Gary Loveman is relinquishing his position as chief executive officer of Caesars Entertainment, to be replaced as CEO by former Hertz CEO Mark Frissora. Loveman remains as chairman, however, and will help to shepherd the company through the bankruptcy process, which was announced last month.
The Russian government will close three casinos, including the Oracle Casino (l.), in the Azov City gambling zone to grow the gaming industry in Sochi, site of the 2014 Summer Olympics. The Azov City zone was one of four approved by the Russian government when gaming was banned in the rest of the country in 2007. The “liquidation” will take place April 1; the government plans to compensate the losing operators with a $145 million payout.
Arizona Senator John McCain called for a national discussion on sports betting through congressional hearings as the one time candidate for president came out in favor of legalized sports betting in states that allow gambling, a flip flop from his previous positions. McCain made his remarks to ESPN as his state hosted the Super Bowl, the largest betting event in the U.S.
A Sheldon Adelson-backed bill to ban online gambling in the U.S. has been re-introduced into Congress by Republican Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz (l.). The bill failed to gain traction in Congress last year, but the resurfacing the bill has set off new debate.
The sale of the closed Revel casino is again in doubt as a ruling in an appeal filed by tenant HQ nightclub (l.) may delay a final deal. On Friday, a court ruled that potential new owner Glenn Straub must negotiate with the former tenants. Also, the fight over the fate of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal casino heated up after the resort’s main casino union filed 27 charges of unfair labor practices against Trump Entertainment.
The casino industry in the Chinese colony has posted its eighth straight month of revenue declines. The historic slump began last summer, when President Xi Jinping (l.) began a crackdown on large cash transactions reportedly linked to money laundering. Sands China head Sheldon Adelson shrugs off the slump as “cyclical.”
Crown Resorts Ltd., the Australian casino company controlled by billionaire James Packer, is pulling its plan to build a $400 million, five-star casino resort in Sri Lanka after the island government ruled against gaming projects in mixed-use development.
Aruze Gaming America has named longtime executive Kelcey Allison as chief executive officer, and promoted Yugo Kinoshita to chief operating officer, replacing Allison. Current CEO Richard Pennington has stepped down.
This week, the GGB Podcast joins Alan Feldman, the chairman of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, on how the NCRG has become the most influential and respected organization in the field of problem gambling.
Last year, the Nepalese government closed all the country’s casinos, claiming operators were behind on newly established mandatory fees. With renewed interest in the market by casino operators including Silver Heritage, which re-opened the Shangri-La Casino (l.) last week, and Delta, the industry seems poised for a comeback.
Success Universe Group Ltd., owner of Casino Ponte 16 (l.) in Macau’s Inner Harbour, wants its own gaming license. The company now operates under the SJM license. SJM owns 51 percent of the property.
Macau’s plan to ban smoking in the city’s casinos―including VIP rooms, where lighting up is still allowed―could take an even greater toll on the beleaguered gaming hub, experts say. One analyst says high-roller revenues could fall by as much as 15 percent.
The grand opening of the billion-dollar City of Dreams casino resort in Manila, the Philippines, is a harbinger of good things for the local and national economy, say fans of the development, including co-CEO Lawrence Ho (l.), who says the Philippines are his primary market. In addition to Dreams and Solaire, two more mega-resorts are-planned for Manila.
All employees of Macau casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment, except managers, will receive a bonus of one month's pay. Company officials also said 1,300 employees will be promoted or transferred to its new $3.2 billion Studio City movie-themed casino resort in Cotai, which will open later this year and employ 9,000 workers. MGM also recognized its workers.
The Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore fined Marina Bay Sands $65,000 for letting four people stay in its casino after their 24-hour entry levies expired, and letting two with exclusion orders to enter. Resorts World Sentosa received letters of censure for allowing two people without valid entry levies to enter its casino.
Britain’s four biggest bookmakers say smaller bookies should conform with stricter controls they themselves have adopted. They want the little guys to restrict their advertising and address issues of problem gambling and underage gambling.
Scotland’s bookies get more business from players using odds betting terminals than on those betting on the races according to statistics recently released.
Record-breaking wagers by Asian high rollers its casinos, including Sydney’s Star (l.), helped Echo Entertainment Group Ltd. see its best numbers since 2011. But the those revenue gains were offset by the amount of money paid out to junket operators.
Crown Resorts Chairman James Packer is irate about planning delays that threaten to postpone construction on his $2 billion luxury casino and hotel in Sydney (l.). The hotel was originally set to open in late 2018. That plan now may be optimistic, says the billionaire.
Punters wagered nearly $2.1 billion in New Zealand in 2014, up 1 percent from the previous year. Despite the modest increase, casino gambling actually was down.
Ontario, Canada recently launched the online gaming site PlayOLG, and some feel it may cut into the bottom line of brick and mortar casinos. However, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation claims their market is residents who gamble on grey market sites, as opposed to land based casinos.
Two bills that would legalize online poker in California are working their way through the legislative labyrinth. Although both have the same purpose, they choose to reach that goal by far different routes. Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (l.) says the two bills might be combined.
Great Luck LLC will provide games of Pavilion Worldwide Group for placement of online games for Native American casinos, and will launch a fantasy sports network with MT Dynamics. CEO Joe Valandra (l.) says the deals will provide great content for the company.
A number of online gambling sites powered by Playtech have announced they will exit Germany—at least for real money play. The move is seen as being caused by German regulations of online gambling.
Singapore has begun blocking access to overseas online gambling sites as its new ban on online gambling goes into effect. Government officials said several hundred sites have been blocked.
Alberta looks to be the newest Canadian province to join in on the online gambling bandwagon, which began back in 2010 with British Columbia. While nothing has been passed yet, research has amped up lately, which shows between $120 million and $150 million are wagered each year by Alberta residents on grey market online gambling sites.
Four proposals for a casino in the southeast gaming zone reached the Kansas Lottery by its January 30 deadline. The four bidders are Kansas Crossing Casino LLC (l.); Phil Ruffin and the Quapaw Tribe's Frontenac Development LLC; Castle Rock Casino Resort LLC; and SE Kansas Casino Partners LLC. A developer will be selected by mid-July.
The final round in choosing casino resorts for Massachusetts has begun, with five applicants in the running for the Southeast casino zone, including Mass Gaming & Entertainment, KG Urban Enterprises, Somerset On The Move, Crossroads Massachusetts and Seafan Trust Corp., not to mention the state’s Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and its First Light casino (l.) in Taunton.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu recently signed an ordinance that will ban smoking of real and electronic cigarettes in bars, stadiums, hotels and gambling halls, including Harrah's (l.) near the French Quarter, effective in late April. New Orleans was one of the last major U.S. cities to ban smoking in public places.
Regulators in Maryland have granted permission to the state’s two largest casinos to remove hundreds of slot machines in favor of table games, drawing criticism from lawmakers.
Analysts said falling gas prices and increasing consumer confidence could benefit regional casino operators such as Pinnacle Entertainment and Boyd Gaming. Chad Beynon of Macquarie Securities said, "Solid data points continue to trickle in," such as the 5 percent increase in combined regional gaming revenue for December.
After a proposed plan was in place to build to a slot parlor in the vacant Fortunoff building in Westbury, New York, it appears enough opposition was given to end the plans. Many residents have strongly opposed the idea from the beginning, which culminated in a large rally recently at a local high school.
DeKalb County, Georgia commissioners said when they approved a zoning change allowing 400 gambling machines at Panola Slope resort, they did not know one of the partners in the "barcade" development was incorporated under the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, operators of the Paragon Casino Resort in Louisiana.
Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas' (l.) casino bill once again was killed by the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee. The bill would have established a gaming commission to license casinos in localities where at least 40 percent of land is exempt from local property taxes, such as her home city of Portsmouth.
Jim Brown, president and chief operator officer of Centaur Gaming, recently said House Bill 1540 would help level the playing field for Indiana's casinos. The bill would allow live dealers at Centaur's two Indiana racinos and permit riverboats to move ashore. Brown said that would not expand gambling, which Governor Mike Pence opposes.
Although the five casinos in the Kansas City area lost revenue, casino executives expressed optimism for the remainder of 2015. Tom Cook, general manager at Harrah’s in North Kansas City, said, “A lot of economic indicators are positive, showing people’s lives are improving. We’re off to a good start this year.”
With the Nevada Gaming Abstract out, the numbers are in, and some people are wary of the takeaway. The Strip saw declines in overall gaming revenue, but a 5 percent increase of non-gaming revenue. Other areas of Nevada, such as downtown Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Reno saw increases, however.
Despite its falling credit rating, Atlantic City has managed to sell $12 million in notes at a reasonable interest rate, according to Mayor Don Guardian. The sale was needed to help the city pay off a $12.8 million debt that came due this month.
Although about 350,000 Iowans spend $340 million annually on fantasy sports, actually collecting a prize is illegal. State Senator Jeff Danielson, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, said he wants to change the law before an Iowan score big, like winning the NFL's $1 million "Perfect Challenge” fantasy game prize.
Sports Books have released the numbers regarding wagering on the Super Bowl, and they are down from last year. Last year's Super Bowl saw $119.4 million wagered, resulting in $19.7 million profit, while this year saw a drop to $116 million wagered, with the books keeping $3.3 million.
At a recent economic development forum in New Jersey, plans were outlined for a new college campus in Atlantic City that could serve 1,500 students by the fall. Also, Rowan University announced it is looking to open a small branch campus in the area. These and other projects could help pump some life in the area’s economy.
A bill making its way through the Minnesota legislature could end lottery sales online, at ATMS or at convenience stores. Lawmakers pushing the bill claim the lottery impacts the poor, but they're also outraged that the changes went into effect without legislative approval. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed similar legislation last year.
Produced by 33 students at the University of Mississippi's Meek School of Journalism, the 30-minute documentary "Casinos in Mississippi: Worth the Gamble?" reviews the highs and lows of the state's casino industry. Students traveled to Philadelphia, Tunica and Natchez to interview industry leaders, politicians and others regarding casinos' history and impact.
The numbers are in from 2014, and while 41.1 million visitors is quite a large number, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is hoping that number reaches 45 million in the new few years.
New Mexico players of the lottery would be able to feed their passion right at the gas pump with their credit cards if a lawmaker has his way. Senator John Arthur Smith has proposed a bill that would allow lottery tickets to be purchased with plastic.
Opponents of a Washington casino that the Cowlitz tribe wants to build in La Center have asked an appeals court to overturn the dismissal of their lawsuit challenging the tribe’s ability to put land into trust.
Sports fans in the city of Las Vegas have been asking for a professional team for quite some time, and their wish is one step closer to reality. A potential ownership group for an NHL expansion team has begun their run of trying to sell 10,000 season ticket deposits, a number which, if hit, would hopefully force the NHL to award Las Vegas a team.
New Jersey regulators handed fines to Caesars Atlantic City for losing two slot machines in its accounting and to Golden Nugget for using unshuffled cards.
Menominee Tribal Chairwoman Laurie Boivin (l.) said Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's rejection of the proposed $800 million casino in Kenosha is "a near fatal blow" for the impoverished 9,000-member tribe. Menominee and Kenosha officials vowed to keep fighting for the Hard Rock project but Walker, who has been accused of playing politics, said, "We need to move forward."
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians debuted the $70 million renovation of their Golden Moon Hotel & Casino at Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia. The property closed in 2010 due to the economy and competition. The tribe hopes the reopened Golden Moon will bring back players from the Poarch Band's three Alabama casinos. At left, officials of the tribe celebrate the ribbon cutting.
Now that members of the Chukchansi tribe of California have elected a unification council, the tribe has begun moving towards reopening its casino, closed in October after an armed incursion by one of several factions vying for control.
Two Oklahoma tribes reported economic development progress. Muscogee (Creek) Nation Chief George Tiger (l.) said the tribe is investing $1 billion, including a $340 million expansion at RiverSpirit Casino in Tulsa. The Cherokee Nation announced a record New Year's Eve casino intake of $55.6 million, and will open its ninth casino, Cherokee Casino South Coffeyville, in early March.
Springfield attorney Don Tracy, co-owner of Dot foods, recently was nominated as chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board by Governor Bruce Rauner, replacing Aaron Jaffe, the sometimes contentious former judge who held the post since 2005. Also nominated to the board was former state Senator Thomas Dunn, who helped bring two gaming licenses to Joliet.
Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel in Charenton, Louisiana, has a new director of table games, Kevin Ryan. He held the same position previously for four years at the Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania and has 35 years of gaming experience throughout the U.S.
Jack Lam’s (l.) Jimei International Entertainment Group Ltd., which runs junket operations at eight Macau casinos, has entered into an “arrangement” with Crown Perth for its “junket patrons or players to conduct gaming at the Crown Perth Casino.”
The Innovation Group has been named as industry advisor for the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan to complete a comprehensive research study conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Inspired Gaming has acquired the stake of Merkur gaming in the joint-venture partnership that has supplied video lottery terminals to the Italian market.
Gaming industry analyst and GGB magazine columnist Frank Fantini has launched Fantini’s Public Policy Review to serve stakeholders of the gaming industry.
