The Florida legislature last week failed to pass a far-reaching gambling measure. The main concern was allowing slots in eight counties where voters have already approved them. Also now in limbo is a deal allowing the Seminole Tribe to offer craps and roulette in return for $3 billion over seven years. The courts also could impact gambling in the state with several pending cases. State Rep. José Felix Díaz (l.) said the issue of slots in the eight counties was too complicated.
MGM Resorts—which owns the Borgata casino in Atlantic City—announced plans to launch its own online casino brand in New Jersey. MGM announced it will team with GVC Holdings for a site under the playMGM brand. The site will join Borgata’s two online sites, NJpartypoker.com, and palacasino.com, the legal iGaming website of California’s Pala tribe, under the state’s online licensing system.
The purchase of Isle of Capri Casinos by Reno-based Eldorado Resorts for $1.7 billion recently was completed, doubling the size of Eldorado with 12 additional casino resorts. The new company, still listed as ERI on the NASDAQ, includes 19 properties in 10 states with 20,000 slots, 550 table games and 6,500 hotel rooms. Eldorado Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Carano (l.) calls the buy a “significant milestone” in the company’s history.
An Oregon tribe is proposing an “inter-tribal” casino to combine the efforts of that state’s tribes to combat the $500 million ilani Casino Resort , which just opened in Washington state. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians proposes a $280 million casino near Salem (l.), the state capital. At the same time, there’s a move in the legislature to close the poker rooms across the state.
Proposals by lawmakers including high online gaming taxes and a proposal to have the lottery run iGaming join a new push for VLTs in bars in complicating efforts to draft an omnibus gaming expansion bill in Pennsylvania. State Rep. Scott Petri (l.) is pushing for “tax parity” between online and land-based gaming, a proposal that would doom any iGaming industry.
When Japan launches its legal casino market, the emphasis could be on slot machines, not table games, according to a new report from Global Market Advisors LLC. The study cites the current popularity of pachinko (l.) and the fact that Japan is home to several major slot manufacturers.
Judith Hall Bean (l.) has been named chairman of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission's new Problem Gaming Council, along with four other appointees, said Commission Executive Director Richard Schuetz. The council will work with casino operators and employees, treatment providers and the public regarding problem gaming.
One of the tribes that formed a consortium with PokerStars to press for legalizing iPoker has dropped out. Does the departure of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians for other causes and efforts mean a logjam is about to break and legalization may be possible this year? Some experts think so.
Jim Murren, chairman of MGM China Holdings Ltd., says MGM Cotai is likely to open in the fourth quarter of 2017, “probably right after Golden Week” in October.
At Pinnacle Entertainment, Chief Executive Officer Anthony Sanfilippo recently was elected chairman of the board of directors. Charles Atwood was appointed to the newly created position of lead independent director and named chairman of the corporate governance and nominating committee. Ron Huberman was elected to the board of directors. Sanfilippo joined Pinnacle in 2010.
This week, the GGB Podcast features an interview with Eric Persson, the general manager of Aruze Gaming America, on his recent appointment to lead the slot manufacturer after years on the operating side of the business.
Gaming revenues in Macau’s saw double-digit growth in April. The numbers were up 16.3 percent year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month of growth in the world’s top casino destination.
The Commonwealth Lottery Commission in the Northern Mariana Islands has granted an extension to casino developer Imperial Pacific International, which has passed the deadline to complete its new casino resort (l.) on Saipan.
India’s Supreme Court will consider a petition on the legalization of sports betting in the country, local media reports. Advocates say legal sports bets will create a new revenue stream and root out illegal match fixing.
Okada Manila, the $2.7 billion integrated resort that just opened in Manila’s Entertainment City, is already preparing to launch its Phase II expansion, according to local media. The expansion should begin this year. But Phase I of the project isn’t completely opened yet.
BB International Leisure and Resort Development Corp. has opened its Midori Hotel and Casino (l.) in the Clark Freeport area of Pampanga, the Philippines. The company is primarily owned by Taiwanese investors.
A casino inside the Ramada Plaza Jeju Hotel (l.) has reopened on the South Korean resort island after “months of renovation,” according to a news release from the company.
Despite an increase in the entertainment tax and license fees for casinos in the Indian state of Goa, casino operators there have opted not to increase their entry fees.
Belle Corp. and Melco Crown Philippines may develop a second casino to build on their success at City of Dreams Manila. Belle Corp. Vice Chairman Willy Ocier (l.) confirmed the plan at his firm’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Chen Shulong, former vice governor of eastern China’s Anhui Province, has been dismissed from public office for so-called “superstitious” behavior. The investigation into his activities began in November 2016.
Macau junket operator Iao Kun Group Holding Company Ltd. has changed its name to LiNiu Technology Group, effective April 27. The change is part of the company’s strategy to move away from the VIP gaming business.
Century Casinos Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Casinos Poland Ltd., will move its second casino license in Warsaw to a new, larger location in the city.
As the UK Parliament prepares to shut down ahead of the general election in June, the government has tabled a proposal to tax gambling industry free plays and other customer bonus incentives.
Australian casino operator Star Entertainment Group is blaming a drop on its international VIP business to the detention of employees of Crown Resorts in China last year. The staffers are still in custody.
The Australian government has officially endorsed 11 new gambling consumer protection measures. The measures block bookmakers from offering credit and allows players to set their own gambling limits.
Macau Legend is building a $275 million casino complex in Cape Verde, a group of islands off the western coast of Africa. The company has broken ground on a project that will take an estimated two years to complete.
The Asian Racing Federation is creating one of the largest ever coalitions to fight illegal betting which it feels is siphoning off billions from legal racing. The federation has enlisted the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Hong Kong Jockey Club to drive the campaign.
Norway’s gaming regulator has ordered banks to stop transactions with unlicensed online gambling sites. Payment providers affected include Trustly, Entercash, Earth Port, Worldplay, and Inpay. In another development, Poland has expanded its blacklist for unlicensed online gambling sites.
The UK Gambling Commission has imposed a £300,000 penalty on online gaming operator BGO Entertainment Ltd for misleading advertising at its own site and three affiliate sites.
IGT will provide content to PokerStars, including Cleopatra (l.) and Wheel of Fortune, under a new distribution agreement with the site’s parent, the Amaya subsidiary Rational Group.
A survey of 1,000 Texas voters indicated 81.3 percent would support legalizing, not banning, online fantasy sports sites in the state. Meanwhile, state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond sponsored a bill to classify DFS as a legal game of skill, not an illegal game of chance. State Senator Lois Kolkhorst sponsored a companion bill.
China and the Philippines have become allies in the fight against illegal online gambling. Their target is illegal operations in the Philippines, which often target Mainland Chinese players.
The eSports company Skillz says its run rate for mobile eSports has now hit more than $100 million for the year. The San Francisco company provides a platform to turn any mobile game on iOS and Android into a game you can play for cash, prizes, or points and enables eSports tournaments for games that integrate the Skillz platform.
Spain's online gaming market grew by more than 32 percent in the last quarter of 2016 according to Spanish regulators. The amount wagered grew about 20 percent to continues to €2.9 billion.
Greentube, the Novomatic interactive division, has signed an agreement to offer its interactive content on optibet.lv, Latvia’s first licensed online casino.
To help raise up to $12.5 million for education Ohio legislators are moving a bill that would allow video poker at the state’s seven racinos. The bill has passed the House and now is being considered by the Senate. Jack Entertainment, one of the main casino operators in the state, which runs Jack Cleveland (l.), has warned about unintended repercussions. But DFS may become legal in the state.
Outrage is mounting in Maine against the way that the proponents of an initiative that would authorize a third casino have hid their financial backers. Just as frustrating for lawmakers is that this won’t prevent Shawn Scott (l.), Lisa Scott and Bridge Capital from being able to campaign to pass the measure in November.
Plans for Paradise Park, the $1.5 billion Wynn Las Vegas expansion, will include a new hotel and convention space, a beach and a lagoon. Construction is scheduled to start in December. The hotel will be built in Phase II.
The end of the gaming giant’s long bankruptcy saga is in sight, and management says it’s mapping a growth strategy built around expansion and reinvestment. As CEO Mark Frissora (l.) put it―“We have a lot of plans.”
There has been no formal application or the last racetrack-casino license in Pennsylvania, and the only proposed plan is a controversial project for a casino near Gettysburg. The bidder also owns Battlefield Harley-Davidson dealership near the national park.
If all goes to plan, the 62-acre parcel (l.) on Russell Road, close to the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15, across from Mandalay Bay Resort Casino, will be the Raiders’ new home in time for the 2020 NFL season. Construction of a 65,000-seat domed stadium at the site could start as soon as December.
March was Southern Nevada’s third-best month ever for visitation, boosted by the NCAA basketball tournament and a 13 percent increase in convention attendance. Hotel occupancy in Las Vegas hit 94 percent for the month, driving up room rates a heady 21 percent.
Penn National is looking to Las Vegas and an expanded Southern presence as near-term catalysts in a growth strategy built around diversity. It includes some $40 million in fresh investment in the Tropicana (l.) and, on the other side of the country, the purchase of two casinos in Tunica.
On March 16 the Mississippi Gaming Commission voted 3-0 to deny site approval for casinos proposed by RW Development in Biloxi and Diamondhead Real Estate in Diamondhead. Commissioners said both sites did not meet statutory and regulatory requirements and were not within 800 feet of the mean high-water line.
Churchill Downs' $16 million clubhouse renovation project debuted at the last week’s 143rd annual Kentucky Derby. The renovation comprises 95,000 square feet and features 220 flat screen TVs, 180 new parimutuel wagering windows and bars named for past Derby winners. Churchill Downs has spent $125 million on capital improvements in the past seven years.
Jacobs Entertainment spent $40 million for the Sands Regency (l.) and several surrounding properties, and reports are the company is planning an entertainment district around the casino and hotel. The company also bought the city’s Gold Dust West Casino.
A jury in Las Vegas awarded a former hedge fund manager more than $160 million for injuries he suffered in a beating by security officers at the Cosmopolitan’s Marquee club (l.). The casino and the club were facing millions more in punitive damages but both sides settled for an undisclosed sum.
Changes to charitable gambling regulations were approved by the Michigan House 100-9. Charities claimed restrictive rules plus an overzealous state Gaming Control Board limited their fundraising activities. The bill in particular addresses so-called “millionaire parties" in which charities split cash proceeds with poker rooms that run Texas Hold ‘Em fundraisers.
Gaming and Leisure Properties posted higher than expected first quarter earnings, citing strong performances in Ohio and Louisiana. The real estate investment trust recently acquired the underlying real estate assets of Bally’s Casino Tunica and Resorts Casino Tunica for $82.6 million and continues to aggressively seek new acquisition opportunities, said Chief Executive Officer Peter M. Carlino.
The Massachusetts tribe that wants to build a $1 billion casino in Taunton is waiting hopefully for a decision by the Department of the Interior that might allow it to proceed. The Department has promised an answer by June for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Project First Light Casino (l.).
The Connecticut legislature may likely decide whether to have a third casino during budget resolution talks between the House and Senate. House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (l.) made that prediction last week.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in allowing a couple to sue a limousine driver who caused them injury when he slammed his car into them while driving for the Mohegan Tribe, may have opened the gate for similar lawsuits.
The committee that runs the Elem Indian Colony has taken an action many hope will heal decades long festering wounds that have devoted the California tribe of Pomo Indians. The executive committee has voted to rescind the “disenrollment” of 61 members of the tribe.
Indian Country is once again worried that the U.S. Supreme Court will chip away at tribal sovereignty. The high court has agreed to hear a case where a Michigan man challenged a law that said he couldn’t sue to try to challenge the Gun Lake Casino.
A new study indicated in Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation had a $2 billion economic impact statewide. The study showed Cherokee Nation Businesses set a record of $1.02 billion in revenue in fiscal 2016. Principal Chief Bill John Baker (l.) noted the report stated the tribe supports more than 17,000 jobs in tribal businesses or government.
Although they still offer all-you-can-eat variety, casino buffets have evolved into contemporary gourmet restaurants, as the San Diego Union Tribune recently reported. Reporters found area casino buffets offering international selections, handcrafted breads and sweets, Maine lobsters, grass-fed steak, organic and farm-fresh produce and much, much more.
Brian Foster, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes former director of gaming, recently was fired for his involvement in a plot to skim gaming revenue and collect large lease payments on a parking lot from the tribe's Lucky Star Casino in Clinton, Oklahoma. The lot was owned by a company with connections to Foster.
Frank Farricker (l.), acting chairman with the Connecticut Lottery last week admitted his agency new the vulnerability of a lottery game but did nothing about it, saying lottery officials “put revenue over security issues.”
To boost customer convenience as well as revenues, South Korea has agreed to permit online lottery ticket sales. The plan will make online Lotto games available online by the end of 2018.
Thomas Mikulich has joined Station Casinos as senior vice president of innovation. He previously was a key executive with MGM Resorts, responsible for new technology, including iGaming.
Galaxy Gaming has named longtime marketing executive Dona Cassese as vice president of marketing, and former Caesars CFO Harry C. Hagerty as chief financial officer.
Following the recent acquisition of Isle of Capri Casinos for $1.7 billion, Eldorado Resorts, based in Reno, announced Anthony L. Carano (l.) has been promoted to chief operating officer and executive vice president and Edmund L. Quattman has been named as chief legal officer, a position he held at Isle of Capri since 2008.
Playtech BGT Sports, created by last year’s acquisition of BGT by Playtech, announced that it has finalized its senior management team, headed by chief executive Dr. Armin Sageder.
Novomatic Group has named John Morris vice president of global product management, responsible for helping the company expand its products to new markets around the world.
William Hill has cut several senior management jobs in the firm’s digital division, as the company seeks a restructuring of its online gambling assets. Three senior staff member are leaving the division.
Aristocrat, Inc. has signed a lease to move to a new two-building, 180,000-square-foot campus in the southwest Las Vegas planned community of Downtown Summerlin (l.).
MGM Resorts International will place the skill-based games of Gamblit Gaming at several of its land-based casinos, beginning with the millennial-friendly Level Up room (l.) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Gaming Laboratories International has received approval to test results on electronic gaming devices and associated equipment in the state of Michigan.
Interblock has completed its first placement of electronic table games in Kansas with the launch of Automated Diamond Craps and Roulette at the Prairie Band Casino.
Atlantic City will see another major eSports event as Tropicana AC hosts an event this month with eSports specialists Spawn Point. The event titled Royal Flush is a Melee/Smash4 tournament with a $10,000 combined pot bonus. The event will take place May 12-14.
Crane Payment Innovations is launching Crane Connectivity Solutions, a new business platform that synthesizes the cashless business of CPI and Crane Merchandising Systems.
Global Market Advisors has released a white paper outlining the opportunities for developers of integrated resorts in the recently legalized market of Japan.
TCSJohnHuxley will feature its Qorex electronic gaming solutions and its Gaming Floor Live progressive system at the G2E Asia trade show May 16-18 in Macau.
