The Australian Senate has passed amendments to the country’s Gambling Act designed to close loopholes and disallow “in-play” sports betting, but the amendments also failed to legalize online poker and gaming in the country. The bill now moves to a third Senate reading and a vote in the House of Representatives, where it is expected to be passed. NSW Senator David Ean Leyonhjelm (l.) says online poker will not stop, but will simply be driven underground.
The island nation doesn’t have a single resort casino yet, but already its Gaming Commission is getting hammered by lawmakers for not doing its job. The criticism has prompted at least one U.S. industry veteran, Kevin Mullally of GLI (l.), to defend the panel and Bermuda’s potential as a gaming destination.
Warmer relations between China and the Philippines will help the casino sector, says Bloomberry Resorts Chairman and CEO Enrique Razon. In 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (l.) visited the People’s Republic.
A continuing drop in Pennsylvania casino revenues comes as lawmakers continue to debate expansion with iGaming and other aspects. Bills in each chamber of the legislature are different, however, with higher fees in the Senate, which also favors an iGaming tax of 25 percent, much higher than the 14 percent proposed in the House. However, a bill that would allow VLTs at bars and restaurants sponsored by Rep. Mark Mustio (l.) could kill any deal.
Even though its compact doesn’t expire until 2023, the Seneca Nation last week said it would halt payments that it has made to New York state for the last 14 years. Recently elected President Todd Gates (l.) said the tribe was no longer required to make the payments as per the gaming compact with the state.
MGM International Resorts has won the right to build a 2 million square foot luxury resort along Dubai’s most luxurious beach, the Jumeirah Beach. The resort will be built in cooperation with the Bellagio and Dubai-based wasl Hospitality and Leisure.
Despite adding amendments, the resolution by North Dakota state Rep. Al Carlson (l.) to allow six casinos was rejected for a second time by the House Judiciary Committee. Carlson changed the casinos from state- to privately owned and doubled the minimum distance from Indian reservations. Tribal and charitable officials opposed the resolution.
With less than a month to go before its scheduled grand opening, a gaming license still has not been granted to Sky Warrior (Bahamas) is the subsidiary of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), Baha Mar’s assumed purchaser.
A new accounting standard issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board will affect financial reporting of casino operators. It won’t be easy, but here’s what savvy operators should be considering.
As Caesars Entertainment takes more strides to emerge from bankruptcy as an operating company and a REIT, analysts are starting to take notice. And many of those same analysts were impressed with Penn National’s quarterly report.
This week, the GGB Podcast visits with Derek Webb, the inventor of the table game, 3-Card Poker, which has become the most popular new table game in the history of gaming.
The blaze that erupted March 17 at the site of the Grand Lisboa Palace (l.), an SJM resort under development in Macau’s Cotai district, may have been started by an arsonist.
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party is about to form Goa’s state government for the next five-year parliamentary term, though it has no clear majority. Not surprisingly, the BJP Governor Mridula Sinha (l.) has moderated her party’s oft-stated anti-casino stance.
Last fall, Philippine agribusiness Calata Corp. planned a US$1.4 billion casino resort (l.) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Mactan Leisure City has now been cancelled due to concerns about “political risks” in the country.
Rep. Edwin K. Propst (l.) of Saipan is outraged that no gaming revenue tax is being collected from Imperial Pacific International, which runs the one and only casino on the island.
Vietnamese billionaire Trịnh Văn Quyết (l.) has received permission to invest about US$2 billion in a casino resort in Quang Ninh Province through his FLC Group Joint Stock Co., the company has announced.
Law Commission of India Chairman Justice B S Chauhan (l.) is calling for a study on the impact of legalizing sports betting. Chauhan wants the study to look at social, economic and moral implications of sports betting.
Investment bank Morgan Stanley says sales at Kangwon Land casino resort in South Korea have dipped to “2014 levels,” but could grow again this year. The resort is the only one in the country to admit local gamblers.
The portion of Taiwan’s Offshore Islands Development Act that permits gaming referendums should be stricken from the legislation, say civic groups who are up in arms after a petition drive on Kinmen.
The state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. is in no hurry to sell off its 46 casinos, according to PAGCOR Chairwoman Andrea Domingo (l.), who predicts a surge in GGR for 2017.
A Philippine appeals court has denied an appeal to stop the redevelopment of the historic Army and Navy Club in Manila. The site is expected to be turned into a hotel and casino.
NagaCorp Ltd.’s $350 million integrated resort project (l.) near Vladivostok, Russia is expected to open by 2019. The complex, which broke ground in May 2015, will be called Primorsky Entertainment Resort City.
The UK has created a new office dedicated to update and upgrade the country’s war against money laundering. The new “Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision” (OPBAS) will have the job of bringing together all of the various regulations from a host of agencies that have a hand in fighting money laundering. It’s expected to start its work next year.
The 16 federal states of Germany have approved of the State Treaty of Gambling, which would allow more licenses for sports betting to be issued. However, the treaty must still be approved by the state legislatures, where a rocky future is expected.
Russia has passed a bill requiring bookmakers to pay 5 percent of quarterly proceeds towards sports development. In return, the bookies may advertise in sports media including broadcasts, in stadiums and on uniforms. Premier Vladimir Putin must OK the bill.
Nothing in the law says that a casino must pay a gambler his winnings. So says the Irish judge in a civil case where a man sued the D1 Club (l.), a Dublin casino, which refused to pay him the winnings that he won on an automated roulette machine in March 2015.
BoyleSports CFO Mark O’Neil said the Irish bookmaker intends to grow its UK retail network in 2017. Though the company failed to gain shops from the merger of Ladbrokes and Coral, it will still pursue the expansion, he said
By selling off 1 million subordinated notes to Crown Resorts as well as taking a dividend and unloading Melco Crown shares, Australian casino bigwig James Packer just got about $600 million richer.
Due to intense neighborhood opposition and other factors, Hard Rock International said it will not complete its second hotel-casino in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. First announced in January 2016, the project would have included a 38-story, 400-room hotel tower and 23,000 square foot gaming floor, and would have created 800 new jobs.
Paraguay’s National Ports Authority is calling for an investigation of plans to use authority land to build a new hotel and casino complex for the country’s second largest city, Ciudad Del Este.
Opponents of a casino in North Bay, Ontario, are asking the city council for a redo on a vote where the council supported the casino. The casino would be built for Ontario Lottery & Gaming by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment.
Queensland is looking for bidders for a third casino license in the state. The opening occurred after the Aquis Group ditched plans to develop an AU$8.1 billion (US$6.2 billion) casino resort in Cairns.
The West Virginia House Judiciary Committee is considering House Bill 3067, which would allow online betting in the state, regulated by the lottery commission. Among other provisions, the measure would require licensed gaming facilities and racetracks to pay a $50,000 license fee plus a 14 percent tax on gross gaming revenue. In New York, Gary Pretlow’s (l.) iPoker bill has stalled in the Assembly because people “higher than me” oppose it.
A bill to regulate daily fantasy sports games in New Jersey has been approved by a state Assembly committee and will now go before the full Assembly for a vote. The sponsor, Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (l.), considers it a “consumer protection” measure. Alabama, where three bills are being considered, Ohio, Georgia and Arkansas also saw movement last week.
The UK Betting Commission has come out strongly against skins betting in eSports, labeling skins betting operators as “parasites.” The commission said skins betting is a danger to players and especially underage players. The commission has been one of the first regulators to successfully prosecute skins betting operations.
Bitcoin exchanges would have to identify clients and follow banking regulations under new guidelines for virtual currencies being considered by China’s Central Bank.
Codeta.com, based in Stockholm, has undergone a rebranding including a new logo and layout. The site hopes to strengthen its position as a live-dealer alternative.
888 Holdings stock rose on the London exchange as the company announced it will pay a special dividend to stock holders. The company projected continued revenue growth.
Codere has selected Evolution Gaming’s full portfolio of live games for streaming to smartphone, desktop and tablet, marking the content supplier’s entry into the Mexican market.
Baazi Networks Pvt., operator of the Pokerbaazi website, has won Nagaland’s fifth skill games license under the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act.
Betting on the NCAA basketball tournament is fueling new debate on whether the 25-year-old ban on sports betting in the U.S. should be repealed. The South Point sports book (l.) has become a focal point now that legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger hosts a daily radio show there on the VSiN media network.
Additional amenities have driven up the price for the massive Wynn Boston Harbor, which is being built in Everett, across the Mystic River from Boston. The casino is now expected to cost $2.4 billion. But the neighboring town is concerned about traffic from the new casino.
The dean of New Hampshire senators, Lou D’Allesandro (l.), has never learned to take no for an answer when it comes to casinos for the Granite State. He has, once again, introduced a bill that would authorize two casinos in the state.
For the second time state regulators have shot down a pair of proposals for casinos in Biloxi and Diamondhead. No reasons were given, but it’s believed the sites may be too far inland to pass muster, as charged by Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes (l.).
Iowans on the state’s lifetime ban list now may enter a casino five years later, and may sign up to be placed on the banned list for another five years, under recently passed legislation sponsored by state Senator Robie Smith (l.). He said behavioral health specialists believe a lifetime ban discouraged problem gamblers from seeking help.
St. Jo Frontier Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri announced a rebranding program under the theme, “Where Everybody Knows Your Game,” starting in April, due to a 3 percent drop in revenue and an 11 percent decline in admissions. Plans include gaming floor changes, new employee uniforms, billboards and menu selections.
Southern Nevada welcomed more visitors than ever before in 2016, and they spent more than ever before, according to a new report prepared for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. They generated $35.5 billion in gross product, hundreds of thousands of jobs and $11 billion in wages.
Florida will not pursue its case against Kelly Mathis, the former attorney for the Allied Veterans of the World internet cafes, which were found in 2013 to be a front for a $300 gambling ring. As a result of the scandal, the legislature shut down internet cafes throughout the state.
The nonprofit Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania reported at its annual conference that casino gambling in the state did not increase the rate of problem gambling.
The old Normandie Casino (l.), California’s oldest card club, has been reborn as the Lucky Lady Casino after new owner Larry Flynt spent a reported $60 million to revamp it. He held a grand opening for the new, flashy Lady last week.
Las Vegas’ Palace Station intends to remove it current train theme in a multi-million renovation. The renovation will include a new main entrance and porte cochère. The company is also updating the casino’s interior and adding a new bingo room. Meanwhile, the first union to organize Palace Station workers is getting its organizing efforts under way.
Ohio has four casinos and seven racinos. That’s probably enough, and probably more than enough, says an expert on gaming. Masurekar, head of Gaming and Travel Investment Banking at KeyBanc Capital Markets in Cleveland expects that number to decline under the pressure of competition.
Caesars Atlantic City has announced it will host the resort’s first major eSports event this month. The event features $200,000 in prizes and will be based on the eSports game Gears of War 4. Kevin Ortzman (l.), president of Caesars, calls the event “innovative.”
Caesars Entertainment executives say New Orleans’ 2015 smoking ban has cost the company’s downtown Harrah’s casino some $70 million in lost revenue. The company is hoping three new smoker-friendly slot areas will fill some of the gap.
Favoritism was not involved, said Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri, former Elmwood village president, when he placed gambling machines for his employer Gold Rush Amusements in two locations—even though a competitor was denied a liquor license by Silvestri’s successor, Angelo “Skip” Saviano, for one of those locations. Gold Rush owner Rich Heidner contributed to Silvestri’s and Saviano’s campaigns.
Ten AC—formally the Revel casino—hasn’t opened, but has just launched a social gaming site. The move comes as developer and owner Glen Straub fights with New Jersey regulators over whether he needs a full casino license to lease casino space at the Atlantic City Boardwalk property.
The Florida House Ways and Means Committee passed HB 7037, which would freeze the level of gambling where it is and also renew the gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Senate’s SB 8 already has passed out of committee. Vast differences remain between the two measures. Rep. Michael LaRosa (l.) said the House version provides stability.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a 45-day delay in the appeal by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of a decision last year that put into limbo the tribe’s lands in Taunton, Massachusetts, and the tribe’s nearly $1 billion casino, First Light (l.).
Lawmakers in Connecticut have two bills to consider that would each authorize a third casino in the state. One would reserve the casino license to the two gaming tribes, the Mohegans and Pequots; the other would open it up to competitive bidding. State Senator Craig Miner (l.) says it’s only fair to consider both, although he will vote against each one.
Seminole Hard Rock and Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, Florida and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek recently launched a new rewards program offering up to $200 in free slots play for bettors at six Florida racetracks. The program has led to an increase in Seminole Wild Card program signups, officials said.
The state of Michigan and the FireKeepers Local Revenue Sharing Board recently received $22.5 million in annual gaming tax revenue from the tribe’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek. It was the second consecutive record-breaking payment from the tribe, which has paid $144.7 million since the casino opened in August 2009, according to Chairman Jamie Stuck.
The management firm that assisted the Chukchansi tribe of central California to reopen its Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (l.) after it was closed for more than a year is now suing the tribe for $21 million. The company, Osceola Blackwood Ivory Gaming Group, alleges fraud, breach of contract, negligence among other charges.
As construction of a $1 billion expansion continues around it, the ResortWear boutique at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida said it will remain open. Owners Tamir Wershaw and Malka Livingston said they want another location and fair compensation for losses. Seminole officials want the store closed by April 14.
A Supreme Court decision last week that says the president can’t nominate someone for a position and make a temporary appointment to that post by the same nominee, could affect an Indian casino proposed for Elk Grove, California. A temporary appointee nominated to the Bureau of Indian Affairs decided to put land in that town into trust. That decision was challenged in federal court.
The state of Michigan and the Hannahville Potawatomi Indian Community reached a new compact agreement good through November 30, 2042. The tribe will pay the state an additional 3 percent of its annual net win. The original 1993 compact expired in November 2013 but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.
The 9-story, 180-room hotel and 70,000 square foot event center recently were topped out at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The $90 million project must be completed by mid-December to accommodate events surrounding Super Bowl LII planned at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in February 2018.
The Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Napa, California, seeks federal recognition. It has appealed an earlier loss to a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. At stake is a casino the tribe would like to build in California’s wine country.
A tribe which recently opened the $400 million Hollywood Jamul Casino in San Diego’s backcountry has delivered two fire engines to the San Diego County Fire Authority. The casino is located in Jamul, one of the most isolated communities in the county.
A district judge ruled a jury should hear whistleblower Kenneth Knight’s lawsuit against the Georgia Lottery. Knight, the lottery’s former vice president for financial management, said he was fired after his boss, Georgia Lottery President Debbie Alford (l.), pressured him to present inflated sales projections to the board in 2014.
With sales of more than $141 million, the Florida Lottery announced a second record-breaking week. The Florida Educational Enhancement Trust received more than $19 million in scratch-off ticket sales, which accounted for $103 million. Recently a circuit court judge said the lottery’s new $717 million contract with IGT Global Solutions is invalid.
Comanche Nation Entertainment, which operates five Oklahoma casinos, recently named Michael Starr as chief executive officer. He started his gaming industry career at the Sands in Las Vegas, and most recently was chief executive officer at Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington.
A veteran in casino marketing, Matthew Bruce, has been named director of marketing by the Spotlight 29 Casino and Tortoise Rock Casino in California’s Coachella Valley. Bruce has been marketing manager for both casinos.
A group of sophisticated Russian slot machine hackers, after arrests in Missouri and Singapore, have taken their scheme to casinos in South America and Europe. The thieves have been able to access pseudo random number generators (PRNG) built into older machines to trigger jackpots.
IGT has launched the CrystalCurve and CrystalDual+ Stepper Cabinets in the U.S., with debuts at casinos including Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in Florida, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and Choctaw Durant.
The new del Lago Resort & Casino in New York chose TCSJohnHuxley to supply all 89 of its gaming tables, as well as an assortment of table utility products.
Joseph Eve CPAs will conduct its program of Title 31/anti-money laundering training and JE University services at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino. Joseph Eve partner Grant Eve (l.) says his company has wide expertise in these areas.
The ilani Casino Resort will open in April with an expected 75 table games. They will include craps and roulette. The dealer candidates are getting 13 weeks of free training—and even then they won’t be guaranteed a job.
Greentube, the interactive division of Novomatic Group, will bring omni-channel innovations to the Fer-Interazar trade show in Madrid, Spain March 28-30.
SuzoHapp has announced its lineup of products that will be on display at the Feria Internacional del Juego (Fer-Interazar) trade show, to be held March 28-30 in Madrid, Spain.
