A New York mobile sports betting market, long stonewalled by lawmakers, is now just around the corner. And a number of big names are teaming with their rivals to get a competitive edge.

Casinos Austria has been chosen by Nagasaki prefecture as its integrated-resorts partner to develop the Huis Ten Bosch property (l.). Wakayama is also set with Clairvest, and MGM is the presumed partner in Osaka. But an election could do in the effort in Yokohama.

The American Gaming Association reported that U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached $13.6 billion in the second quarter of 2021, breaking the previous quarterly record of $11.1 billion.

In an important endorsement of the importance of esports to betting companies, the UK-based Entain has bought esports betting company Unikrn (founders Karl Flores and Rahul Sood at left) and set up a separate division dedicated to the subject.

The U.S. Interior Department has OK’d the gaming compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe, signed by tribal Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. and Governor Ron DeSantis. The tribe gets onsite and online sports betting plus roulette and craps in return for $2.5 billion the first five years.

Heavy hitting sportsbook operators have partnered with tribal and professional sports organizations to operate sports betting in Arizona. Including first NFL stadium MLB stadium sportsbooks.

Less than a month after he shared his wisdom at the Indian Gaming 2021 conference, respected market researcher Michael Meczka has passed away due to complications from Covid.

Last Thursday, the Connecticut Lottery announced that Rush Street Interactive has been chosen as its online sports betting partner, with Sportech running retail sportsbooks. Betting is expected to launch sometime during NFL season.

Crown Perth created a bank account, Riverbank Investments, just for VIP transactions, according to recent testimony in Western Australia. Former Crown CEO Ken Barton (l.) said he was unconcerned at the time.

Penn National has bought Score Media and Gaming. DraftKings has acquired Golden Nugget Online. It’s safe to say there will be further consolidation in the online realm. Who’s next, and which partners are best matched?

This week the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Richard “Boz” Bosworth, the president and CEO of JC Hospitality Partners, which owns the Virgin Hotel Casino in Las Vegas about its recent opening and its unique style of operation.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health eased some Covid-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated people starting August 10. Indoor dining, meetings and conventions, weddings and sporting can all take place.

A new tax on electronic gaming devices in Saipan, including poker machines inside iGaming facilities or hotels, could shut down several gaming venues and put 70 people out of work.

Spain’s new Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzon is no fan of gaming. He plans to end all forms of gaming ads beginning September 1. The government also plans to require players to set individual loss limits.

Because Finland’s gaming monopoly suffered losses due to the pandemic, the minister of culture and sport, Antti Kurvinen, wants to treat revenues the same as alcohol revenues. To more benefit the charities it supports.

A U.K. Gambling Commission survey concluded the largest influence on gambling among 16- and 17-year-olds is not advertising, but peer pressure. Scratchcards were the most popular form of gambling.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant (l.) of the Indian state of Goa said last week that the government may not restart local casino operations. Goa has six offshore casinos and hotel-based onshore venues.

The World Poker Tour Online Borgata Poker Open stops by September 19 It’s all part of partypoker U.S. Network Online Series from September 12. The tournament marks the return the Sexton Cup.

A new iGaming content licensing agreement will enable Spin Games to deploy slot machine content from Rising Digital across Spin’s ROC remote gaming server platform in North America.

The Germany state of Nordrhein-Westfalen has opened a tender process for online table banker games. The Fourth State Treaty on Gambling now allows states to grant concessions for non-poker table games.

The high court of Madras, India has overturned a ban on skill-based online games ordered by the state of Tamil Nadu. New Delhi TV called the move “another key step for the industry in India.”

Online gaming revenue in Portugal jumped 81.9 percent for the second quarter over the first. This dramatic rise was fueled by a 224.5 percent jump in sports betting revenue, according to the country’s gaming regulator.

Although most New England states have embraced sports betting with both arms, Massachusetts is lagging. The reason appears to be a less than enthusiastic Senate President, Karen Spilka (l.).

A California startup, ZenSports, seems on track to operate the Big Wheel Casino and Baldini Sports Casino in in Nevada. It wants to upend sportsbook by offering peer-to-peer betting and accept cryptocurrency.

SB 688, which would legalize sports betting in North Carolina, passed two Senate committees with bipartisan support, but still faces more scrutiny. Governor Roy Cooper (l.) said he’ll sign it if it reaches his desk.

With the signature of Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey became the first state in the country to offer fixed-odds betting at the tracks. Unlike parimutuel wagers, odds do not change with the number of bets.

Rush Street Interactive has gone to one of the most recognizable icons in NFL history for its next brand ambassador. Mike Ditka (l.), Mr. Chicago Bears, will do various events to promote BetRivers in Illinois.

NBC Sports has created a new division that will center on betting and gaming. Executives see this as a way to expand opportunities across sports and technology.

When Flutter Entertainment purchased a controlling interest in FanDuel in 2018, the company couldn’t know sports betting in the U.S. would blossom. FanDuel has a 45 percent share of the market.

Hoops legend Shaquille O’Neal (l.) has signed on as brand ambassador for WynnBet, part of Wynn Resorts’ interactive division. O’Neal has been active as a pitchman, hawking Pepsi and Carnival Cruises.

Players of Portugal’s Primeira Liga soccer league are wearing bookmakers sponsorships on their jerseys. This is a far cry from just a few years ago when bookmakers stopped operating in Portugal.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (l.) has extended the deadline for a Chicago casino application two months to October 29. She said some bidders needed more time. Others say the real reason is operators’ lack of interest.

More and more, Las Vegas casinos and other hospitality venues are handing an ultimatum to their employees: either be vaccinated against Covid-19 or be tested on a weekly basis, sometimes at their own cost.

Boyd Gaming’s Main Street Station (l.), closed since March 2020, will finally reopen next month, with 24/7 operations starting on September 8. Main Street Station has a 27,000-square-foot casino and 400 hotel rooms.

For the third time in five months, Maryland’s casinos, including MGM National Harbor (l.), set a gaming revenue record in July, generating a total of $180.1 million, up 28.7 percent from the capacity-restricted July 2020.

Caesars Entertainment plans to sell one its properties on the Las Vegas Strip next year, according to statements made during a conference call by CEO Tom Reeg. Several properties are in play, but Bally’s Las Vegas (l.) and Planet Hollywood the most likely to go.

Penn National Gaming has officially opened Hollywood Casino York, the operator’s first Category 4 “mini-casino” and the second satellite casino to open in Pennsylvania.

The Arkansas Supreme Court will determine whether Gulfside Casino Partnership, which plans to build the River Valley Casino Resort (l.), or Cherokee Nation Businesses will be awarded Pope County’s casino license. The case has dragged on since 2018.

In Florida, three political action committees out to change the state’s gaming laws raised less than $100 but spent more than $7 million in June. Major gaming operators contributed more than $52 million to the PACs.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council wants to tax complimentary rooms given to gamblers at its two casino hotels, based on a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling that Harrah’s New Orleans (l.) owed millions on comps.

North Carolina state Senator Eric Nelson will sponsor legislation allowing casinos to open satellite facilities in their home counties. He’s proposing a casino at the former Macy’s (l.) in the Charleston Town Center mall.

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment donated $100,000 to St. Tammany Corp., the parish’s economic development agency, to build a sports complex. P2E hopes to win approval for the venue from local voters.

On August 8, Resorts World New York City in Queens opened its $400 million Hyatt Regency Hotel near JFK Airport with a ribbon cutting (l.). The lobby of the 400-room hotel connects to the casino floor.

In a conference call with reporters, AGA chief Bill Miller conceded that it’s “not necessarily true” that banning smoking in casinos hurts gaming revenues, a statement seized upon by anti-smoking activists.

Bally’s Corp., which operates Bally’s Black Hawk in Colorado, has begun the rebranding of its recently acquired Arapahoe Park racetrack (l.) in Aurora. The new brand name is Bally’s Arapahoe Park.

Guests at the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Four Winds Casino (l.) in South Bend, Indiana now can play blackjack, roulette and other Class III games. Converting the casino’s 1,400 slots is expected to take several months.

Arizona’s gaming tribes have begun introducing new tables games. The games, including craps, baccarat, roulette, pai gow and sic bo, are authorized by the new gaming compact that also authorizes sports betting.

Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Oklahoma is now the official national partner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Under the 3-year agreement, Choctaw will sponsor major and local rodeo events.

Some states that are part of the Multi-State Lottery Association will soon offer a new add-on feature accompanying a third weekly Powerball drawing that will start August 23.

The U.K. National Lottery has helped fund a variety of support services to assist British Olympic hopefuls. The program, in place since 1997, has led to 100 gold medals for U.K. athletes.

The delay in selecting a new company to run the U.K. National Lottery could produce a windfall for current operator Camelot. The money going to charities pales by comparison to the profits reaped by Camelot.

Bryan Newland, the former president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as assistant secretary-Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior.

The board of Global Gaming Women, the independent charitable organization that promotes the development of women in gaming, has elected Boyd Gaming Vice President Cassie Stratford (l.) as its president.

BMM Testlabs has named John Stuckey, a 20-year veteran of the gaming and telecommunications industries, as the company’s new senior vice president of business development for Europe and South America.

Jason Hahn is the new executive vice president at PlayStudios, in charge of corporate business development. His many tasks include growth strategy, expansion, new genres. Hahn has 15 years of experience.

PointsBet has brought on Aonghus Mulvihill as vice president to oversee a team of sports analysts. An industry veteran, Mulvihill will also create trading risk management strategy and product development.

Allen Glick, owner and founder of Argent Corp., which owned the Stardust in Las Vegas during the skimming scandal that ultimately ousted the mob from Las Vegas, has died at 79.

In its quest for a new chair for the U.K. Gambling Commission, the regulator added Conservative Lord Chadlington to the shortlist. He oversaw commitments for corporate funding to treat gambling harms.

Cashless gaming through Acres’ Foundation technology is now live on slots and tables at Hollywood Casino York in Pennsylvania, following previous installations at other properties in the state.

Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd. and Caesars Entertainment recently announced a deal to bring Ainsworth slot games to CaesarsCasino.com, HarrahsCasino.com, and WSOP.com in New Jersey.

The AGEM Index of supplier stock prices suffered a rare decline for July, but the index remained up by more than 100 percent for the entire year compared to 2020.

Everi Holdings logged record first-quarter revenue of $139 million, and all-time quarterly record net income $21 million, adjusted EBITDA of $75 million, and free cash flow of $44 million.

The Entain Group has joined the “50 Global Leaders” campaign supporting sustainable business practices and responsible gaming on Bloomberg’s global media platform.

Gary Platt Manufacturing created a custom collection of casino seating for Resorts World Las Vegas, with four new seat models designed for the new casino.

The annual Global Gaming Expo will return to Las Vegas after being canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19. The gaming industry convention will take place October 4-7 at the Sands Expo Center.

Registration is now open for the annual meeting of the International Association of Gaming Regulators. This year’s event, “Disrupting the Regulator,” will be held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

SBC Events is providing attendees to its SBC Summit Barcelona event with a hedge against uncertain travel amid the pandemic with a “Book With Confidence” plan that provides full refunds.

The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Trade Show and Conference will take place in Oklahoma City August 16-18, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.