California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (l.) last week ruled that a petition to place a referendum on the ballot has enough signatures and that the vote will take place in November 2022.

Now that the House of Commons and the Senate have approved bills legalizing single-event sports betting in Canada, only one step remains, for the governor general to give final approval and royal assent.

Japanese anti-casino activist Yukio Fujiki (l.) has vowed to defeat the integrated resort bid planned in Yokohama. One way is through opposition to Mayor Fumiko Hayashi, whose term of office ends in August.

Sports betting in Japan is limited to horse racing, cycling and other minor competition. But the country is debating expansion into sports like baseball and football, spurred in part by Covid-19 financial impacts.

The House of Lords released a report from Peers for Gambling Reform. The report spelled out the consequences of changes to gambling laws to ease problem gaming. The industry didn’t take kindly to the report.

Richmond’s new $600 million casino (l.) could attract visitors from across Virginia and neighboring states and have a positive impact on economic development, especially if visitors turn into home buyers, officials said.

Despite a dismal 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the American Gaming Association’s “State of the States” report for 2021 predicts a strong comeback.

Ray Pineault can take the “interim” off his title now that Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment has appointed him as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Why are casino companies not as highly valued as hotel companies, when casinos have a better revenue production? Maybe it’s the roller coaster ride that legislators and regulators enforce on casino companies.

This week, the GGB Podcast joins two executives from Resorts World Las Vegas, Scott Sibella, the president and CEO, and Doni Taube, the senior vice president of international marketing, to discuss the opening of the groundbreaking resort later month.

Vietnam has established a multiyear pilot program to determine if it should allow locals to gamble in certain casinos, such as Hoiana (l.). According to some analysts, the program will never be widespread.

PH Resorts, developer of Emerald Bay (l.) on Cebu Island in the Philippines, says by the time the complex opens, the world will have said goodbye to Covid-19 limitations.

Three directors of South Shore Holdings got the boot last month, along with the company’s secretary. South Shore owns Macau’s 13 hotel (l.), planned as “the most luxurious hotel in the world.” It was never completed.

A judge has ordered Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International to pay $5.9 million in damages to a group of Chinese workers, saying they suffered “appalling” abuse.

Malaysian-based casino cruise operator Genting Hong Kong has acknowledged it may not have the financial wherewithal to keep operating. The global cruise industry was hammered last year by Covid-19.

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which shut down for cleaning after a pair of workers tested positive for Covid-19, reopened May 19 with a two-person limit at gaming tables.

Macau gaming operations and officials with the SAR’s Health Bureau are teaming up to increase vaccinations among casino employees, starting with educational programs that explain why the jabs are vital.

Just in time for summer travel season, Melco Resorts & Entertainment officially launched the Studio City Water Park in Macau on May 22. The new family-friendly attraction.

Ukraine’s parliament (l.) is debating what form taxation on gaming revenue should take. Some in the Scientific and Expert Management Committee are for a 10 percent flat tax. Others say that could hurt state and local budgets.

Some 17 percent of British adults who are regular gamblers say they anticipate using cryptocurrency compared to 11 percent in the general population.

Casinos in British Columbia, Canada have announced that casinos, bingo halls and other gaming centers may reopen as soon as July 1. All casinos in B.C. have been closed since March 16, 2020 by Covid.

The Soaring Eagle Casino Resort has added the GameSTACK Platform for online gaming and sports betting, marking the supplier’s fourth client in Michigan.

The annual “Rich List” published by London’s Sunday Times includes several iGaming and online sports betting entrepreneurs, including Denise Coates (l.) of Bet365 and execs with Playtech and Evolution Gaming.

Malta-based Wazdan received approval to offer a variety of online casino games in New Jersey, the king of online casinos. The selection of games includes 9 Lions, Larry the Leprechaun and Sizzling 777 Deluxe.

Omnichannel game developer Reflex Gaming has teamed up with First Look Games to further extend the reach of its online product in the global iGaming affiliate and player community.

Louisiana lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on sports betting legislation that could allow wagering to start before the end of football season, according to Senate President Page Cortez (l.). Sports betting would be available in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes.

The Nevada Gaming Commission approved a temporary three year license to British bookmaker Entain despite concerns. The license comes at a time when the company plans a bid for William Hill non-U.S. assets.

Fifteen gaming tribes in Washington have signed sports betting agreements with the Washington State Gambling Commission. The goal is to start taking sports wagers by September when the NFL season begins.

The final step in approval of new gaming compacts between Arizona and its gaming tribes has occurred. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved amendments that allow sports betting and expanded gaming.

When the Ohio Select Committee on Gaming heard testimony on proposed legislation for sports betting, they didn’t expect such vitriol. But bowling alleys, grocery stores and pro sports teams all had something bad to say.

In what may be a precedent, FanDuel will pay the Associated Press to publish the sportsbook’s odds in its sports stories as needed. The news outlet says it retains editorial control but will help promote FanDuel.

BetMGM last week announced a deal with NYRA Bets, the official online wagering platform of the New York Racing Association, making the sportsbook NYRA’s official partner.

Bally Corp. has launched its mobile sportsbook in Colorado. Bally Bet became available in the Rocky Mountain State on May 24, and fine-tuning is still underway.

The NBA’s TV arm hosted its first live studio show around sports betting beginning with the first two playoff rounds. The show highlights a social media channel, the league website and app to enhance fan engagement.

William Hill has gone live in Colombia, its first venture in Latin America. Bet365 has obtained a license to operate in Greece. William Hill took over an existing license of a company it acquired.

The African nation of Kenya’s National Treasury wants to bring back a controversial 20 percent blanket tax on all wagers on single race. The government submitted this proposal as part of its 2021/2022 budget.

The state lottery of Rio de Janeiro has put out a request for bids for partner to create, distribute and sell lottery and sports betting products in the Brazilian state. Bids are due July 5.

Resorts World Las Vegas is on track to open June 24, as the Nevada Gaming Commission recently granted licenses to the Genting Group.

Despite a full court press by gaming giant Las Vegas Sands, two bills in the Texas legislature to legalize casinos died without ever making it to votes in either the House or Senate.

Resorts World Catskills plans to spend $32 million on the new 90,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment project located in the Hudson Valley’s Newburgh Mall.

Nevada casinos outside Las Vegas climbed the AGA’s list of Top 20 U.S. gaming markets. But the gaming halls in Henderson, Reno, Sparks, et al. may hold the positions only temporarily.

Rosemary Vassiliadis (l.), director of aviation at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, was one of several tourism leaders to testify before a Senate subcommittee, urging the return of international travel.

The U.S. Department of Justice is threatening to sue former casino mogul Steve Wynn (l.) to force him to register as a foreign lobbyist over his 2017 efforts to obtain a diplomatic favor for China.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently heard opinions from residents of Shippensburg Township on plans by Greenwood Gaming to locate a Parx mini-casino in the township.

The Warren County, Kentucky City-County Planning Commission voted 7-3 against an expansion of the Kentucky Downs gambling facility in Bowling Green. The venue would have offered historical horseracing machines and a bar.

Under legislation sent to Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (l.), casinos there will be limited to six racetracks in the state, and sports betting won’t include mobile wagering on state schools playing at home.

A partnership between the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Stockton University will create an esports Innovation Center in the Atlantic City campus. The center will help embrace esports growth.

Casinos can opt in to bill provisions that would prohibit guests from bringing firearms on-property if a bill by Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (l.) passes. MGM Resorts, for one, backs the bill, believing it will avoid violence.

California’s new Attorney General Rob Bonta (l.) is building up a big campaign war chest for his 2022 reelection effort. By far the largest contributors are card clubs and card club executives.

An agreement has been reached in Nevada guaranteeing laid-off gaming and tourism workers the right to return to work. Workers rejoiced, while employers were nervous it may expose them to litigation.

In a recent earnings call, Frank Fertitta (l.), CEO of Red Rock Resorts, said Station Casinos will focus on its "primary business,” gambling. He added the words no patron wanted to hear: “We will not have a buffet.”

In an ongoing 20-year battle, the village of Union Spring in New York’s Finger Lakes area is unlikely to win its case against the Cayuga Nation’s casino (l.) in federal appeals court.

The $600 million expansion at Choctaw Casino & Resort (l.) in Durant, Oklahoma should be complete in August. The addition will include 1,000 hotel rooms, new retail shops, restaurants, bars and a three-acre pool.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates two Harrah’s casinos in North Carolina (Valley River at left) is appealing a judge’s ruling allowing the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation to build a North Carolina casino. The Interior Department also was named as a defendant.

A proposed tribal law being considered by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians would ban indoor smoking at the tribe’s two Harrah’s casinos in North Carolina.

Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Cedric Cromwell (l.) will be tried on charges of bribery and extortion in U.S. District Court in Boston in September.

Despite the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation that vaccinated people no longer need masks, the Navajo Nation Department of Health said its April 2020 mask mandate remains effect on the Navajo Nation.

Gaming Laboratories International has named former Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong as director of lottery solutions, joining eight other GLI team members with lottery or regulatory experience.

Novomatic AG has restructured its global operations business segment to create a combined, cross-divisional unit headed by Thomas Komnacky, the new VP of global operations.

JCJ Architecture has announced the addition of longtime hospitality leader Nicole Dalton Williams as the interiors project director in the firm’s Las Vegas office.

The National Council on Problem Gambling announced the results of its board of directors election, naming individual, organizational and affiliate directors.

Gaming industry veteran Larry Pelzer has joined iGaming supplier Chalkline as vice president of U.S. business development. Pelzer will be responsible for expanding the firm’s presence in North America.

Scientific Games has acquired pioneering sports betting supplier SportCast, and its BetBuilder product, which allows players to build bets across multiple markets on a single game with instant pricing.

Aristocrat Gaming and Churchill Downs Inc. have again expanded their partnership with a new long-term agreement that will bring Aristocrat games to the historical racing machine market.

Aristocrat Gaming has installed its new Buffalo Link progressive games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has entered into an agreement with Everi Holdings, Inc. to install Everi’s Jackpot Xpress jackpot management solution.

The Kickapoo Casino Shawnee in Oklahoma has upgraded its JCM Global Intelligent Cash Box system and added the JCM iVIZION and UBA bill validators to its casino expansion.

Reno’s Tamarack Junction Casino has added barstools and custom Lido seating from Gary Platt Manufacturing to its new Nevada Steak Bar and DC Bar.

Aristocrat will trial the cashless payment technology of its Prime mobile system at the Wests New Lambton venue in New South Wales, Australia.

Online casino Wizard Slots launched last week in Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. The site, which offers more than 500 game titles, is continuing to expand beyond Wizard Slots’ U.K. home base.