The long awaited merger between Caesars and Eldorado is a cash and stock mega-deal that will create the largest casino operator in the world and has considerably fattened Carl Icahn’s wallet. But for Eldorado it also carries a ton of debt, and it’s likely the owners will look to sell off assets, particularly on the Las Vegas Strip—although flagship Caesars Palace (l.) is undoubtedly safe—and in jurisdictions where there are competitive properties and regulatory concerns. But the company’s international expansion goals seem to be over for now.
The largest integrated casino resort on the East Coast, Encore Boston Harbor, opened last week to the applause of thousands who waited hours to get their first look at the casino. Encore has 3,100 slots, 231 tables and an iconic 27-story hotel tower with 671 rooms.
Aristocrat has named Mitchell Bowen (l.) to the newly created position of global CEO, land based, and has named Hector Fernandez president of Aristocrat Americas, reporting directly to Bowen. Matt Wilson has departed the company for other opportunities.
Late last week, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a gaming bill the legislature passed weeks ago. As a result, sports betting should be able to be launched before football season. Meanwhile, slots vendors are gearing up for new business, as lawmakers OK a total of 30,000 new gaming positions.
The Chinese investment and building boom in Cambodia apparently has taken a toll in lives. Twenty-eight construction workers were killed when an unfinished structure collapsed. The tragedy happened in Sihanoukville, a boomtown for casino development by Chinese speculators.
Coharie Tribe member E. Sequoyah Simermeyer recently was nominated as National Indian Gaming Commission chairman, replacing Jonodev Osceolo Chaudhuri who retired in May. Currently Simermeyer serves as an NIGC associate commissioner and director of self-regulation.
Atlantic City has now spent one year with nine casinos as the Hard Rock Atlantic City (l.) and Ocean Casino Resort celebrate their first anniversaries. The two new casinos have caused profits to slip for individual casinos, but overall revenues in the city were up.
Subject to regulatory approval, Melco Resorts & Entertainment will buy all of its parent company’s stake in the company now building a City of Dreams integrated resort (l.) in Cyprus.
The Caesars Entertainment purchase by Eldorado is clearly the biggest gaming news of the year. But what does the history of Eldorado tell us about how that once-small company can pull of this massive buy?
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Bob Gdowski, the director of hospitality design for JCJ Architecture, on the peculiarities and the trends in casino design.
Diamond Fortune Holding Prim, in investor in Russia’s Primorye gaming zone (l.), has unveiled its design for the Imperial casino, which is scheduled to open in late 2020.
IHG, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, and Sands China Ltd. announced last week that the Venetian and Parisian Macao (l.) resorts will become InterContinental Alliance Resorts partners, effective immediately.
The Chinese casino enclave welcomed 3.4 million visitors in May, raising its total for the first five months of the year to more than 17 million, an increase of 21 percent compared to 2018. Significantly, overnight visitation is up over the same period by nearly 9 percent.
The Lao Minister of Finance Somdy Douangdy (l.) is planning a range of tax increases to take effect January 2020. The levy imposed on casinos and casino games will rise from 35 percent to 50 percent.
Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International, which operates the sole casino resort on the Pacific island of Saipan, has expressed its interest in “entering into Saipan online gaming operations.”
Since January, police in Kuala Lumpur have linked more than 14,700 people to scores of illegal gambling operations in the country. Authorities said lottery is the most ubiquitous form of gambling.
Right at the close of Royal Ascot (l.), the UK’s most popular racing season, a report from the British Horseracing Authority points to a growing interest in UK horse racing across China. As that interest grows, it could attract Chinese ownership and investments in UK racing.
In Russia, a bill that would simplify player identification for online bets has passed a third reading by the state Duma and it now headed for the upper house of parliament.
Starting this week, Switzerland will block foreign-based companies from doing business in the Swiss market, compelling online gamblers in the country to use domestic sites.
The Brussels-based European Gaming and Betting Association has again warned Germany that an order blocking online gaming payments will not deter gamblers but could be detrimental to their security.
A vice president of EA Games defended the use of loot boxes in video games to the UK parliament, saying they’re similar to Kinder Eggs of Hatchimals. Kerry Hopkins defended the games as ethical and fun.
William Hill Plc is expanding its Spanish market profile and will sponsor seven La Liga 2 (Segunda) football clubs for the upcoming season. Las Palmas and UD Almeria clubs both announced a sponsorship deal with the UK bookmaker.
Four years after it first planned a $300 million expansion and months after the government rejected that plan, Casino Canberra in Australia’s ACT is hoping to jumpstart discussions with local authorities.
More than 20 years after the Namibian government called for a moratorium on new gaming licenses, lawmakers are willing to sanction legal slot machine operations.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (l.) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic has announced it will remove all liquor dispensers in guestroom minibars after several deaths and illnesses in the past year.
The Macquarie Group in Australia has banned gambling and lottery transactions on its credit cards due to growing concern over easy access to credit for gamblers. The changes will take effect July 1.
Streaming video platform Twitch has acquired social networking platform Bebo for about $25 million. The acquisition is part of Twitch’s plan to increase its eSports business and the platform Twitch Rivals.
Sports betting and daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has re-launched daily fantasy sports in Alabama after the state moved to legalize the games earlier this month.
In May, New Jersey sports books logged $318.9 million in wagers, wresting the No. 1 spot from Nevada for the first time. Nevada books took in $317.4 million for the month. The DraftKings sportsbook (l.) at Resorts Atlantic City is part of the DFS network that has dominated the market in the city.
The Maine legislature last week approved one of the most liberal sports betting regimes yet adopted by any state. The “free-market” bill, sponsored by Senator Louis Luchini (l.),which would allow sports betting at retail locations, casinos, mobile platforms and online, awaits the signature or Governor Janet Mills.
New Jersey’s top gaming regulator, David Rebuck (l.), has issued a warning to offshore sportsbooks taking illegal bets in the U.S. Rebuck says those operators will never be licensed in Jersey or anywhere in the U.S.
The billionaire owner of SLS Las Vegas (now Sahara Las Vegas) casino and Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort, Alex Meruelo (shown with his wife Letia), has been approved by the National Hockey League to buy the Arizona Coyotes team. The purchase is expected to be completed in July.
Sports betting is not likely to be legalized by the Arizona legislature this year. Although a bill was introduced and had early support from gaming tribes, support has ebbed. Now no action is likely until next session.
A bill to allow online sports betting in New York has stalled for the year. Governor Andrew Cuomo (l.) has maintained that voters must first approve a constitutional amendment to allow for sports betting to be offered online.
Parx Casino in Pennsylvania has launched a sports betting app, making it the second casino in the state to take sports betting online. Testing for the app began last week. Rivers in Pittsburgh also began testing a sports betting app last week. And Presque Isle Downs (l.) is just about ready to go.
Incentive Games has partnered with RISQ to offer a sports-lottery solution via RISQ’s Gaming Insurance Platform, to access some of the largest non-networked jackpot payouts in the industry.
Washington, D.C. Councilman Jack Evans (l.) is being accused of a conflict of interest in the startup of retail sports betting in the nation’s capital. Also in D.C., Shane August, the founder and CEO of Virginia-based August Holding Company plans to apply for a sports betting license.
The struggling North Strip casino hotel SLS Las Vegas doesn’t own its name. L.A.-based hospitality, restaurant and nightlife conglomerate SBE does. And it claims the resort’s new owners owe it months of back fees for the right to use it. So why not go back to the future and restore the property’s original name, Sahara? The reveal last week featured the new name written in the sky.
In May, the first full month Colonial Downs’ New Kent and Vinton historical horseracing facilities, Rosie’s (l.), were open, gamblers bet $70.8 million. The venues generated $531,000 in state taxes and $354,000 for local governments. Colonial Downs plans similar venues in Richmond and Hampton.
In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, construction is progressing on the Quapaw Tribe’s new $350 million Saracen Resort Casino and Saracen Annex across the highway. The Annex, a former truck stop, will open in a few months with 300 electronic gaming machines.
The racino at Monticello Raceway (l.) in the Catskills is closed for good, but its 1,100 VLTs are getting a new home. The venue, located one county over, will be run by Resorts World Catskills as the first gaming floor in New York operated outside a casino or racetrack.
The Pennsylvania Senate has approved a bill sponsored by Lancaster County lawmakers that would allow municipalities to opt out of allowing VGTs at truck stops.
MGM Resorts International is taking its insurer to federal court for breach of contract. MGM claims the company has failed to pay the “many millions of dollars” the gaming giant has spent to defend itself against claims from victims of a 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.
Pennsylvania casinos recorded $286.1 million in slot and table game revenues for May, up 2.59 percent compared to May 2018 and reversing a year-on-year loss in April. Parx casino (l.), with a win of just over $53 million, led the way.
The New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has approved a development plan for Atlantic City’s Marina District sought by MGM Resorts International and Boraie Development.
Since sports betting was legalized last August, Mississippi casino revenue has steadily grown. In May, casinos posted a 2 percent increase over May 2018 as gamblers lost $184 million, including $1.2 million in sports wagers. Statewide revenue grew 4 percent over the last 12 months.
Churchill Downs will partner with three investors in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society. When completed in early 2020, the private club will offer up to 12 self-service parimutuel wagering machines and simulcast betting, indoor and outdoor bars and a rooftop cigar bar.
City council in Carbondale, Illinois voted to raise the cap on video gambling machines in the city from 100 to 180. The move follows a provision in the new statewide gaming law raising the number of machines per license from five to six.
Atlantic City’s mayor and council are facing an effort to change the form of municipal government in the city under New Jersey law. The city’s elected officials are also asking for an investigation into casino executives’ involvement in a recent petition to change the government form. Former state Senator Ray Lesniak (l.) is involved in the effort, as well.
A $10 million renovation project at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort (l.) in Larchwood, Iowa includes $1.5 million for a sportsbook and $8.5 million for a new hotel wing and 11 new RV park sites. The sportsbook will offer betting kiosks and live tellers. Mobile wagering also will be permitted.
Winnings at Baton Rouge’s three riverboat casinos fell 14 percent from $23.9 million in May 2018 to $20.6 million, with the worst drop of 46.5 percent to $2.6 million at the Belle of Baton Rouge (l.). Observers partly blame the smoking ban enacted in June 2018.
A bill that would allow two Texas tribes to offer Class III gaming has advanced in the House of Representatives. H.R. 759 has bipartisan support and support from the Trump administration. The third federally recognized tribe, the Kickapoo, runs its Lucky Eagle casino (l.) relatively free of state and federal harassment.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) must get land use approvals and permits before it can build a Class II casino on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. That’s the ruling of federal court Judge Dennis Saylor. The tribe wants to convert a former community center (l.) into a Class II gaming facility.
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have purchased 184 acres in the Tri-Cities region of Washington State. The tribe is weighing its options for the land, including building what would be its fourth casino, including the Mill Bay Casino.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which hopes to build the First Light Casino (l.) in Taunton, Massachusetts, won a victory last week when it was able to keep the court where it fights its battle in the District of Columbia. The court has a history of siding with tribes on issues of sovereignty.
Wisconsin’s smoking ban, enacted in 2009, has helped lower smoking rates in the state. But tribal officials are wary of voluntarily prohibiting smoking in their casinos. The only tribal casino that bans smoking, Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, has seen revenues rise since the ban took effect.
San Manuel Casino has revealed more details about its $550 million expansion project in Southern California. Last week it unveiled news about its 450-room casino hotel.
After being closed since May 22 due to flooding, the River Spirit Casino and Resort (l.) in Tulsa, Oklahoma reopened June 21. The lower level, including the casino, restaurants, hotel and conference center, had been under a foot and a half of water.
A two-story, 22,000-square-foot, $4.7 million addition recently opened at the Upper Sioux Community’s Prairie's Edge Casino Resort in Granite Falls, Minnesota. It’s the largest no-smoking area with an exclusive ventilation system in a Minnesota casino.
The new $80 million, 19-story hotel tower at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee will open August 15 or sooner. Its 119 rooms and suites bring the property's total room count to 500. It also will offer a spa and meeting space.
It’s a new record: $7.8 million, the largest amount ever won in a single drawing in the North Carolina Educational Lottery’s June 22 Pick 4 drawing. More than 2,000 people picked the winning numbers 0-0-0-0.
Konami Gaming has named former Scientific Games executive and 20-year industry veteran Greg Colella as its new vice president of games product management.
Genting Group CEO Lim Kok Thay, one of Malaysia’s wealthiest businessmen, has reportedly offered to take a 20 percent cut in pay to offset a hefty increase in Malaysia’s gaming taxes.
Attorney Dan Tracy has tendered his resignation as chairman of the state Gaming Board. His decision comes on the eve of a planned expansion of gaming that will be dramatic in scope and includes the approval of a Chicago casino and land-based casinos at several other locations.
The National Council on Problem Gambling has named Semhar Abed to the new position of program manager and has named Grace Maliska communications manager.
Australian-born business leader Melanie Brock has been selected to be external director of the board at Sega Sammy Holdings, a Japanese firm planning to bid on an integrated resort license in that country.
Konami Gaming has launched its large-format Concerto Opus cabinet in Europe with a debut at Casinò Fortuna in Slovenia, housing two integrated progressive games.
Arizona Downs, which recently reopened after being closed for almost a decade, will close again for the rest of the racing season due to a dispute between the Prescott Valley operation and Monarch Content Management, a simulcast company.
Platte County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd has sued Integrity Gaming LLC for installing video gaming machines in two convenience stores. The store owners blame Integrity for installing the games but Zahnd said the games are illegal under Missouri law.
The CasinoBeats Summit, slated for September in London, will feature up to 1,000 senior iGaming executives and an estimated attendance of 3,500 delegates from around the world.
