Golden Entertainment is buying the Stratosphere (above) and Arizona Charlie’s casinos in an $850 million deal that transforms the slot route and tavern operator into a serious player in the Las Vegas locals market. The company’s holdings now total eight casinos, nearly 16,000 slots, 114 table games and more than 5,100 hotel rooms.
The American Sports Betting Coalition will bring government, law enforcement and business leaders together in a campaign to repeal the 25-year-old federal ban on sports betting. Created by the American Gaming Association, the coalition cites a study in which 72 percent of avid sports fans favor the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.
Japanese billionaire and Universal Entertainment founder Kazuo Okada (l.) is under investigation by his own company and also has been placed on suspension pending the outcome. At issue is a multimillion-dollar loan. It’s not the first time the mogul has been accused of impropriety.
The Nooksack Tribe of Washington state has been ordered by the National Indian Gaming Commission to close its Northwood Casino because an illegitimate government is in place and is trying to oust 300 tribal members. Some describe the tribal chairman, Robert Kelly Jr. (l.) as a “dictator.”
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed its version of the omnibus gaming expansion bill, including controversial expansion measures that create an uncertain future in the Senate. Philadelphia Rep. Madeleine Dean (l.) has cautioned against such a massive expansion without “serious consideration” of the impacts.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. is continuing its probe of the June 2 attack on Resorts World Manila that left dozens dead. The state-run regulator has also ordered the suspension of gaming at RWM.
Smaller gaming companies are becoming semi-major players. And their stock prices have reflected that ascension. So who is the next Golden Gaming, which made a big by last week? And will the growth of these Nevada-based companies continue?
This week, the GGB Podcast features an interview with Lawrence Ho, the chairman and CEO of Melco International on the recent departure of Crown Resorts as his partner in his Macau ventures and other topics.
Formal charges have finally been lodged against 18 Crown Resorts employees detained in Mainland China in October 2016. The staffers have been charged with “offenses related to the promotion of gambling,” and include the head of the company’s VIP business, Jason O’Connor (l.)
Investment analysts say June will prove another positive month for Macau, with VIP revenues leading the recovery (at left, the VIP concierge at Galaxy Macau). Estimates in year-on-year growth for the industry range from 25 percent to 30 percent.
Japan’s ordinary Diet session may close this month without passage of a gambling addiction bill. The legislation is seen as a linchpin in the development of the country’s nascent casino industry.
Junket operator SunCity Group is in trouble with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. because it took over VIP operations at the casino at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza (l.) without permission.
Macau resort operator Success Universe, which just completed its renovation of Ponte 16 hotel (l.) in the Chinese SAR, is now moving on to refurbish its high-limit and VIP gaming areas.
Mainland Chinese real estate firm Landing International Development Ltd. has opted not to pursue a Philippine gaming business. In May the company announced its intentions to enter the market.
Starting November 1, Macau will require visitors to the Chinese territory to declare all currencies of MOP 120,000 (US$15,000) or more before entering. The law is designed to combat money laundering or terrorist financing.
Century Casinos, whose Casinos Poland Ltd. subsidiary got government permission to relocate one of its Warsaw casino licenses, opened its new gaming hall last week at the Hilton Hotel.
Launched in 2016, Sky Betting and Gaming’s graduate academy—which is used to train and attract talent for its operations—has considered 4,788 applications. The candidates come from digital hubs in the UK, including Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Nottingham.
Gateway Entertainment & Casinos, which recently took over select regional Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation operations, will invest $300 million in gambling facilities in the northeast, including Sudbury, where the company operates the racino, Sudbury Downs (l.), and $200 million in the southwest, including London. Gateway is the largest gaming company in Canada, with operations in British Columbia, Edmonton and Ontario.
The Kenyan government, which had considered an increase in gaming taxes from 7.5 percent to 50 percent, may be looking a “compromise.” President Uhuru Kenyatta (l.) has recommended a 35 percent tax rate.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority broke ground on its seventh casino in Lloydminster. The Little Pine First Nation, which owns the land, will oversee site development. The facility's landlord, the Border Tribal Council, will lease the property to SIGA, which will operate the casino. SIGA and the Border Tribal Council will oversee facility development.
The controversial merger of Aussie gaming companies Tabcorp and Tatts Group has been delayed until September. The Australian Competition Tribunal will decide if the two can become a single $11 billion entity.
Nine members of an alleged crime group were arrested for money laundering through casinos, plus drug trafficking, proceeds of crime and being part of a criminal organization following a year-long investigation in British Columbia, Canada. The group has links across Canada, plus China and other countries, investigators said.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott (l.) has signed a law legalizing daily fantasy sports in the state. The bill exempts DFS games form the state’s gambling laws and institutes consumer protections. DFS sites must pay an annual $5,000 registration fee.
Gibraltar must pay higher gambling taxes in the UK as the territory has lost a challenge before the European Union. The Court of Justice of the EU ruled that Gibraltar is part of the UK and part of a single member of the EU. The preliminary ruling could have an impact on Gibraltar as the UK exits the EU.
BetConstruct has signed a partnership agreement with Czech betting operator Tipsport. The deal will allow Tipsort to improve its pre-match and in-play betting offering and engage more players through the coverage of sporting events, the companies said.
Betfair has partnered with the Drone Racing League and offered betting on the final race of the Allianz World Championship circuit at Alexandra Palace London. The drone race was held last week as part of London Tech Week.
According to the Russian daily Kommersant, GVC Holding’s Bwin sportsbook will launch an online betting platform with Russian businessman Alexander Mamut. The site would be the first entry by a major international bookmaker into Russia’s sports betting market.
Chinese-based 500.com Ltd has completed acquisition of a 40.65-percent stake in MelcoLot Ltd, which supplies technology to the mainland China lottery market. The acquisition was for about $41.3 million, the companies said in a joint filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
New York’s increasingly crowded casino market may be claiming its first victim before the year is out. Unless tax relief is granted soon, the owners of Vernon Downs say they’ll have to shut down the harness track, slot floor and hotel (l.) beginning in September.
Once the site of a former toxic chemical factory, the land adjacent to the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts is witnessing the rise of the first girders (l.) of the massive $2.4 billion Wynn Boston Harbor. The casino is expected to open the summer of 2019.
The massive project, encompassing 1.4 million square feet of new exhibit space, has won final approval from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to get under way. Construction could begin as soon as January and will take five years to complete.
Two Rhode Island tribes want work to halt temporarily on the new Tiverton casino. They want to use radar to see if their suspicions are correct that the building site includes a burial ground.
The owner of Ten—formerly the Revel Casino in Atlantic City—has missed another announced date for opening part of the property. The former casino has also had a lien for $62,641 placed against it for missed payments due the city’s Special Improvement District.
In Louisiana, the East Baton Rouge Parish council is considering an ordinance to ban smoking in casinos and bars, which were exempted from the legislature's 2007 statewide ban. A similar ordinance failed in a 6-6 tie last year, but Councilwoman Chauna Banks said seven council members will sponsor the new bill.
Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak calls it “a matter of life or death”―a network of steel barriers for protecting Strip pedestrians from terrorists using motor vehicles to wreak havoc. The commission has approved the installation of 700 of the “bollards,” as they’re known, at an estimated cost of $5 million.
Atlantic City casinos saw a 4.3 percent increase in revenue over May 2016 with one less casino operating. If the figures from the closed Trump Taj Mahal casino are excluded, the city’s seven remaining casinos saw a 12 percent increase. Online gaming revenue remained strong, gaining 27 percent over 2016 to $21 million.
A bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would ban smoking in casinos by removing the casino exemption from the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act.
The jilted would-be buyer of the M8trix card room in San Jose, California, alleges that state gambling authorities threw their weight behind a preferred buyer when Eric Swallow (l.) put his share up for sale. The bidder, John Park claims the state unfairly put its finger on the scale to ensure a favored buyer obtained the casino.
South Dakota legislators recently heard a presentation by Yankton officials regarding the downtown Port Yankton casino and entertainment center. The city leaders proposed a referendum on a constitutional amendment in 2018 to allow the development. Lawmakers expressed concern that a Yankton casino would draw business from Deadwood (l).
Effective August 1, electronic gambling machines in Louisiana truck stops, bars and restaurants will accept up to $100 bills instead of the current $20. The legislation, recently signed by Governor John Bel Edwards (l.), also will allow video poker machines to accept transferrable vouchers up to an unlimited amount, already allowed in casinos.
North Carolina nonprofits could offer casino-style games up to four times a year at establishments with liquor licenses under legislation recently passed by the state House. The sponsor, state Rep. Jamie Boles, said the bill was necessary since prosecutors are not enforcing anti-gambling laws in some areas.
Maine ethics investigators are targeting the campaign that sought to put a measure on the November ballot that would authorize a casino in Southern Maine. The commission claims the effort did not disclose its source of funding.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently fined Parx Casino (l.) in Bensalem, Pennsylvania $35,000 for two occurrences of underage gambling. Both incidents—in March and April 2016--involved 20-year-old women. It's the fourth time since November 2014 that the casino was fined for underage gaming violations.
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission has approved the appointment of five directors of Caesars Entertainment Corp., including CEO Mark Frissora, as part of Caesars ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
Maryland state Delegate Nick Mosby said the Voluntary Exclusion Program is ineffective, so he's proposing legislation to improve its funding and impact. More than 1,400 people have voluntarily banned themselves from entering Maryland's six casinos, but they can play undetected unless they win a large jackpot. If caught they face arrest for trespassing.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City opened its $6.2 million, 8,000 square foot expansion with a guitar-smashing instead of a ribbon-cutting with GM Todd Moyer and Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott (l.). A Willie Nelson concert also kicked off the 2017 Battery Park Concert Series. The expansion includes additional gaming, a private lounge and the Wine Bar.
Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D'Iberville, Mississippi recently opened Escape This, a new attraction involving players in a prison-break theme. Promoted as "Scarlet is the New Black, Prison Escape Room, the feature will be open afternoons and evenings, Thursday through Sunday, through September 5.
With the approval by the Connecticut legislature accomplished, the state’s two gaming tribes say they can begin work on the third casino (l.) in the state as soon as this autumn. The tribes worked two years to obtain the vote. MGM Resorts immediately filed a lawsuit, claiming it was denied the opportunity to compete in Connecticut.
The committee chairman who oversees Indian affairs is setting a lot of teeth on edge with his apparent anti-tribal statements. Rep. Rob Bishop (l.) has been open in his goals to clip tribal sovereignty and is doing his best to stop pro-tribal legislation.
The state of Texas closed the Tigua Tribe's original gaming operation in 2002. Now Texas sued the tribe again, claiming the electronic bingo games at its Speaking Rock Entertainment Center (l.) are illegal Class III slots. The state wants the games declared illegal and all electronic and paper bingo activities banned on tribal land.
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community's Ojibwa II Casino in Chocolay Township, Michigan, is expected to open September 1, 2018, with 500 slots and new table games. The project also will feature a 76-room hotel, pool and spa, 1,200-seat event center, 400-seat convention center and 100-seat restaurant, said KBIC Casinos General Manager Don Wren.
A tribe in Riverside County is suing Sheriff Stanley Sniff and several detectives, claiming that the department overstepped its bounds during an investigation of a missing person case. The Sheriff obtained two warrants and then illegally invaded the reservation, briefly “imprisoning” the tribal chairman and council, says the lawsuit.
Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida recently relocated its poker room from its longtime site in Seminole Paradise to the ballrooms indoors. It's easily accessed through the Seminole Way garage, and located closer to the major tournaments area. The new 24/7 poker room also offers large-screen TVs and food service.
In 2012 the Kialegee Tribal Town unsuccessfully attempted to open the Red Clay Casino in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Now a restaurant is coming to the controversial site, an allotment owned by a Muscogee (Creek) Nation member. Restaurant owners said Class II gaming may eventually be offered there.
Keno games introduced a year ago by the Connecticut Lottery have so far netted $70 million for the state. They have also widened the market for Keno retailers at a time the lottery organization is responding to a scandal.
A software engineer who during 2005-2011 used software he wrote to steal from the Multi-State Lottery Association will testify how he did it. That’s part of the guilty plea deal for Eddie Tipton (l.), who has also agreed to pay back $3 million. He could still serve 25 years in prison.
The 1st District Court of Appeal granted the Florida Lottery's request for an extension in its appeal over a $700 million contract with IGT. Last March a judge struck down the contract, stating the agency's then-secretary lacked legal authority to enter into the arrangement and that the contract exceeded budget limitations
Las Vegas’s first female mayor has been named to the board of directors of Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. Jan Jones-Blackhurst (l.) promises to raise the standards for businesses in Southern Nevada.
Social gaming supplier Free Slot Games of Las Vegas, LLC, founded by game designing legend, Olaf Vancura (l.), announced an advisory board of seven industry veterans led by former Alliance Gaming and AGS CEO Robert Miodunski.
Golden Entertainment Inc. has named Travis Woltermann vice president of operations for the company’s Golden Route Operations Montana subsidy. He will be in charge of relations with bars and casinos for the company, which manages 2,900 machines throughout the state.
Success Dragon International Holdings Ltd. has announced the resignation of CEO Jiang Dan, Chairman Li Xuehua and non-executive Director Jia Limin. The trio reportedly left to “focus on other business.”
Sports Information Services has named Richard Ames as chief executive officer. He replaces CEO Gary Smith, who will stay on for a short time as a consultant.
The Association Of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) has issued a call for nominations for memorial awards honoring Jens Halle (l.) and Peter Mead.
Federal authorities say they’ve uncovered a nationwide crime ring operating under a New Jersey-based kingpin known as a “vor,” a kind of Russian “godfather.” According to a series of indictments, the group had developed computerized devices for predicting the behavior of casino slot machines.
Konami Gaming has become the latest slot manufacturer to sign a cross-licensing deal with IGT, allowing Konami to offer patented game features from the IGT portfolio.
Tom Nieman (l.), vice president of marketing for JCM Global, says the company’s most groundbreaking product of the year is a slot cabinet that allows players to buy lottery tickets, wager on sports and races and more.
The Tropicana Las Vegas has become the first casino in Las Vegas to place TCSJohnHuxley’s Saturn Glo roulette wheels, and the Plaza Casino was first to combine them with LED-lit Blaze Roulette tables.
Playtech subsidiary IGS will replace existing Caesars Entertainment EMEA’s casino technology with its Neon Enterprise system under a new casino management deal. The change will give the casino group complete control across its entire UK operation, the companies said in a press release.
The Australasian Gaming Expo, the world’s third-largest gaming industry trade show, is set for its new venue, the ICC Sydney Darling Harbour center, August 15-17.
Gaming Laboratories International will sponsor the Canadian Gaming Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia, June 20 and 21. GLI Vice President of iGaming Salim L. Adatia will serve on two panels, offering his expertise about technological advances in iGaming, skill-based games, daily fantasy sports, eSports and electronic raffles.
TransAct Technologies Incorporated (TransAct) plans to unveil some of its newest software driven technology and printing solutions at the 2017 Northwest Indian Gaming Conference & Expo. This includes a 300-dpi printer for TITO slots.
