Famously upbeat about Las Vegas’ reopening in June, casino owner Derek Stevens (l.) remains unfazed by the challenges of Covid-19—and opening a new resort, Circa, during a pandemic. Though doing business is “a little more complicated” now, he has confidence in Vegas’ long-term strength.
An investigation in New South Wales has determined that Crown Resorts looked the other way when it came to money laundering at its Australian casinos and possible links to organized crime among its partners. At risk is the company’s license to operate a multibillion-dollar casino (l.) in Sydney.
The U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing September 14 in a case between the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the town of Aquinnah. The lawsuit concerns the town’s efforts to force the tribe to adhere to its zoning laws in building its Class II bingo hall.
Scientific Games announced last week that billionaire Ronald Perelman is selling most of his stake in the company. The company’s board has been reconstituted with former Aristocrat CEO Jamie Odell (l.) as executive chairman. Australia’s Caledonia will own 34.9 percent of company.
New Jersey sports betting recorded handle of almost $668 million in August, breaking a U.S. record for a single month. The return of basketball, baseball and hockey spurred the results. Online wagering accounted for 90 percent of the revenue, which bodes well for populous states.
Texas Senator John Cornyn (l.) has found members of his own party standing against him in his opposition to a bill that would allow two East Texas tribes to operate casinos. Cornyn is allied with Governor Greg Abbott, among other state officials, in opposing the bill.
Yoshihide Suga (l.), elected September 14 as president of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, has now succeeded Shinzo Abe as prime minister. Suga is expected to fulfill Abe’s plan for integrated resorts in the country.
In another sign that sports networks are all-in when it comes to sports betting, ESPN has signed agreements with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings. The deal links ESPN’s digital platforms with Caesars sportsbooks and connect fans to DraftKings products and services. ESPN’s The Daily Wager television show will emanate from a studio at the Linq in Vegas.
Smoking has never been prohibited in Sin City, and that means Park MGM (l.) will make history when it reopens on the Strip the end of this month. Management is confident that in the new Covid-19 normal the timing couldn’t be better.
Singapore regulators and the U.S. Justice Department continue to investigating how Marina Bay Sands (l.) handles large sums of VIP cash. The probes were initiated after a gambler sued, claiming millions of dollars were transferred to other gamblers without his knowledge.
The struggling operator of New York’s Resorts World Catskills (l.) is getting a $150 million infusion, which hopefully will tide it over until a long-term refinancing of its debt can be secured. It’s the company’s second cash infusion from owner Genting Malaysia this year.
The two-day virtual Global Gaming Expo will be held October 27-28, with a kickoff October 14 to discuss Covid-19's impact on casino employees, communities and business. Participants will include (l. to r.) Hollywood Casino Toledo General Manager Justin Carter, FireKeepers CEO Kathy George and Coeur d'Alene Casino CEO Laura Stensgar.
Jacqueline Grace (l.) has been named senior vice president and general manager at the Tropicana Atlantic City. Grace comes from an executive post at Caesars Horseshoe Baltimore.
As the U.S. sports betting landscape gets more crowded and the competition more intense, the brand partnerships keep coming too. Let’s look at the team rosters so far.
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Gary Carano, the executive chairman of Caesars Entertainment, to talk about the recently completed purchase of the company by his former company, Eldorado Resorts.
Macau resort hotels reportedly were at 80 percent capacity in the run-up to Golden Week (l.). Will gaming revenues follow? The market is hoping it will as the normally lucrative seven-day holiday approaches.
South Shore Holdings has reported a loss of HK$1.02 billion for the 2020 financial year. Most of it stemmed from the ongoing struggles of its luxury Cotai resort, the 13 (l.), which remains partially completed and lacks a casino.
Slot machines and video lottery terminals could be banned in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Legislation was submitted earlier this month that, if approved, would ban the devices in the Czech capital starting in January. Councillor Hana Kordová Marvanová (l.) said lawmakers are seeking “a balanced solution.”
Holland Casino, which has 14 casinos in the Netherlands, says it has policies in place to prevent problem gambling, but does not keep a tally of player losses. The operator was defended by Dutch Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker (l.).
A decrease in tourists and office workers has caused a 60 percent downslide in revenues at the Rank Group’s London casinos. Consumer confidence remains low, according to Rank CEO John O’Reilly.
As of September 14, Argentina’s Misiones Province allowed its gaming halls, including Casino Iguazu (l.) to start reopening under health and safety guidelines that include a ban on table games and limited capacity.
Brazil Senator Angelo Coronel (l.) is defending his proposals to legalize gaming in the country. Last week he took to social media to defend the idea and to talk up the US$3.8 billion he believes could be collected in taxes.
Michigan lawmakers have held a hearing on SB 991, which would allow residents to partake in interstate online poker. State Senator Curtis Hertel (l.) said limiting the player pool “will severely limit the ability of Michiganders to actually find a game that’s interesting.”
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (l.) has signed a bill that will more than double the tax on iGaming operators in the country. The funds will go to a Covid-19 relief fund.
A study by Global Market Insights has predicted growth in all forms of online gambling, reaching total revenues of $160 billion by 2026. New technologies like virtual reality and live table games will help to augment growth.
Betsson Group will be receiving sportsbook content via the Betgenius Streaming service. This includes fixtures for a variety of sports and official data.
The Virginia Lottery Board has approved sports betting regulations. State law allows four to 12 permit holders. Officials expect online operators to be up and running by January. Lottery Board Executive Director Kevin Hall (l.) said the action is a “significant step forward.”
The Oregon Lottery’s sports betting Scoreboard realized a 84.1 percent increase in August compared to the previous month. Total handle came to more than $25.8 million, compared to $14 million in July.
Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, Indiana recorded its third highest sports betting handle in August, recording $169 million, primarily thanks to wagers on the NBA.
A pro-sports betting group in Louisiana kicked off its ad campaign during a recent game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The sports betting question will be on the November 3 ballot on a parish by parish basis.
Sports betting handle in Iowa came in at $50.3 million in August, compared to $22.8 million in July with Prairie Meadows (l.) leading the way, according to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. That was the fifth highest total since sports betting launched in the state in August 2019.
Ohio could legalize sports betting in the lame-duck session following the November 3 election. State Rep. Dave Greenspan (l.) and state Senator John Eklund have hammered out details of a bill that passed the House in May.
Maryland voters will consider a referendum on the November ballot to legalize sports betting. At the same time, the two largest sports betting operators in the U.S., DraftKings and FanDuel, are funding an ad campaign led by former University of Maryland basketball star Marissa Coleman (l.), they hope will sway voters to say yes.
Reeling from Covid-19 blows, the Bay State’s three casinos, including Encore Boston Harbor (l.), all saw significant declines in gaming revenue in August over last year. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission released the data.
More New York casinos, including del Lago (l.), have resumed business after a 200-day shutdown. They’re limited to 25 percent capacity, a requirement under the state’s strict reopening rules, and may not offer table games and other amenities. Operators hope this will change once they prove they can operate safely.
Gilpin County in Colorado, has obtained permission from the state for its two casino towns, Black Hawk and Central City (l.) to offer table games again. Teller County, home of Cripple Creek, is still awaiting such permission.
A Florida Miami-Dade County judge has allowed a lawsuit against the City of Miami and West Flagler, owner of Magic City Casino (l.), to proceed. Plaintiffs are businesses who fear they will be impacted by a settlement between the casino and the city allowing a jai-alai fronton and poker room.
Twin River will acquire Bally’s Atlantic City, but not the Wild Wild West Casino (l.) that adjoins it. That property which will become part of the Caesars Entertainment empire, including the recently completed $10 million sports book.
Hurricane Sally was predicted to make landfall in the Biloxi, Mississippi area September 16, causing the Mississippi Gaming Commission to order the 12 coast casinos to close two days earlier. But Sally took a hard right turn eastward sparing the Mississippi Coast casinos (l.).
The New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee plans to address two relief bills which grew out of the Covid-19 pandemic and the casino shutdown. One bill allows changes to the casino taxes and fees paid while the second offers a tax credit on sports betting revenue.
Louisiana restaurants can open at 75 percent capacity, but casinos, including the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles (l.), must remain at 50 percent under Governor John Bel Edwards' move to Phase 3 of Covid-19 regulations. Most bars will remain closed and liquor sales must end at 10 p.m., which could cause casinos to lose revenue.
On November 3, Nebraskans will vote on three ballot initiatives that would allow casino gambling at horseracing tracks in select counties. If approved, the initiatives would amend the state constitution and direct gaming revenue to offset property taxes.
Pompano Park, Florida lawmakers will consider the Cordish Companies' request to reduce proposed office space and add a large industrial facility at its Live Resorts Pompano development, the site of Isle Casino Racing Pompano Beach (l.). Cordish said the change will add 1,200 jobs.
Revenue at Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway (l.) fell 29 percent from $13.16 million in August 2019 to $9.34 million in August 2020, although that total was $800,000 higher than July, according to the Kansas Lottery Commission. Admissions were down 41 percent.
Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is pursuing legal action against two former employees who left to work at Ocean Casino Resort (l.). The issue revolves around whether one employee shared information about high rollers with colleagues at Ocean and whether another violated non-compete agreements.
A bill that would set up procedures to impose uniform medication and safety standards on racetracks is moving briskly in Congress. It has bipartisan support.
The American Lung Association is leading a coalition of health organizations in urging Arkansas’s Saracen Casino Resort (l.) to reopen as a permanent non-smoking facility. Saracen expects to reopen in October.
The California Supreme Court has ruled that North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians may build a casino near Fresno. The ruling comes after 20 years of legal challenges.
Casino slots revenues for Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun (l.) saw precipitate drops in August over July. But Foxwoods’s drop was much worse than that of its rival.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has agreed to the relocation of the Eagle Mountain Casino (l.) to land the tribe owns near Porterville Airport. The Bureau of Indian Affairs must first put the land into trust.
Pennsylvania’s Mohegan Sun Pocono has appealed a county official’s ruling that a tax on complimentary hotel rooms was proper, and that the casino owed $1.36 million in delinquent hotel tax on comp rooms.
Wildhorse Racing & Casino (l.) in Mission, Oregon is close to completing a year-long expansion project. The property will reopen by the end of the month.
FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan has been named one of the nation's Best-In-State Employers 2020. The award is based on an independent survey of 80,000 American workers.
Washington’s Cowlitz Tribe has signed an amended gaming compact with the state for its ilani casino in southwest Washington. It is the first tribe in Washington to do so.
Felicia Campbell (l.), who wrote her college dissertation on the positive effects of gambling, has died at age 89. Campbell was the longest-serving professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Elaine Wynn has emerged from the sexual misconduct scandal that drove her ex-husband out of Wynn Resorts as the company’s largest individual shareholder. The Nevada Gaming Commission is expected to reaffirm her standing.
Cordish Companies has named Brent Colston, a 27-year gaming veteran most recently with Seminole Gaming, as vice president of gaming operations at the soon-to-open Live! Casino Pittsburgh.
Longtime Mohegan Sun marketing executive Kim Noto has been named vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer by the Connecticut tribal casino. She will be in charge of all aspects of marketing.
Illinois state Senator Terry Link (l.), charged with filing a false income tax return for 2016, has resigned his seat after almost a quarter century in office. Link was a frequent proponent of gambling legislation.
GeoComply has launched PlayPause, a self-exclusion tool to promote responsible gaming by allowing managers to efficiently monitor and operate the program.
Okada Manila in the Philippine’s Entertainment City casino zone is now using robots like this one (l.) to disinfect the property. Manila’s integrated resorts continue to operate at about 30 percent of their usual capacity.
