The $17 billion mega-merger of Caesars Entertainment and Eldorado Resorts has sparked a lot of talk about which of Caesars’ Las Vegas Strip casinos might be sold and who might be looking to buy them. Atlantic City, home of three Caesars casinos including Caesars and Bally’s (l.), hadn’t figured into the speculative swirl. But that’s changing. Eldorado already owns Atlantic City’s Tropicana.

Once again, Australian casino giant Crown Resorts is in the hot seat, with its VIP business the target of least two government investigations at home. The company will survive the latest dustup. But it won’t survive unscathed. And to complicate matters, the New South Wales regulators plan a deep dive into the proposed sale of a nearly 20 percent stake in Crown to Melco Resorts and Entertainment and the details of the Crown’s Sydney casino (l.) in Barangaroo.

In possibly one of the final acts of his political career, former Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello signed legislation to bring legal sports betting to the U.S. territory. But the upheaval he left behind may stall the launch of the industry, which could bring in revenues for the island devastated by Hurricane Maria. Justice Secretary Wanda Vasquez (l.) is the third governor in a week and she might be replaced herself.

At OIGA in July and continuing at international trade shows throughout the year, IGT is introducing systems innovations to streamline customer interactions, simplify bonusing and help operators compile and interpret data. GGB Editor Frank Legato sits down with IGT’s Nick Khin (l.) to talk about the company’s efforts.

Gaming operators and other businesses that hoped to be part of a sixth racino in New Mexico are fuming because the plan was rejected by the state racing commission. The companies say they were not consulted before the order that turned thumbs down on the facility. Full House Resorts had planned a racino with a moving grandstand (l.)

Churchill Downs Chief Executive Officer Bill Carstanjen (l.) has announced an expansion at the Louisville facility, to be completed by the 2021 Kentucky Derby. It will include a hotel, a historical horseracing machine facility and premium seating. Also, the company will seek one of six new casino licenses allowed in Illinois’ new gambling expansion bill.

Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced last week that the committee has approved the nomination of E. Sequoyah Simermeyer (l.) to serve as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC). The nomination now must be approved by the full Senate.

This week, the GGB Podcast features an interview with Joe Lupo, the president of Hard Rock Atlantic City, on the property’s first year of operation and its prospects for the future.

Australia-listed casino operator Silver Heritage Group is considering an offer to sell its Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa resort (l.) in Nepal. The US$34 million offer bid from a buyer identified as Indra Bahadur Thapa includes $20 million in cash.

Sixty million, max. That’s the amount Caesars Entertainment Corp. is willing to invest to complete its planned integrated resort (l.) in Incheon, South Korea—if it completes it at all. The U.S.-based company announced the cap in investment last week as it seeks funding for the IR.

The planned €8 billion development (l.) of Greece’s vacant Hellenikon International Airport remains on the drawing board, and interest in the site among casino developers reportedly is beginning to cool. The vast complex with gaming has been in the planning stages for more than four years, with little progress.

Grupo Cirsa, Spain’s biggest casino operator, must sell off two of its Barcelona bingo halls in order to acquire slot company Giga Games. The firm must also meet other requirements set down by regulators; the deal would give Cirsa 30 percent of market share for Spanish gaming machine services.

It’s been more than a year since the Casino di Campione d’Italia (l.) closed its modernistic doors, and residents of the Lake Lugano area, in northern Italy near Lake Como, are demanding that it be reopened.

888 Holdings has revamped its online casino in the competitive New Jersey market and plans an update for its online poker platform too. 888 Poker, now the only poker platform in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, plans to launch in Pennsylvania. The new Orbit platform in New Jersey includes substantially more slots and games as well as a new layout and user interface.

Betdaq has launched a fixed-odds sportsbook to complement its 2 percent exchange and online casino. The sportsbook will be backed by a multi-channel marketing campaign that includes PR and social media activities with ex-England footballer Glen Johnson (l.). The sportsbook also offers a shared Betdaq wallet, best odds guaranteed, full and partial cash out, live streaming and in-play betting with visualizations.

Fifteen of Iowa's 18 casinos are finalizing their new sportsbooks following approval of emergency rules and receiving licenses from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. IRGC Administrator Brian Ohorilko (l.) says the first bets can be taken at 12 noon on August 15. Mobile and online wagering will be offered in the near future. The IRGC also approved daily fantasy sports.

Sports betting could begin in Tennessee in January in time for the Super Bowl, said state Rep. Rick Staples (l.), who sponsored the mobile/online sports wagering legislation. "Everyone thought I was an idiot for trying it," he said, and added he was pleasantly surprised when his measure passed the legislature and wasn't vetoed by anti-gambling Governor Bill Lee.

Indiana casinos are working to open sportsbooks when wagering becomes legal September 1 in an effort to beat sports-betting competitors, especially in the Chicago area. Indiana Gaming Commission Executive Director Sara Gonso Tait (l.) says 10 of the state's 13 commercial casinos and its three off-track betting sites have received temporary licenses. Bettors must register and wager on-site, with mobile and online betting coming later this fall.

Sports betting has been legal in Mississippi for a little over a year. Beau Rivage Casino & Resort in Biloxi celebrated by debuting its expanded its sportsbook. Mississippi Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey (l.) said sports betting has exceeded expectations, with gaming revenue up 5 percent. "That hasn't happened in a long time," he said.

The Washington Redskins are planning gambling-focused telecasts of their pre-season games which will offer prizes to contestants that accurately predict in-game developments. The games will follow a formula shown in local telecasts of the NBA’s Washington Wizards regular season games.

The Live! Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia will offer retail sportsbooks after owner Cordish Companies becomes the 10th Pennsylvania licensee to apply to offer sports betting.

Genting Malaysia is joining with Kien Huat Realty, controlled by Genting Chairman Lim Kok Thay (l.), Empire’s majority shareholder, for a series of transactions aimed at taking Empire private. If completed, the moves will put Genting in direct operational control of Resorts World Catskills. But until that time, Empire has notified the SEC bankruptcy may be an option.

The expanded gaming bill recently signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker allows casino gaming and sports betting at the state's racetracks, including Fairmount Park (l.) in Collinsville. For 20 years, track officials and area lawmakers had asked for slots to increase purses and attract quality horses. Now, everything has come together for the 94-year old track.

A 15-day race schedule kicked off August 8 at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia, which had been shuttered since 2014. New owners the Colonial Downs Group said races will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday through September 7, including the Virginia Derby, featuring a $250,000 stakes purse on August 31. Daily purses will average at least $500,000.

To build a casino and sportsbook, as allowed under Illinois' new expanded gaming law, Hawthorne Race Course (l.) in Stickney will close for four months next year. In the past, Hawthorne and Arlington International Racecourse coordinated their schedules. Now the 2020 schedule will have a gap from January 4 at Hawthorne to April 27, Arlington's opening day.

The Nebraska Racing Commission has voted 3-2 to allow historical horseracing machines at the state's thoroughbred racetracks—against the opinion of the state's attorney general's office. The anti-gaming group, Gambling with the Good Life, already said it will challenge the decision in court. A Fonner Park (l.) official said he hopes to install the games this fall.

Blackjack players have filed a class action lawsuit claiming MGM Springfield in Massachusetts is paying less than state regulations allow on winning hands at some tables. The claims, including in a lawsuit filed last week in Hampden Superior Court, echo those made in a similar suit filed against Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor.

Proposals for a casino in Rockford, Illinois are due by August 16. Hard Rock International has proposed a casino resort along I-39/90 and the Rock River West Casino Group recommends a downtown casino and entertainment district. Meanwhile, the Ho-Chunk Nation awaits federal approval for its Beloit, Wisconsin casino (l.), 18 miles from Rockford.

Six developers have filed proposals for a Waukegan, Illinois casino, including the Potawatomi tribe, operators of a Milwaukee casino, and Warner Gaming, partnering with former state Senator Michael Bond. A short list will be announced August 26, followed by a public hearing in September. City council will make its final recommendations to the Illinois Gaming Board by October 25. Potawatomi CEO Rodney Ferguson (l.) says his tribe knows the market well.

Rivers Casino (l.) in Pittsburgh is celebrating 10 years of operation, along with 10 years of progressive workplace initiatives that have won the property “Best Place to Work” awards and other accolades.

MGM Grand Detroit has filed two lawsuits claiming it should not have to pay taxes on the unpaid portion of loans made to customers. The casino wants refunds on $41,000 and $14,000 in the cases. Casino attorneys say Michigan law lets a casino deduct uncollectible losses against gross receipts.

The Las Vegas Raiders football team joined last week with Vegas-based air carrier Allegiant to celebrate the topping off of the team’s $1.8 billion domed stadium (l.). The 65,000-seat venue, to be known as Allegiant Stadium, is reported to be more than half completed and on track to open near the southern end of the Strip in time for the 2020 NFL season.

The Sac and Fox Nation has joined the growing number of Oklahoma tribes claiming the tribal-state gaming compact will automatically renew on January 1, 2020. Principal Chief Justin F. Wood declared, "any other interpretation is legally inadequate." Governor Kevin Stitt (l.) has proposed renegotiating the compact to possibly increase the exclusivity fee.

Last Monday, the town of Aquinnah in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts met with the Wampanoag tribe in the presence of Judge Dennis Saylor IV, who told the warring sides to work together on a “good faith” solution to safely secure the site of a proposed bingo hall (l.) in the town.

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s’ new $50 million Cedar Lakes Casino and Hotel (l.) recently opened in Cass Lake, Minnesota. The blue-themed property honors the area's many lakes, and features a gaming floor, 100-room hotel, food court, brew pub, arcade, gift shop, indoor pool and event center. It will employ 400 people.

Recently a spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office would be “named and shamed” in connection with corruption in the organization, which operates the national lottery. Now a PCSO official has named names, including the Duterte-appointed current chairman, Anselmo Simeon Patrol Pinili (l.).

Global Gaming Women has named Gaming Laboratories International executive Christie Eickelman, a founding member of GGW, as the organization’s new president.

The American Gaming Association announced September 15-21 as Responsible Gaming Education Week 2019, with educational resources to be released soon.

Aristocrat Technologies has debuted a new cabinet, MarsX, featuring the game Buffalo Gold Revolution, at the Graton Resort & Casino in California.

The producers of the Global Gaming Expo have announced that Scott Stratten (l.), president of UnMarketing and a top marketing influencer, will give the keynote address at this year’s show.