Online gaming is gone from the $31 billion state budget cobbled together by Pennsylvania lawmakers. But it did appear in a list of potential revenue sources that could help close a $1 billion budget shortfall, and a bill could be revived in the fall. For now the spending plan calls for an added tax of 2 percent on casino table game revenue (tables at Hollywood Casino near Harrisburg at left) and ratchets up the income tax on lottery winnings.
Brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III (l.) will net some $4 billion from the sale of most of their 80 percent interest in UFC to the partnership of William Morris Endeavor and International Management Group and a private equity entity identified as MSD. The Fertittas will maintain a small interest in the UFC, and UFC President Dana White will remain in his role and as a part owner.
Lorne Weil (l.), the former leader of Scientific Games, last week led a group to buy Inspired Gaming, a British-based game developer. Weil, who led Scientific Games prior to its purchase of WMS and Bally Technologies, and his investors will pay £200 million for a 65 percent interest in the company.
Station Casinos last week announced it would begin the application process to open a casino near the Reno Convention Center. The property was one of two that the company purchased in Reno more than 10 years ago, but did not develop until now.
Shareholders of Caesars Acquisition Co., which owns such assets like Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas (l.), will take a smaller stake in a merger with Caesars Entertainment under a plan that Caesars hopes will get its largest operating unit out of bankruptcy reorganization. The change could mean a bigger share for stubborn junior creditors, who so far have not agreed to anything.
Philippine auditors say the country’s gaming regulator, PAGCOR, owes the government PHP15.4 billion (US$325.5 million) due to under-payments from 2011 to 2015. PAGCOR stands by its books. Meanwhile, PhilWeb, one of the two companies that operates what passes for online gaming in the country, is worried about being put out of business.
One gaming consultant feels the chance for casinos in Israel is “very low,” at least in the near term. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (l.) has been talking up the idea since he first took office in the late 1990s.
Rarely has a gaming company done as much to try to stop a competing casino from happening. However, some say that MGM Resorts is just protecting the turf of MGM Springfield (l.), scheduled to open in 2018, when it tries to keep Connecticut gaming tribes from trying to build a third casino in the state.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) selected Greater Victoria as the host site of a proposed casino. Specific plans for the proposed casino are yet to come and will largely hedge on developments at the existing View Royal Casino (l.) in Victoria, British Columbia. The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is working with the BCLC to expand that casino, which is to remain the area’s primary gaming venue.
The elements that contributed to first quarter results are still in place, and it’s doubtful anything will change for the remainder of the year. What does that mean to the casual investor?
This week, the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Frank Freedman, the chief operating officer of the Four Winds casinos, owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Michigan.
Five controversial casinos boats on India’s Mandovi River off Goa could finally have a new permanent home. A private investor reportedly has offered to establish a “special offshore casino zone” for the cruisers. Once an opponent of the boats, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar (l.) now says the state’s economy depends on them.
Though Imperial Pacific International has not yet opened its permanent casino on the island of Saipan, lawmakers are already considering a 10 percent tax hike on revenues. Best Sunshine is the island’s sole gaming hall. IP CEO Mark Brown (l.) says the company has already paid the government more than $70 million.
Vietnamese developer Saigon Cuu Long Corp., which is building a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, has cut a deal with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. for management of the property’s hotel. Groundbreaking was held on July 4.
Recent research says the Indian state of Maharashtra, which includes the city of Mumbai (l.), could generate a gaming industry worth nearly US$1.09 billion in annual gaming revenue by the year 2021.
The second quarter of 2016 was not a winner for Macau. VIP revenues fell 20 percent year-on-year, partly due to a recent ban on proxy betting by high rollers. But some analysts see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Genting Malaysia Bhd. is feeling the pain of the UK Brexit vote. Companies with exposure in the seesawing market could face “slower business volumes and a weaker pound-to-ringgit translation,” says Nomura.
Any North Korean caught gambling online inside the country could face the death penalty. Yet reports indicate that the government of dictator Kim Jong-un (l.) may be profiting from the offshore market, and hacking too.
Nasdaq-listed Entertainment Gaming Asia Inc. has announced it will sell all 670 of its electronic gaming machine seats at NagaWorld Casino to a third-party buyer in Cambodia. The asking price: US$2.5 million.
Despite Macau’s ongoing recession, now in its third year, Galaxy Entertainment Group is forging ahead with plans to develop its Phase III and IV projects, according to Vice Chairman Francis Lui Yiu Tung.
The British Horseracing Authority wants a merged Ladbrokes-Coral to pay a levy on horseracing revenues to offset the loss of competition that will result from the merger of the two bookmakers. The authority is lobbying the UK Competition and Markets Authority for the special tax.
The government of New South Wales has announced it will ban greyhound racing. The decision follows an investigation that revealed overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty, said Premier Mike Baird (l.). The shutdown will begin in 2017.
Political opposition could derail plans to remodel and expand Australia’s Casino Canberra (l.). Owner Aquis Entertainment wants 500 machine games, the ACT government will only agree to 200, and a Greens MP wants even those severely curtailed in terms of betting and loss limits.
Premier Colin Barnett (l.) of Western Australia has been accused of quietly working to relax gaming regulations in the state to help boost the price of the TAB, which is set to go private.
Russia has increased its crackdown on illegal gaming websites operating in the country through its communications regulator Roskomnadzor (l.). Targets include online poker, casino and bookmaking sites as well as some betting information and news sites.
A measure that would legalize daily fantasy sports (DFS) in New York and enable DraftKings and FanDuel to resume business awaits the signature of Governor Andrew Cuomo (l.). Meanwhile, a tentative settlement between the state and DraftKings and FanDuel allows the state to pursue false advertising claims. If the bill does not become law, the state will resume pursuing illegal gambling claims.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recently declared select fantasy sports games are legal in the state, since they are not games of chance but depend on a player's skill in selecting athletes and those athletes' performance. The Senate passed a fantasy sports bill that died in the House in the last session.
Two prominent members in the eSports world of Counter Strike: Global Offensive have become embroiled in a controversy over rigged skin betting. The players Trevor “Tmartn” Martin and Tom “Syndicate” Cassel have been discovered to own a gambling site for the game they promoted on their popular YouTube channel, without disclosing their interest in the site.
Portugal’s gambling regulator has issued a license to Bet Entertainment Technologies Ltd., making it the second company licensed to offer online gambling in the country.
The lower house of the Dutch Parliament has passed a bill to regulate online gaming in the country for the first time. The country’s Senate is expected to pass the bill later this year.
Microgaming has launched a new take on the popular Jackpot Sit & Go for the European online poker market. It’s a progressive reel slot configured for three-player tournaments with buy-ins up to €50 and a no-limit top prize.
Two pro-casino-gambling groups, Keep the Money in Nebraska and Arkansas Wins in 2016, both beat the July 7 deadline and submitted more signatures than required to place casino proposals on the November ballot. In Nebraska a proposed constitutional amendment would allow slots at racetracks, led by former Senator Scott Lautenbaugh (l.). A proposed constitutional amendment in Arkansas would allow casinos in three counties.
A study by the University of Massachusetts is touting the advantages of building a new thoroughbred racetrack in the state, citing new jobs and benefits for the state’s racing and breeding industries. Some of the $150 million cost would come from a revenue stream created by Plainridge Park Casino (l.), which is the only racetrack to offer slots in the state.
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission has approved MGM Resorts International’s purchase of Boyd Gaming’s 50 percent stake in Atlantic City’s Borgata casino hotel (l.).
NFL Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis (l.) says he needs an answer soon on whether or not a stadium will be in Las Vegas, but rising estimates of its potential cost continue making that difficult. Early proposals suggest the cost of buying land and building a stadium could be as much as $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention Center likely will get funding for its $1.4 billion expansion.
The Florida Supreme Court, on break until late August, left undecided the issue of whether racetracks can install slots if approved by local voters, or if legislative or constitutional authority is required. However, the justices set November 2 to hear arguments on an amendment that would require future statewide votes to authorize casino-style games.
Gaming revenue in Maryland was up for a seventh straight month in June, totaling $93.3 million for the state’s five casinos. Slots led the way, accounting for $59.4 million. Maryland Live! (l.) was tops among the competition with $53.7 million in win.
The American Gaming Association has won an important ally in its fight to overturn a federal ban on sports betting. The AGA is orchestrated a concerted lobbying push for repeal, and the United States Conference of Mayors has voted to lend its support.
The Saratoga Casino Hotel has opened after undergoing a $40 million construction endeavor over the past year. The new hotel has 117 rooms and 13 premium suites, and gives its guests easy access to the 75-year-old track, which they can see from their rooms. Meanwhile, at Aqueduct, Genting Berhad wants to increase the number of slots there by 6.5 times its current tally at Resorts World New York, but local opposition is growing.
California’s gaming tribes remain unimpressed by recently released guidelines from the Bureau of Gaming Control, which were supposed to prevent card rooms from conducting games in a way that the tribes consider to be illegal. Viejas Attorney General Tuari Bigknife (l.) is disputing the law.
Carl Icahn (l.) and Tropicana Entertainment have told striking workers at their Atlantic City casino the Trump Taj Mahal to accept a proposed health benefits plan offered by the casino or it will be withdrawn. The strike at the property has entered its third week and affects about 1,000 workers at the casino hotel. The union has called the health plan proposal inadequate.
California-based Criswell-Radovan bought the Cal-Neva in 2013 with the intention of renovating and reopening the resort. But after several missed target dates, Criswell-Radovan has filed for bankruptcy protection in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in California. The resort is located on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, includes a 10-story hotel tower and 6,000-square-foot casino, and once was owned by Frank Sinatra.
The latest poll on a referendum going before New Jersey voters in November shows support for building two new casinos in the northern part of the state—which would be the first NJ casinos outside of Atlantic City—is lessening. The poll found that 57 percent of respondents were against the expansion.
The expanded and renovated Hollywood Park Casino is scheduled to open this fall in downtown Las Angeles. It is part of the Inglewood Community’s redevelopment of its retail district.
Developer Glen Straub’s plans to re-open part of the former Revel Atlantic City this summer seem more and more like a long shot as the property is no closer to opening than it was a month ago, when Straub first scheduled the property to re-open. The property is still waiting on needed building inspections and certifications to re-open.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Tuesday, July 19 for the new $50 million, 75,000 square foot Tropicana Evansville in Indiana--the first of the state's 10 riverboats to move to land. The new facility will feature a 45,000 square feet gaming floor, upscale restaurant and bar, deli and performance venue.
The ownership group behind Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino is suing in Pennsylvania Supreme Court for a refund of the slot tax it pays to local municipalities under state law. Holding Acquisition says the tax is not uniform and therefore is unconstitutional.
Illinois casino revenue was $112 million June, down 9 percent from May and 5 percent compared to June 2015. Part of the blame is the spread of video gambling machines, which today number 23,406 statewide. Now, to fight back against the games, casino operators are investing in the industry or buying terminal operators outright.
The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has filed a tax lien on two small pieces of Atlantic City property needed for the Atlantic City Gateway Project (l.), a redevelopment project designed to build a city campus for Stockton University in the resort. The lien is not expected to hold up the project, however.
Work on the Lucky Dragon casino and hotel in Las Vegas is winding down in time for a late-year opening of the Chinese-themed hotel located on the north side of West Sahara Avenue between the Las Vegas Strip and I-15. The 27,500-square-foot casino will feature mostly baccarat table games, along with pai gow and others, and its 203-room hotel is designed to offer a luxurious experience for all visitors.
Atlantic City’s eight casinos saw revenue decline a little over 1 percent in June, but casino revenue for the first six months of 2016 was up 2.5 percent. The Trump Taj Mahal was one of only two properties to see a revenue increase for the month, but workers there went on strike July 1.
Since casinos opened in 2012 in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, Ohio, they have generated more than $1 billion in tax revenue for the state, host cities, education, regulatory commissions and problem-gambling and law-enforcement funds. Casinos in Ohio pay taxes of 33 percent on gross revenue.
For fiscal 2016, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission announced the state's 19 gambling operations posted revenue of $1.437, closing in on the record-setting $1.47 billion in 2013. Revenue was up $21.6 million and profits increased 1 percent. Eight gaming operations reported revenue gains, including the Hard Rock in Sioux City with $13.1 million.
Larry Flynt will now have two card rooms in Gardena. He recently completed the purchase of the Normandie Casino (l.), considered the oldest card room in California, for an undisclosed amount.
Prairie Meadows racino in Altoona, Iowa is appealing the IRS's revocation of its tax-exempt status. If it wins it will remain a nonprofit. If it loses, it could seek a buyer. One analyst estimates the property could sell for $500 million to $1 billion. The venue generates $185 million in gaming revenue before government or charitable distributions.
RCH Colorado, owners of the Reserve Casino Hotel in Central City, must pay $250,000 to four women who were let go and called "old, fat, ugly and gray-haired" when they reapplied for their jobs. RCH Colorado also must provide employee discrimination training and regularly report to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
The Eastern Band of Cherokees announced it will invest $61 million in a third North Carolina casino-hotel in advance of competition in Georgia. The new property would generate $37 million in annual revenue with a 25,000 square foot gaming floor offering 250 slots and 20 table games, plus a 200-room hotel. The tribe also operates Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (l.)
Although Elk Grove, California, Mayor Gary Davis has not yet endorsed the casino proposed by the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians of Wilton Rancheria, an anti-casino group is targeting him nonetheless. The group, Protect Elk Grove, has called for pressure on the mayor in a series of flyers sent to mailboxes.
Two dozen residents of Taunton, Massachusetts, are challenging a decision by the Interior Department to place into trust 151 acres of the city where the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is building its Project First Light Resort & Casino (l.).
Documents that a federal judge forced the Tohono O’odham Nation of Arizona seem to show that the tribe was talking one way and acting in another way when it negotiated the 2002 gaming compact. The documents show that the tribe all along was interested in land in the Phoenix Valley, despite what it was telling others.
A Northern California tribe, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, is suing to try to prevent a neighboring tribe, the North Fork tribe, from building an off-reservation casino in Madera. This is the same tribe that California voters tried to stop from building when they passed Proposition 48 two years ago.
The newest restaurant at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Canal Street Café, will open Monday, July 18. It replaces the shuttered Locavore, a former Top 30 restaurant that opened in August 2014. Former Sous Chef Oscar Vega Medina has been named chef at the new restaurant.
Eight new homes recently were completed in phase one of Pokégnek Édawat Hartford (l.), the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' new tribal village near Hartford, Michigan. Two more phases are planned with more housing, a community center and a park. The tribe owns the Four Winds Casinos in New Buffalo, Hartford and Dowagiac.
The Prairie Island Indian Community recently broke ground on an $86 million expansion and renovation project at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Red Wing, Minnesota. The project will add 84,000 square feet in two new hotel towers offering 300 new rooms. The current hotel lobby also will be renovated.
The cost of playing the EuroMillions lottery in the UK increased to $3.30, angering players who are venting their anger on social media. But EuroMillions operators said the enhancements will offer bigger prizes and guarantee two UK millionaires in every draw, double the current number guaranteed per year.
Although the Massachusetts Lottery is the most successful in the United States, it wants to maintain that position by expanding onto the internet. That will target the one group that has so far not been as strong a buyer of lottery tickets: millennials.
Horseshoe Casino Baltimore announced Pam Clements has been hired as vice president of finance. Previously Clements was vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Hollywood Casino Toledo. She also was director of financial property reporting, capital project accounting and fixed assets at Caesars Entertainment and director of finance at Cleveland's Thistledown Racino.
Claire Milne, a well-known eGaming technology and regulatory compliance expert, has been named an independent non-executive director at gaming software developers Playtech. Currently Milne serves as a partner and team leader within the intellectual property and science and technology teams for Appleby in the Isle of Man.
Seminole Casino Brighton in Florida has named Steffanie Immerfall as its new player development executive. A 20-year casino industry veteran, Immerfall previously served as resorts sales manager at Windcreek Casinos in Alabama and held various executive positions at Harrah's/Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, Indiana.
International Game Technology has installed 150 of its live-dealer Dynasty ETGs at Sands Bethlehem. The multi-game Dynasty is a first for Pennsylvania and the largest set-up of its kind in the U.S. to date.
Delaware’s Dover Downs is seeing a significant payoff from a new partnership with marketing software specialists OfferCraft. OfferCraft designed two mailings for the racino built around unique promotional games and non-cash awards.
Station Casinos’ new sports betting app offers an improved and enhanced mobile wagering solution for sports fans in Nevada. Developed for iOS and Android users and available on the STN Sport mobile app, the new app for mobile sports betting provides an enhanced, faster, and more enjoyable wagering experience. Miomni Gaming developed the mobile app, which uses geo-location technology to ensure all wagers are made in Nevada.
Visitors to MGM Resorts International properties in Las Vegas now can compete for cash and prizes via mobile gaming tournaments. MGM’s new easyPLAY Mobile Tournaments allows visitors to compete on their cell phones, mobile devices, laptop computers, or a new gaming consoles at MGM properties in Las Vegas. MGM is the nation’s first licensed gaming operator to offer the mobile tournaments.
Malta’s venerable Dragonara Casino marked its 53rd birthday by unveiling a new installation of Interblock’s Organic Roulette multiplayer ETGs. The installation features both automated and live dealers.
Win Systems says its European expansion strategy is well on track thanks to the recent installation of its WIGOS management system in Spain’s Gran Casino Mallorca. The system connects 93 machine games and six tables.
As MGM Resorts begins construction on its Springfield casino in Massachusetts, the company is setting up training programs for both gaming and culinary employees.
International casino entertainment company Century Casinos, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, recently opened a casino aboard Thomson Cruises' TUI Discovery, serving the UK market. With 12 slot machines and four gaming tables, the 2,000-passenger vessel also features an outdoor cinema, rock-climbing wall, mini-golf course, five-story atrium and indoor pool.
A record 1,011 players at the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas will receive a cash payout as the event has drawn 6.737 players, the highest total since 2011.
