A New Jersey state Assembly committee has approved a bill to place a referendum to allow two new casinos to be built outside of Atlantic City to be placed on the November ballot. A state Senate committee has also advanced the bill, but critics of the measure, like Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (above), say the referendum is too vague and does not provide details—such as the tax rate on the casinos, the location, or the revenue split—that voters would need to decide.
Nevada’s 194 sports books took in a combined $132.5 million in wagers, which surpassed the prior record Super Bowl betting handle by nearly $17 million. Nevada sports books kept about 10.1 percent of the total, for a net gain of $13.3 million, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Nationally, some 47 million wagered on the game. The numbers have spurred talk of legalized sports betting, especially when President Barack Obama (l.) admitted to a Super Bowl wager.
The Florida House Regulatory Affairs Committee approved ratifying the Seminole compact, which gives the tribe exclusive rights to offer blackjack and adds roulette and craps at their casinos, including Seminole Coconut Creek (l.), in exchange for $3 billion over seven years. The Senate Regulated Industries Committee did not vote on similar proposals, due to a last-minute amendment presented by state Senator Joe Negron.
With a DFS bill racing through the legislature, California’s gaming tribes are hoping to tack on an iPoker provision that would permit both forms of gaming to be legal in the state. Meanwhile, in another busy—and troubling—week for the daily fantasy sports Industry, ESPN ended its exclusive advertising deal with DraftKings. Also, more layoffs were reported at FanDuel and Citigroup began blocking payments to DFS sites from New York players.
Marnell Gaming announced it paid an undisclosed price to buy the Sparks Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada, from a private investment group. Marnell Gaming owns and operates the Colorado Belle and Edgewater casinos in Laughlin, and says buying the Sparks Nugget gives it entry into the Northern Nevada gaming market, while aligning the company with an iconic gaming brand. But a looming federal investigation of original owners, the Ascuaga family, may complicate the sale.
MMCT a joint venture of Connecticut’s gaming tribes, the Pequots and the Mohegans, says that it will soon name a site for the third casino that the tribes want to build to try to protect their market share from casino raiders in Massachusetts. Tribal Chairmen Kevin Brown and Rodney Butler (l.) say more negotiations are needed.
Despite years of failed attempts, two state senators are again proposing a constitutional amendment to legalize casino gambling in Kentucky. But it might be a desperate hope since new Governor Matthew Bevin (l.) has stated his complete opposition to gaming.
The Year of the Monkey started with flat visitation to Macau, according to government data. The figures show a drop in package tours, but the head of the Macau Travel Industry Council says overall visitation should be about the same as in 2015.
A good surge at the end of 2015 has continued into this year, so regional casino companies seem to be on the rebound. Whether it’s Penn National, Pinnacle or Boyd, the regionals seem to have the upper hand.
This week the GGB Podcast joins Ken Manuel, the assistant CEO in the Pathway Mentorship Program at Gila River Gaming Enterprises in Arizona about the development of tribal talent at the tribe’s casinos.
The South Korean Ministry of Justice has identified a list of Chinese travelers who will be eligible for 10-year entry visas. According to reports, the list includes lawyers, professors and people with master’s degrees.
More details are becoming available about the HK$10 billion (US$1.28 billion) Tinian Island casino planned by Macau-based Alter City Group. Tinian’s only existing casino closed last September after a typhoon.
The legislative assembly of the Indian state of Nagaland met last week to discuss skill games like poker, rummy and fantasy sports. Legislation on the matter was postponed last summer due to opposition from the Baptist Church Council.
Australian casino operator Star Entertainment Group has set its cap for VIP gamblers who are no longer faithful to Macau. Star executive Greg Hawkins (l.) says the company’s Sydney property has seen an upsurge in visitation since the Macau recession.
When it comes to gambling losses, Australians top the list. Their neighbors in New Zealand are gambling a little less, but still forfeited $661 for every adult in 2015. That’s almost five times the global average of $138.
As the Australian government looks at alleged corruption in online sports gambling, in-play wagers could be authorized through William Hill mobile apps. Concurrently, the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act is under revision.
Amaya Inc. has appointed Barclay’s Capital Canada Inc. and law firm Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP to evaluate any takeover offers the company may receive. Barclays will act as the company's exclusive advisor to assess the all-cash buyout proposal that has been proposed by Amaya’s current CEO David Baazov (l.).
According to reports, the Portuguese government has closed about 86 online poker sites in the country saying they aren’t approved by the government. The closings have left the country’s online players in confusion and some have even begun moving out of Portugal.
PKR has signed an agreement with Microgaming to install the Microgaming Poker Network. The deal will also see PKR relaunch an online casino product and a Vegas slots brand with Microgaming games. Microgaming also announced an agreement with Aspire Global to add the company’s Quickfire product to the Malta-based online operator offerings.
Evolution Gaming has launched a live-dealer studio at Napoleon Games, and announced it will supplier live-dealer games to Aspire Global and Genting Alderney.
Inspired Gaming will partner with NYX Gaming Group in an agreement under which Inspired content will be offered to the NYX customer base. Also last week, the company announced the launch of the games in its Open Gaming System by Danish operator Dansk Underholdning in its entire range of gaming brands.
The Don Quixote of New Hampshire gaming expansion, Senator Lou D’Allesandro (l.), is ready to ride again in his 20-year quest to pass a casino bill in the Granite State. The senator has introduced a new bill in the Senate that would authorize a casino resort in Salem.
A combination of commercial casino interests and local opposition has joined together to fight a tribal casino in Massachusetts. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe recently achieved federal approval for land-into-trust status for a casino location in Taunton for their First Light casino (l.). Meanwhile Wynn Resorts and Boston have kissed and made up.
The Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa withheld a $7.2 million tax payment to Atlantic City as it continues its legal fight to get about $170 million in back tax payments from the city. Resort officials have warned that without the payment, the city could run out of cash by the end of February.
The under-construction Lago Resort & Casino will “cannibalize” business from other upstate New York casinos according to an analysis by Moody’s Investor Services. The analysis said that amenities at the new casino—such as table games—will attract gamblers away from competing racinos in the area and other amenities will attract customers from Turning Stone casino near Syracuse.
New Jersey’s appeal of a court decision striking down its sports betting law scheduled to be heard by a full federal appeals court February 17. The state is trying to circumvent a federal ban on sports betting by allowing unlicensed, self-governed sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
Now that Indiana riverboat casinos may move ashore, thanks to legislation passed last year, owners of Majestic Star riverboat casino (l.) in Gary, Indiana are seeking the perfect site on their property for a new $95 million - $135 million facility. Majestic Star's two riverboats, built in 1996 and 1997, are nearing the end of their usefulness.
Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted last week to send a bill to the legislature that would authorize a resort style casino in the southern part of the state. The bill is supported by the harness racing industry but opposed by the state’s two existing casino operators.
A bill under consideration in the Rhode Island House would allow Twin River Management Group to ask voters in the state and the town of Tiverton to allow a casino in that border town just minutes from Massachusetts.
The Wynn Las Vegas plans a May 26 opening of its new players-focused poker room, which will has 28 tables and special amenities for players, while the nearby Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino made the world’s largest sports book even bigger by expanding its popular SuperBook (l.) to 25,000 square feet and new betting terminals.
A lender seeking to repossess rides from Atlantic City’s Steel Pier amusement pier has agreed to mediation to settle the $1.5 million debt. The New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is reportedly part of the negotiations and is considering covering the pier’s debt.
A restraining order issued by a Cameron County, Texas judge ended a meeting of the Texas Racing Commission where it planned to amend or repeal historical racing guidelines. The commission has come under pressure to repeal historical racing rules by certain legislators who claim they, not commissioners, have the authority to approve the slot-like machines.
A new emphasis on catering to high rollers and boosting gaming revenues helped the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas to turn its first two profitable quarters in 2015. The Blackstone Group in 2014 put Bill McBeath (l.) in charge of the lagging casino, and he increased betting limits, slots payouts, and credit amounts to increase gaming revenues.
Georgia state Rep. Ron Stephens, the sponsor of legislation allowing six casinos in Georgia, said the bill's success depends on how it could impact the state's HOPE scholarship program. Supporters said casino gambling revenue would create a substantial surplus in the scholarship fund.
Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas (l.) once again sponsored a bill to authorize a gaming commission and allow a casino in Portsmouth, her home city, with gaming taxes directed toward lowering toll-road fees. The bill, similar to others she has introduced for years, once again was rejected by a Senate committee.
With the Illinois Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal from Midwest Gaming, owners of Rivers Casino (l.), Cook County held onto its right to tax video gambling machines. That means Midwest Gaming must pay the county $3 million in back taxes plus pay about $1 million in annual taxes from now on.
Many Las Vegas casino operators are counting on the Chinese New Year to boost lagging Baccarat gaming revenues, which plunged last year as China began discouraging its citizens from taking gambling trips abroad, and the Chinese and other Asian economies suffered downturns. The Chinese New Year should see an increase in visitors from China and, casinos hope, amounts wagered at baccarat tables.
Following a poker tournament last August, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering launched an investigation into players' allegations of fishy business going on at Hialeah Park's poker room. The agency recently released an administrative complaint against the historic venue, citing numerous irregularities, including questioning if every jackpot-fund dollar was paid out.
The 40,000 square foot Lagoon indoor water park and the Wave Spa recently opened at the Prairie Island Indian Community's Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Red Wing, Minnesota. The new facilities, part of the property's $19 million expansion, created 30 new jobs, bringing the total workforce to more than 1,500 employees.
The Rivers Casino & Resort likely will open in 2017, after work already got underway on the 60-acre site’s foundation. Plans call for 63 table games, 15 poker tables, 1,150 slot machines, and a 163-room hotel adjacent to the casino. Meanwhile, officials in St. Lawrence County say a reduction in Canadian tourism reduced their anticipated share of tribal gaming revenues.
Bally’s Atlantic City scheduled the opening of its new Boardwalk Saloon for president’s Day weekend. It is the first major addition of its $3 million Wild Wild West makeover.
If a proposed constitutional amendment passes, Nevada casinos and other NV Energy customers could choose their own electricity sources. Currently Las Vegas Sands Corporation, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts Ltd. would have to pay a combined $126 million in exit fees. Another initiative would roll back new rooftop-solar charges.
The new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is scheduled to open April 6 and announced new club seating memberships that are designed to enhance the guest experience, while also providing early access to tickets for large events. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Sands announced it wants to build a competing arena.
Former Sands China President Steven Jacobs (l.) is facing an uphill battle in his Clark County District Court wrongful termination suit against Sheldon Adelson and Las Vegas Sands, so he filed a federal complaint on January 29, which largely repeats accusations that Adelson and Las Vegas Sands fired him for refusing to take part in corrupt practices in Macau.
A northern California representative in the U.S. House has introduced a bill that would allow a Bay Area tribe to put land into trust, but would not allow a casino on that land for 22 years. The Lytton Pomo already operates one casino in San Pablo, and tribe supports the bill.
The Little Rock Port Authority in Arkansas backed out of a tentative deal allowing the Quapaw tribe in Oklahoma visit, observe, and protect historical and cultural sites it owns on 160 acres in Arkansas. The tribe wants the land placed in federal trust, and Little Rock locals are concerned the tribe might one day choose to build a casino on the site.
The Manistee-based Little River Band of Ottawa Indians got the go-ahead to prepare an environmental impact statement for its proposed 69,000-square-foot casino in Fruitport. The proposed casino would house 1,700 slot machines, 35 gaming tables, and provide 1,500 new jobs, while diversifying the local economy, the Little River Band says.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation board of trustees recently approved consumption of alcoholic beverages on the casino floor at Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission, Oregon. Officials estimate the move will increase profits by $300,000-plus annually. Certain family friendly areas will remain off-limits for drinking alcohol.
The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee recently approved a measure sponsored by state Senator Jim McClendon that would let voters approve a statewide lottery. A similar bill is moving through the state Senate. Details, such as where the funds would go, would be worked out later.
West Virginia senators are considering a measure that would increase limited video lottery machines from five to seven in bars and clubs and from 10 to 12 in fraternal organizations. The change in some of the state's 1,300 locations would generate an estimated $20-$25 million more in revenue.
The Indian state of Kerala’s new lottery is meant to fund education and social programs mainly directed at women. The Sthree Shakthi lottery aims to generate R100 crore (US$21.4 million).
The former director of the Arizona Lottery, Tony Bouie (l.), is being investigated by the criminal division of the state Attorney General’s office, the AG admitted last week. Bouie resigned a month ago.
MGM Resorts International Chairman Jim Murren (l.) was one of seven appointed to the new board of directors for its MGM Growth Properties REIT, which it hopes to offer this spring, while maintaining 70 percent ownership of the REIT and continuing to manage all properties. MGM also announced it is outsourcing operations management at its three events centers in Las Vegas.
Patrick Hughes, most recently the general manager of the Cannery in North Las Vegas, has been named to head the Fremont Street Experience, the consortium of casinos that operates the entertainment attraction at the heart of Downtown Las Vegas.
For the first time in three years the National Indian Gaming Commission will have all three members on board. A third member, Kathryn Isom-Clause (l.), will join the panel in March.
Richard Carter, former director of research at Deutsche Bank, has been named the new chief executive officer for global sports betting company SBTech. The Bulgaria-based company was founded in 2007 and has some 40 clients worldwide.
A veteran of consulting for the California legislature, Alva Johnson, has been named legislative director of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The band operates San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino.
The new Gambling Anti-Money Laundering Group in the UK named Keith Bristow, former director-general of the UK National Crime Agency, as its first chairman. The group aims to help the gambling industry fight money laundering by working with the Gambling Commission to establish industry best practice guidelines.
Aristocrat has launched its new series of multi-game, multi-denomination video slot packages under the M*Series with six popular Aristocrat titles included.
Marnell Gaming and Oklahoma’s Absentee Shawnee Tribe will implement Scientific Games’ Bally Systems Suite for casinos in Laughlin, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
Crane Payment Innovations has extended its preferred supplier agreements with Merkur Gaming and Olympic Entertainment Group, both involving the SC Advance bill acceptor.
Cimarron Casino Enterprises is implementing the automated campaign management solution produced by VizExplorer for its two central Oklahoma properties.
A self-use kiosk designed to help prevent “problematic gaming” was introduced at Studio City in Macau last week. The device is the third version of a self-help mechanism first debuted in 2012.
