Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (above) said he would be willing "to keep the discussion going" about casino gambling if proposed legislation does not affect the state lottery. Last year, he opposed legalizing casino gaming in his story. Two new House and Senate bills would allow two casinos and impose a 20 percent tax rate. Last year's proposal included six casinos and a 12 percent tax rate.
A three-year program that will allow Vietnamese locals to gamble at two domestic casinos will officially launch March 15. Union Gaming believes that the language of the decree could permit Grand Ho Tram (l.), the nation’s largest existing casino about two hours from Ho Chi Minh City, to participate in the program. Experts are divided about the potential consequences for Cambodia’s border casinos.
Yokohama and Osaka are usually mentioned as likely sites for Japan’s first legal casinos, with Tokyo being too congested and beset with opposition. But officials in the two cities have differing views on the benefits of integrated megaresorts. MGM Resorts released an image of its dream casino (l.) in Osaka in 2014.
Michigan could line up with New Jersey in challenging a federal ban on sports betting under a new bill introduced into its legislature by Rep. Robert Kosowski (l.). The bill would legalize sports betting, but is in its preliminary stages. Its sponsor says the state should be ready to fight the government since illegal gambling is taking place in the state. Pennsylvania may also soon see a sports betting bill introduced.
The country’s Finance Ministry has signed off on massive increases in the flat rates the central government assesses venues for each table game and slot machine they operate. However, it’s not certain how the increases will impact the country’s only full-fledged casino, Lawrence Ho’s Tigre de Cristal (l.), or if they’ll even apply.
A hard luck resort that has lost millions over the years could be changing hands. Reports are that Hard Rock International is partnering with the Wynn Group and Sunwing/Memories to acquire the Memories Resort & Spa at Freeport on Grand Bahama Island Hutchison Whampoa.
The Bay Mills Indian Community has sued Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for a declaration that its land in Vanderbilt, Michigan, site of its closed casino, is "Indian lands" because it was purchased with settlement funds. Snyder wants the suit thrown out. Meanwhile the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe asked to join the lawsuit.
Gaming Laboratories International has been tasked with doing the testing to determine how skill and hybrid games will perform in the casino industry. The independent testing lab’s analysis will allow regulators to understand how the games work and why they will fit into the offerings of their jurisdiction’s casinos.
This week the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Kevin Kelley, the chief operating officer for Galaxy Entertainment, and his new role with one of the leading operators in Macau.
More hotel rooms in Macau should be no problem during the Chinese New Year that began last Saturday. More visitors are incoming for the holiday, and occupancy may rise as much as 10 percent year-on-year.
Goa’s Congress Party has issued a manifesto promising the end of land-based and offshore casino gaming in the Indian state. Six casinos now operate in boats on the Mandovi River; a dozen more are based in resorts.
Kazuo Okada’s new casino resort in Manila’s Entertainment City has been doing brisk business, the company indicates. The $2.4 billion Okada Manila launched a preview period in December and expects a Q1 grand opening.
Malaysia’s Federal Territories Minister Adnan Tengku Mansor (l.) has stopped issuing licenses for recreation and sports clubs to curtail the growth of illegal internet gaming. New guidelines will also be created for cyber-cafes in the country.
More than half of the Chinese workers apprehended in the raid of an alleged illegal iGaming operation in the Philippines slipped the net of law enforcement, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre (l.).
City planners in Tullamore, County Offaly in Ireland have shot down plans for a casino resort with a five-story hotel in the community. Reports indicate the plan did not pass muster partly “on aesthetic grounds” and would conflict with the Malt House (l.).
Bookmaker BoyleSports is hoping to add up to 40 new betting shops to its Irish network to keep up with competitors, the firm’s CFO said. The firm is already adding nine stores recently acquired from Bambury Leinster.
Chilean casino operator Enjoy will buy a 55 percent stake in the Conrad Punta del Este Resort (l.) by raising up to US$550 million in financing. The company acquired 45 percent of the property in 2012.
Australians are among the biggest gamblers in the world. No wonder investors are planning $10 billion in new gaming resorts. ASF’s Gold Coast resort Director Louis Chien (l.) says a casino is an essential part of his multi-billion dollar project. But the recent Crown crisis may dampen enthusiasm.
New Zealanders broke records for pokies spend in the last quarter of 2016, with a reported $223.6 million spent on the games. The dramatic spike has authorities looking for evidence of money laundering.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. last week made third quarter payments to two cities that host OLG casinos. They are Thunder Bay and Niagara Falls.
An online poker bill has been introduced to the Hawaii legislature seeking to allow online poker and casino games. The bill would create the Hawaii Internet Lottery and Gaming Corporation with tax revenue benefitting the University of Hawaii and other public school systems.
The master licensor for iGaming in the Philippines’ Cagayan Freeport is planning a major overhaul of its technical infrastructure to better compete with PAGCOR’s new online gaming licenses.
The European Union’s Advocate General has issued an opinion that Gibraltar and the UK are one single market, rejecting a challenge by Gibraltar of new UK taxes on online gambling. The UK protectorate also faces implications from the opinion as it tries to deal with the Brexit vote. The EU Court does not have to follow the opinion of the advocate general, but rarely goes against the office.
Switzerland wants to block unlicensed offshore gambling sites in the country, but IP providers are saying that Swiss casinos should pay for it. Swiss casinos are counting on the government blocking the sites until new regulations go into effect in 2019.
Washington State’s Senate Commerce, Labor & Sports Committee heard testimony on online poker in a hearing despite the fact that there is no proposal to legalize online poker before its legislature. Some of the most colorful testimony came from a former online player and math teacher who testified that online poker is a game of skill and he has violated Washington’s ban on online gambling.
Amaya, Inc. has been ordered by a Quebec court to disclose liability insurance policies issued to directors and officers in a shareholder suit connected to insider trading charges.
With revenues of about $3 million, Delaware had its best year for online gambling in 2016. The figure is a 62 percent increase from 2015. Delaware Park was the market leader—three racinos can offer online gambling in the state—with $1.4 million.
A judge has dismissed a complaint by poker pro Marcel Luske against PokerStars over a copyright complaint involving Luske’s International Rules of Poker. The judge dismissed the complaint, but gave Luske time to file amendments. Luske maintains that PokerStars copied his rules without compensating him.
A study by BettingTips4You.com has found that on average, Brits leave about $18 in unused funds in dormant gambling accounts. As much as £53 million could be in all in unused British gambling accounts
The Chinese government has launched a new effort to censor the internet focusing on virtual private networks. Preventing access to blocked online gambling sites is included in the effort.
ESPN reports that about $5 billion was bet in “skins” betting on the eSport Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2016, despite efforts to stop the practice. Valve, makers of the game has been trying to slow down the betting which is largely unregulated.
SugarHouse Online Casino is introducing new real-money slot games from Konami gaming. Titles include Gypsy Fire and Fortune Stacks available to New Jersey players for real-money wagering via mobile and desktop.
When the first casino in Massachusetts, Plainridge Park Casino, opened in 2015, some feared it would hurt the state’s very successful lottery. That hasn’t happened according to a report commissioned by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
FanDuel has unveiled a fantasy golf game now being tested on private beta networks. The release follows games such as NBA InPlay released in conjunction with the NBA in December, as well as the launch of daily fantasy soccer in the United States in October. FanDuel is currently in talks to merge with DraftKings.
Australian gambling firm Tabcorp Holdings is introducing a new wagering platform for its Sun Bets joint-venture with News UK. The firm calls Sun Bets the largest international commercial initiative in the its history.
A Virginia Senate committee OK’d state Senator Louis Lucas' (l.) bill legalizing poker by designating it as a game of skill. The bill will go to the full Senate. The same committee denied Lucas' other legislation allowing casino gambling. Lucas said Virginia could lose $300 million due to the new MGM National Harbor casino.
At Indiana's smallest casino, Rising Star in Rising Sun, revenue has dropped two-thirds since 2009 and only half of its 1,500 allowed gaming positions (l.) are in use. State Senator Jon Ford has proposed moving those to a new $100 million-$150 million facility in Terre Haute. But a recent Spectrum Gaming Group analysis argues against it.
The third of the Empire State’s four new casinos is scheduled to open its doors on February 8 and a spokesman expects it will be “big.” The $330 million Rivers Casino and Resort (l.) in Schenectady will feature 1,150 slots and 82 table games. A hotel and spa are on tap for later this year.
Although the Illinois legislature is considering an expanded gambling package, many are concerned with the continued growth of video gambling and its impact throughout the state. Currently 24,841 machines are in use, compared with 22,135 at the end of 2015. Revenue to the state last year was $277 million, compared with $228 million in 2015.
Shareholders of Eldorado Resorts and the Isle of Capri Casinos have voted by overwhelming margins to approve of the acquisition of Isle of Capri by Eldorado. The two gaming companies will together be able to field over 20,000 slot machines, 550 gaming tables and 6,650 hotel rooms in several states.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (l.) has proposed returning the New York Racing Association to private hands. He does, however, plan to retain enough control of the agency to step in if it runs into financial difficulties of the kind that triggered a state takeover back in 2012.
Pennsylvania’s highest court has granted the state’s lawmakers a four-month extension of the deadline to create a new host-fee provision for the gaming law. Several bills have been introduced to address the issue, but include gaming expansion of some time, which will require more time to pass.
A tenacious proponent of a third casino in Maine, Horseracing Jobs Fairness, has qualified an initiative for the November ballot. The measure would allow for a casino in York County. Governor Paul LePage (l.) says the effort is being driven by “greed.”
Public comment will be invited at the Mississippi Gaming Commission's February 16 meeting in D’Iberville regarding two developers' requests for casino site approval, which previously was denied. RW Development is again seeking approval for a casino in Biloxi and Jacobs Entertainment is again proposing a casino in Diamondhead.
Rhode Island’s environmental agency has given the green light to the Twin River’s Tiverton casino resort in Tiverton. The casino is planned for a few hundred feet from the Massachusetts border.
Boyd Gaming's Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana recently completed a $45 million expansion, featuring a new 167-room hotel tower and renovation of the original 200-room hotel tower. The property also features a new fitness center and the Rosewater Grill & Tavern steakhouse.
Las Vegas Sands will pay the federal government $6.9 million to end a Justice Department investigation into its dealings in China. The investigation, launched in 2011, alleged the company funneled millions through a Chinese agent to secure Beijing’s support for its Macau operations.
Atlantic City hotels would have to pay a $2 hotel room tax to help offset Atlantic City’s public safety costs under a bill introduced in the New Jersey Assembly. The bill comes from Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (l.), who was a major opponent of the state’s move to take over the city’s finances. Prieto hopes the tax will prevent layoffs of police and firefighters.
The state of Florida is appealing a ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle allowing the Seminole Tribe exclusivity to continue to offer blackjack. Last November Hinkle ruled Florida officials violated the tribal-state gaming compact by allowing parimutuels to offer similar games. He said the tribe could continue to offer blackjack until 2030.
Indians who have been previously active in the Republican Party are making it known that they would like to serve with the Trump Administration. Several, including Cherokee member Jana McKeag (l.), are on the short list to be named Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (ASIA.)
The Office of Indian Gaming sent a memo to Oregon’s Coquille Tribe indicating that it could put a second casino 170 miles from its Coos Bay reservation in Medford. Tribal Chairwoman Brenda Meade (l.) claims that the Coquilles won’t have to use a two-part determination to put the land into trust.
The Utah-based Ute Indian Tribe of The Uintah And Ouray Reservation tried to put a casino in Dinosaur, Colorado in 2011. That time it was unsuccessful, but its betting that a second try will be the charm.
Wisconsin casinos operated by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band and other tribes could lose $37 million annually from the $33 million expansion (l.) at the Ho-Chunk casino in Wittenberg, according to a new study. The tribes claim the gaming compact does not allow such an extensive expansion for an "ancillary facility."
About 300 attended the first of several public meetings MMCT ventures will be holding to drum up support among the residents of two towns where it is considering siting a casino. The tribes want to build a third tribal casino to prevent the MGM Springfield in Massachusetts from draining away jobs and revenue. Mohegan Chairman Kevin Brown (l.) said the meeting was informational.
Jimmy Buffett performed for 3,000 fans at the new Paradise Cove theater in the Margaritaville casino at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa. The concert marked the completion of a $365 million renovation, including the Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant, 27-story hotel tower, convention space, Paradise Cove and a Ruth's Chris Steak House.
The Kansas Lottery will sponsor a bill allowing the state to operate self-service lottery ticket dispensers. The machines would bring in $8-$10 million from $30 million in annual sales, said Kansas Lottery Deputy Executive Director Sherriene Jones-Sontag (l.). She said the lottery set a new sales record of $273 million in the previous fiscal year.
Yielding to opposition from retailers, a legislative panel voted down a bill to bring sales of Virginia Lottery tickets to the internet. Currently, four state lotteries offer online sales, and more are expected to follow suit.
A bill under consideration in the Idaho legislature would prevent the state lottery from asking vendors about offering games in the state that are current illegal. These include Keno and simulated racing.
Scott Kreeger, former president and chief operating officer of SLS Las Vegas, has assumed his position managing development of the next phase of expansion for Galaxy Entertainment in Macau.
Investment banking and tribal government veteran Ben Martinez of the Mescalero Apache Tribe has joined Innovation Capital as Director of Native American Business Development. Formerly an executive with Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Resort, he will use that experience to try to attract Native American business to the firm.
The Bermuda Gaming Commission has joined the U.S. National Council on Problem Gambling as an organizational member, as Bermuda continues to set up its new casino industry. NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte (l.) says the action will help Bermuda address problem gambling issues.
The Gaming Standards Association has created the Malta-based GSA Europe to better serve the regional needs of suppliers and operators outside of North America. GSA President Peter DeRaedt (l.) says it will foster cooperation with European companies.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expanding a new tech platform that provides consumers with virtual tours of the Strip and its casinos. Available as a free app, Vegas VR, as it’s called, is being hailed as a promotional coup that will soon include walk-throughs of the city’s convention facilities.
International Game Technology will spend $15 million on a state-of-the-art instant ticket press through a 45,000-square-foot expansion of its Florida facility.
Urban graffiti artists from the famed Wynwood Art District of Miami have been hired to paint murals at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The first piece, by Patrice "Smog-1" Moretti is located on main garage's second-floor, reserved for premium members of the casino's loyalty program.
Scientific Games has outlined an extensive display of slot and table games and systems technology planned for the ICE Totally Gaming trade show. CEO Kevin Sheehan (l.) says ICE will help the company connect with its customers.
International Game Technology Plc. will display its complete portfolio of casino slots and cabinets, electronic table games and lottery technology at the ICE Totally Gaming trade show. Walter Bugno (l.), IGT CEO, international, says all aspects of IGT solutions will be on display.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will build on its recent success in the Czech Republic and other land-based and online jurisdictions in the EMEA to showcase its solutions at ICE Totally Gaming.
Abbiati Casino Equipment will display new gaming table designs accommodating the latest progressive, chip-sorting and other technology at ICE Totally Gaming.
The National Indian Gaming Association announced a platinum-level sponsorship from the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers for the 2017 Indian Gaming trade show. NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. (l.) says the relationship is strong and growing.
Representatives of all segments of the industry will attend the Georgia Gaming Congress 2017, to be held March 1 at the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi.
