Developments are popping up in Florida on several gambling fronts. A bill that would require a statewide vote on any gambling expansion progressed. The Seminole tribe sued 25 internet cafes, which are flourishing in the state, and expressed concern over fantasy sports legislation, introduced by Senator Dana Young (l). And dog racing may be a thing of the past if voters approve a referendum next year. But the casinos connected to the dog tracks will remain open.

Ladbrokes Coral Plc will become a part of GVC Holdings now that the long-rumored deal has been completed. The convoluted structure of the company and pending UK regulatory changes make it difficult to value, but experts say it could be worth anywhere from £3.2 billion to £4 billion.

China has reinstated a ban on tour groups to Korea, three weeks after it was relaxed and one week after a visit from President Moon Jae-in (l.) was expected to improve relations. And has Kangwon Land been ordered to make less money? According to a note from JP Morgan Securities, the only South Korean casino resort open to locals is on order from the government to limit growth.

Gambling losses in Australia have reached record highs, according to a new study by the Queensland state government. Punters lost almost A$24 billion (US$18 billion) in a year, half of it on pokies. And a report that Australia hosts the vast majority of the world’s non-casino slot machines isn’t going to help. Victorian Minister of Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Marlene Kairouz (l.) says her state is leading the way to help gamblers control themselves.

New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone has introduced a new bill that would repeal the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The bill is being introduced prior to a decision by the Supreme Court on New Jersey’s challenge to the 1992 PASPA law that banned sports betting in states where it did not already exist.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment head Lawrence Ho (l.) will sell off his entire stake in Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd., developer of Tigre de Cristal in the Russian Far East. The move was likely motivated by a planned new tax.

Despite an ongoing investigation of one of its casinos, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has been given a 20-year contract to operate the “bundle” of casinos in the Greater Toronto Area, including Casino Brantford (l.). The contract was awarded by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Skill gaming puts casinos between a rock and a hard place. How can you allow very skilled gamblers to win every time on your skill games? Gaming industry tech expert Bruce Merati (l.) suggests that manufacturers install dual meter gaming, one for chance and one for skill.

The 25 People to Watch feature is one of the most widely read of the year for GGB Magazine. This year will be no different and the lineup of honorees are as diverse as they are excellent.

The merger of Penn National Gaming and Pinnacle Entertainment, which includes at third party, Boyd Gaming, shook up the U.S. regional gaming market last week. There are now four major regional players, and more possibility for consolidation.

This week, the GGB Podcast gets together with Geoff Freeman, the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association marking the beginning of his fifth year at the helm of the organization.

The Ho Tram Project Co. has broken ground on the next phase of its $4.2 billion Grand Ho Tram integrated resort in Vietnam. The Kahuna Ho Tram Strip Condotel and Villa Development (l.) is set to open in 2019.

Golden Play Pvt. Ltd—an online gaming company—has been given a provisional license to operate a casino by the Indian State Sikkim. The company plans to operate out of its Hotel D’Wang Residency (l.) in the Deorali area of Gangtok. It will be the fourth casino in the state.

A Bloomberg survey of 10 gaming analysts shows that Macau could see a continuing surge in its high-roller business in the new year. The average forecast is for a 14 percent increase in gross gaming revenues in the market. The VIP entrance at Galaxy Macau shown at left.

Philippine businessman Dennis Uy may use an initial public offering or backdoor listing to fund his planned Emerald Resort and Casino (l.) in Cebu. The $341 million resort will be built on Mactan Island in Lapu-Lapu City.

MGM Macau is celebrating its 10th year in the world’s No. 1 gaming hub. Starting on December 5, the resort has marked the occasion with a series of events, including a gala party for 10-year employees.

In a bid to draw more young patrons, Resorts World Genting (l.) will add a Zouk Club-branded nightclub. The flagship club in Singapore is considered one of the top nightspots in Asia.

With its hotel in receipt of a five-star rating by the government of Nepal, Silver Heritage Group Ltd. says it’s on track to open a casino at Tiger Palace Resort in Bhairahawa, near the capital of Kathmandu.

James Packer, the largest shareholder of Australian casino giant Crown Resorts, will acquire two floors of the company’s new resort complex, Crown Sydney (l.) in Barangaroo. Packer will pay $46 million for the space.

In the 2018 legislative session the Michigan House will consider three bills to legalize and regulate online gambling and sports betting. State Rep. Brandt Iden's (l.) Lawful Internet Gaming Act would allow and license internet gaming, create the Division of Internet Gaming and impose a 10 percent tax on licensed internet gross gaming revenue.

A key Rhode Island lawmaker said the state would quickly consider legalizing sports betting if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a federal ban. Rhode Island state Senator William Conley (l.), the chair of the state’s Senate Finance Committee, said the state would move quickly to consider sports betting in a recent interview.

MGM Resorts International is taking the lead in reshaping Las Vegas as an eSports mecca, sealing a deal to bring a regular slate of cash tournaments to the MGM Grand starting in 2018. The new year also will see the gaming giant open the Strip’s first eSports arena (l.) at the Luxor.

New Jersey’s Senate president, Steve Sweeney (l.), says he doesn’t expect a second effort to put a referendum before state voters to expand casino gaming beyond Atlantic City will happen “anytime soon, if ever.” State voters overwhelmingly defeated such a referendum in 2016, but under state law a new referendum could be put before voters as early as 2018. Supporters of the plan, however, said they don’t want to try again until they’re certain the referendum could pass, which could take up to five years.

Penn National Gaming spokesman Eric Schippers blasted Pennsylvania’s new gaming law as a “money grab” that will result in significant cannibalization. Yet with the announcement of the Pinnacle purchase, it’s likely Penn National Gaming, which operates the Hollywood Casino (l.) near Harrisburg, will be a bidder for an online gaming license, and undoubtedly a mini-casino.

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission has approved a management agreement between the owners of the former Trump Taj Mahal and the operators of the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The agreement allows Hard Rock to operate the casino—which it is refurbishing—even though it does not own the land it sits on. The land is owned by Boardwalk 1000, which includes Hard Rock International and investors Jack Morris and Joe Jingoli (l.).

Wynn Resorts is spending $336 million to acquire 38 acres across from Wynn Las Vegas. It’s a site with a past. It’s where the New Frontier stood, where the Plaza Las Vegas (rendering l.) crashed and burned in the recession and, more recently, where James Packer bailed on his luxury resort Alon.

Congress has struck a provision from its massive tax overhaul that would have eliminated the tax-exempt status of bonds used to fund pro sports stadiums. Las Vegas is breathing a sigh of relief over the use of those bonds in the construction of the Raiders stadium (l.).

Asian play is the big prize in the marketing strategy being crafted at Resorts World Catskills (l.). Accordingly, New York’s newest gaming resort is speeding up its debut to cash in on the Chinese New Year.

The Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force is considering allowing Louisiana riverboats to move ashore, increase gaming space and offer sports betting. Baton Rouge Area Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Knapp said L'Auberge Baton Rouge (l.) significantly impacted the market when it opened in 2012 but Baton Rouge can sustain three casinos.

Illinois horseracing officials said purse and revenue declines could be reversed if lawmakers allowed electronic gaming. Ten other states, including Indiana and Kentucky, legalized racinos, leading to higher purses, better horses and increased audiences. A bill permitting electronic gaming at racetracks (Arlington Park at left) narrowly passed the state Senate in May and awaits a House vote.

Eric Persson, the president and COO of Aruze Gaming America, is part of a group buying the Wendover Nugget Hotel & Casino (l.) in Nevada. The casino is near the Utah border and gets most of its business from Salt Lake City, some of it via a bus company that was part of the deal.

Ground is being prepared for the $50 million Keeneland (l.) quarter horse racetrack and historical racing machine facility in Corbin, Kentucky. However, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has not issued a license, previously said it won't consider new license applications, although two licenses are outstanding. Churchill Downs is partnering with Keeneland on the project.

The town of Northampton, Massachusetts worries that its businesses will be devastated by the opening this fall of the MGM Springfield (l.). The city asked for and received a grant to create a marketing program to try to attract business from the visitors to the casino.

Regulators in Pennsylvania have fined Mohegan Sun Pocono (l.) a record total of $1 million, in connection with an inside casino scam and doing business with unlicensed firms.

The newly minted Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA won’t be on any odds boards posted at the 10 Strip casinos (sports book at MGM at left) run by the team’s new owner, MGM Resorts International. The betting ban is in line with industry policy aimed at avoiding even the hint of a conflict of interest.

In what could be a major election issue in Connecticut next year, the state’s gaming tribes are squaring off for a big, take no prisoners war with MGM Resorts International over Bridgeport. The tribes want to protect their turf from MGM—at the same time local religious groups, including Catholic Bishop Frank Caggiano (l.), say, “a plague on both your houses.”

A small tribal casino near Santa Fe, New Mexico that has never operated very profitably since it opened a year ago could be closed for good. The Nambe Falls Travel Center casino (l.) was operated by Nambe Pueblo.

Soboba Casino last week celebrated a “topping off” ceremony on its new hotel (l.). Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians lowered three white painted beams to mark the event. Soboba joins at least half a dozen Southern California casinos currently involved in expansion projects.

Following a 5-1 vote by the village council, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians' Odawa Casino (l.) in Mackinaw City, Michigan can offer Las Vegas-style Class III games like those found at Odawa Casino in Petoskey. An expansion at Mackinaw City next summer will include a bar and grill plus 100 new slots.

The Hopi Tribe and the state of Arizona signed a 20-year compact allowing the tribe to own or lease up to 900 Class III gambling machines. The 22nd and last to sign a compact, the tribe rejected gambling in 1995 and 2004, but tribal Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma (l.) said, "We're at a different time now."

Keno 603 games were offered in seven cities in New Hampshire last week with more in line to join them. The games benefit all-day kindergarten.

Two French legislators in charge of evaluating gambling in France warned against bringing in private capital to the Française des Jeux—France’s lottery—under current regulations. The French MPs said such a move could only happen after an extensive review on how it will affect the lottery’s public service mission.

Roger Devlin has been named Group Chairman of UK bookmaker William Hill after nine years as Chairman of Sports Information Services. He’ll assume the role in April when current chairman Gareth Davis is scheduled to step down.

Foxwoods has expanded its electronic table game offering by adding the Rainmaker Stadium, featuring the Novo Unity Stadium by Novomatic AG.

Ainsworth Game Technology announced that the purchase of the 52 percent stake of its shares owned by founder Len Ainsworth to Austria’s Novomatic AG is expected to close on January 5. Harald Neumann (l.), chairman of Novomatic, says he expects the deal to boost Novomatic’s U.S. market share to 10 percent.

Shareholders of NYX Gaming overwhelmingly approved the company’s acquisition by Scientific Games Corporation, putting the deal on schedule to close in early January. Scientific Games President and CEO Kevin Sheehan (l.) says the combination will create a world leader in end-to-end product portfolio.

Aristocrat Technologies has launched its Dragon Link progressive product in North America, and a new version of Buffalo on the large-format RELM XL stepper cabinet.

Interblock has launched North America’s largest single-venue electronic table game footprint at Genting’s Resorts World New York City Casino.