Government stalling on about gaming regulations, a possible shortage of domestic workers and the proposed five-year license terms for IR operators all are creating concerns about Japan’s nascent gaming industry. With Osaka aiming to have at least one casino resort open and operating before the 2025 World Expo, any delay could be problematic. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) has said it will delay release of regulations.
After some very public flirting, Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts agreed to end talks aimed at a purchase of Encore Boston Harbor. The discussions were not well received in either Springfield or Boston/Everett and the hurdles to overcome were substantial. But MGM wasn’t the only suitor. Boston Red Sox owner John Henry (l.) was also in the mix.
Penn National and real estate investment trust VICI Properties were expected to close on the $1 billion purchase of Jack Entertainment's Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit May 23. Penn National will acquire Greektown operations for $300 million VICI will buy the casino's real estate for $700 million, then lease it to a Penn National subsidiary.
G2E Asia, the continent’s largest gaming tradeshow and conference, expected a record 18,000 visitors for the annual three-day event that concluded last week. The show hosted nearly 200 exhibitors and featured new segments highlighting opportunities for casinos in the art world and emerging financial technologies. But the boycott by the Macau regulators will cause the show to re-evaluate its exhibitors and policies.
Nothing is official, but there are signs that GVC may be considering challenging WSOP.com for online poker in Nevada. The company was awarded a license for its partnership with MGM in the state for online gaming and sports betting, but including language that could see it also licensed for online poker.
Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada says he will “vigorously defend” himself against charges he defrauded one of his own Philippine companies of US$3 million. A statement on Okada’s behalf called the allegations “baseless.”
“A tremendous honor,” Scott Sibella said of his appointment as president of the Asian-themed super-resort under construction on the Las Vegas Strip. Fresh off eight years as president of the MGM Grand, he’s bringing “a wealth of experience” to the position, Resorts World owner Genting said.
A report by lawyers for daily fantasy sports companies FanDuel and DraftKings says the two companies—which both now offer sportsbooks—will challenge any Illinois law that seeks to exclude them from the state. The report states that the two companies feel such an exclusion will violate both the state and U.S. Constitution. But time is running out on Illinois.
The House last week passed the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act. It would put 321 acres in Massachusetts into trust for the Mashpee tribe, allowing it to operate a casino in Taunton. The opposition of President Trump (L.), who must sign the bill if passed, couldn’t kill the bill but prospects in the Senate are much tougher.
A purchase of Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor would have been a major mistake by MGM Resorts. It flies against everything the company has said it’s doing. But a sale by Wynn might not be a bad thing.
This week the GGB Podcast is joined by John Dinius, the general manager of the Sycuan Casino Resort, to talk about the huge expansion of his property and the impact on guests, tribal members and employees.
The Filinvest Group has announced it will invest more than $200 million for its first-ever integrated casino resort in New Clark City, Philippines. Construction is expected to begin this year.
The casino industry has come to Sihanoukville in a big way, turning the former coastal idyll into a construction zone. But the infusion of Chinese investment and gamblers has sparked resentment among some locals. Sihanoukville Governor Yun Min (l.) complains that many Chinese workers are in fact gang members.
The family of the Philippines’ richest man, former Senator Manuel Villar Jr. (l.), has announced that it hopes to build an integrated resort in the city of Las Piñas in Metro Manila.
Casino boats on the Mandovi River off Goa, India may be a key issue in the upcoming Panaji general elections. For years, politicians and candidates have been promising to relocate the boats, but none have followed through. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant (l.) now says he’s considering a proposal to shut down the casinos.
The Philippine Stock Exchange says Melco Resorts and Entertainment’s Philippines unit will be delisted unless the company floats at least 10 percent of its stock at the PSE by June 11.
UK Labor Party Deputy Tom Watson (l.) is calling for online casinos, which received licenses after 2014 to reapply for their operating licenses. The UK Gambling Commission recently found that over one third of online operators were asked to improve their standards.
Francisco Fernández Marugán, Spain’s civic ombudsman, has appealed to the Spanish government to ban all advertising of gambling products and services across media channels including TV, radio and internet.
Switzerland has become the fifth member of the Council of Europe to ratify the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competition, aka the Macolin Convention. The treaty will take effect September 1.
Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has introduced new whistleblower protections allowing employees of gambling operators to report evidence or suspicions of wrongdoing in relation to money laundering laws. Employees can contact the regulator directly via a dedicated section on its website.
Lawmakers alarmed about the rapid growth of illegal gambling in Kenya are starting to crack down, including deporting foreigners involved in the activity and reviewing the working permits of all foreigners seeking entry. Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’I (l.) says problem gambling affects the young and vulnerable.
The Australian state of Victoria is considering rules that would prohibit sports betting sites from directly marketing to players unless they opt in for ads. The new rules would also ban "free bets" that have terms where players must keep playing to earn the bonus. Gaming Minister Marlene Kairouz (l.0 says the new rules “empowers consumers.”
Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts has concluded a purchase agreement with Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment to acquire the Emerald Resort & Casino (l.) in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa.
ESports company Complexity Gaming has opened a new headquarters in Frisco Texas. Titled the GameStop Performance Center, the facility is adjacent to the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters. Jerry Jones (l.), president of the Dallas Cowboys, owns Complexity Gaming.
SkyCity Entertainment Group CEO Graeme Stephens (l.) announced its Maltese subsidiary has partnered with international iGaming company Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) to launch an online gambling platform in New Zealand. The proposed skycitycasino online gaming site is expected to be launched in mid-2019 and will be operated from Malta under a .com URL.
A bill passed by a North Carolina House committee would create a new state gaming commission to regulate fantasy sports as well as the state lottery, bingo, raffles and boxing. The bill also directs the new commission to study sporting betting, online lottery games and steeplechase race regulations.
Playtech will launch a new online casino platform for Spanish sports betting operator RETAbet. CEO Xabier Rodriguez-Maribona (l.) says it will include popular casino games including blackjack, roulette and live roulette.
A Louisiana House committee voted 11-6 for a bill allowing wagering on professional, college, Olympic and international sporting events at the state's 16 casinos and four racetracks. If the measure passes the House and is signed by Governor John Bel Edwards (l.), sports betting must be approved by voters in the parishes, which would occur in the October 12 election.
Pennsylvania’s online sports books will open soon, and analysts are predicting the state’s sports betting market could become the most lucrative in the nation. As one of the largest states to legalize sports betting and large pockets of the state not served by casinos, mobile could be big.
Tennessee's upcoming online and mobile sports betting industry is expected to generate $254 million in annual revenue. Much of that is projected to come from 3.52 million visitors who already come to the state. Tennessee also will benefit from proximity to Georgia and Kentucky, where sports betting legislation failed.
Sports betting could start in the District of Columbia is expected to begin in September but the app may not launch until January 2021. DC Lottery, which will regulate sports wagering, said platform provider Intralot has been struggling financially. The Finance and Revenue Committee suggested the lottery should seek a different provider.
In Ohio, sports betting legislation would put the Ohio Lottery Commission in charge of regulating up to 1,000 brick-and-mortar locations, including the state's 11 casinos and racinos plus terminals at fraternal and veterans establishments and other locations. That would make Ohio the U.S. leader in sports-betting locations.
Atlantic City’s Borgata casino announced it will invest $12 million into a new sports betting and entertainment project. The facility will include a sports bar and is scheduled to open June 29. The Borgata has been sharing space with its race book since beginning sports betting last year.
Michigan state Rep. Brandt Iden (l.) has finalized a draft of a stand-alone sports betting bill. His online gambling legislation still is tied up in the House Ways and Means Committee due to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's concerns. Iden's sports betting bill would allow mobile and land-based wagering at the state's three Detroit and 23 tribal casinos.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently signed a measure legalizing sports betting. Now several of the state's 19 casinos are building sportsbooks and negotiating operator partnerships as they await the official start date, hopefully prior to the fall football season. But first the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will draft licensing rules and hold public hearings.
Analyst Brian McGill of Telsey Advisory Group predicts that the recent deals involving FOX Sports and the Disney-owned ESPN involving sports betting could be just the beginning.
The state of Washington doesn’t appear as though it will join the parade of states that have moved to legalize sports betting. The state’s complicated politics and multiple stakeholders appears to be at the base of the lack of action.
The Massachusetts legislature is holding hearings on sports betting legislation. The Legislature's Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies is looking at all angles of legalization, including the question of whether it should be legalized at all.
The Maine legislature looks very likely to approve a sports betting bill this session. Questions remain what will be in the bill and how many stakeholders will get a slice of the sports book pie.
The New Hampshire Senate and House are passing H 480 back and forth, moving toward a final bill that both can support. It will legalize sports betting in the Granite State and cap the number of mobile providers at five.
Oregon may take some of the profits from its sports betting operation and earmark it for lowering the premiums for its public sector employees. That’s the purpose of a bill that has passed the House Ways and Means Committee and is headed for the floor.
Rhode Island has realized just a fraction of the profits that it had hoped to collect when it unrolled sports betting just after Thanksgiving. Now it’s pinning its hopes on mobile sports betting.
A Louisiana Senate Committee approved a bill extending Harrah's New Orleans' (l.) lease for another 30 years in return for a $325 million investment in a new hotel and upgrades plus additional millions of dollars paid to the state and city. The bill didn't mention Harrah's lawsuit against the state claiming the company owes $40 million in back taxes for comped rooms.
The Vigo County, Indiana election board hopes a voter referendum on a Terre Haute casino could occur this fall. The referendum is required by legislation signed by Governor Eric Holcomb (l.) allowing a casino license in the county, if approved by voters. Spectacle Entertainment and Full House Resorts have expressed interest in a Terre Haute location.
Quapaw Nation Chairman John L. Berrey (l.) held a public meeting in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to discuss the proposed $350 million Saracen Casino Resort ahead of applying for a casino license next month. Besides discussing the new venue, Berrey was seeking construction workers and sub-contractors to work on the project, which will require 1,100 employees.
Horseshoe Southern Indiana (l.) will become Caesars Southern Indiana when its new $85 million land-based casino opens in 2020. The riverboat will remain open during construction of the new facility which will feature a sportsbook, new 100,000 square foot gaming floor, live entertainment lounge, VIP lounge and non-smoking area.
A man who wants to open a small card club in Sacramento’s historic Elks Towers(l.) is suing California’s gambling regulatory agency for failing to issue him a license. The Gambling Control Commission claims Steve Ayers has too many alcohol-related infractions to be allowed to run a casino.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has set a date for a special meeting for the purpose of voting on the planned sale of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem (l.) to Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Station Casinos’ Palms Casino (l.) in Nevada has been ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to recognize and negotiate an agreement with the Culinary and Bartenders Union. The union successful organized the employees in April 2018.
Horseracing in Michigan has steadily declined since 2004 when Detroit casinos fought the industry's efforts to add slots and table games. Now the state's last horseracing track, Northville Downs (l.) near Detroit, will close in 2021. Simulcast wagers, racing fees and licensing generated $3.5 million in 2017 compared to more than $6 million in 2007.
A casino hotel, the Lucky Dragon, was built near the Las Vegas strip to appeal to the Asian market. It failed and closed two years later. It is being resuscitated by a Las Vegas businessman who hopes to turn it into a convention center hotel.
A transnational cybercrime network targeted Island View Casino (l.) in Gulfport, Mississippi in an attempt to steal $100 million from victims worldwide, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The criminal network gained access to a victim's bank account through a phishing email sent to a casino employee, then installed malware to obtain user names and passwords.
For years the state of Texas has been trying to shut down a Class II casino (l.) being operated by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. A recently introduced bill in the House, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Act of 2019, would prevent that from happening.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida said it will resume paying the state $330 million annually in exchange for exclusive rights to offer banked card games. The tribe claims parimutuel card rooms continue to offer designated player games in violation of the agreement. Parimutuels claim the games are different from those exclusive to Seminole casinos, but the tribe doesn't agree. Izzy Havenick (l.), whose family owns Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing and Poker, says losing the games would be devastating.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina said legislation by U.S. Senators allowing the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina to build a North Carolina casino "faces growing opposition." Most members of the North Carolina Senate and five county governments also oppose the measure. The Eastern Band operates two North Carolina casinos, including Harrah’s Cherokee (l.)
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission has begun proceedings to review the small bingo casino that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has started building. The tribe denies the MVC has jurisdiction over it because the land is sovereign reservation land.
The Pauma tribe in San Diego County appears to have come to the end of the road in its attempt to avoid obeying the National Labor Relations Act. The Supreme Court has declined to hear its appeal in the case of Casino Pauma v. NLRB
Ron Cumberledge, mayor of Carter Lake, Iowa, urged an end to litigation attempting to close the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino (l.) . He noted the National Indian Gaming Commission recently ruled—for the third time—in favor of the casino and pointed out the economic and social benefits the casino brings to the city and the tribe.
A Connecticut mayor, Mayor Mark Lauretti, who once opposed gaming in his state now supports a commercial casino in Bridgeport. He also favors ending the state’s monopolistic arrangement with its Indian casinos.
The Redding Rancheria of California has released the draft environmental impact statement for the relocated Win-River Resort and Casino for public review. The tribe hopes to build the new casino on recently acquired property called “Strawberry Fields” along Interstate 5.
The Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians last week celebrated the grand opening of Harrah’s Northern California. The casino has 950 slots, 20 tables and dining.
To fill 1,200 new positions made possible by its $700 million expansion project, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa will hold a job fair June 4-5. Full, part-time and on-call employees will be needed in a wide range categories, officials said. The expansion includes a new 15-story 564-room hotel tower, expanded gaming floor, meeting space, pools and a spa.
The World Lottery Association sent a letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urging him not to sign into law HB 629 which would require warnings on Florida Lottery tickets. The anti-gambling expansion group No Casinos said the letter "never disputes the addictive nature of these games" and called its position "obnoxious.”
Alabama will remain one of five states without a lottery since a bill allowing a paper lottery was declared "dead for this session" by state Rep. Steve Clouse (l.). Voters would have had a chance to approve the constitutional amendment authorizing a paper lottery in March. It would have generated an estimated $167 million annually.
Now that Montana has legalized sports betting, the state lottery has set to work to build a framework that will allow it to be rolled out within the year. Sports betting could be in place in time for next year’s Super Bowl.
AGTech has signed an agreement with the China Sports Lottery, under which the company will supply technology for the lottery’s online promotion activities.
Governor Steve Sisolak’s appointment of Steve Cohen brings Nevada’s head regulatory body to its full complement of five members. Cohen takes over for Philip Pro, the former federal judge who did not seek another term.
JCM Global has promoted Dana Talich to vice president of finance and legal, overseeing all financial and legal activities, plus regulatory and product compliance and IT.
Interblock has signed a renewal of its agreement with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation on the lease of Interblock electronic table games. Michael Hu (l.), president of Asia Pacific, says revenue has increased strongly since the first installation.
After receiving public comment, Gaming Laboratories International has published the final version of a new set of standards for electronic kiosks in the gaming industry.
Galaxy Gaming has received its manufacturer’s license approval from regulators in Ontario and Maryland to sell its table games, systems and side bets. Galaxy President and CEO Todd Cravens (l.) calls the licenses a “major milestone.”
Paradise Entertainment Ltd. announced that the first proprietary linked progressive slot games of its Macau-based LT Game subsidiary have been approved by Macau regulators.
Dynam Japan Holdings and supplier Weike Gaming Technology have introduced a slot game containing pachinko elements, targeted at the mass-market segment in Asia.
AGS drew more than 50 attendees from casinos across Mexico in the supplier’s second annual GameON Mexico Customer Summit in Mexico City. At left, AGS CEO David Lopez addresses attendees at the event.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (l.), Monumental Sports CEO Ted Leonsis and AGA President Bill Miller will deliver keynote addresses at the East Coast Gaming Congress & NextGen Gaming Forum.
Record-breaking Jeopardy! champion and Las Vegas resident James Holzhauer (l.) will speak at the 17th International Conference on Gambling & Risk-Taking at UNLV.
