Hard Rock International has withdrawn from a plan to develop Europe’s largest casino (l.) in the island Republic of Cyprus. Melco International Development will move ahead on the plan with a local partner and own the majority of the project. Hard Rock and Melco have also dropped a project in Spain, and at Melco’s City of Dreams in Macau the Hard Rock themed hotel will get a new brand.

Aristocrat Americas broke ground on it new two-building, 180,000-square-foot U.S. corporate headquarters campus in Summerlin, Nevada, in partnership with the Howard Hughes Corp., which developed the Summerlin community. At left, Clark County Commissioner Susan Brager, Aristocrat Americas Managing Director Matt Wilson, Howard Hughes Corporation Summerlin President Kevin Orrock, and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval got together in oppressive heat for the groundbreaking.

As lawmakers pushed to vote a budget for the new fiscal year by Friday’s deadline, Pennsylvania state senators were still at odds over major portions of the gaming expansion package. Gaming will remain part of the budget package but the specifics will be worked out after the Independence Day holiday, and the bill will be signed by Governor Tom Wolf (l.).

The battle to ban iGaming in the U.S. started by Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson stalled last week when Attorney General Jeff Sessions (l.) was forced to recuse himself from any review of the 2011 DOJ memo that largely legalized the wagering.

There’s a new government in the Bahamas, and Baha Mar’s founder, Sarkis Izmirlian (l.), is back with a bid to reclaim the troubled megaresort. He says the sale the old government negotiated with Hong Kong conglomerate Chow Tai Fook―the government that ousted him―is not only horribly tainted, it’s quite possibly illegal.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority is launching a probe and crackdown on online gambling operators for violating consumer protection laws in their advertising and sign-up promotions. The commission feels online companies are deceiving consumers and holding onto customer’s money unfairly.

Resorts World Manila reopened last week after the Philippine government completed its investigation of a massacre by a former federal employee that claimed 37 lives. The nation’s gaming regulator, PAGCOR, said the owner of the casino, Travellers International Hotel Group, has completed all the upgrades.

Macau gaming kingpin Stanley Ho (l.) has resigned from the board of the company he founded, Shun Tak Holdings, after more than 40 years and turned over the reins to his daughter, Pansy Ho. The 95-year-old will be chairman emeritus.

It’s time to start thinking about what companies would benefit from the legalization of sports betting in the U.S. In a state-by-state solution, how does the savvy investor make his choices?

Sixteen Australian and Chinese employees of Aussie casino giant Crown Resorts pleaded guilty to charges of gambling crimes last week and were sentenced to prison. They will be released shortly based on time served.

Japanese officials including Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui have come out against possible restriction on locals gaming by lawmakers, who are developing Part II of legislation that will bring legal casinos to the country.

Like Las Vegas, Macau expects to welcome 40 million annual visitors by 2020, a development analysts say is being driven by a stronger mass market. In 2016 about 31 million people visited the Chinese gaming hub.

Requiring entry fees at casinos in the Philippines could prove detrimental or even disastrous to the industry, says the head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Andrea Domingo (l.). A bill to introduce fees is now in the House.

Singapore hosted a record 16.4 million visitor arrivals in 2016. Driven by a triple-digit increase in arrivals from China, spending on food and beverage, shopping and hotels surged to nearly US$18 billion―and spending so far this year is on a pace to top it.

Following the death of a second construction worker at SJM Holdings’ Grand Lisboa Palace (l.), the Macau government has suspended construction of the resort, now under development in the Cotai district.

The site of a planned casino resort in Russia’s Primorsky Krai economic zone will be auctioned off. Officials nullified an agreement with Royal Time Primorye after the company’s Firebird resort project stalled.

Colorado Springs-based Century Casinos Inc. will purchase for $766,000, through an Austrian unit, Saw Close Casino Ltd., license holders for a 15,000 square foot casino in Bath, England. Opening in first quarter 2018, the casino will offer 18 table games, 35 slots and 24 live gaming terminals plus a 147-room hotel and two restaurants.

Swiss casinos have seen a small jump in revenues after eight straight years of decline. The country’s 21 licensed gaming halls reported a 1.2 percent year-on-year gain for 2016, for a total of $US711 million.

Maltese citizens spent $39.2 million on gambling in 2015-2016, according to a Malta Gaming Authority survey. The national lottery and gaming parlors were the most popular forms of gambling. Nearly 46 percent of those surveyed said they play free games, and 1-2 percent said gambling had a negative effect on their lives.

Pubs in the Australian capital of Canberra are asking the ACT government to give them 200 poker machines to help them remain competitive with casinos and clubs.

A proposed $45 million casino to be operated by Gateway Casinos for Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation in Sudbury would hurt local business, kill jobs, impact the city's economy, "suffocate local culture" and not attract tourists, according to a new report. But Gateway already signed a letter of intent with developer Dario Zulich.

A recent performance audit in Tasmania indicated the effectiveness of state-sponsored problem-gambling programs cannot be reliably measured. A special levy was enacted in the 1990s when poker machines were allowed in clubs and pubs. Today about 2,000 problem gamblers plus 6,000 moderate-risk gamblers lose 40 percent of the total gambling spend in Tasmania.

Research backed by an online gaming trade group finds that New Jersey has benefited enormously from internet gambling. In just four years, the intrastate market has generated more than $998 million in revenue, supported more than 3,300 jobs and paid more than $124 million in taxes.

H 479 would have legalized and regulated internet gambling and daily fantasy sports in Illinois but it didn't make it through the special session ending Friday, June 30. DraftKings and FanDuel operate in Illinois despite a 2015 attorney general opinion claiming DFS is illegal gambling. Online gambling is available through unregulated offshore websites.

The UK Football Association has announced it is ending affiliations with gambling companies including cancelling a £4 million a year contract with Ladbrokes. The FA said the decision follows an internal three-month review by the governing body of appropriateness of the deal as the association is strictly enforcing its ban on those connected with the game gambling on soccer matches.

In a continuing push by lawmakers for income outside of taxes, a bill to legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports sponsored by Rep. Charles Potter (l.) has cleared a key committee in the Delaware House of Representatives.

A Reuters investigation found seven fake online retail sites that are being used as a front for online gambling payments. The seven sites operate in Europe and seem to sell household items. The investigation, however, found they are part of a multinational system to disguise payments for the $40 billion global online gambling industry.

UK bookmaker William Hill will close its online operations in Israel and lay off more than 200 of the company’s 250 employees in Tel Aviv. A company official said the bookmaker is focusing on European operations, but analysts point to the rising costs of doing business in Israel due to the rise in value of the country’s currency and high real estate and employment costs.

Amaya Inc.—owner of PokerStars—is planning to expand into India with a local partner, giving it access to the country’s 1.2 billion mobile phone users. The company is hoping to attract at least half of the Indian market, which it estimates could bring in $150 million.

Portuguese regulator Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos has issued its seventh online gambling license to Sociedade Figueira Praia, a Portuguese betting and casino company offering sports betting under the Casino Portugal brand. The gambling regulator has granted three sports betting licenses, three casino licenses, and a single poker license.

Billionaire investor Teddy Sagi has sold a stake of 11.5 percent of Playtech stock to fund a real estate move in the UK. Sagi said he hopes to raise almost £340 million through the sale. Sagi began selling off his Playtech stake last year and now controls only about a 6.3 percent stake in the company.

Russia’s telecom regulator temporarily blocked access to Google’s search engine last month due to links to a banned online gambling domain. The links were to Russian bookmaker Fonbet, a blacklisted site.

Blockchain, a Bitcoin wallet start-up said it has raised $40 million in investment capital. The main investors were venture capital firm Lakestar, Google's investment arm GV, and billionaire Richard Branson.

iSoftBet, a leading online and mobile casino content developer, has announced their latest slot release, titled Booster. The game combines classic casino gaming with a modern design to create an engaging experience.

The Rank Group has credited its switch to the Bede Gaming platform as one of the key factors in the operator’s recent financial growth and performance of its Grosvenor Casino brand.

Austria-based omni-channel sports betting supplier Playtech BGT recently deployed its proprietary sportsbook software onto more than 450 Connect tablet-based betting terminals across Coral's online betting sites said, "Our terminals and software solutions are re-shaping the betting shop industry as bookmakers realize the benefits of digitizing the retail space."

The New York legislature has approved a tax break for racetrack casinos investing in capital improvements but adjourned with no agreement on more comprehensive relief. Without it, Jeff Gural (l.), the owner of Vernon Downs, says the track, the casino and its hotel will be history by the end of the year.

James Packer’s Las Vegas Strip megaresort Alon (l.) may be dead, but it’s left behind a raft of unpaid bills that are very much alive. Or so one of its lead contractors, YWS Design & Architecture, is alleging in a federal lawsuit.

Gross revenues at Plainridge Park (l.) in Plainville, Massachusetts produced slightly gross gaming revenue in its second year over its first year. Officials of Penn National cited looser slots for the boost. And the state Gaming Commission focused on education and research.

The state Gaming Commission has approved new rules to allow parimutuel wagering on non-traditional events such as the World Series of Poker (l.). What it means is now just about any proposition is in play, from professional sports drafts and awards to eSports tournaments.

Video gambling machines debuted in Illinois in September 2012. Now the state hosts 26,589 machines in 6,604 establishments--one terminal for every 481 residents. Gamblers have spent $44.4 billion on the games, with $882 million going to the state and $176 million to municipalities. But the games' steady proliferation is starting to slow.

Neighbors complaining of loud parties, trash and drugs have moved the Las Vegas City Council to slap new restrictions on short-term vacation rentals like those brokered through AirBnb and other popular internet platforms. Opponents, however, say the rules will only make the problems worse.

Want to know how a luxury Strip resort really works? Then sign up at Wynn Las Vegas to join any one of a yearlong series of instructional tours that take guests and visitors past the glitz and glamor to the action behind the scenes.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill to treat and prevent gambling addiction among military service members. The legislation would require the Department of Defense to screen service members for gambling disorders in both the Annual Periodic Health Assessment and the Health Related Behavior Surveys.

A week after its maiden voyage, an April 15 accident dry-docked the Jacks or Better gambling ship for repairs. But the 155-foot yacht resumed operations out of Galveston on May 5. It accommodates up to 150 passengers at $15 each on a 7-hour voyage to gamble in international waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The bill authorizing the Mohegan and Pequot tribes to move forward with their third, satellite casino has been signed by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy (l.). The next step is to obtain regulatory approvals aimed at shovels in the ground by the end of summer.

On the eve of a decision by the Department of the Interior on its request to put 151 acres in Taunton, Massachusetts into trust, the Mashpee Wampanoag has put its request on hold and pivoted to instead appeal a federal court judgment that has shut down its casino project, First Light (l.), for more than a year.

Five pueblos sued New Mexico over the state's demand for back taxes on free-play slot credits issued before 2015. The state said the pueblos owe nearly $50 million. But the tribes said the tax is illegal and violates federal law. Free-play slot credits are not considered taxable income under the latest 2015 gaming compact. Governor Susana Martínez (l.) says she is only being accountable to the state finances.

The Nooksack Northwood Casino remains closed. However, the Nooksack Tribe will honor slot machine tickets from the casino for 30 days, or until they expire.

The Wilton Rancheria is not answering questions about whether it is negotiating a tribal state gaming compact with California. However, Chairman Raymond Hitchcock says he remains committed to building a $400 million casino at an abandoned mall (l.) in Elk Grove.

The Oneida Nation's second casino in Madison County, New York will break ground next month and open in spring 2018. The $40 million, 65,000 square foot facility will create 250 construction and 200 permanent jobs, with 500 slots and 20 table games, plus two casual restaurants, a chocolatier and two bars.

California’s tribes appear united in their determination to force the state to crack down on the Golden State’s card rooms, including the Commerce Casino (l.). The tribes claim the cardrooms are operating banked card games in contravention of state law and the state constitution.

The U.S. Air Force and the Spokane Tribe of Washington both disagree with a claim made in a lawsuit challenging the tribe’s desire to build a casino in Airway Heights, next to the Fairchild Air Force Base (l.). The suit claims that the casino would harm the base’s ability to fly airplanes in and out.

Ground recently was broken for a five-story, 148-room hotel and expanded gaming floor at the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino (l.) in Standish, Michigan, operated by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Construction will be completed by early 2019. The casino opened in 2007 and offers more than 800 slots and electronic gaming tables.

The continued attacks on Indian sovereign rights to conduct gaming on their lands remains the biggest challenge to the Indian gaming industry. That’s the conclusion of California Nations Indian Gaming Association Executive Director Susan Jensen.

Former Seminole Chairman James Billie recently embarked on a quest to help tribes operate cannabis businesses, which he said will be "bigger than bingo and our gaming heritage." His Seminole-owned finance company, MCW, is partnering with investment firm Electrum Partners in the venture, which he said will be tribes' "next huge economic development opportunity."

Effective July 1, Illinois Lottery winners of prizes worth $25,000 or more cannot be paid because the Illinois legislature failed to pass a budget bill for the third consecutive year. In addition, Illinois has been ordered by the multistate agencies that operate Powerball and Mega Millions to stop selling tickets for those games.

Scientific Games announce a new four-year contract to provide instant games and services to the New Hampshire Lottery, where the supplier launched its first instant game in 1975. The company also announced it has been awarded an eight-year systems technology and services contract from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

IGT and the West Virginia Lottery, partners since 2009, recently signed a new contract beginning June 28, 2018. It offers three one-year renewal options and a four-year deal to provide the Lottery’s instant ticket printing businesses. IGT will provide its Aurora platform and Altura Flex terminals plus other specialized products and services.

Hundreds of illegal lotteries were closed last year in Ukraine, but "they popped up again, like mushrooms after a storm," said Ukraine Prosecutor General Yuiry Lutsenko. He noted the Cabinet of Ministers is working on a licensing procedure, but urged officials to find a way to license legal lotteries "in the nearest future."

The Kansas legislature let stand Governor Sam Brownback’s veto of a bill allowing self-service lottery ticket vending machines. A portion of proceeds would have gone to community mental health services. Brownback (l.) said, “Our goal is to help low income Kansans find a path to self-reliance and independence through education, work and savings."

Former Multi-State Lottery Association Security Director Eddie Tipton still faces prison although the Iowa Supreme Court, noting the statute of limitations expired, overturned his conviction for rigging a $16.5 million lottery jackpot in 2010. But Tipton will plead guilty to rigging a $2 million jackpot in Wisconsin in 2007. Prosecutors want a 25-year prison term.

A new Oklahoma law removed the requirement that 35 percent of Oklahoma Lottery profits go to education. Now the Lottery is printing new tickets reflecting higher prizes, expected to boost sales and benefit education. Oklahoma Lottery prizes have been the worst in the nation, said Lottery Director of Marketing and Administration Jay Finks.

The website DoctorofCredit.com found a flaw in the Michigan Lottery's online Fuzzball Keno game, which allowed players to make an average of $62 on a $200 deposit. WZZM 13 in Grand Rapids reported the story. It's not known if the Michigan Lottery has reconfigured the play-through requirements for Fuzzy Keno bonus dollars.

A bill that would tax keno games and earmark the money to partially fund full-day kindergarten has been approved by both houses of the New Hampshire legislature. It awaits the signature of the governor.

At Hard Rock International in Orlando, Florida, Jon Lucas (l.), who has been in charge of gaming for the company, has been named chief operating officer. Dale Hipsh, vice president of hotel operations and development, has been promoted to senior vice president. Sean Caffery was hired as senior vice president casino development.

Gaming veteran Augie Renna has been named vice president of national marketing for Foxwoods Resort Casino. One of the leading experts in casino marketing, Renna will lead the casino’s player development efforts from new Atlantic City offices for the Connecticut property.

Crown Resorts Limited in Australia announced Robert Rankin resigned from its board. He served as non-executive chairman of Crown Resorts from August 2015 to January 2017. In May, Rankin resigned as a non-executive director at Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited, operators of casinos in Macau and the Philippines.

A councilmember of the Puyallup Tribe of Washington, David Bean, has been appointed vice chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association. He will fill out a term due to expire in 2018.

MGM Springfield last week announced five hires to staff its Massachusetts casino resort, slated to open in the fall of 2018. Alex Dixon (l.) will be the general manager and Courtney Wenleder will be vice president of finance and chief financial officer.

Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, Maryland recently named Jennifer Kearns executive director of relationship marketing. Previously she created the property's customer relationship management system and served as director of relationship marketing. Kearns also worked in marketing at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and for the NHL Philadelphia Flyers.

SuzoHapp announced the appointments of Allen Ko as vice president, OEM cash handling, Asia Pacific and Evrim Özsoy as vice president of retail sales for its EMA Components Division.

In Huntington, West Virginia, the Huntington Comprehensive Treatment Center added two gambling addiction counselors: Kayla Harless and Samantha Page, both Marshall University graduates. The center also treats people with drug and alcohol addictions. Page noted "a high co-morbidity" exists between gambling and addiction since "they both trigger the same area in your brain."

Scientific Games has launched a wide-area progressive slot game based on the long-running animated show The Simpsons, on the cinematic Gamescape cabinet.

Melco International, through subsidiary EGT Nevada Holding Inc., has completed a short-form merger with Entertainment Gaming Asia, Inc. following an unsolicited cash offer.

Everi has launched a premium slot machine based on the 1942 Warner Bros. classic Casablanca, to be featured on the supplier’s newest cabinet, the Empire MPX.

Canada-based Amaya Gaming plans to move its headquarters from Montreal to Toronto, and change the corporate name to the Stars Group Inc.

Duetto will supply its cloud-based revenue strategy and enhancement software to Live! hotel for the debut of the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland next year. Duetto CEO Patrick Bosworth (l.) says his company’s open pricing system will enable the Live! hotel to succeed.

Points of Light recently named Caesars Entertainment to its Civic 50 list for the third consecutive year. Caesars was recognized for delivering 400,000 employee volunteer hours annually; Caesars Foundation’s $72 million in donations to nonprofits; customer-driven community service programs; management diversity; and environmental activism.

The German firm Procoin recently was acquired by UK-based G+D Currency Technology. Procoin provides counting, sorting and packing machine in the coins sector, plus banknote counters. Procoin brings to G+D a wide product range and European distribution network, allowing G+D to strengthen its position as a global market leader for cash cycle automation.

Golden Entertainment, the largest distributed gaming operator in Nevada with 7,500 devices in nearly 700 locations, has been approved for a video gaming terminal operator license by the Illinois Gaming Board. A subsidiary will operate the terminals in establishments with liquor licenses, including restaurants, bars, truck stops and fraternal and veterans organizations.

Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, Washington added the CasinoVIEW module by Alpha Video to its CastNET digital signage management system. CasinoVIEW, a digital "You Are Here," displays zooming, scrolling casino maps on touchscreens and integrated video walls promote restaurants, events and general marketing messages.

World Gaming Expo 2017 will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, December 6-8 and is expected to attract gaming equipment manufacturers, software developers and casino representatives from across the world. Conferences will address the evolution of iGaming, financial trading, new payment methods, emerging markets, customer expectations and attracting new customers.

New Jersey-based Gaming Laboratories International announced it will host the Midwest Regional Gaming Regulator’s Seminar in Kansas City, Missouri, July 13.

The Australasian Gaming Expo is set for August 15-18 at the new ICC Sydney in Darling Harbor. More than 250 vendors will present new and emerging products and technologies, and numerous seminars be offered. Financial commentator Michael Pascoe will moderate a panel of chief executive officers of international gaming supply companies.

Small Nuggets of News

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