Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (l.) and 10 Indian tribes signed a new gaming compact allowing existing casinos to increase keno games and poker tables, bans new Phoenix-area casinos, but gives Class III status to the Tohono O'odham's controversial Glendale casino, Desert Diamond West. Ducey said the new compact "is vital for healing the integrity of the original agreement," signed in 2002.
Sara Rayme (l.), a top executive with the American Gaming Association, says the casino industry will renew its push for legalized sports betting with a former casino owner as the U.S. president. The first bill will seek to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) passed in 1992.
A bill that would legalize gaming in Brazil will be addressed December 7 following the approval of final amendments. The Senate Special Committee on National Development has already accepted the legislation, and Senate President Renan Calheiros (l.) will post it for a vote.
Florida Senate President Joe Negron (l.) said he wants to negotiate a new compact with the Seminole Tribe that also considers parimutuels. House Speaker Richard Corcoran warned any gambling legislation must be "very conservative" and offer a reduction in gambling. Last year legislators rejected a compact negotiated by Governor Rick Scott and Seminole officials.
The Plainridge Park Casino (l.), the first of the Bay State’s planned four casinos, is “falling far short,” per a state audit, in providing local jobs, as it is required as a condition of its license. However, says the casino, its obligations don’t have a time limit. Meanwhile, the legalization of marijuana in the state doesn’t mean you can smoke it in casinos.
Bermuda casinos are inching forward with the recent passage of the Casino Gaming Amendment Act of 2016, following intense debate. Among its provisions are clauses banning public officers from the gaming industry for two years and granting a provisional license to the Desarrollos Group, developers of the new St. Regis Hotel for St. George’s. Meanwhile, regulator Alan Dunch (l.) is bemoaning the lack of participation by Bermuda’s banks.
Amaya founder and former CEO David Baazov has confirmed that a Dubai company he said was backing his bid to buy Amaya and take the company private is not involved in the deal. Reports had surfaced that the company denied any knowledge of the deal. Baazov said he will seek alternative funding.
The Wynn Palace on Macau’s Cotai Strip will redesign its gaming floor in an attempt to draw mass-market players. Initially, the $4.2 billion property was targeted at high rollers.
The mystical power of the number one in the gaming industry is only surmounted by the impossibility of the number zero. Yet for many gaming companies, there are only one or even no women on their boards.
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Kurt Williams, the CEO and co-founder of Casino Cash Trac, a company that has revolutionized the reporting functions of a casino through innovative software programs.
They have been detained since mid-October on allegations of “gambling crimes.” Now three employees of Crown Resorts, including the VIP head, Jason O’Connor (l.), have been officially placed under arrest in Mainland China. Fifteen other Crown Chinese employees were also detained, but no information was released about them.
Though international gaming companies in Asia get most of the attention worldwide, smaller operators will grow the industry throughout the region, say analysts including Union Gaming’s Grant Govertsen.
Sands China Ltd. and MGM China Holdings Ltd., two United States gaming operators in Macau, have been found not guilty of breaking the city’s anti-smoking law.
Macau “Big Six” gaming operator SJM Holdings has reopened its Casino Taipa in the Regency Art Hotel last week for the first time in eight years. The casino has just five gaming tables and a mix of slots and ETGs.
South Korean casino operator Paradise Co. has postponed the issuance of three-year bonds “due to increased volatility in the financial market at home and abroad,” according to a statement from the company last week.
Online game developer PhilWeb Corp. may soon be back in business in the Philippines, according to reports. The eGames operator could be given the go-ahead to reopen shuttered operations around the country.
Betfred, Coral and Ladbrokes customers now may bet on Hong Kong racing pools online and in retail betting shops. Hong Kong Jockey Club officials said future agreements will bring Hong Kong racing directly to millions of UK households. Hong Kong race cards appear in the Racing Post and SIS distributes the live broadcasts.
When lottery managers Camelot tweaked the UK National Lottery in October, officials said the chances of winning at least $1.25 million had improved. But actually those chances fell from one in 14 million to one in 45 million. Between April and September, sales declined from $4.5 billion to $4.2 billion compared to 2015.
Irish Solicitor Stuart Gilhooly said gambling addiction among sports players will be "a huge issue." Gilhooly represented soccer player Craig Walsh, who had a severe gambling addiction that led to being banned from the game for a year after testing positive for cocaine. "People in that situation need help," not punishment, he stated.
Malaysian gaming operator Genting is reportedly planning to close one of its casinos in Birmingham, England and may do so as early as January. The shutdown could mean the loss of 200 local jobs.
Queensland is looking for possible locations for a new integrated resort, according to reports. Officials made the move after Aquis Resorts shelved plans to include a casino at its proposed $8 billion Queensland resort (l.).
The Gaming and Betting Control Bill of 2016 was introduced by Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Finance Colm Imbert (l.), who said it probably is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with a thriving, but unregulated, gambling industry, which generates $12 billion annually. He added the bill will create, not threaten, jobs.
A TV commercial by Australian gaming operator Tabcorp has been banned from the airwaves due to what the country’s Advertising Standards Board calls a depiction of excessive gambling. Tabcorp will appeal the decision.
The Manitoba, Canada government will start a pilot program to keep its two Winnipeg casinos open 24 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. But an associate professor at the University of Manitoba said the move could lead to "an increased likelihood of gambling problems" and a "very harmful addition to the province."
Several major online poker sites say they may be forced to leave the Australian market if the country adopts proposed changes to its Gambling Act. Proposed amendments to the bill will require operators to obtain an Australian gambling license, but Australian law bans online poker. PokerStars, PartyPoker and 888Poker are among the online operators objecting to the amendments.
IGT is reportedly in discussions with three Asian casino operators to potentially launch a new application that will allow casino customers to play slots and tables from their smartphones.
Though far below inflated predictions for revenue when first introduced, New Jersey’s online gambling sites have been a steady source of revenue as online gambling in the state has reached the three-year mark. The state’s sites, led by Borgatacasino.com (l.), have taken in $440 million and the state has made $66 million in taxes.
PokerStars held its first live event in the U.S. in six years at Resorts casino In Atlantic City. Despite a low turnout, officials for the online poker giant called the event a success and said they plan to hold another event in the spring.
The Internal Revenue Service has filed a request in federal court seeking the personal data of all U.S. users of the virtual currency exchange Coinbase. Officials for the exchange said they are concerned by the broad scope of information the IRS is seeking.
A study from Juniper Research predicts that consumer spending on Daily Fantasy Sports will reach $5.3 billion by 2021, up from $2.6 billion this year. The study looks to DFS expansion to the UK, Australia and Latin America as driving the increase.
Playtech has launched the second installment in its popular series of Prestige live casino titles, Prestige Baccarat, featuring cameras specially positioned to capture the “squeeze.”
Fantasy sports start-up SportsHub has acquired two companies—one that processes payments and another that collects fantasy statistics. The company launched earlier this year and has raised about $2.5 million in funding.
MGM International’s mega-resort the MGM National Harbor Casino Resort, will open December 8 well within sight of the nation’s capital. It is expected to help generate middle class jobs in a region that badly needs such jobs.
The nonprofit Cedar River Alliance for Gaming in Iowa said it will apply for a new casino license in January under the Wild Rose brand. In response, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission said it will conduct a statewide gambling survey. The IRGC in April 2014 denied a license to another Cedar Rapids group that wanted to build the Cedar Crossing casino (l.).
The Columbus, Georgia city council recently voted 7-2 to include in its legislative wish list a request that the legislative delegation support a measure authorizing a referendum to allow a statewide vote on casino gambling. Five leaders in the African American community addressed the council, urging members to vote yes on the issue.
In October, Detroit casinos took in $110.7 million, a 2 percent drop compared with October 2015 and a 1.3 percent decrease from September. MGM Grand (l.) was the top producer at $47.3 million, down 0.3 percent from October 2015, followed by MotorCity at $37.2 million, down 1.5 percent, and Greektown at $25.2 million, down 5 percent.
A recent report said the Argosy Casino (l.) in Alton, Illinois posted declines of 11 percent in revenue and 15 percent in admissions between July 2015 and June 2016. The report blamed the drops on the state's 23,891 video terminals, "the equivalent of adding two casinos the size of Alton’s Argosy Casino to the area.”
The troubles of Atlantic City’s now closed Trump Taj Mahal casino brought down gross operating profits for the resort’s casinos by more than 10 percent for the third quarter. The Taj Mahal was hurt by a worker’s strike starting in July and eventually closed in October. The Taj, however, was the only Atlantic City casino to report a loss for the quarter.
The state of Ohio as part of its continuing whack-a-mole efforts to stamp out “skill games,” is now revising its regulations, in order to once again force such fly-by-night companies out of business. The target is businesses that give cash payouts for playing games that look a lot like slot machines.
Tower Investments, Inc., headed by Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein, has partnered with Metro Commercial Real Estate Inc. to fill leases at the Playground entertainment complex in Atlantic City. The complex if the former Ocean One Mall on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and has been undergoing a $50 million renovation.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is ready to negotiate a gaming compact with Alabama, said tribal Vice Chairman Robert McGhee (l.). The tribe operates three Class II casinos in the state, but wants exclusive rights to run Class III casinos in exchange for revenue sharing of up to $70 million annually.
The U.S. Supreme Court during the current session will decide an issue of tribal sovereign immunity. The case derives from a car accident caused by a limousine driver working for a tribe, but driving off the reservation.
The Choctaw Nation announced its economic development arm, the Choctaw Resort Development Enterprise, recently paid off outstanding bond debt and refinanced its existing bank loan. The CRDE owns and operates the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississippi, home of Silver Star, Golden Moon (l.), Dancing Rabbit, and Geyser Falls casinos.
Harrah's Cherokee Valley River casino resort (l.) recently turned one year old. Located in Murphy, North Carolina, the $110 million property had 1.1 million visitors, including more than one-third from Atlanta, a two-hour drive from Murphy. Future plans include a sit-down restaurant including a buffet, set to open next summer.
A developer who wants to build a third tribal casino in East Hartford has paid for a report that shows that the state could make $148.3 million, including $37.1 million in taxes if it beats the MGM Springfield to the punch.
Site improvements have begun at the former Bay Mills Vanderbilt Casino (l.) in Vanderbilt, Michigan. Local officials said it may reopen soon. The small casino opened in November 2010 but the state attorney general shut it down after a few months. An appeals court ruled for the tribe in August 2012, but the casino has remained closed.
Petitioners trying to stop a casino from happening in an unfinished mall in Elk Grove, California may have gotten enough signatures on a petition to put the issue on the ballot next summer. However, many in the town are crying foul at how their signatures were obtained.
When an Indian casino is built, it does more than just provide revenue for the tribe that operates it. It also provides ancillary benefits to the surrounding region. Such is the case of the Graton Rancheria, and its effects on the Bay Area economy.
People wanting jobs at the soon-to-open ilani Casino near La Center, Washington, flooded a recent job fair in Portland, Oregon. It was standing room only to sign up for 1,000 jobs at the casino.
The purchase of property by the Enid, Oklahoma city commission to expand a park has sparked casino rumors. Commissioners Aaron Brownlee and Rodney Timm said no casino plans exist. But Commissioner Ben Ezzell said it was discussed in an executive session with a developer affiliated with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.
Opponents of the Hollywood Casino Jamul in San Diego County seek to keep the Indian casino from getting a liquor license. Having lost in every other legal venue, the sale of alcohol may be their last weapon.
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community announced it will invest $40 million to renovate and expand its Ojibwa Casinos in Marquette and Baraga, Michigan. The tribe will spend $33.5 million at Marquette on a 3-star, 80-room hotel, convention center, entertainment venue, three restaurants and an expanded gaming floor.
Someday in the fairly near future tribes could get more out of someone lighting up a joint than they currently get from players dropping quarters in slot machines. The cultivation and sale of marijuana may someday surpass Indian gaming as a source of income.
A longtime advocate of a casino on the small reservation of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard, has been elected chairman of the tribe. Cheryl Andrews-Maltais returns to the job after a three year absence.
NYX Gaming Group confirmed that Jeremy Thompson-Hill will step down as CEO of its OpenBet division. NYX is performing an organizational restructuring, He will stay on as an advisor.
GameCo has signed an agreement with Paramount Pictures to license Mission: Impossible, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Paranormal Activity for a new line of skill-based slot machines to go along with its debut game, Danger Arena (l.).
A debtor database to be shared among junket runners in Macau is expected to launch sometime in 2017. The database is currently in the trial phase, says the chairman of the Macau Junket Association.
Spectrum Gaming Group and Regional Economic Models, Inc. are partnering to provide comprehensive analyses of proposed gaming legislation for state, national and tribal governments. REMI's modeling software projects the impacts of expanded gambling in various areas to help governments make objective, informed decisions.
Barcelona-based global gaming technology supplier Win Systems will provide Malta-based free sports betting platform Fairbet Group with its WIGOS casino management system under a new agreement. The technology will be installed across seven Fairbet sites, connecting 45 terminals and offering Fairbet players more options.
ICE VOX, the educational platform that will replace the conference program at the ICE Totally Gaming trade show, is garnering wide support from the industry.
