The Pennsylvania legislature has passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes a massive gaming expansion package legalizing online gaming, satellite casinos and video gaming terminals at truck stops. But questions about the iGaming tax rate and a looming lawsuit from Penn National Gaming may limit the impact of the expansion. Governor Tom Wolf (l.) will take a few days before deciding whether to approve it or not.
Victory at the polls for Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) was good news for casino operators. Hopeful investors worldwide are expected to bid for gaming licenses in the country. The major gaming companies are continuing their plans to obtain licenses in Japan, but Crown Resorts has dropped out.
Rodrigo Maia (l.), the president of the Chamber of Deputies, has promised to allow a floor vote on a legalization bill next month. The chances of passage look good, too, with more than half the members of the lower house signing on to a new pro-gaming caucus.
Two weeks after the exit from bankruptcy of Caesars Entertainment’s largest subsidiary, President and CEO Mark Frissora (l.) gathered with other top executives on Wall Street for a celebratory ringing of the opening Nasdaq bell. He then treated the investment community to a peak at the conglomerate’s future.
Voters in Kinmen County, Taiwan, will go to the polls this month to vote on casino gaming on the island. A petition with more than 6,200 signatures was required to move forward with the referendum
The Bermuda Minister of Tourism Jamahi Simmons has ordered the chairman of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission to resign. However, Alan Dunch (l.) has refused and says the minister doesn’t have the authority to make him leave before the end of his term in 2019.
Much of Indian Country is pushing for a new rule that would update the old Indian Traders rule. It would prevent dual taxation of non-gaming enterprises on tribal land. David Bernhardt (l.), the second-in-command at Interior, was non-committal about supporting the rule. Meanwhile, tribes are upset about the department’s “land-into-trust” opinions.
Oracle founder Larry Ellison has added the storied Rat Pack hangout, the Cal Neva Lodge (l.) to a portfolio that includes an estate in Rancho Mirage and an island in Hawaii. What he plans to do with the vacant Lake Tahoe landmark is a mystery at this point.
Las Vegas Sands is clearly a mature company when you consider there is no immediate growth opportunities, but with a $4.5 billion EBITDA, dividends and share repurchasing programs, it is a revenue generator for shareholders.
The GGB Podcast sits down this week with Eric Persson, the president and COO of Aruze Gaming, about his company’s rapid rise in the slot manufacturers segment of the industry.
Philippines casinos will be required to record and verify the “true identity” of customers starting November under new rules from the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Council. The minimum customer information and identification documents required includes the customer’s name, date and place of birth, current address, permanent address, contact information, nationality, proof of ID, employment details and source of funds.
GGR in Macau is expected to grow by approximately 12 percent year-on-year for the fourth quarter of 2017, down markedly from the third-quarter increase of 22 percent, according to brokerage Sanford C Bernstein.
Tourism authorities in Guam, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, say they will not join Saipan in developing casinos to stoke visitation.
Enrique Razon (l.), chairman and CEO of Philippines casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp., says the company will proceed with plans to build a casino resort at Quezon City, north of Manila.
Billionaire Stephen Hung’s plan to develop an ultra-high end casino hotel in Macau hasn’t paid off. Shares of 13 Holdings Ltd. fell to their lowest level in decades after the firm announced a stock sale to fund the project.
More than 450 online sites have been warned by UK regulators that they face sanctions if they are found to carrying gambling ads aimed at minors as well as games like Fluffy Favorites (l.), which appear to target minors. Regulators also want such ads removed on sites offering paid and free online games. Letters were sent to the sites backed by several UK regulators including the Gambling Commission, the Committee of Advertising Practice, Advertising Standards Authority and Remote Gambling Association.
With the closure of more than 80 gambling rooms since 2013, Mexico has dropped to third place in gaming market size, behind Argentina and Chile. Mexican Gaming Association President Miguel Angel Ochoa Sanchez (l.) said, "The issue has been to organize growth and to control it better. Now that we are organized it is time to grow.”
A subsidiary of Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming authority of the Atmore, Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians, recently acquired the Aruba Renaissance Resort & Casino (l.) and the Curacao Renaissance Resort & Casino. The upscale destinations will maintain the Renaissance brand and all employees are expected to keep their jobs.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation Minister Marlene Kairouz (l.) will take a hard look at Crown Resorts in the wake of allegations the company tampered with slot machines and failed to report large transactions.
A Canadian First Nation that claims it has been locked out of the casino game in Manitoba has sued the province for redress. It claims it was promised it would be allowed to open a casino in Winnipeg, but the government reneged. Grand Chief Arlen Dumas (l.) says the First Nation has been denied an opportunity for economic development.
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, Canada lost two members, Andre Dumais and Vicki Jacobs, because they disagreed with the group's support of a new $80 million-$100 million casino that will be built in Sudbury. Jacobs said casinos do not contribute to economic development and are bad for business.
Criminal charges were filed against Silver International Investment in Richmond, British Columbia, a money-transfer company snagged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in its Project E-Pirate investigation of money laundering and other criminal activity centered at the River Rock Casino. The company allegedly used suspected drug cash to fund high-roller Chinese gamblers in B.C. casinos.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority has begun construction of the $26.5 million Lloydminster casino (l.), which is expected to open next September. It will be 33,750 square feet with 250 slots and eight gaming tables.
Michigan is one of the latest states to consider regulating the daily fantasy sports industry. A DFS bill cleared a State Senate committee. The bill classifies DFS as a game of skill and would require operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel to acquire a state license.
It’s been killed twice, but HB 562, which would allow online gaming in New Hampshire, refuses to stay dead. It could be considered in an upcoming executive session of the legislature.
China’s Hainan province has suspended private investors from registering companies in the online gambling business. The move comes amid rumors the province is about to legalize betting on horse racing. In the past year, more than 70 companies registered in Hainan as internet gaming companies to conduct gambling businesses.
The eSports betting firm Unikrn has raised $31 million through an ICO token sale. The company made the ICO in two phases and sourced contributions in 122 countries, mostly from small donors. The company is backed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (l.).
Ads for sports betting firms are ubiquitous throughout telecasts of British soccer games, a study by the BBC has found. The study looked at 25 televised soccer matches and found 95 percent of them contained ads for sports betting. The study found that one out of every five ads during the broadcasts has been for betting firms, and at times the ratio often rose to one in three.
Betsson, the Swedish provider of online gaming products has partnered with BetConstruct to provide BetConstruct’s Sportsbook in the Spanish market. The agreement includes integrating Sportsbook with full access to pre-match and live betting coverage.
Paddy Power Betfair has announced it will withdraw its Paddy Power brand from the Italian market. The company will still have its Italia branch of Betfair operating in the country.
Sports data technology service provider Genius Sports has signed a data and integrity partnership with DreamHack, the largest digital festival in the world and host of high profile eSports tournaments. The agreement will see Genius Sports distribute data and video streaming from DreamHack’s eSports events and also help DreamHack protect its competitions from the threat of match-fixing, the companies said.
Golden Entertainment’s $850 million purchase of American Casino & Entertainment is final, adding Las Vegas’ Stratosphere (l.) and Arizona Charlie’s resorts to a diversified Golden portfolio of casinos, gaming taverns and slot routes. Golden expects the merger will double revenues and triple cash flow.
A report by GamblingCompliance estimates that a legal U.S. sports betting market would be valued between $2 billion and $5.8 billion, as a key conference prepares to examine it. Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (l.), who has been challenging the failed PASPA law, is calling opposition from the leagues “hypocrisy.”
Both major candidates to succeed Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey have said they favor expanding casino gambling in the state. Democratic candidate Phil Murphy (l.), with a big lead in the polls, said he strongly favors expanding casino gaming outside of Atlantic City. Republican candidate Kim Guadagno said she favors holding another referendum on the issue after Atlantic City’s finances are stabilized. New Jersey voters overwhelmingly defeated a referendum to expand casinos into the northern part of the state last year.
Four years ago, ex-NBA player Jackie Robinson (l.) unveiled plans for a $1.3 billion resort complex at the north end of the Strip. Then nothing happened.
Two weeks remain for the Progress for Maine campaign and its detractors to try to change the minds of voters as they decide whether to support Question 1. The initiative, pushed by casino entrepreneur Shawn Scott (l.), would authorize a casino in York County.
The Wynn Boston Harbor, in Everett, Massachusetts, is nearing its topping off, when it will reach its planned 27 stories, and is starting to resemble what it will eventually be in a year and a half: one of the biggest examples of the Wynn casino empire.
The Florida political committee Voters In Charge has collected 301,370 valid signatures toward placing on the November 2018 ballot a constitutional amendment giving voters the "exclusive right" to approve casino gambling expansion. The group needs 766,200 valid signatures. Disney, the major financial backer, has contributed $2.33 to the petition drive since March.
The combined government/industry council created to recommend improvements to gaming regulations in Delaware will again recommend the table-game tax be cut. Dover Downs CEO Ed Sutor says table games at his casino (l.) are losing money. But Ocean Downs is bending to pressure and introducing the games.
Like 2014, when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rejected a Cedar Rapids casino, new studies indicate a casino there still would cannibalize Riverside Casino (l.). The IRGC will announce on November 15 whether it will grant a license to one of three proposals. Mayoral candidates range from pursuing a casino to dropping the subject.
The Twin River’s Tiverton Casino could be three months late in opening. That is giving a big case of heartburn to the state government, which figures it will lose $26.4 million in taxes as a result
A constitutional amendment banning greyhound racing has been proposed by Florida state Senator Tom Lee. It must be filed by October 31 to appear on the 2018 statewide ballot. Lee said the amendment is not "decoupling" racing from offering other types of gambling, but a mandatory ban on greyhound racing throughout the state.
Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has raised Atlantic City’s bond rating after tax appeal settlements with the resort’s casino properties have been finalized. The rating improved from CCC to CCC+. The ratings service also pointed to assurances from the state that the city will continue to meet debt service payments.
The Cordish Companies last week completed the exterior structure of the flagship Live! Hotel, scheduled to open in early 2018 as brand’s first hotel property. The 17-story, 310-room luxury hotel is scheduled to open in 2018.
A new study of 21 gaming corporations by the nonprofit Women of Diversity Productions indicated the gambling industry must do more to achieve gender equality. The study found none of the 21 corporations had a female chief executive officer, chairwoman or president. Women hold one-third or more executive board seats at only three corporations
The Isle Casino Cape Girardeau in Missouri recently turned five years old. Revenue has increased from $45.7 million the first year to $65.8 million in latest fiscal year. Admissions totaled 1.8 million. The casino employs 411 people, including 115 who have worked there since it opened on October 30, 2012.
Owners of two Denver arcades said their offerings are not illegal games of chance but legal games of skill, like those at Dave and Busters or Chuck E Cheese. But police have a different opinion, and raided the establishments, seizing cash and machines. Similar raids occurred in Evans, Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
FTN Poker in McKinney, Texas closed after five weeks in business after police indicated it was operating illegally. Owner Jody Wheeler said he believed the club was operating within state law. Similar clubs in Austin and Houston have remained open, but others in Plano and Dallas also recently shut down after police contact.
Evansville, Indiana Mayor Lloyd Winnecke (l.) said he expects the new $50 million land-based Tropicana Evansville to generate $12 million in casino tax revenue for the city in 2018. That's the same amount the former riverboat casino provided for the city. Winnecke said Evansville's conservative approach is likely to change over time.
The land that housed Las Vegas’ first desegregated casino hotel has been awarded out of receivership to Clark County, ending long-held hopes that the historic site would ultimately be revived as a gaming resort. It will be government offices instead.
The union coalition representing table-game dealers at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore announced a pay increase for dealer of at least 10 percent under a newly ratified contract.
Industry insiders said the sudden closure of actor/director Kevin Costner's Midnight Star Casino (l.) in Deadwood, South Dakota is one of the reasons gaming revenue dropped in September. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming said slots wagers fell 2.8 percent to $95.2 million, and year-to-date numbers dropped 2.4 percent. Table games, however, rose 8.6 percent.
Racing and Gaming Commission Administrator Brian Ohorilko said 550 individuals applied to be removed from a lifetime gambling self-ban since the law changed on July 1. Now people have the option of a 5-year ban or a lifetime ban. Gambling treatment groups said the shorter self-ban could result in more people signing up.
Since opening in 2011, Rivers Casino has given $9 million to community organizations and projects and employees have given thousands of volunteer hours. Employees receive a check for $50 for every eight hours they volunteer. Recently Rivers expanded its philanthropic efforts by partnering with Autism Speaks, Susan G. Komen and the Alzheimer’s Association.
MGM, which may be listed in a dictionary somewhere under “those who don’t take no for an answer,” continues to push its idea—unpopular with most Connecticut lawmakers—for a casino in Bridgeport (l.). The gambit is considered a maneuver in MGM’s battle to try to stop a third tribal casino in the state.
Oklahoma has the second largest Indian gaming industry. That’s according to the annual “Economic Impact of Tribal Gaming: A First-Ever State-by-State Analysis,” just published by the American Gaming Association. AGA President Geoff Freeman (l.) noted the explosive growth of tribal gaming.
Officials recently were invited to a "guitar smash" to preview the $1.5 billion expansion and renovation ongoing at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The project includes a 35-story, 638-room, guitar-shaped hotel set to open in 2019, including a lagoon-style pool, meeting space, spa, restaurants and lounges and a casino.
The Indian casinos of San Diego County are engaged in a building war. The flurry of construction has spent, or will soon spend, about $1 billion in expanding. The Pechanga expansion (l.) is nearing completion.
In July the Department of Interior denied the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe's land-trust application for a tract in downtown Lansing, Michigan, where it would open a casino (l.). The tribe approved a resolution to "take whatever action is necessary" to overturn the ruling. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi and the Saginaw Chippewa oppose a Sault casino.
In recognition of landmark Supreme Court decisions that helped launch the immense Indian gaming industry 30 years ago, a U.S. Senate committee heard testimony last week about the effects gaming has wrought on many tribes. Squamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman (l.) explained the economic impact on his tribe.
The Prairie Island Indian Community has applied to the Interior Department for federal land-trust status for a 110-acre tract in Red Wing, Minnesota. Tribal officials said the top priority is housing, but local residents are concerned the tribe, which owns Treasure Island Resort and Casino, may develop a second casino.
A gaming tribe in Northern California started an online radio station two years ago. Today Rancheria Radio is a successful adjunct to the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians.
The Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma recently ran an advertisement seeking applicants for a gaming executive director, indicating it may have plans to build a casino east of Enid. However, the Enid city manager and Regional Development Alliance executive director both said they weren't aware of a Ponca casino.
The Menominee Nation Arena will be the name of the new $21 million, 3,600-seat arena for the Wisconsin Herd basketball team, the minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, in Oshkosh. The tribe recently signed a 5-year contract for naming rights to promote its Keshena casino and Neopit lumber mill.
After trying to remove Northstar Lottery Group for three years, the Illinois Lottery finally will have a new manager starting January 2, 2018. Camelot Illinois, a subsidiary of Camelot Group, which oversees Great Britain's national lottery, expects to generate annual sales of $4 billion by the end of its 10-year contract.
Veteran casino executive Ed Tracy has been named as the CEO of Asia for Hard Rock International. Tracy is focused on developing an integrated resort project in Japan for the company. Most recently Tracy was president and COO of Sands China.
The gaming giant has appointed Chris Holdren, CMO of internet startup Handy Technologies, to direct all its marketing initiatives. A veteran of Starwood Holdings and Disney, Holdren brings a wide range of digital marketing experience to the post.
Six team members have been promoted at Detroit-based JACK Entertainment. The changes reflect recognition of their talent and contributions and preparation for Greektown Casino-Hotel becoming a JACK-branded property, said Chief Executive Officer Matt Cullen. The six are Van Baltz (l.), Alyse Martinelli, Angela Matthews, Jeffery LaFrance and Randy Awdish.
Claudia Vecchio, who headed the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, has resigned to become CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. She is leaving almost a month to the day of the Las Vegas mass shooting and just weeks after wild fires devastated California’s Wine Country.
Gamblit Gaming has released six new skill-based slot games on its new TriStation three-station gaming pod, unveiled at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip. Planet Hollywood GM Ryan Hammer and Gamblit VP Marketing Darien Lowenstein pose in front of the new games at left.
Gaming manufacturer and electronic table game provider Interblock has announced the placement of a Diamond Stadium at the Merit Royal Hotel & Casino in Cyprus.
SG Gaming files for five trademarks in the Macau market as its parent company seals a major game and system deal with the Snoqualmie Casino in Washington state.
Station Casinos will introduce IGT’s Cardless Connect system at several of its Las Vegas properties, enabling customers to register their loyalty cards for play by simply tapping their smartphones on a card reader.
A new study by the American Gaming Association and the Pandora music-streaming service shows that casino customers have a negative perception of how casinos collect data on them.
The American Gaming Association highlighted the gaming industry’s commitment to diversity in the latest event in the organization’s “Get to Know Gaming” campaign.
Casino Technology has completed key installations of its Tower and Tower 101 products at the Buyana Princess Casino as part of a new push into the Caribbean market.
The trade show of the Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ Association will highlight cloud computing providers and Chinese suppliers of eSports games.
Merkur Gaming Argentina, the newly formed subsidiary of Germany’s Merkur Gaming, will display its full range of products at November’s SAGSE Buenos Aires trade show.
