Rob Manfred, the new commissioner of MLB, says he wants to discuss the league’s stance on sports betting—which has been opposed up until now—with owners. The NHL’s commissioner also said his league needs to take another look at the issue. This comes after the NBA commissioner called for regulated sports betting saying it would help his league. The professional league’s longtime opposition to betting on professional sports seems to be up in the air.
The sale of Atlantic City’s closed Revel casino to Florida investor Glenn Straub appeared dead after a bankruptcy judge denied a request to extend the closing date—which has passed—for the potential deal. Revel has asked the judge to terminate the deal with Straub and appears ready to seek a third potential buyer for the $2.4 billion property. A final ruling is expected this week.
Many casino companies and even the American Gaming Association have urged their employees to register and vote in elections throughout the years. But with a crucial presidential election coming next year, the AGA has upped the ante. AGA and MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren (l.) and AGA President Geoff Freeman (r.) flank two gaming industry employees who testified how the industry has improved their lives.
As Wynn Resorts moves forward with a Boston-area casino that Steve Wynn predicts will be the most profitable non-Indian casino outside of Las Vegas, the state gaming commission got some sense of casinos proposed for the southeastern casino zone while the MGM Springfield prepared to break ground in the spring.
Incheon Airport in South Korea is planning an integrated resort project at the facility near Seoul. For inspiration, the airport is looking to Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. The airport hopes to draw additional Chinese travelers with a casino, hotels and a shopping mall.
Strong divisions among tribes that favor online poker in California have so far prevented a bill that all can support from moving forward in the legislature. Even though three tribes, including the Rincon tribe led by Bo Mazzetti (l.), have joined the group that is willing to water down the “bad actor” clause, there is still much opposition.
Approval by IGT shareholders and completion of financing bring the acquisition of top slot-maker IGT by lottery giant GTECH near closing. GTECH also announced that Jaymin B. Patel (l.) would be stepping down as president of the company’s American division.
A community in Central London is irate about plans by Genting UK to build a 30,000-square-foot casino in the largely residential area. The Vegas-style casino, planned for a Holiday Inn in South Kensington (l.), would be open 24/7.
The uncertainty that ended 2014 has continued and even accelerated. Questions about Macau, regional gaming and large cap stocks are lingering. And what about Sheldon Adelson’s new title in China? Make sense?
This week the GGB Podcast sits down with Peter Bertilsson, the president and Chief Executive Officer of Metric Gaming, a Las Vegas company that specializes in sports betting information and much more.
In 2013, Singapore punters spent almost $8 billion outside the country’s two casinos. Singapore Pools, the state-owned lottery subsidiary, took is more than $6 billion of that amount. Horse racing and sports also were popular.
SJM Holdings Ltd. expects construction of the multibillion-dollar Lisboa Palace on Macau’s Cotai Strip to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017. Other operators in the gaming destination are also expecting construction delays.
Alvin Chau, head of Macau junket operator Suncity Group, disagrees with some casino operators that mass-market players, even in volume, can replace VIPs. With the government crackdown on money laundering, high rollers have become reluctant to play in the Chinese gaming mecca.
Australia-based casino operator Donaco International Ltd., which owns a single property in Lao Cai, Vietnam, has raised AUD92.4 million (US $71.8 million) to help finance the purchase of the Star Vegas Resort & Club casino (l.) in Cambodia.
Gaming jurisdictions around the world have been salivating at the prospect of attracting Chinese high rollers who no longer want to play in Macau. A disapproving Chinese government says it will squelch attempts by foreign tourism offices to promote gambling abroad.
Vietnamese officials are preparing to choose an investor to build a casino resort in the province of Quang Ninh. The selection will be made in March, with construction set to begin in April. An airport also will be built in the vicinity on Van Don Island.
The dramatic decline in gaming revenue and loss of VIP players is having a negative impact on real estate values in Macau. Demand for high-end homes and luxury condos has dropped, and is not expected to escalate any time soon.
Paradise Co., South Korea’s largest casino operator for foreigners, plans to expand its casino holdings and increase its number of table games by more than 10 percent to accommodate a potential influx of Chinese visitors.
In 2014, punters in Northern Ireland bet more than a half-billion pounds on high-stakes fixed-odds betting terminals, known as FOBTs. Now a social activist group wants the government to reduce the stakes from £100 (US $154) a spin to just £2.
The Czech Ministry of Finance is considering a change in the tax rates for gaming enterprises. Many taxes may rise. Some may actually fall. And the rate on lottery games would remain unchanged at the current 30 percent rate.
Svenska Spel, the Swedish national lottery, will offer expanded online casino games beyond its current bingo, poker, lotteries and sports betting. The lottery hopes to attract new players, which will generate more funds to help problem gamblers.
The Austrian state of Tirol plans to amend it gaming laws to ban live in-play betting online and at stores and at matches. The move is a response to calls for stricter gambling laws.
The UK Gambling Commission is taking measures to help players apply for self-exclusion from gambling. By 2017, online bookmakers must have a plan in place to help players, while land-based casinos have until 2016.
With the specter of new competition coming to Brisbane, Echo Entertainment is sprucing up its properties in the Australian state. The Jupiters resort is already undergoing a makeover of its pool area and hotel rooms. New restaurants will also be added.
Ten casinos in Nepal have reopened or are preparing to reopen, including the casino at the Grand Hotel (l.), almost a year after they were shut down by the government. Casino operators refused to pay what they said were insupportable new royalties and other fees established by the government in 2013.
Bermuda Shadow Minister for Tourism Zane DeSilva (l.) said no official plans have been submitted for the $120 million hotel at the former Club Med site, although Minister for Tourism Development Shawn Cockrell told Parliament in December that St. Regis-Starwood Hotels & Resorts would manage the resort and construction would start early this year.
The recent resurfacing of a bill to ban online gambling in the U.S. continues to bring opposition, including from conservative groups that might have been thought to support the move. The bill is seen as coming from Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson, who is personally financing an effort to enact the ban. Former bwin head Jim Ryan (l.) is worried.
British bookmaker William Hill has approached 888 Holdings about a possible takeover bid, though no formal offer has been made. The news boosted 888 stock.
For the third time, Mississippi state Rep. Bobby Moak introduced legislation to regulate and license internet gambling , and for the third time the bill died in committee. But Moak believes his bill will have an even better chance of passing next year.
The Intertain Group bought iGaming businesses from Gamesys Ltd. in a deal that executives say will make Intertain the industry’s largest online bingo provider.
Resorts Atlantic City has launched a free-play online casino site ahead of its planned real-money online site scheduled to launch soon. The free-play site is open to anyone, while a real-money site would only be open to gamblers physically playing within the state.
Advocates of online poker legislation in Washington State say the move is already dead for 2015 in the state’s legislature. A bill to allow online poker in the state never received a hearing leaving the grass roots Washington Internet Poker Initiative to acknowledge that legislation has no chance in the state this year.
New figures from Spain’s Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego show online gambling increased by 11 percent in the country for the last quarter of 2014, fueled mostly by online casino games. Online poker revenue, however, fell 3.5 percent.
According to French regulators, online poker revenue in the country fell by 17.3 million euros in the last quarter of 2014 from the previous quarter and 23.8 million euros compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.
Intralot will enter into a strategic partnership agreement with Bit8, a Malta-based gaming platform solutions company. The agreement sets up exclusive, joint development and marketing for the company’s international online platform market and the acquisition of a minority stake in Bit8.
Despite a $700 million budget gap, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said he no longer will consider a gaming compact allowing the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to expand operations, nor will he allow a state lottery. Bentley said raising taxes are a possibility.
A new ad campaign from the Stratosphere is set to appeal to those who are turned off by the typical Las Vegas Strip experience, and prefer to avoid exorbitant prices. The new slogan “Take Back Vegas” is currently under way.
Since opening in 2011, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines has provided Illinois $85 million in gaming tax revenue, including $30.2 million for the city, which will receive $8.9 million this year. Mayor Matthew Bogusz (l.) said despite state legislators' calls for more casinos, "We need to make sure to continue to stand against it."
Lawmakers in Texas are considering de-funding or eliminating the state racing commission, which approved historical racing machines last year. Legislators said commissioners did not have the authority to approve the machines. Racing commission Chairman Robert Schmidt said historical racing could help struggling racetracks compete with out-of-state racinos. Commissioners plan to meet with lawmakers over the issue.
Reno, Nevada will welcome in a new Courtyard by Marriott in spring of 2016, right across the street from the Reno Aces ballpark. Down the road in Sparks, the Bourbon Square Casino (l.) says goodbye as new owners have plans which don't involve gaming.
A state Assemblymen for Atlantic City wants the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to hold hearings on Caesars’ bankruptcy plans for its Atlantic City casinos. Assemblyman Chris Brown is worried that the company may shut two of its three resort casinos.
With the new MGM 20,000 seat arena set to open next year, the increase of foot traffic will be accommodated by a new overpass at Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard. However, the project is several months behind schedule.
In a 27-7 vote, the South Dakota Senate has approved a bill authorizing keno, craps and roulette in Deadwood casinos. In November, 57 percent of voters statewide approved a constitutional amendment allowing the games. Supporters said the new games are not an expansion of gambling.
Gambling bills making their way through the Indiana legislature would let riverboats move ashore, allow live dealers at racinos, lower free-play taxes and permit video gaming in bars and fraternal organizations. However Governor Mike Pence (l.) said he would veto any "expanded gambling," although he hasn't clarified what that would mean.
Café casinos with ladylike names and coffee shop atmospheres are growing at a phenomenal pace in Illinois. In 73 communities, more than 150 establishments offer 700 video gambling machines, which generated $211 million for the state in the past two years. But some communities still resist video gambling and legislators are calling for limits.
A Las Vegas judge is conducting hearings to determine possible sanctions on Sands China Ltd. for redacting personal information from documents as part of a lawsuit.
A New Jersey State Assembly committee has approved legislation to declare Atlantic City an urban enterprise zone, meaning businesses in the resort can charge only half of the state’s sales tax. Casinos would not be included in the zone.
The Siegel Group continues its buying spree in northern Nevada with the recent purchase of the Nevadan Tower in Reno. The property was purchased for $2.7 million and will be turned into low-cost apartments.
The Seminole compact will end July 31 unless it's renewed by Florida Governor Rick Scott (l.) with the legislature's approval. Currently the tribe has exclusive rights to offer blackjack and other table games, in exchange for $1 billion over five years. Casino-resort operators, South Florida parimutuels and other gambling interests want a more level playing field.
The Menominee Indian Tribe has a new chair, renewed its option on Dairyland Greyhound Park, offered to contribute $220 million toward a new downtown Milwaukee stadium and is keeping its options open to make its $800 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Kenosha a reality.
The Catawba Indian Nation is waiting for the federal government's decision if it will take into trust land for casino development in Cleveland County, North Carolina. The tribe submitted an application to the Department of Interior in September. Meanwhile, supporters and opponents are speaking out at public meetings.
The Connecticut Senate’s majority leader says that expanding slots in the Nutmeg State is a non-starter this year, but that hasn’t prevented hearings on the proposal from progressing in the General Assembly. Supporters say more slots are the only way to keep gaming money from heading south to Massachusetts.
Although a U.S. District Judge says that a faction of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi in California acted in bad faith by ignoring his order to pay a stipend to all tribal members while their casino remains closed, he says he is unsure if he has the authority to enforce that order with a contempt charge.
Gaming tribes that stand to be harmed by competition from the casino the Tohono O’odham Nation is building near Phoenix, Arizona are strongly opposed to the facility. Now that the casino has withstood various court challenges, they are relying on Congress to take action.
Last year Idaho’s racetracks deployed “historic racing” machines that are supposed to save racing in the state. However, the legislature is under pressure to ban the machines because gaming tribes say they look too much like slot machines.
Gary Gotchik has resigned as chief executive officer at Fortune Bay Casino in Nett Lake, Minnesota, over allegations of misusing credit cards. A federal investigation has begun, according to the Bois Forte Tribal Council. Casino employees discovered Gotchik's actions and reported them to the council.
"Anti-Indian," "ridiculous," "corrupt and stupid"—those were just some of the comments made by Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Chairman John Berrey (l.) in response to the Cherokee County, Kansas Commission's resolution supporting the state attorney general's efforts to block his tribe's plans to expand into Kansas on trust land it owns.
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Mohegan Tribe face another lawsuit by opponents of a casino the tribes hope to develop together in La Center, Washington. This time the group is appealing a federal judge's dismissal of their suit challenging the government placing 152 acres into trust for the Cowlitz casino.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs recently held a public hearing at Medford High School in Medford, Oregon where the Coquille Tribe has proposed converting a bowling alley and a restaurant into a casino. Most of the speakers opposed the project. The tribe already operates the Mill Casino in North Bend.
Wrapped in glass evoking waves on Lake Michigan, and topped by a glass-enclosed flame, the new 19-story, 381-room hotel at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino recently made its debut. Designed by Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc., the hotel also offers a casual-dining restaurant, coffee shop, lobby bar/lounge and meeting space.
Mark Frissora, the former Hertz chief who will take over in July as CEO of Caesars Entertainment, will earn $1.8 million a year plus performance bonuses, according to SEC filings.
Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel has recently named Mikki Smigielski as their new Information Technology Director. She brings years of experience, and was most recently at Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia, Louisiana.
Lewis Fanger became the new chief financial officer at Full House Resorts. He was hired by new CEO, and longtime colleague Dan Lee. The company recently amended a credit agreement which will allow them to move forward with a hotel construction project in Mississippi.
IGT will install systems solutions at the Palazzo Club, including the first installation of the Advantage System in Vietnam, inside the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers.
The results are in for the 2015 Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating list, and Wynn Resorts dominated the competition. Wynn became the only Quintuple Five-Star Resort in the world, and has more Five-Stars than any other independent hotel company worldwide.
