At the polls last week, Colorado voters narrowly approved Proposition DD, legalizing sports betting in the state, both in person and online. And in Kentucky’s gubernatorial race, pro-gaming Democrat Andy Beshear claimed victory over anti-gaming incumbent, Republican Matt Bevin, who is requesting a recount. Gaming issues were also on the ballot in Virginia, Indiana and New Hampshire where measures were approved for cities and towns to host more gaming or sports betting.
A report from parliamentary members from across the political spectrum calls for revamping gambling laws in the digital age. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith (l.) wants the same maximum limit on online slot machines (₤2) as present in the high street bookmakers, an end to credit card use for gambling, restrictions on VIP accounts and an investigation into non-disclosure agreements.
Penn National Gaming says it’s entertaining interest from a number of prospective buyers who want to peel off segments of the Tropicana’s prime south Strip acreage. It’s a safe bet that a sale of the whole thing—casino, hotel and all—wouldn’t be unwelcome either, given the multiples Strip assets are going for these days.
FBI agents last week raided the office and home of Saipan Governor Ralph Torres (l.) and the offices of casino operator Imperial Pacific International (IPI). Torres said he’s cooperating with investigators, and IPI insisted it is “law-abiding and a good corporate citizen.” But it’s not the only time the casino operator has drawn scrutiny by law enforcement.
Regulators in New Jersey have approved wagering on the League of Legends World Championship, the Super Bowl of Esports. The event was held in Paris last weekend and pitted two of esports most popular teams vying for more than $2 million in purses and the Summoner’s Cup (l.).
PokerStars dealt the first legal hand of online poker in Pennsylvania last week after being forced to shut down in 2011. At that time, the U.S. Department of Justice charged the company with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). PokerStars settled with authorities and returned to the U.S. through New Jersey.
MGM Resorts International has added MGM Springfield (l.) to the list of casinos it could sell but retain as part of a lease agreement. Bellagio, MGM Grand, Aria and Vdara face the same fate. The company hopes to reduce debt and invest in new opportunities in Japan and elsewhere.
The planned merger of Chilean gaming firm Sun Dreams and the gaming assets of casino and hospitality group Marina del Sol is off the table for now. The parties failed to agree on terms by the deadline of October 31.
TransAct and Acres 4.0 have partnered to bring real-time rewards to players. The partnership joined Acres’ new CyberMax casino management system to Epicentral 4.0, the newest version of TransAct’s promotion and bonusing print system.
Genting UK has reopened its casino in London’s South Kensington section after a multi-million-pound makeover. Known as Forty-Five Kensington, the property offers a state-of-the-art casino games experience with new tables for poker, blackjack and roulette as well as expanded eLounge features.
The board of directors of the American Gaming Association (AGA) has elected Trevor Croker (l.) as its new chairman. Croker, CEO and managing director of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., succeeds outgoing Chairman Tim Wilmott, who is retiring as CEO of Penn National Gaming.
This week, the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Michael Soll, the president of the Innovation Group, one of the leading consulting companies serving the gaming industry.
News reports say Beijing has proposed the casino hub of Macau as a possible location for U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign an agreement to the trade war between their countries. Officials caution that a lot of other sites also are being considered.
Hong Kong-listed gaming operator Suncity Group has set a target opening of late 2022 for its long-deferred Westside City Resorts World in Manila’s Entertainment City. Suncity says it plans a “competitive” product for “high-spending, young, ‘work-hard, play-hard’ customers.”
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), a Connecticut-based tribal gaming organization, is on track to complete its Inspire-branded casino resort in Incheon, South Korea by 2022, with an opening planned for the following year. Inspire will be developed in four phases until 2031.
A new casino venue opened October 30 in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Few details were immediately available about the Goddess of Liberty Hotel and Casino (l.), which joins up to 100 other land-based operations in the coastal resort town.
Genting Hong Kong has raised US$453.9 million through the sale of a stake in its Dream Cruises unit. The funds, generated by a single purchaser, will help fund the expansion of the company’s cruise business.
The Gaming Technologies Association has released its 2018 World Count of Gaming Machines and once again, Japan has the highest inventory of games, mostly pachinko machines (l.). A country yet to have a legalized casino, Japan accounts for 58 percent of the total. The U.S. finished a distant second with close to 900,000 machines.
Hyatt’s upscale Andaz brand will open a 700-room destination as part of an expansive convention center and indoor arena under construction at Galaxy Macau. The hotel will feature a collection of suites, a restaurant and bar, a fitness facility and dedicated check-in for large meeting groups.
Veikkaus, the Finnish state-owned gaming monopoly, has announced it will reduce the number of slot machines in public areas by about half in the coming years. About 3,500 machines could be eliminated in the next 12 months, the first phase of the plan.
To showcase its commitment to responsible gaming, Betsson AB has launched a new website that lists tools available to customers to keep their gambling activities in check.
Latvian lawmakers last month approved a plan to raise taxes on gaming. Starting in 2020, the annual tax on gaming will rise from €23,400 euros per table to €28,080 (US$31,211).
Evolution Gaming has evolved into the global leader in digital live dealers, and dominates the U.S. market. Last week, it signed a deal with Flutter Entertainment, soon to become the largest gaming company in the world. Evolution has created a successful mashup of analog and digital with Monopoly.
The latest pro sports team playing in Minnesota, the Røkkr, will debut next year in Activision Blizzard’s new eSports league for the popular “Call of Duty” game. The team owner also owns the NFL Vikings.
The Seneca Tribe of New York is developing a sports betting offering that could be up and running at its three casinos—in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca (l.)—by the end of the year. The openings will bring the number of sportsbooks operating statewide to 11. The Oneidas opened a sports book at the tribe’s Turning Stone property two months ago.
In a 63-45 vote, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation legalizing sports betting and internet gambling. It now moves to the Senate, which has until the end of the year to pass it and send it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Rep. Rebekah Warren (l.) said there was still some work to be done before Whitmer signs off on it.
Las Vegas-based regional operator Full House Resorts is working with Churchill Downs, Wynn Resorts and Britain’s Smarkets to bring sports wagering to its two casinos in Indiana and Colorado, including Bronco Billy’s (l.) in Cripple Creek. The agreements call for Full House to receive annual fees of at least $7 million a year.
The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles have signed their first marketing partnership with a gaming operator, partnering with Unibet, an online gaming and sportsbook operator.
The Mill Casino (l.) in North Bend, Oregon has become the first casino on the state’s south coast to offer sports betting, in partnership with international supplier BetGenius.
Mohegan Sun Pocono (l.) has filed a petition to offer sports betting at The Downs at Lehigh Valley, its 28,000-square-foot off-track betting facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The NBA agreed to a multiyear deal to make sports betting operator DraftKings its latest partner. DraftKings joins half dozen other NBA sports betting partners who have the rights to the league’s official betting data and use of the logos. Executives from DraftKings and the NBA praised the deal and its benefits.
The Muckleshoot Casino (l.) in Auburn, Washington says a sponsorship deal with the new NHL franchise in Seattle—name as yet unknown—holds potential as lawmakers in the state push to legalize sports betting. Muckleshoot has become the official casino for the team and its arena.
On November 4, Isleta Resort & Casino (l.) in Albuquerque, New Mexico opened its latest sportsbook. The resort partnered with USBookmaking on the new venue, where guests can wager on U.S. and international sports.
The Montana Lottery, which will regulate sports betting in the state, heard public comments on its proposed rules allowing sports wagering at bars, taverns and restaurants that hold liquor license and a gambling operator license. An investor group in Billings threatened to sue if the rules aren't changed to remove the liquor license requirement.
In an effort to "remove any question of a potential conflict of interest," the Iowa Board of Regents has proposed a policy to prohibit regents and office staff from betting on any regent NCAA teams, student athletes or coaches. The ban would apply at any Iowa or other state-regulated or tribal gambling facility or internet betting site.
Harrah's Cherokee Casinos in North Carolina and the NFL's Carolina Panthers signed a 5-year sponsorship deal, including mentions during broadcasts, branding rights at the stadium and special events for the casinos' top players. The Panther's Champions Village hospitality venue will be renamed the Harrah's Cherokee Champions Village.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has held that Cordish Companies’ Stadium Casino LLC can begin taking online sports bets before its South Philadelphia facility (l.) is even open.
Controversy is likely to abound next year when the New York Gaming Commission releases its comprehensive study of the statewide gaming market, which has grown over the last decade into something more diverse and way more crowded than anyone envisioned. Two of the newest casinos, Resorts World Catskills and del Lago (l.) in the Finger Lakes region, have recently undergone ownership changes.
The off-Strip Palms Casino’s high-profile Kaos nightclub (l.) has crashed and burned, and Red Rock Resorts has taken a $26 million loss on the disaster. It’s got investors and analysts questioning the property’s ability to make good on the nearly $680 million Red Rock spent to remodel the property.
Reno-based Monarch Casino & Resort has pulled the plug—at least for now—on its planned expansion of the Monarch Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. The delay was attributed to weaker profits in the third quarter.
Atlanta City Council has voted 12-2 to approve an ordinance requesting that the Georgia General Assembly allow the city to propose a nonbinding ballot question to residents in a future election: “If the state of Georgia legalizes gambling, should Atlanta, Georgia, be considered a possible destination location?” Councilwoman Marci Collier Overstreet (l.) says the vote will put “the power in the hands of the people.”
A $100 million expansion will begin at Miami Valley Racing & Gaming in Lebanon, Ohio. A joint venture of Churchill Downs and Delaware North, the project will open by second-quarter 2021 with a hotel and expanded gaming floor and 250 additional video lottery terminals for a total of 2,200.
While officials at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois await approval of their sports betting license, construction continues on an expansion including a sportsbook set to open by the end of the year. Rivers will expand from 1,200 to 2,000 gambling positions including 115 slots and eight table games, allowable under a gambling bill passed in June.
Encore Boston Harbor, the $2.6 billion Wynn Resorts property that opened in June, has completed work on a waterfront playground and walkway in Everett, Massachusetts. The attraction was part of Wynn’s development deal with the city.
Four Chicago suburbs met the October 28 deadline to apply for a casino license: Calumet City, East Hazel Crest/Homewood (rendering of the casino proposed by Alabama’s Poarch Band at left), Lynwood and Matteson. Country Club Hills and Crestwood dropped out of the competition. Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta said he only found out about the nonrefundable $500,000 application fee "at the last minute."
Deadwood, South Dakota's gaming industry celebrated 30 years on November 1. Over the decades, Deadwood casinos have taken in $24 billion in wagers and more than $2 billion in gross revenue. Today 38 casinos operate in Deadwood, employing 1,175 people. Fiscal 2019 revenue surpassed $100 million, up 2.86 percent from fiscal 2018.
Stadium Casino will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its Live! Casino Pittsburgh satellite casino (l.) at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township on Wednesday, November 13.
Betting on simulcast thoroughbred horseraces recently has begun at DraftKings at Scarlet Pearl Sportsbook in D'Iberville, Mississippi. The sportsbook will offer betting on races at 11 tracks. Scarlet Pearl CEO LuAnn Pappas (l.) said offering parimutuel betting on horseraces proves "customer focus is what drives our offerings at Scarlet Pearl."
The director of the Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program recently spoke to the Hall County board of supervisors regarding touchscreen gambling games that are proliferating across the state. Officials will decide in January if the games are legal games of skill or illegal games of chance.
Facing one count of federal bribery, Illinois state Rep. Louis Arroyo (l.) resigned November 1 from the House of Representatives. A 12-page federal complaint indicated he attempted to pay a state senator $2,500 a month to support video sweepstakes legislation. The senator, possibly Terry Link, who denies being involved, wore a wire as the offer was made.
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians have embarked on a multimillion-dollar expansion to celebrate 25 years since the tribe’s restoration. The renovations will increase the Rolling Hills Casino (l.) by 40 percent, expand a conference center, create a brewery and distillery and upgrade the hotel.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, a leading contender for the third full-scale casino license in southeastern Massachusetts, the First Light casino (l.), has run into roadblocks over finances and federal lands. The newest issue: Does it pay to push ahead given the less-than-stellar results from existing casinos?
The Tule River Tribe of California has won approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to relocate its Eagle Mountain Casino (l.) from its current site in Porterville, Tulare County to a 40-acre parcel in the same community. Governor Gavin Newsom must also OK the plan.
The Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington state has unveiled its $60 million expansion, featuring a remodeled gaming floor, new restaurants, an event center and other amenities.
The Agua Caliente tribe broke ground last week for its downtown Cathedral City casino. The property will be located on 13.6 acres in the heart of the California community.
Donations of $10,000 from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb's (l.) re-election campaign in September, October and November are legal. But the contributions have raised questions as the tribe negotiates a new Class III compact and recently announced a major expansion at its South Bend facility.
In Carter Lake, Iowa, the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino celebrated its first year of operation. The tribe battled for 17 to open the casino but despite three favorable rulings from the National Indian Gaming Commission, the states of Iowa and Nebraska and the city of Council Bluffs still are trying to shut down.
The new Cherokee Casino Tahlequah in Oklahoma spotlights tribal history and culture, with artwork and design showcasing the legendary 18th century warrior-turned-peacemaker Nancy Ward, or Nanyehi. The work of 53 Cherokee artists also is featured, as well as historical Cherokee artifacts on loan from the Cherokee Heritage Center.
New Jersey voters approved a state lottery in 1969. Fifty years later, the state lottery has raised more than $28 billion. Money went to education at first, but in 2017, legislation switched beneficiaries to public employee pensions for teachers, police and fire personnel and other workers.
The Kentucky Lottery Corporation has extended the contract in which IGT provides self-service vending machines and updated technology for an additional five years.
The National Lottery in the UK has created an advertising campaign to celebrate the positive elements of the games after 25 years. “The Magic Number” campaign highlights the impact on 530,000-plus UK charities, sports, arts and culture conservation and programs. Said one executive, “Buy a ticket, amazing things happen.”
Everi Holdings Inc. has named Atul Bali, currently non-executive chairman of the board of Meridian Tech Holdings Ltd., to the Everi board of directors.
The International Association of Gaming Advisors has announced its officers and new trustees for 2019-2020, as first introduced at the organization’s annual meeting in October. John Hagan (l.), a partner with Harris Hagan in London, is the new president.
Laura Stensgar, former acting director at Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho, has been named chief executive officer. She has worked at the casino since it opened 25 years ago, and also held the positions of director of public affairs and cultural tourism and director of marketing. Stensgar replaces Francis SiJohn, who resigned last month.
Chris Fiumara, former general manager of the STRAT Las Vegas, will take on oversight of most of the Golden Entertainment casino portfolio, including the STRAT, two Arizona Charlie’s casinos in Las Vegas and casinos in Pahrump, Nevada and Maryland. Caesars alum Stephen Thayer has been named as the STRAT’s new GM.
Merkur Gaming is introducing three new games as part of the brand’s ongoing reel-game line-up expansion. African Mask (l.), Dreaming Island and Tribe of the Sun are “classic casino games with an online twist,” says Maja Cvetkovic, online business development manager at Merkur Gaming.
Spirit Gaming, the exclusive Switzerland distributor for slot supplier Aruze Gaming, announced the first installation of Aruze games on the Muso Triple 27 cabinet (l.) in Switzerland, at Casino Zürich.
Konami Gaming Inc. has announced the launch of veteran support programs in the United States. The programs are designed to create more career opportunities for what the company called “the nation’s most underserved group for workforce development.”
