Why are casinos still using the ribbon spread in baccarat? It’s part of the history of the game but procedure is time-consuming and leaves baccarat vulnerable and open to attacks by advantage players.
When casino executives oppose banning smoking at their casinos, they rely on data and studies done years ago when smoking was widespread. Now that casinos are virtually the only place where you can smoke in public, the newest data shoud suggest a different conclusion.
In its latest Gaming Industry Outlook, the American Gaming Association says gaming CEOs are positive about future of industry, but macroeconomics and rising wages are issues of concern.
Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that Bally’s Corp. has been chosen to receive the Windy City’s sole casino license. The company will develop its $1.7 billion venue (l.) at Tribune Publishing Center on the city’s Near North Side. But some city officials are pushing back, saying they didn’t have sufficient voice in the selection.
MGM Resorts International has made an offer of around $607 million to acquire LeoVegas AB, the Swedish-based online gaming operator, to augment its BetMGM online gaming and sports betting operation. The deal will help MGM grow on a global scale.
New Jersey banned indoor smoking years ago, but casinos convinced lawmakers to allow smoking on 25 percent of the gaming floor, claiming a total smoking ban would negatively impact revenues. So why is a second Philadelphia-area casino going non-smoking?
If Macau approves amendments to the city’s local gaming laws, contracts between junket operations and casinos would be subject to approval by the secretary for economy and finance. And SJM consultant Rui Cunha (l.) says never forget that Macau’s fate is tied to mainland China.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has pulled the plug on $500 million quarterly revenue-sharing payments to the state. The court is considering the tribe’s appeal of a federal judge’s invalidation of the 2021 gaming compact.
Victoria will invest millions of dollars to bolster oversight of the Aussie state’s gaming industry. Minister Melissa Horne (l.) said, “We’re delivering the reforms and investments needed to strengthen” supervision.
Golden Nugget Online Gaming Chairman Tilman Fertitta worked out a deal to sell his company to DraftKings. The all-stock deal passed was completed last week.
One of the smaller sportsbooks, 888, is planning to acquire the non-U.S. assets of William Hill. The cost of the purchase fell, but the deal is still on. 888 shareholders will vote on the deal May 16.
After months of speculation, sources have identified the property that Caesars Entertainment hopes to sell on the Las Vegas Strip. The company is hoping to get $1 billion for the Flamingo (l.). And MGM Resorts is closer to taking possession of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which it is buying from Blackstone, and selling the Mirage, which is being purchased by Hard Rock International.
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Sequoyah Simermeyer, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, on his time in office and what he hopes to accomplish in the remainder of his term.
Multiple development and travel-related factors have made the Philippines an attractive gaming destination so far in 2022, and the industry is beginning to take notice.
Clairvest Neem Ventures, ousted from contention for an integrated resort (l.) in Japan, has closed its branch in Wakayama. The Canadian-led team denies accusations that its IR funding was “unclear.”
A Macau court has ruled in favor of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. in its longstanding battle with a Taiwan businessman and former prospective partner who claims to have helped secure a license for the first LVS property, Sands Macau (l.). Marshall Hao Shi-sheng sought billions of dollars in damages.
Donaco International is anxious to resume casino operations at Star Vegas (l.) in Cambodia near the border with Thailand. The ASX-listed company is awaiting final approval from the Cambodian government.
In March, Genting Berhad’s Chairman Lim Kok Thay (l.) registered a new business name, Resorts World Cruises, fueling speculation that he will launch a new cruise line. Genting’s German shipyard went bankrupt in January.
Online operators in the Netherlands have been warned of insufficient compliance with Dutch anti-money-laundering laws. The Dutch regulator KSA issued the warnings after an investigation.
A Swiss think tank that specializes in economics and social issues, is urging the country to make reforms to its gambling regulations. Avenir Suisse recommends allowing online-only licenses.
Matt Bekier (l.), former managing director and CEO of Star Entertainment Group in Australia, told investigators in New South Wales that he was kept in the dark about shady dealings among the casino company’s high rollers.
The legendary Tropical Hotel in Amazonas, Brazil will reopen in December as a casino-hotel, if the Senate approves a bill to legalize and regulate casinos, bingo and gambling.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has canceled the licenses of 22 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, known as POGOs, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as a cause.
Last week, High 5 Games announced that its gaming titles are now available on BetMGM Casino, Borgata Casino and Party Casino in New Jersey. The launch extends the company’s partnership with BetMGM.
Stakelogic Live has launched six high-stakes live-streamed VIP table games in English and Dutch, including five VIP Blackjack tables and one VIP Roulette table.
Pragmatic Play has partnered with live-stream casino operator Stake on a purpose-built, 12-table live table game studio including blackjack, roulette and baccarat.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission will start taking sports betting license applications on June 15. Ohio’s sports betting law requires sports wagering to launch by January 1, 2023.
In Minnesota, the House bill would grant the state’s 11 tribes exclusive rights to offer sports betting. But the Senate bill would also allow sports wagering at racetracks to avoid granting tribes a monopoly.
Sportsbook operators based outside of California have succeeded in collecting enough signatures to qualify an online sports betting measure for the November ballot. The measure is opposed by most gaming tribes.
An unnamed Vermont senator (l.) has written a draft law to legalize online wagering. The unfiled draft law stipulates a competitive bidding process for six platforms.
Governor Janet Mills (l.) of Maine has signed LD 585, a bill that gives the state’s four federally-recognized tribes the right to operate sports betting. The tribes still seek full sovereignty, something Mills opposes.
Maverick Gaming’s legal challenge of Washington’s tribal sports betting exclusivity has been moved from Washington D.C. to the Western District. Maverick CEO Eric Persson (l.) alleges the monopoly violates federal law.
The Massachusetts House and Senate disagree on one important detail when it comes to sports betting bills both have passed. The House wants to include college sports and the Senate bill does not have it.
Gun Lake Casino in Michigan has begun a $300 million expansion. It includes dining, and a 250-room hotel with a convention center and an “Aqua Dome” with three swimming pools.
The NCAA has opened the door to another revenue stream for its member schools. In response to a query from the Mid-American Conference on whether the association would permit such transactions.
Emagine Entertainment opened the nation’s first sportsbook inside a movie theater last December. The company recently partnered with Caesars Digital, where Co-President Eric Hession (l.) said the creation of a sports lounge in a movie theater showed “ingenuity.”
Sports betting supplier Kambi will provide its leading-edge mobile sportsbook to Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s PlayFallsview online brand. Ontario opened to mobile sports betting in April.
GO+Bet is now live in Poland with sports betting using the platform provided by BetConstruct, featuring more than 120 individual event types and nine virtuals.
VegasWinners, a sports betting content, analysis and data provider, has been approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a sports wagering service provider.
Shavkat Mirzivoyev (l.), president of Uzbekistan, no longer supports a decree that would have legalized sports betting. Support was withdrawn after two years, during which the government failed to launch regulations.
SnapOdds has created a video recognition engine that lets sports fans instantly get the best in-play odds on live games, just by pointing and snapping their phone’s camera at any sports broadcast.
Vici Properties announced that it has completed its $17.2 billion buyout of MGM Growth Properties, giving the REIT created by Caesars Entertainment a total of 43 properties nationwide, including MGM Grand (l.).
Tourist data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for March of this year are the closest so far to pre-COVID rates, a promising sign for the city.
A RICO charge involving Steve Wynn (l.), Wynn Resorts and several other defendants has been upheld by a federal appeals court following foul play in previous proceedings.
After previously placing an emphasis on the Macau market, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has shifted focus again, this time to Singapore (Marina Bay Sands at left) and new developments within the U.S.
Blackstone real estate executive Tyler Henritze (l.) has suggested that the firm is still very interested in the Southern Nevada market despite sizable existing portfolio
Due to supply-chain issues, labor shortages and “other market forces,” Caesars Entertainment announced Caesars Danville (l.) in Virginia will open in third or fourth quarter 2024 instead of second or third quarter 2023.
A Nebraska judge rejected Big Red Keno’s lawsuit over offering casino gambling at Lincoln Race Course. The judge said Omaha Exposition and Racing, which had granted Big Red Keno exclusive gaming rights, had no jurisdiction in the matter.
Hard Rock Bristol (l.) was granted a casino license by the state Lottery Board, allowing it to open a temporary casino on July 8 in the vacant Bristol Mall. The $300 million permanent casino resort is expected to open in 2025.
Parkwest Casinos through a separate entity has purchased the site of Bicycle Hotel & Casino (l.) in Bell Gardens, California, for $102 million. It also purchased the card club business itself, for an undisclosed price.
The long-awaited introduction of fixed-odds horse racing finally went off May 7 at Monmouth Park (l.) in Oceanport, N.J. Unlike parimutuel wagering, fixed-odds retain the odds at the time a player places the bet.
The AC casino industry lost again in its bid to change the deal they crafted for payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) . On May 2, a Superior Court Judge refused to hear more arguments in agreeing with the initial judicial decision that the changes punished Atlantic County.
SciPlay has appointed three new directors to its board. The addition of April Henry (l. to r.), Charles “CJ” Prober and Connie James now brings the board’s makeup to nine members.
Genting Singapore has appointed Tan Hee Teck as CEO. He has served as president and chief operating officer since 2010. The company also has made a number of changes on its board committees.
Flutter Entertainment has named Salesforce Ireland CEO Carolan Lennon to its board as a non-executive director, among other appointments. Lennon was previously head of Eir, an Irish telecom provider.
IGT and Sony Pictures Television wrapped up a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic Wheel of Fortune slot with weeklong features of the game on its namesake TV game show.
Last week, Ainsworth Game Technology announced that it had installed 100 Historical Horse Racing machines at the Brook in Seabrook, New Hampshire. It’s the first HHR installation in the state.
Win Systems has announced the installation of its innovative Huo Long roulette at Casino Divonne, a Groupe Partouche casino in the French town of Divonne-les-Bains.
AGS has installed its revolutionary Bonus Spin Xtreme to nearly 40 blackjack, baccarat and roulette games at the newly reopened Palms Casino Resort Las Vegas. It is the largest BSX installation to date.
Pascal Gaming has introduced its new Dream Wheel game with two additional bonus wheels with higher odds, a random bonus multiplier, live bets and provable fairness calculator.
This year’s inductees for the Sports Betting Hall of Fame have been announced, with four entrants joining the prestigious list. The induction ceremony will take place mid-July at the SBC Summit in New Jersey.
