board approved a second environmental impact assessment for a proposed Finger Lakes casino that faces opposition from local gaming operations and others.
Churchill Downs paid $24.8 million to buy a 25 percent stake in newly created Saratoga Casino Holdings in New York, which plans to open a new racetrack and hotel in spring 2016.
Major league teams operating in the Golden State will be able to sell 50-50 raffle tickets to benefit charity under a new law signed by Governor Brown.
Hackers accessed the accounts of customers at seven Trump Hotel Collection properties from Las Vegas to New York over about a year, but the total number of affected customers isn’t known yet. Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was not impacted since it is not part of the Trump Hotel system.
A California tribe that has become the poster child for dysfunctional tribal government, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, has held elections for its tribal council. Unfortunately, the election leaves many questions unsettled, the most pressing being when will the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (l.) reopen.
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear two cases where lower courts held that individual members of a tribal government have sovereign immunity from lawsuit by states challenging a tribe’s actions.
Planning for a casino owned by the Cowlitz tribe in La Center, Washington, has picked up steam now that most obstacles to the project have been overcome. And the tribe recently revealed a Donald Trump connection that surprised some observers.
The Sonoma Board of Supervisors has reached an agreement with a Northern California tribe that would lower the tribe’s payments while preventing it from building a casino in the town of Windsor.
Owners of Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' new Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino in Murphy, North Carolina, will add $10 million-plus next year in gaming revenue—which already represents half of the tribe's $557 million budget. All 15,000 tribal members receive bi-annual payments totaling more than $9,000.
Located adjacent to Twin Arrows Navajo Resort and Casino (l.) in Flagstaff, Arizona, the proposed Outlook at Glittering Mountain will feature entertainment, dining, hotels, a cultural center—and 370 residences that could house some of Twin Arrows' 650 employees. Unlike the casino resort on Navajo Nation land, the Outlook would pay county taxes.
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota plans to open the nation's first marijuana resort on New Year's Eve. While tribal sovereignty is a motivating factor, so is the potential $2 million in monthly profits, which the tribe would dedicate to youth, culture and language programs.
The Village of Mackinaw City, Michigan held a public meeting about the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians' proposed casino, opening in 2016 with 64 gaming machines and increasing to 200 by 2020. The Class II or III facility could generate $250,000 in annual revenue for the village.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs approved an extension through February 2016 of the Class III gaming compact between the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and South Dakota. The 2001 compact limited the tribe to 250 slots at its Rosebud Casino (l.). However, Indian and non-Indian casinos are increasingly negotiating compacts allowing more gaming positions.
The Pojoaque Pueblo recently won a preliminary injunction preventing the New Mexico Gaming Control Board from retaliating against businesses that contract with the tribe's gaming operations. The tribe said the board held an illegal closed meeting on July 15 to discuss taking action against licensed vendors working with the tribe.
The public may comment on an Environmental Impact Report for the Chemehuevi Tribe's proposed casino in Havasu Lake, California, on October 30. The 25,000 square foot facility, to be located just north of the tribe's Havasu Landing Casino, will have 320 gaming machines and six tables, a 48-room hotel and marina.
The Spokane Tribe has no idea how or when Washington Governor Jay Inslee (l.) will make a decision regarding the tribe's proposed casino, hotel and retail development located near Fairchild Air Force Base. The Department of Interior ruled June 15 that the project would be in the tribe's best interests.
It’s now harder to win the PowerBall jackpot but easier to win smaller cash prizes after PowerBall officials changed the odds to increase cash awards, generate excitement among players, and boost ticket sales.
Sascha Blodau recently was hired as general manager England for the Germany-based Gauselmann Group. In his new position, Blodau will coordinate the company's business activities in the U.K, where more than 2,000 employees generate sales of more than $281 million annually.
Longtime casino executive Kathi Meci has received the vacation specialist certification after completing some intensive travel programs. She will be operating under a franchise for CruiseOne.
AGS, a slot manufacturer that only recently entered the table-game business, announced that it is preparing to develop, manufacture and sell a line of card shufflers to casinos.
Five concierge team members at The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas recently earned membership in the Les Clefs d’Or concierge organization, giving the luxury casino resort a dozen such concierge team members.
