Last week, the Chicago mayor’s office released long-awaited details of five casino proposals for the city. Bally’s submitted two $1.6 billion plans, and local player Rush Street Gaming also proposed two venues. Hard Rock International submitted the fifth bid. A Windy City casino is part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to pay burdensome city pensions.

Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (l.) says the local government may extend the current gaming concession terms if an overhaul of gaming laws is not complete by next summer. The concessions are currently due to expire in June 2022.

The independent panel set up in Maryland to approve sports betting licenses has finally approved five providers, so the bets could be placed by Super Bowl time. Governor Larry Hogan (l.) approves.

The American Gaming Association reports that commercial gaming in the U.S. saw record third-quarter revenues, and is on pace for record earnings in 2021. CEO Bill Miller (l.) said the recovery is “not a flash in the pan.”

Residents of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan are asking for a referendum on plans to develop an integrated resort in the vicinity. They say their views of the proposed development have not been taken into account.

In a 3-2 vote, the Arkansas Racing Commission awarded the state’s fourth and final casino license to Cherokee Nation Business for the Legends casino (l.) in Pope County. The action voids the license the commission previously granted to Gulfside Casino Partnership.

New Jersey legislators want to remove sports betting and online gaming from calculations of the taxes owed by Atlantic City casinos. The gaming halls say much of the revenue ends up in third-party hands, but the online revenues still emanate from Atlantic City itself under the rules that allowed online gaming to be legalized.

IGT officials revealed during an investor day that they are considering a separate public listing for its interactive and sports betting businesses, to follow a reorganization of the divisions.

At the beginning of the year, it seemed that iGaming and sports betting stocks had nowhere to go but up. In some cases, they soared. In others, they fizzled. And as usual, the complete picture is more complicated.

This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with John Pappas, the founder and CEO of Corridor Consulting, and the former executive director for the Poker Players Alliance on how the spread of iGaming will continue in the U.S.

Last week, Melco Resorts & Entertainment has unveiled its design concept for Studio City Macau’s Phase 2 addition. The $1.3 billion expansion is expected to open in December 2022.

South Korean tourism experts have recommended that Jeju Island consider proxy gambling at foreigner-only casinos at hotels like the Jeju Dream Tower (l.), as well as the use of blockchain to accept the remote bets.

The U.S. government is warning American investors to avoid doing business in Cambodia. The country has a high risk for money laundering and other financial crimes in the country, particularly in the casino trade and cites mobster Wan Kuok Koi (l.), also known as “Broken Tooth,” as one of the ringleaders.

Tourism officials in Macau have commissioned a report re-evaluating the progress and goals of the Tourism Master Plan in light of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

U.K.’s GambleAware awarded a grant to conduct research into women gambling trends, especially gambling harms. Kelsey Beninger (l.), director of the IFF Social Research Agency, will lead a team of researchers.

Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming regulator, has announced that it will monitor 25 unlicensed gaming sites that operate outside of the country to ensure they are blocking Dutch customers.

Veikkaus, which holds a gaming monopoly in Finland, claims it has achieve an all-time low in problem gambling. It got there with loss limits on slot machines, both physical and online.

Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s gaming regulator, is scrutinizing what it considers to be gambling elements in online games played by kids. The elements include loot-box microtransactions and skin betting.

Sweden’s gaming regulator Spelinspektionen has reprimanded Betsson Nordic Ltd. for accepting wagers on penalties for fouls during a football game in May. Swedish law does not allow bets on rules violations.

Bragg Gaming Group has signed a five-year content licensing agreement with slot supplier Bluberi, under which Bluberi content will be offered online across Bragg’s iGaming network.

Aristocrat Leisure Limited reported that it completed the retail portion of its fundraising effort to acquire iGaming content giant Playtech, raising $231 million. Meanwhile, a third suitor showed up to challenge the Aristocrat bid.

An online slot player is suing slot manufacturer AGS over a glitch in which the game Capital Gains revealed a $100,000 jackpot but did not pay due to a “bug” in the product.

New Jersey cracked the $1 billion mark in sports betting handle in September, setting a new national record. And October broke September’s record, as sportsbooks racked up $1.3 billion in wagers.

Ohio state Senator Kirk Schuring (l.) says lawmakers are “making progress” on sports betting but draft legislation hasn’t been finalized yet. He says there’s still time to pass a bill before December 31.

The Arkansas Racing Commission has approved proposed rules to allow sports betting anywhere in the state, with mobile wagers to launch in February. Currently, bets only may be placed at the state’s three casinos.

Margaritaville and Boomtown in Bossier City, Louisiana now house the state’s eighth and ninth sportsbooks. Gaming Control Board Executive Director Ronnie Johns (l.) expects five more sports wagering licenses soon.

Washington’s young sports gaming industry could grow dramatically in the next five years, says a study by Washington State University. Study head Kahlil Philander (l.) said 59 percent of residents are sports fans.

New Jersey is a step closer to fixed-odds wagering at racetracks with the adoption of regulations on how to bet. Australia-based BetMakers will fix the odds, which will remain constant throughout the race.

Shea’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar (l.) in Manchester was among the first non-casino venues to offer sports betting in Connecticut under the state lottery. Fifteen locations have been authorized to offer the retail service.

Florida Education Champions, a group that supports a constitutional amendment allowing expanded gambling and sports betting, got $22 million last month from Draft Kings, FanDuel and Voters In Charge.

Last week, DraftKings announced a new deal with FaZe Clan, becoming the esports giant’s official sports betting, iGaming, DFS and free-to-play partner. Also last week, DraftKings announced a deal with Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Kansas that gives it access to a new market.

Penn National Gaming has received approval to reduce the number of slot machines at two of its Pennsylvania casinos after telling regulators a reason is loss of revenue to unregulated “skill games.”

The Illinois Gaming Board has delayed a vote on a Waukegan casino license due to a lawsuit that claims the process was “rigged” in favor of a former state lawmaker, Michael Bond (l.).

Oregon Governor Kate Brown (l.) is hinting she’d like the Oregon Racing Commission to apply the brakes to its license application for a new destination resort, in consultation with the state’s tribes.

MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in Nevada will be rebranded as Bally's Lake Tahoe Casino & Hotel. The new owner announced the rebranding November 15 and plans a grand opening in the first quarter of next year.

The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park redevelopment in Pompano Beach, Florida could include a Live! Entertainment center. The Cordish Cos. revealed the plans in a filing to the Pompano Beach Review Committee.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission has released draft rules for casino gaming at the state’s six existing racetracks. Rules include a $1 million fee for a 20-year license, plus an annual assessment. Executive Director Tom Sage (l.) said all casinos will be smoke-free.

Named “A Hard Rock Opening Act,” the temporary Hard Rock casino recently opened in Rockford, Illinois, offering 625 slots, electronic table games, two restaurants and a retail store with Hard Rock branded items.

The World Series of Poker has announced that next year, after 17 years, it will move from its longtime home at the Rio in Las Vegas. Its new turf will be at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas, both on the Strip.

Starting November 22, MGM Resorts International requires all unvaccinated hourly employees to pay $38 for each onsite Covid-19 test, more than twice the previous co-pay, but half the company’s cost.

Richmond voters said no to a planned casino. Virginia State Senator Joe Morrisey (l.) sees Richmond’s loss as Petersburg’s gain. He and the mayor have pitched the city to casino developers.

Wind Creek Hospitality has proposed a luxury casino resort for approval to the Illinois Gaming Board. It will be located in Homewood and East Hazel Crest with a 70,000-square-foot casino and 252-room luxury hotel.

In a unanimous vote, the DeKalb County, Illinois board approved a letter seeking support for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s efforts to reclaim 1,280 acres of land in the state.

A report from the Pennsylvania auditor general recommended greater authority be given the Pennsylvania Lottery to investigate and prevent fraud.

In a first, Australian media officials have asked internet service providers to block two illegal offshore lotteries, We Love Lotto and Red Fox Lotto. The unregulated sites were discovered soliciting Aussie players.

Bragg Gaming Group has appointed Paul Godfrey (l.), chairman of its board of directors and former chairman of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., to serve as interim CEO, replacing longtime CEO Richard Carter.

Giovanni Abbiati, founder of the Italian supplier Abbiati Casino Equipment, has died at 77 after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family.

With the appointments of Sandra Thefs (l.) and Christina Lambert, Australia’s Star Entertainment Group says it has achieved its goal of equal gender representation among its leadership.

In anticipation of the new Canadian sports betting market, the Canadian Gaming Association has named four new members to its board of directors. The most prominent: DraftKings executive Jeffrey Haas (l.).

Penn National Gaming has launched its STEM Scholarship program, dedicating more than $4 million to create internship opportunities with the operator.

Sightline Payments, a leading digital payments provider for the U.S. sports betting and casino gaming markets, was recently ranked as the 217th fastest-growing company on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500.

Intelity, developer of a hospitality, guest experience and staff management platform, has inked a new deal to provide the service to Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in West Virginia.

Scientific Games will partner with the National Council on Problem Gambling for the Gift Responsibly campaign during the holidays. The focus will be on lotteries in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has launched EKG ventures, a private investment arm to fund and advise early-stage gaming companies. According to principal Adam Krejcik (l.), it’s already invested in 10 companies.

Content is king at the NIGA Midyear Conference, held this year at the Pechanga Casino Resort in Temecula, California. But sports betting dominated the discussions, including the appearance of representatives of DraftKings and FanDuel (l.).

The SBC Summit North America will take place November 30-December 2 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The event is the successor to SBC’s successful Betting on Sports American show in 2019.