The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, set to open in January, and a second citywide transportation loop planned by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, could be the start of what architect Paul Steelman, who designed the stations (l.), calls the world’s “greatest transportation system.”
A multi-college tournament held inside “Bubbleville” at the Mohegan Sun has demonstrated that it is possible to run a multi-school athletic competition and still keep students and staff safe from Covid. It just takes some really strict protocols.
GGB’s annual list of the movers and shakers in the gaming industry’s highest honor. The January issue features an extensive interview with Bill Hornbuckle, the president and CEO of MGM Resort International and profiles of all 25 honorees.
Rather than imprison gamblers who commit crimes, Nevada has established the Gambling Treatment Diversion Court under the direction of Judge Cheryl Moss (l.). The program relies on treatment, counseling and restitution. Now New Jersey and Pennsylvania want to follow suit.
Harrah's New Orleans will become Caesars New Orleans with $325 million in investment in the 20-year-old property by parent Caesars Entertainment. The top-to-bottom renovation, adding a second hotel tower, will be completed in 2024.
Connecticut’s Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, who operate the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos, have “temporarily” shelved plans for their Tribal Winds satellite casino project (l.) in East Windsor. Meanwhile, sports betting in Connecticut has moved a step closer.
Flutter Entertainment is accelerating its purchase of 37.2 percent of FanDuel from Fastball. If approved, the company's stake will increase to 95 percent, with the remainder held by Boyd Gaming. The $4.2 billion purchase will expand FanDuel in the U.S. sports betting market.
The Macau government expects the year to end with total visitation of around 5 million. That’s down more than 85 percent from 2019. Not surprisingly, most of the visits predated the Covid-19 crisis.
With Covid-19 infections on the wane across Australia, the governments of New South Wales and Queensland are letting Star Entertainment’s three casinos return to near-normal volumes. The company’s flagship Sydney resort (l.) can now admit up to 10,000 people.
Citing increasing positive numbers in Covid 19 cases, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (l.) imposed sweeping restrictions on state businesses, closing all entertainment facilities, including the state’s 12 casinos and banning indoor dining. Video terminals in convenience stores will also be required to shut down.
Now that Maryland voters have overwhelmingly approved legalized sports betting the time has come to build up the infrastructure so they can place wagers. As State’s Lottery Director Gordon Medenica (l.) puts it, “the devil’s in the details, and there will be many details to come.”
A tribe that recently surfaced in Massachusetts, the Mattakeeset Massachuset Tribe, claims that it is the rightful possessor of land that the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe wants to put into trust for a casino. The Mattakeeset claim they have deeds dating back nearly 400 years.
Following Nebraska voters' recent approval of expanded gaming, state legislators have begun to address the topic. State Senator Ray Aguilar (l.), whose district includes Fonner Park racetrack, said he "may have a great opportunity for a priority bill right off the bat."
The megaresorts of Entertainment City in Manila have been approved for launch online and could be up and running before the year is out. More private operators are certain to join the fray as part of a sector the government believes could outstrip total land-based revenues in time.
Sightline Payments has announced that co-founder and CEO Kirk Sanford is retiring, elevating Americas President Joe Pappano (l.) to CEO. The company disclosed that it’s received a multimillion-dollar investment.
For fiscal year 2019, gross gaming revenue for Indian casinos hit a record $34.6 billion, up 2.5 percent over fiscal year 2018, according to National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer and Vice Chair Kathryn Isom-Clause.
There are always flash-in-the-pan phenomena, but some things never change. Like companies built on strong foundations and fundamentals, which consistently provide returns to their investors.
This week, the GGB Podcast features Andrew Kreft, the executive senior principal and director of design for Lifescapes International, on how landscape design can be used both indoor and outside to social distance and create style and a safe environment for guests and employees alike.
To boost domestic tourism, the Singapore government is giving adult residents up to 100 dollars each to spend on local attractions, including the city-state's two casinos. Both Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa are moving quickly to make the most of them.
Japan’s first foray into the integrated resort industry has been tabled until 2021, with Osaka hoping to get its request-for-proposal (RFP) process in motion starting sometime in January. MGM Resorts and the Japanese company Orix are currently the only active bidder for an IR (l.).
Emerald Bay, a casino resort now under construction in Cebu, the Philippines, celebrated its topping-off ceremony last week, a major milestone in the development by PH Resorts Group Holdings Ltd.
Grand Korea Leisure, which operates casinos in South Korea including Seoul’s Seven Luck (l.), is projecting higher-than-expected losses due to an extended shutdown of its foreigners-only gaming halls. Other casinos in the country are also bracing for losses.
A major investor requested a shareholder meeting on its motion to unwind the debt-laden Hong Kong-listed company. The motion was defeated, and South Shore continues to search for a buyer for its foundering Macau luxury resort, the 13 (l.).
The auditor general of Ontario, Canada, calls the province’s casinos a “major risk” for money laundering. Bonnie Lysyk (l/) has detailed the problems in an annual report. The problem also exists in British Columbia.
Faced with a growing surge of Covid-19 cases, Alberta Province Premier Jason Kenney (l.) has issued a string of closures and restrictions for the next four weeks. Casinos and dine-in restaurants will be shut down.
The long-promised overhaul of U.K. gaming laws is under way. The government has called for tighter restrictions, while industry executives like William Hill CEO Ulrik Bengtsson (l.) warn against overreaching.
The Danish Gaming Authority has ordered casinos in 18 municipalities to close down due to Covid-19. The order continues until January 3. At the same time, the authority is seeking applications for new casino licenses. Danes also have the lowest gambling spend of any Nordic country.
The Swedish agency that oversees consumer affairs, Konsumentverket, is warning the country’s licensed casinos that they are not acting in the best interests of consumers. It chose 13 operators at random and found “numerous shortcomings.”
BetMGM has officially launched its BetMGM Casino online gaming site in Pennsylvania, available via desktop or via an app available for download on iOS and Android devices.
The Beijing government has shut down 105 apps for content it considers undesirable. U.S. travel giant TripAdvisor was among them, maybe because some of the resorts featured on its site happen to have casinos.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (l.) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have agreed on gaming compact amendments that will allow sports betting at the tribe's two Harrah's casinos, possibly in time for the Super Bowl.
The first month of Tennessee’s new sports betting market left the gate at a rapid clip. It has four sportsbooks including BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and the homegrown Action 24/7.
When Michigan says go to sportsbooks prior to the end of the NFL season, Barstool and its owner Penn National could lead the market, said Matias Dorta, of Roundhill Investments. But DraftKings and FanDuel should be in the mix along with BetMGM and Golden Nugget.
888 announced that its sports betting arm, 888Sport.com, has signed new long-term market-access deals in Colorado, Iowa and Indiana, making the brand available next year.
Currently, online sports betting in Mississippi is allowed only at casinos, but that could expand if some lobbyists and lawmakers get their way. Last year, three state House bills to expanded online sports betting died, but in October, Mississippi sports betting set a record for handle at $61.2 million.
With sports betting allowed in neighboring states Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa and Tennessee, lawmakers are under pressure to legalize it in Missouri. Three state senators, including Denny Hoskins (l.), pre-filed legislation identical to bills that didn't pass last year, but would allow sports wagering online and at casinos.
Tennis line judge David Rocher has been banned for 18 months by the Tennis Integrity Unit for betting on the sport and then failing to own up to his offenses. Rocher may return to the field in February 2022.
A surge in Covid-19 cases combined with new curfews from Governor Mike DeWine (l.) caused gaming revenue to plummet at Ohio's 11 casinos and racinos, down 17.2 percent to $133.4 million in November compared to $161.1 million in November 2019.
Despite lower volumes, Indiana casinos in September posted $170 million in win, down just $8 million from September 2019. Sports betting handle surpassed $200 million for the first time as major leagues began or resumed their seasons. Governor Eric Holcomb (l.) thanked Hoosier resiliency.
Voters in the Virginia cities of Danville, Bristol, Norfolk and Portsmouth approved casino gaming in November. Only Danville used a competitive bidding process and chose Caesars Entertainment to develop a $400 million casino resort, expected to open in 2023.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has once again delayed its grand opening due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in Nevada. The original fall opening pushed to mid-January is now uncertain.
New York Yankees Prez Randy Levine (l.) is just one Empire Stater urging lawmakers to OK mobile sports betting and more casinos in to stem budget shortfalls related to Covid-19. Two legislators hold out hope that at least mobile casinos can get approved in the waning days of the year.
In an effort to mitigate the potential spread of Covid-19 as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (l.) will extend the closure of casinos, theaters, dining in restaurants and more.
The Palazzo (l.) on the Las Vegas Strip stopped accepting weekday reservations back in the summer. It’s now closed for weekends, too, as midweek demand in the resort corridor continues to suffer from the pandemic’s impacts on the conventions business.
The city of Baltimore has banned indoor dining at restaurants and slashed the allowable capacity for casinos in half, by the first order of new Mayor Brandon Scott (l.).
Health officials in Las Vegas have cancelled the annual Fremont Street Experience (l.) extravaganza due to Covid-19 cases. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Fremont spokeswoman Cassandra Down both said participants followed all guidelines.
Atlantic City has suffered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Revenue all but disappeared during a four-month closure. Online gambling helped offset some of the loss, but added restrictions are playing havoc with a typical day and night.
It’s a dubious distinction, but hardly a surprise in a city so reliant on tourism. With the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, Las Vegas now leads all other U.S. metropolitan area in unemployment rate. A chart (l.) by RCG Economics tracks the Vegas unemployment rate.
Casino Queen’s purchase of the Belle of Baton Rouge (l.) could set the stage for the Louisiana riverboat rebranding as a DraftKings casino. East Baton Rouge Parishioners approved sportsbooks at the ballot box last month.
MGM Resorts has sold more than 3.5 percent of its stake in MGM Growth Properties, its real estate investment trust. The sale added $700 million to its balance sheet which could be used to reduce debt or expand its operation of BetMGM, its sports betting partnership with GVC Holdings.
Cirque du Soleil, which has gotten a new lease on life with a restructuring of its debts will emerge from bankruptcy able to reopen its first show next year. That show will probably be the world-renowned, “O” says CEO Daniel Lamarre.
Gaming companies see Texas as the ultimate “plum” that has so far resisted plucking among the United States. It is as big a potential market as Japan, Singapore or Brazil, says Andy Abboud (l.), senior vice president of government relations for the Las Vegas Sands Corp.
The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has approved a resolution to remove Jim Owle (l.) as chairman of the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise due to several violations of the Cherokee Code.
Despite being closed for three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, Michigan is paying out $5.7 million in fall revenue sharing. The tribe distributed $7.9 million in the spring.
Elk Grove LLC, owned by Boyd Gaming, has purchased the 64-acre "Ghost Mall" in Elk Grove, California, located next to the Wilton Rancheria's 36-acre tract owned in federal trust for a casino-resort (l.). The mall was partially built for 11 years before it was demolished in 2019.
Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, Casino del Sol in Arizona shut down on December 7 and will remain closed until January 2. Employees will be paid for the duration. The Sewailo Golf Club will remain open, as well as the Del Sol Marketplace and the RV park. To date, the Tohono O’odham Desert Diamond Casinos, also located in Tucson, has not announced plans to close.
MGM Resorts International has elevated Chief Financial Officer Corey Sanders to chief operating officer, a role he previously held for nine years. Sanders assumed the post as MGM made other executive appointments.
Full House Resorts appointed investment banker Michael Hartmeier to its board of directors, effective immediately. Hartmeier has more than 25 years under his belt, most often in the lodging and gaming sector.
On December 10, The Hill named AGA President and CEO Bill Miller (l.) and Senior Vice President, Government Relations Chris Cylke to their annual list of the nation’s Top Lobbyists.
Seth Palansky (l.) has joined Conscious Gaming as its new vice president of corporate social responsibility and communications. He was previously spokesman for the World Series of Poker.
Stefan Lundborg (l.), a non-executive director of Sweden’s Kindred Group, has announced his immediate resignation. Lundborg is under investigation for “insider crime” by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority.
International Game Technology has agreed to sell its Italian subsidiary Lottomatica Videolot to Gamenet Group, shedding a B2C business to focus on its core B2B mission.
Aristocrat Technologies is offering a virtual trade exhibition of its new slot games, in several virtual “rooms” containing games from across the company’s product library.
Bill Foley (l.), the owner of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, has a blank-check company that will merge with Paysafe Group Holdings Ltd. in a transaction that will take the payment firm public.
FBM, a manufacturer of casino slot machines and slot games, has announced that several of its products have been installed in the Dragon Club Casino Filipino, Binondo in the Philippines.
Tipico and Global Payments Gaming Solutions have partnered to expand a seamless sports betting offering to expand their U.S. operations, including in Colorado.
Everi Holdings has launched its CashClub Wallet cashless gaming system at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma, under the brand name WinStar Wallet.
