Hitting the jackpot is the holy grail in Las Vegas so why can’t casinos get creative and figure out new and innovative prizes that will lure the casual players. And not just in June!
The Ontario sportsbook market is just two months old, but some trends are already clear. Such as that a third of residents place sports bets. And that the most popular sport to wager on is the NHL. Fan favorite Toronto Maple Leafs failed to advance beyond the first round once again.
Baseball’s Oakland A’s franchise is in a state of limbo. The team is negotiating with the city of Oakland and a bay area advisory committee to build an iconic new stadium on the city’s waterfront. They are also negotiating with landowners in Las Vegas in case the other negotiations fall through.
On May 25, by a 41-7 vote, Chicago aldermen approved Bally’s $1.7 billion casino-resort proposal, but not before Mayor Lori Lightfoot (l.) faced fiery criticism over the process and her choice of operator. The Illinois Gaming Board will have final say on the development.
It’s strike season in Montreal and Atlantic City (l.), where casino workers are demanding higher wages as the industry recovers from Covid-19. In Las Vegas, however, Resorts World has successfully negotiated a new three-year contract with the Culinary Union.
Macau officials last week indicted Alvin Chau Cheok Wa (l.) and charged him with illegal gambling, fraud and money laundering. Chau was the former leader of the junket operator, SunCity Group. Chau’s assets were recently sold to a senior executive with the company.
Liquor & Gaming NSW, the gaming regulator in New South Wales, Australia, says it will throw the book at sportsbooks found to violate state rules on advertising. Two sportsbooks got maximum fines for doing so.
California cities that host cardrooms say a measure to legalize sports betting poses a special threat to them. A provision allowing private attorneys to sue cardrooms over violations is of special concern, they say.
One of the outcomes of the extensive review of gambling in the U.K. is to ban the use of sponsors on athletic jerseys. It might begin with the Premier League and then spread to lesser leagues. But not without a fight.
Michigan has joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, allowing online poker players to compete with residents of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware.
The introduction of Chinese digital currency in Macau casinos could be the catalyst for Beijing to ease up on capital controls, according to Bernstein analysts. That would be welcome news for the city’s gaming industry.
For the third time, Cedar Rapids and Linn County, Iowa officials were set to apply for a license for a proposed casino, Cedar Crossing (l.). Then the legislature, without warning, proposed and passed a two-year moratorium on new casinos in the state.
Brazilian lawmakers who support legalizing gaming see a window of opportunity between the October election and when officials take office next year. They could push casino and online gaming legislation then.
With gaming stocks continuing to drop, every sector of the industry is feeling pressure. As investors look for buying opportunities amid market uncertainty, companies with an established brick-and-mortar presence may be the way to go.
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Jennifer Fales, the vice president of global licensing for IGT, on the 25th Anniversary of Wheel of Fortune and its culmination on the actual TV program.
Philippine operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. has submitted plans for an IR project in Cavite, southwest of Manila. Construction is expected to begin once Bloomberry’s Solaire North property opens next year.
Starting May 19, Japan’s Casino Regulatory Commission opened a public comment period to elicit opinion on casino licensing. Criteria will include no connections to organized crime and financial probity.
A group of political parties in Thailand has submitted a draft amendment to the nation’s gaming law that would allow legalization of land-based and online casinos. Bangkok (l.) is expected to open at least one casino should the legislation pass.
The head of Genting Singapore says the operator is seeking to broaden the base of customers for its Resorts World Sentosa property in Singapore, to include more “casual” gamers.
Marcus Boyle (l.), the new chairman of the U.K. Gambling Commission, wrote in an op-ed that Britain’s gaming industry requires tougher regulation than in the past.
Lithuania's gaming regulator has laid down the law to Unigames and Betsson after both companies were fined for overuse of promotions. It warned that a license suspension could be next.
A Massachusetts court has called for further investigation into the “highly unusual” actions of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission surrounding the licensing of Wynn’s Encore Boston Harbor.
Australia’s Star Entertainment Group has named Geoff Hogg (l.) interim CEO after the departure of Executive Chairman John O’Neill. Director Ben Heap was tapped as interim chairman and group executive of operations.
Phase 2 of the Shambala casino (l.) in Russia’s Primorye casino zone is now underway, with completion set for 2025. Other operators in the area are pulling back on development amid economic and political uncertainty in Russia.
Gaming regulators in the Australian state of Victoria have announced new restrictions on electronic gaming machines at Crown Melbourne. The limits were designed to cut down on gambling harm.
Playtech has given suitor TTB Partners a deadline of June 17 to announced whether it is making a bid to acquire the online gaming giant. Playtech’s board says shareholder value is its chief priority.
The Argentine province of Córdoba has opened the tender process for 10 online gaming licenses under a bill passed in January to legalize iGaming was amended from five to 10 licenses.
William Hill, one of the world’s largest and best-known sportsbooks, has gone live in Latvia, powered by Gaming innovation Group’s award-winning iGaming platform.
White Hat Studios, the content division of major iGaming platform White Hat Gaming, has continued its expansion in the US by signing a content deal with international operator DraftKings.
JCM Global has upgraded its Intelligent Cash Box system on nearly 7,600 gaming devices at 12 Cherokee Nation casino properties. ICB simplifies the drop process on gaming devices.
Video game supplier Take-Two Interactive Software has completed its acquisition of social gaming giant and Farmville creator Zynga for $12.7 billion in cash and stock.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (l.) seeks to tax the country’s online gaming at 28 percent per bet. Lawmakers want to level the difference between taxes of online versus brick and mortar casinos.
As Maryland regulators view studies on how to bring women- and minority-owned business into the state’s online sports betting plan, observers say online wagering isn’t likely this year.
Sports betting legislation granting tribes exclusive rights to offer sports wagering sailed through the Minnesota House. But a Senate amendment extending sports betting to two horse racetracks led the measure to fail.
The Massachusetts legislature could inhibit the growth of sports betting if it doesn’t get taxation right and allow wagers on college athletics. So warns the American Gaming Association’s CEO and President Bill Miller (l.).
One way to add coolness to the sport of curling is to bet on the games. In Canada, such wagers are on the way, with prop bets galore. In 2021, sportsbook PointsBet became the official partner of Curling Canada.
A gas station is not a bar, says the North Dakota Gaming Commission, which voted to change the definition of a bar to limit the growth of electronic pull-tab machines. Lawmakers will address the situation in 2023. In Missouri, however, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz says AG Eric Schmitt has “turned a blind eye” to unregulated, untaxed video gaming machines.
A Coles County, Illinois judge rejected Mervis Industries’ request that construction cease at the neighboring Gold Nugget Danville Casino, which began in April. He ruled Mervis “has failed to show that it will suffer irreparable harm.”
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has set June 12 as the deadline for public comments on the plan for a mini-casino in a former Macy’s department store (l.) at the Nittany Mall near Penn State University.
Legends Bay Casino (l.) is slated to open this summer, the first ground-up casino to open in Reno-Sparks since 1995. The casino will be operated by Olympia Gaming, and will feature a sportsbook with partner Circa Sports.
The Nevada Gaming Commission has granted Accel Entertainment a two-year license, after the company implemented several compliance initiatives following an initial hearing from the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
David Forman (l.), vice president of research for the American Gaming Association, says the growth in gaming revenues of the past two years is solid, despite fears of damage from inflation.
Ex-casino mogul Steve Wynn has agreed to settle a defamation suit against attorney Lisa Bloom for an undisclosed amount. The suit originated from a 2018 news release in which Bloom accused Wynn of sexual misconduct.
Hollywood Casino at Greektown introduced cashless, cardless payment. It’s the first Detroit casino to offer the technology that connects players’ mobile phones to slots and table games using the My Choice app.
Add more New Jersey lawmakers to the list of those who favor closing the loophole that lets people smoke in Atlantic City casinos. The gaming halls say they'll lose money If the loophole closes.
Resorts World Casino NYC no longer lies within New York State Senator Joe Addabbo's district. But he'll still push to get one of the downstate casino license.
The Rhode Island-based company that owns two casinos in the state is suing the host towns of Tiverton (l.) and Lincoln. Bally’s claims they overtaxed the casinos when they were forced to close due to Covid-19.
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians awaits Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s approval on its proposed Muskegon casino (l.). The Grand River Band of Ottawa request for recognition complicates the issue. But Whitmer wants to hear from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
A Superior Court has ruled for California’s Redding Rancheria in its case against the city of Redding. It ruled the city violated the law when it sold land to a private party that blocked access to the tribe’s proposed casino.
California’s gaming tribes may be forced to allow unionization. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals says the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation must abide by its gaming compact and allow its workers to organize at its casino (l.).
California’s Guidiville Rancheria looks to be able to acquire 270 along the shores of San Francisco Bay for $400. It’s the result of the city of Richmond rejecting a development plan for its Point Molate.
In light of ongoing investigations into potential insider trading, the Nevada Gaming Commission has opted to grant Barry Diller a two-year gaming license rather than the unconditional license originally recommended.
Aruze Gaming America has named Gabrielle Houston, a veteran of both the supplier and operational sides of gaming, to the position of senior vice president of finance and accounting.
The International Center for Responsible Gaming has elected Sheila Morago (l.) of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, MBM Resorts’ Stephen Martino and Q Casino’s Alex Dixon to its governing board.
Sky River Casino in Elk Grove, California last week announced that Timothy Albright, retired police chief, has joined the new operation as director of government and community relations.
Bluberi has received regulatory approval from the Wisconsin Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, giving the company access to close to over 2,500 new gaming positions in the tribe’s Wisconsin casinos.
BetConstruct has expanded its promotional tools with the introduction of its Sports Tournament Engine. The tool allows sports bettors to collect points from their bets and compete with each other.
Estonia-based iGaming development studio Gamzix has announced a new Egyptian-themed slot, Book of Cairo. The five-reel game will be widely available starting June 8.
