Virginia became the first state to enact a law regulating and legalizing daily fantasy sports as Governor Terry McAuliffe (l) signed the state’s “Fantasy Contests Act.” In other developments, FanDuel has agreed to stop taking wagers from Texas players in a deal with that state’s attorney general, but DraftKings has sued for a declaratory judgment from a Dallas court on the site’s legality in the state. Meanwhile, an extensive hearing in Nevada considered regulation that would allow DFS to reboot in the state.
Galaxy Entertainment Group in Macau will develop an “Avatar”-style theme park, according to Chairman Lui Che-Woo (l.). It’s just part of the company’s campaign to create more family-friendly attractions; the theme park will be part of the next two phases of the HK$86 billion (US$11 billion) Galaxy Macau project.
Lawmakers in Cyprus approved enabling legislation for the Greek republic’s nascent casino industry. Winning bidders for a license are said to include Hard Rock and Melco International; Philippine operator Bloomberry; and Cambodia’s NagaCorp. But already a failed bidder is questioning the process and the role of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades (l.).
The mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts declared last week that if his environmental concerns regarding the Wynn Everett casino are not addressed, that he can drag out an environmental appeal “years and years.” Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone (l.) filed the appeal in February.
South Korea’s planned casino resorts may have a hard time making a go of it with a foreigners-only policy. Fitch Ratings says IRs like the one planned by U.S. operator Mohegan Sun (l.) will “face competitive pressures” that have already knocked 10 percent off gaming halls in the nation.
The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation has filed suit in federal court to be allowed to participate in the process of siting a third casino in Connecticut. The tribe is not allowed to participate because the federal government does not recognize it, but the tribe claims this violates its constitutional rights. The tribe is allied with MGM Resorts and has hired former Senator Joe Lieberman (l.) to represent it in court.
A number of potential rival bidders to CEO David Baazov (l.) for control of Amaya, Inc. may team up with the chief executive rather than opposing him. Gaming software giant Playtech is rumored to be one of the partners.
Former Baha Mar President Tom Dunlap has lashed out at China Construction America, contractor for the stalled $3.5 billion resort (l.), for allegedly neglecting the project, as it develops another project in the Bahamas.
U.S. regional casinos are continuing a remarkable rally that began last year. The February numbers are out and virtually every market has seen an increase, some more than double digits. So what’s up?
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with David Schwartz, the director of UNLV’s Center for Gambling Research, on his recently released book on his hometown of Atlantic City, "Boardwalk Playground: The Making, Unmaking and Remaking of Atlantic City."
Gross gaming revenue in Macau is likely to be down appreciably after the Chinese New Year, according to forecasts. The discouraging news came from Sanford C. Bernstein, which said ADR for the first six days of March slumped 21 percent to MOP 3.2 billion.
NagaCorp Ltd. will ask shareholders to approve a new name for the company based on the Cantonese phrase “kam kai,” which means “gold world.” NagaCorp operates NagaWorld (l.) in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh.
The U.S. State Department has listed six Asia-Pac destinations as “countries/jurisdictions of primary concern” in its 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. Topping the list is the Philippines, where casinos have been allegedly used to launder millions in stolen currency.
The Taiwanese island of Penghu could hold another referendum on legal gaming. Reports indicate a petition could have enough signatures to move forward on the issue, but a similar vote went down to defeat in TK.
The Indian state of Goa is still weighing where to relocate offshore casino operations on the Mandovi River. The government had set a deadline of March 31 to remove the gambling ships, but an alternative site has not yet been chosen.
Genting Malaysia investors got a “negative surprise” when they learned the global gaming company has more than doubled its budget for an overhaul of its Resorts World complex outside Kuala Lumpur. The original estimate of MYR5 billion (US$1.2 billion) is now history.
Regulatory overhauls in 2015 helped to improve the gaming market in Romania and opened it up to international operators, resulting in a 71 percent rise in tax revenues to €269 million as the market topped the €1 billion mark. Among the most popular gaming pursuits are betting on football and tennis, instant lottery games, and dog racing. Casino Valoro, in Timisoara, Romania, is pictured at left.
Calling for “a level playing field,” the UK government has introduced a new funding model for the horseracing industry that requires offshore bookies to pitch in. The British Horseracing Authority has hailed the “historic” announcement.
The government of Slovenia recently asked the European Commission for permission to build up to 15 new casinos and open 45 smaller gambling halls. It also would license i-gaming companies for 10-year periods with five-year extensions.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling recently released a study indicating Irish bookmakers Paddy Power place more fixed-odds betting terminals (l.) in minority ethnic communities than competitors. Paddy Power said it has fewer betting outlets and is forced to focus on urban areas. It collects about $1,846 in profit per machine versus competitors' $1,420.
Bermuda has no casinos, but the Casino Gaming Commission intends to amend the Singapore model for casino gambling, which it adopted in 2014, to make it more appropriate to the “social, cultural and economic realities of Bermuda," said Minister of Tourism Development & Transport Shawn Crockwell (l.). Bermuda law allows up to three casinos.
The Jamaican Casino Gaming Commission and the national Bureau of Standards are preparing for future casinos by reviewing and most likely adopting Gaming Laboratories International standards. Two casino resorts, Harmony Cove Limited (l.) and Celebration Jamaica, are expected to start construction this year. Under law, three casino resorts will be allowed.
Religious factions in Israel have come out against the possibility that casinos will be legalized in the resort city of Eilat, located on the Red Sea. Bayit Yehudi, United Torah Judaism and Shas have already expressed their disapproval.
A study on problem gambling at Victoria’s Crown Casino (l.) was ordered by the Australian state’s gaming regulator, but is now being withheld by that regulator. The lack of disclosure has prompted calls by opposition forces to release the report.
The $50 million Ovalle Casino Resort (l.) in Chile will not open in April as expected. Developers are awaiting final approvals from the Directorate of Municipal Works and the Chilean Superintendent of Casinos. Casino Manager Juan Almagro said the structure is complete and contractors are finalizing the interior and 1,200-seat amphitheater and installing equipment.
Residents of the Piantini neighborhood in Santo Domingo asked the Dominican Republic Minister of Finance not to grant a license to the Hard Rock Casino now under construction. The group said the area includes several schools and parking will be a problem. A tourism official said those concerns were unfounded.
In 2014, ground was broken for a planned $54 million, five-star casino resort in Liliendaal, Guyana. Almost two years later, a license granted to the Sun and Sands Casino has been revoked for “inactivity,” according to local media.
Despite a downturn in video lottery revenues, Alberta took in some $909 million from gaming during the first half of the fiscal year, which outperformed expectations by about $12 million. Increased lottery sales due to large jackpots helped improve the province’s take. Meanwhile, British Columbia operators are looking to grow local gaming revenue.
888 poker is switching from a traditional rake-back rewards system and plans to launch a new program later this month. The new 888poker Club will reward players for completing “challenges,” climbing levels and accumulating tokens.
Sportech Racing and Digital has entered into agreements for the sale of new betting terminal technology to key racetrack customers in South America and Europe, the company announced. The deals are with Club Hípico de Santiago and Valparaiso Sporting Club in Chile and Hipodromo de la Zarzuela in Spain.
Swedish online game developer NetEnt is eyeing both the U.S. and European markets for expansion. Company officials told Reuters that they expect to maintain the growth that saw the company’s earnings rise by 50 percent last year.
Dutch courts have ruled that independent poker tournaments are unlawful in the Netherlands and that poker is a game of chance and not a game of skill. The ruling stems from legal action against the organizers of a regular Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament between 2005 and 2007. Though the organizers argued that poker can be controlled by skilled players, the court ruled that luck remains a significant part of the game.
Paddy Power Betfair has posted revenues of 1.3 billion pounds since competing their merger last month. The company’s CEO called it an encouraging start, but said the company still has a lot of work to do to combine the two businesses.
StakeLogic B.V. announced its first content agreement to supply casino slot games for desktop and mobile applications to Unibet. A wholly owned subsidiary of Greentube and part of Novomatic Interactive, StakeLogic develops and licenses innovative high-end 3D HTML5 casino games. The agreement supports Unibet's corporate motto, "By players, for players."
Malta-based Scout Limited holds gaming licenses in the UK and Malta and is looking for investors for its FanTeam daily fantasy sports site, which has a dozen football leagues and two hockey leagues. FanTeam is concentrating its marketing efforts in the UK, Russia, Finland, and Norway, and wants to grow in an underserved European market.
Independent solutions provider Comtrade Gaming and leading Asian online gaming and betting brand Dafabet have signed an agreement allowing Dafabet to implement Comtrade Gaming's iCore enterprise gaming platform. The complete back-end gaming solution is based on real-time data and seamless wallet integrations.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court has appointed retired U.S. Judge Joseph Farnan as mediator in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Caesars Entertainment’s largest operating unit. Meanwhile, the company will renovate almost 5,000 rooms in Las Vegas, including at Paris Las Vegas (l.), where it recently raised the “resort fee” to $32 a night.
With economic conditions improved nationally and more people than ever visiting Las Vegas, the majority owners of the Palms Casino Resort reportedly have hired the Macquarie Group to explore a potential sale of the 1,300-room resort, which likely would fetch several hundreds of millions of dollars. The Palms is one of several prominent properties reportedly for sale in the Las Vegas valley.
The campaign has begun to persuade Rhode Island voters to allow one of the state’s two casinos to change locations. Twin River Management has begun the campaign to site a $75 million casino in the border town of Tiverton.
Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier likely will become the first of four gaming operations to become active after New York gaming regulators approved several casino projects in order to boost economic activity and tourism in the state’s rural areas. Tioga Downs is yet to receive its license, but recently held a topping off ceremony and should open first.
Georgia state Rep. Ron Stephens (l.) was not surprised when House Speaker David Ralston recently delayed a vote on a casino gambling measure designed to help the struggling HOPE scholarship program. Now pro-casino supporters hope the November elections could affect the House composition to approve the constitutional amendment and put it before voters.
A bill in the Maryland Senate would establish a gaming facility in the Potomac River off the shores of Colonial Beach, Virginia (l.), to help raise money for a new bridge.
A possible state takeover of Atlantic City was closer to reality last week when a Senate panel chaired by Senate President Steve Sweeney (l.) voted to move a bill designed to do that to a full Senate vote. Meanwhile, Atlantic City’s City Council is ready to vote to dissolve its Municipal Utilities Authority, which has been a sticking point in its fight to avoid a complete state takeover of the resort. The valuable utility will be absorbed into the city’s government.
Foundation Gaming Group LLC announced it will rebrand its recently purchased DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi to WaterView Casino and Hotel, reflecting the property's Mississippi River location. The rebranding also will include new games, loyalty program and casino management system, plus dining and event center renovations, among others.
Regulators in Massachusetts are defending delays in implementation of a system at Plainridge Park Casino (l.) that would allow for compulsive gambling safeguards through the player tracking system.
As the New Jersey legislature prepares to approve a referendum to ask voters allow new casino construction in the state, a new poll finds residents are split almost evenly for and against the idea. The poll comes after another contentious legislative issue on the referendum bill.
An amendment filed just before the March 11 session end would delete language in Florida state law requiring tracks to run live races in order to offer other gambling activities. Parimutuels support decoupling as attendance and wagers have declined. But racing interests claim it would doom their industry.
Major expansions of Las Vegas-area convention centers and meetings facilities will help to maintain the city’s hold on the world’s top stop as a convention, meetings, and events destination, while staving off competition from other U.S. cities, MGM CEO Jim Murren says. MGM is expanding its convention facilities (recently completed Mandalay Bay addition at left), and Murren wants others to do the same.
A ballot petition supporting Las Vegas-style casino gaming in Maine fell far short of the number of valid signatures needed, and Secretary of State Mark Dunlap might have the Attorney General review petitions submitted for irregularities and possible criminal activity. Dunlap said many petitions has discrepancies in signatures of circulators and notaries.
Two measures could significantly impact greyhound racing in West Virginia. House Bill 4625 would remove up to $17 million annual breeder subsidies and require racetracks to still run races. Senate Bill 641 also would end breeder subsidies but let racetracks decide to offer racing or not, but still offer gambling.
The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas consistently lost money during its first five years in business, but has recorded consecutive quarterly profits and is poised to continue doing so with lower operational costs, a change in marketing strategy, and many new changes and amenities, including a new sports book by CG Technologies (l.), designed to make the casino more competitive and profitable.
Glen Straub (l.), owner of the former Revel casino in Atlantic City has completed filing an application for a New Jersey casino license. Straub says he hopes to re-open part of former casino by June, but has not yet chosen an operator. Also Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein floated the idea on building a new hotel on the city’s Garden pier.
The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino seized some 1,500 personal effects once owned by Elvis Presley and is holding them until a tenant pays rent owed. Elvis Presley Enterprises now owns the items, isn’t party to the dispute, and says the casino illegally took the items and refuses to return them until it gets paid.
Although the Florida legislature did not pass the proposed Seminole compact, the tribe will continue to offer blackjack at its casinos under a provision of the 2010 compact and make payments to the state. Meanwhile the Gretna Racing case before the Florida Supreme Court could expand slots to six counties where voters approved them.
An alliance opposing the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s $510 million casino resort (l.) in Clark County, Washington are asking for an injunction in federal court prevent the tribe from building while an appeals court considers their case.
The growth of tribal casinos is outpacing that of commercial casinos in the U.S. as the two approach parity in casino market share. That’s according to Alan Meister’s annual Indian Gaming Industry Report.
Former Miccosukee Tribal Chairman Billy Cypress recently was returned to office in a special election. He replaces Colley Billie, who was ousted for attempting to settle the tribe's $1 billion tax bill. Cypress, who's accused of stealing $26 million from tribal accounts, campaigned on a tough stance against the IRS for taxing casino profits.
Sovereign immunity enjoyed by tribal governments extends to their employees. So ruled the Connecticut Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling. Two people injured in car accident where an employee of the Mohegan Sun drove the car brought the case.
Officials at Ho-Chunk, Inc., the economic development partners of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, said construction will begin this summer and the first race could run on a short track at the former Atokad Downs in South Sioux City, Iowa. The track closed and the tribe bought it in 2012.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community threw a gala 25th anniversary party at its Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, featuring a surprise concert by R&B recording artist Brian McKnight. The tribe also presented $25,000 to the nonprofit Walnut Way Conservation Corporation.
The same things do not entertain Baby Boomers and millennials. In particular, younger visitors to casinos are not that interested in slot machines. This trend is of concern to gaming operators in Arizona.
The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma believes Oaklawn Park Racing & Gaming in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is delaying approval for federal trust status for acreage it owns near the Little Rock Port Authority. Tribal Chairman John Berrey anonymously received a Freedom of Information Act request that he said proves the theory.
In 2012, Illinois became the first state to sell lottery tickets online under a test program with a three-year limit, ending March 25. Legislation to make the program permanent stalled in the House, and legislators won't return to the capital until April 4, so online lottery sales are destined to end. But maybe Connecticut will agree to sell tickets online.
Howard Stutz, an award-winning Las Vegas Review Journal reporter who covered the gaming industry for more than 11 years, recently joined the global law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP as strategic development manager for the Las Vegas office and the Global Gaming Group.
Formerly Tribal Financial Advisors, the newly rebranded TFA Capital Partners named gaming industry investment banking veteran William Newby as president, TFA co-founder Kristi Jackson as chairman of TFA Capital and David Howard as chief executive officer. Since 2009 the company has helped Indian tribes raise more than $3.5 billion of capital.
Jack Entertainment, formerly Rock Gaming, has picked a suite of Bally Systems solutions from Scientific Games for its Jack Casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati and ThistleDown Racino.
The American Gaming Association used National Consumer Protection Week to re-emphasize its commitment to exposing and eliminating illegal gambling operations.
Wynn Resorts plans an April 28 opening of its new Intrigue nightclub, which replaces the popular Tryst nightclub and aims to provide a unique experience with a fun factor that exceeds all other clubs on the Las Vegas Strip. Former Rock of Ages and Broadway performer Mark Shunock is overseeing all details to ensure success.
California’s Konocti Vista casino has selected the Table Trac casino management system for reporting, slot auditing, accounting, patron management and marketing.
In addition to its Immersive Icon Cabinet, leading casino vendor AGS will also feature high-performing slot, table and social casino offerings at NIGA 2016
Clarion Events announced a conference on the growing African online gambling market to be held in Lagos Nigeria April 11 and 12. The conference will explore potential growth for online gambling in Nigeria and its neighbors.
