West Virginia recently became the fifth state to legalize online casinos and poker, since Governor Jim Justice let the deadline pass for vetoing the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. Justice owns the Greenbrier Hotel & Casino (l.), and also allowed sports betting to be legalized without his signature. Meanwhile, a dispute between Miomni and Entergaming continues to block on-site and online sports betting at Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras casinos.
Last week the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) approved regulations governing the size of casinos inside the country’s first three integrated resorts. Amenities include massive hotels—at least 2,000 rooms—with conference facilities. Regulations governing fees and locations should be announced in August, but advertising restrictions were also announced.
The process of renewing Macau’s casino concessions is around the corner. As the government weighs how to manage it, a partner with one of the leading local law firms believes the territory’s 20 “satellite” casinos could wind up on the outs. That’s according to Rui Pinto Proença (l.), an attorney with one of the city’s prominent law firms.
Casino and online gambling and sports betting are coming to Virginia—but not until at least next year, according to legislation recently signed by Governor Ralph Northam (l.). The bill first requires a comprehensive study of casino regulations, then calls for voter referendums in Danville, Bristol and Portsmouth by January 1, 2021.
The nod from the Department of the Interior that their amended tribal state gaming compacts to build a third casino (l.) are approved was given to Connecticut tribes last week. It came two years after it was first requested, and after years of litigation and accusations of corruption of the department’s secretary, Ryan Zinke. Meanwhile, an amendment to the tribes’ compact is being negotiated that could result in sports betting on the reservations.
Casino companies that account for much more than a majority of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are undergoing traumatic transitions. Two are undergoing financial earthquakes, while two others are dealing with the losses of their founders.
A new AP-NORC poll suggests that while most people favor legal sports betting, they’re less comfortable with it when it comes to college athletics. The results were released in the midst of the NCAA “March Madness” Basketball Tournament, which some believe could attract more wagers this year than the Super Bowl.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a memorandum in support of their motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the state of New Hampshire and its lottery challenging the DOJ’s new legal interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act. While a dismissal is unlikely, the memo shows the DOJ does intend to fight the lawsuit.
Loren Gill has been named CEO of tribal government operations and casino enterprises for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians of Southern California. He was promoted from general manager of the San Manuel Casino. COO Peter Arcero will assume the GM position.
Wilson Witzel, (l.) the newly elected governor of Rio de Janeiro, has asked President Jair Bolsonaro to cede control of the city’s seaport to state lawmakers with a plan to grow business and possibly add a casino.
What do the larger economic trends mean to the gaming industry? How serious is the decline in Las Vegas visitation? What does the expanding slot route operations mean to the casino industry?
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Walter Bugno, the CEO for IGT International, responsible for all IGT gaming sales activities outside of North America.
Alfredo Lim (l.), the president and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), says selling off the regulator’s casinos is “out of the question.” Alfredo Lim says the gaming assets are indispensable moneymakers. But that leaves PAGCOR’s conflicting roles as an owner and regulator in question.
Now it’s getting real: the first integrated resort consortium in Japan has been announced by Orix Corp. CEO Makuto Inoue (l.). The Japanese financial firm will partner with MGM Resorts in its bid for an IR license in Osaka. Most experts agree that a partnership with a Japanese company is essential to obtaining a gaming license in Japan.
Developers behind a 38-story Hyatt with 190 table games and 420 slots say they’re shooting to complete construction by the end of this year. Jeju Dream Tower (l.), as it’s called, will pursue the island’s burgeoning Chinese market with an observation deck, retail shopping and nearly a dozen restaurants.
Japan has one, Venice is planning one, and Macau is wondering whether it makes sense to institute a tax on tourists to pay for some of the costs their massive numbers inflict on the tiny territory. At this point, though, it’s merely under study, says MGTO Director Helena Maria de Senna Fernandes (l.).
Phase I of Hoiana, which will be Vietnam’s largest integrated resort, is scheduled to open before the end of 2019. The IR will feature more than 100 gaming tables and 300 gaming machines and three hotels.
Japan’s Organization for the Sound Development of the Pachinko & Pachislot Industry has targeted 1,500 pachinko parlors for inspection. The properties will be assessed based on their addiction prevention measures.
The Minister-Presidents of Germany’s 16 federal states have ratified the third amended State Treaty on Gambling, opening the way for gambling companies to apply for sports betting licenses. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein will be allowed to run its own regulatory regime. Initial licensing will run from January 1, 2020, to June 30 2021. The treaty must be ratified by the European Union.
The Irish Bookmakers Association is supporting a plan for the country to introduce a new Gambling Control Bill overseen by an independent regulator in its latest group report. The association said an independent regulator will ensure enforcement and contributions for all gambling operators. Irish Minister of State David Stanton (l.) is the main sponsor of the bill.
Kosovo has banned gambling for 10 years following the murders of two casino workers. The workers were killed during robberies on different days in different towns. The move could mean the loss of thousands of jobs.
William Hill has asked its betting shop landlords to reduce rents to help it offset the cost of revenue lost due to cuts in fixed-odds betting terminal bets which go into effect April 1. The UK is cutting the maximum amount allowed to be bet at FOBTS from £100 to £2.
The murder of a 29-year old man in Surrey, British Columbia five years ago has been linked to drug money that was laundered in B.C. casinos, regulated by the B.C. Lottery Corporation. A former prosecutor is calling for a public inquiry.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has seized $107,000 from Atlantic City’s Borgata casino won from prohibited gamblers including underage gamblers. The Division has also fined Bwin.party, an online partner with the casino, $81,000 for violations involving New Jersey’s self-exclusion provisions for problem gamblers. Borgata officials said the casino company itself reported the violations to the state after discovering them.
Online gambling operator 188Bet has stopped operating in the UK and Ireland due to the high level of competition across both markets. Annatar Limited, 188Bet’s parent company, said that the move is a “commercial decision in a very competitive marketplace.” The 188Bet brand continues to operate in other markets
A new report puts the values of cryptocurrencies dedicated exclusively to gambling currently at more than $100 million, down substantially from a peak of $1.5 billion in January 2018. According to the report, gambling-specific cryptocurrencies are now starting to stabilize following a difficult year for the global cryptocurrency market.
Pointsbet, an Australian sports betting company taking action in New Jersey reportedly has paid off bettors who picked the loser in the closest game of the early rounds on the NCAA basketball tournament. Calling it a Good Karma payout, the company has paid off moneyline bets on UCF in their at-the-buzzer loss to Duke.
As Pennsylvania adds more retail sports books, gaming regulators report increases in both slot and table game revenue in February year-on-year income reports. Profits were slim.
In Montana, lawmakers heard testimony on HB 725, which would legalize sports betting and authorize the Montana Lottery to regulate and operate it. Wagering kiosks could be placed in more than 1,000 locations, including 300 bars and restaurants, within six months of approval, said state Lottery Director Angela Wong.
Some Iowa lawmakers support an amendment to state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann’s sports betting bill, banning wagering on Iowa college sports. Kaufmann said that would create “a niche in the black market for bookies to continue to take advantage of.” His bill, he said, would regulate sports betting and offer recourse against “anything corrupt.”
“Classical New Jersey,” “Mississippi,” “Professional Sports Leagues” and “Lottery Oversight” are the names of the four amendments recently discussed at a hearing on a sports betting bill sponsored by Illinois state Rep. Michael Zalewski (l.), designed to kickstart discussion on sports wagering. Amendment 5 was unexpectedly introduced, with a “bad actor” clause and calling for one skin per operator.
The American Gaming Association’s Sports Betting Executive Summit brought together the executives who will create the model for legal sports betting in the U.S. The conference was enlivened by a verbal exchange between William Hill’s Joe Asher (l.) and DraftKings Jason Robbins.
Several amendments recently were proposed for Tennessee House Bill 1, which may or may not legalize sports betting at brick-and-mortar locations along with mobile and online wagering. A new regulatory body would regulate it—or the state lottery. A proposal to ban sports betting on holidays and Sundays was narrowly rejected.
Rhode Island is poised to offer mobile sports betting by the end of the year. Governor Gina Raimondo (l.) last week signed the bill legalizing mobile sports betting, which will be operated out of the state’s two casinos.
North Dakota state senators overwhelmingly defeated a sports betting measure in a 38-7 vote. It would have allowed charitable gaming organizations to offer sports betting and raise money for problem gambling services. But the chancellor of the North Dakota University System said betting college sports wagering could result in tampering and additional pressure on student athletes.
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment announced and agreement that makes Kambi Group Plc. its sports betting partner at the company’s flagship Mohegan Sun property.
The Kansas Lottery would regulate sports betting under a comprehensive measure legalizing mobile and in-person betting on professional and college sports at parimutuel licensees and tribal casinos that contract with the lottery. Licenses would not be capped and no integrity fees to professional leagues. The bill is one of five sports betting measures in the legislature.
Ohio lawmakers have begun talking about legalizing sports betting. But being lawmakers in the Buckeye state, they figure on taking their time and doing the legislation up right.
Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would authorize the state’s tribes to run a third casino and one that would allow tribes and casinos to offer sports betting.
Following unanimous approval by the Arkansas Racing Commission, Oaklawn Racing and Gaming in Hot Springs and Southland Park Gaming and Racing (l.) in West Memphis started full casino operations on April 1. Sports betting also could begin this month. In May, the commission will start accepting applications for one casino each in Jefferson and Pope counties.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is preparing to hold hearings on the suitability of Wynn Resorts to operate a casino in the Boston metro area in light of accusations of sexual harassment against its former CEO Steve Wynn. Chairman Phil Satre (l.) says that the corporate culture has been changed for the better since Wynn’s departure.
A comprehensive gambling bill, SB 552, moved from the Indiana House Public Policy Committee to the Ways and Means Committee, with notable changes, including not allowing mobile and online sports betting; permitting live dealers at racinos in July of this year, not 2021; and charging Spectacle Entertainment $100 million to move one of Majestic Casinos’ (l.) Gary licenses ashore.
Developers RAM Group have proposed a casino at the former Margaritaville Casino (l.) in Biloxi, vacant since 2014, and D’Iberville Coastal Corporation and Global Gaming Leasing proposed a casino in D’Iberville, at the proposed Oyster Bay Casino site. Site approval was given to a Long Beach casino and Lakeshore casino also was proposed.
Many eyes in the gaming world are focused on New Hampshire. Where bills are active that would legalize both sports betting and authorize two casinos in the Granite State, a state who resistance to gaming has been, up until now, like a rock. But state Senator Lou D’Allesandro persists for the 20th consecutive year.
While there’s no hard evidence linking the fees to Las Vegas’ visitation slump, some analysts believe they’re tarnishing the city’s reputation as an affordable getaway. Several resorts have moved to eliminate some charges or have cut them as a promotional pitch.
Resorts World Catskills (l.) is slashing VLTs by 26 percent, Tioga Downs by 5 percent after New York regulators OK’d their requests to adjust their gaming floors to the realities of a more modest market. Since opening last February, Resorts World’s daily win per machine has been the lowest in the state.
Legislation in Pennsylvania sponsored by state Senator Scott Martin (l.) would give local communities an opportunity to vote to ban video gambling at truck stops up to 90 days after a license is proposed.
Shareholders of Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment approved the sale of the operator of Dover Downs Hotel and Casino (l.) to Twin River Worldwide Holdings.
Cirque du Soleil is being forced to truncate its support staff of five shows that it runs in Las Vegas in partnership with MGM Resorts. Cirque is being caught in the backwash of a big belt-tightening operation by MGM.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is studying a possible purchase of Atlantic City International Airport or also running the airports according to a letter sent last week to New jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew and others.
Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (l.) is a co-sponsor of state Senator Jim McClendon’s SB130, but Marsh may sponsor a “more tribe-friendly” gaming bill, supposedly to the Poarch Band’s financial support for his 2020 U.S. Senate run. SB130 would let voters approve state lottery and allow VLTs at the state’s four racinos.
The newly branded Sycuan Casino Resort held a ribbon-cutting last week. The expanded property includes a 12-story hotel, a lazy river pool feature, and many new upscale restaurants. It also has 2,800 slots and 54 table games. Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez (l.) said the tribe has added 900 full-time jobs with the expansion.
Two tribes in North Carolina are jousting over whether one of them, the Catawba Nation of North Carolina, should be able to put land into trust near Kings Mountain. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians claims that land is part of its aboriginal heritage. Catawba Chief Bill Harris (l.) calls a “game changer.”
Rhode Island Reps. David Cicilline (l.) and James Langevin vow to vote against a bill that would put land for a Massachusetts tribe into trust. One reason is because they don’t want the competition if the Mashpee Wampanoags open a $1 billion casino in Taunton.
The rights of the Indians of the Yakama Reservation to transport fuel on state highways without paying a duty to Washington have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that an 1855 treaty trumps any state law that tries to charge the tribe for using state roads.
Longtime MGM spokesman and executive Alan Feldman (l.) is ending his nearly 30 years with the company. He is being given a “golden handshake” as part of the company’s announced cutting of $100 million in wages over the next two years. He will continue in an advisory capacity with the company.
Santiago Salvestrini has been named marketing director of Latin America for Merkur Gaming Americas. Salvestrini has experience in marketing, branding and corporate communications.
According to UK business news sources, GVC Holdings is seeking a new chairman as current chairman Lee Feldman is preparing to announce he is leaving the betting group. The departure comes after investors objected to Feldman and Chief Executive Kenneth Alexander selling a combined 3 million company shares at a low price.
Konami Gaming announced the official market launch of its new KX 43 video slot cabinet featuring a 43-inch 4K HD display and the most up-to-date features requested in the marketplace.
Scientific Games has officially launched Munchkinland, the newest title in the company’s franchise of games based on the legendary 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
COCAVEN has secured exclusive distribution rights for Aristocrat Salon games in the Spanish Canary Islands, covering all of the archipelago’s principal islands.
Gaming Partners International has indicated that the merger deal under which the company will be acquired by Japan’s Angel Holdings will be complete by December.
Aristocrat Leisure, Limited has established a new subsidiary company in Macau, Aristocrat Technologies Macau Limited, to comply with changing regulations in the Chinese enclave.
Scientific Games announced the successful completion of a private offering of $1.1 billion in aggregate principal amount of new 8.250 percent senior unsecured notes.
Merkur Sportwetten, the Polish subsidiary of the Gauselmann Group, is buying the sports betting supplier Totolotek from Greek solutions provider Intralot.
Frost & Sullivan has given Cognitec Systems GmbHK the Global Customer Value Leadership Award, honoring industry best practices in facial recognition solutions.
Crane Payment Innovations and Global Payments Gaming Solutions are collaborating in solutions on display at each company’ booth at this week’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow.
Novomatic Americas has previewed several product launches pegged for its Booth 2331 at this week’s National Indian Gaming Association Indian Gaming Tradeshow.
BMM Testlabs will feature celebrated tribal artist Lisa Schneider at its booth, as well as hosting the American Indian Graduate Center in its booth at this week’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow.
