New York City’s process for deciding on the sites for its downstate casino licenses is moving forward, as the state’s gaming commissioners named officials who will decide on casino sites. Additionally, many feel that iGaming may not be far behind.

Three casinos that operate electronic bingo machines have been ordered to close by the Alabama Supreme Court. They are VictoryLand Casino (l.), White Hall Entertainment and Southern Star Entertainment. Attorney General Steve Marshall has been trying to close them for several years.

Golden Nugget owner Tilman Fertitta (l.) last week filed an application to build a 43-story, 2,400-room casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip across from CityCenter on 6 acres of land.

Researchers at the University of Macau (l.) say the SAR’s economy could contract 29.2 percent for 2022, with full recovery “a long way off.” But Fitch Ratings says Macau gaming will return to historic dominance over time.

A new report has indicated that the safeguards that are supposed to protect U.K. consumers by banning wagering with cryptocurrency may not be effective. A team of reporters was able to poke holes in Stake.com’s “stringent compliance process.” Stake specializes in crypto gambling.

Following the release of the Gotterson Review, Star Entertainment has been deemed unsuitable to hold a Queensland casino license, just weeks after New South Wales officials reached the same conclusion. Star will now be given one final opportunity to right the ship before its license is revoked, according to Queensland’s top regulator Shannon Fentiman (l.).

Roy Student and Frank Fantini (l. to r.), two legends of the gaming industry, will be honored at G2E 2022 with the Jens Halle Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Commercial Gaming Professionalism and the Peter Mead Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Gaming Media & Communications, respectively.

The miniscule time period the Seminole Tribe spent hosting sports betting online seems like a century ago, not 2021. Repeated court dates, appeals and the need for a scorecard has delayed any resolution.

Light & Wonder has acquired the assets of House Advantage, enhancing L&W’s systems business with omnichannel player loyalty solutions. House Advantage CEO Jon Wolfe (l.) will now serve as senior vice president, global systems and services for Light & Wonder.

This week the GGB Podcast sits down with Todd Haushalter, chief product officer for Evolution Gaming, on the “live” dealer phenomenon that his company pioneered and now dominates around the world.

Cambodian officials have already identified more than 1,700 illegal gambling dens as part of a renewed crackdown on the operations. Prime Minister Hun Sen (l.) questioned the will of police to enforce the law.

In late September, two defendants in the court case involving former Macau junket firm Suncity Group were sentenced to jail by a Chinese court. At the center of the trial is former Suncity CEO Alvin Chau (l.).

The family of the man who built China’s Macau into the largest gaming center in the world is on the verge of losing a casino license in Portugal. Estoril Sol SGPS SA, owned by the heirs of Stanley Ho (l.), may be outbid by a rival for the license to operate Casino do Estoril.

The U.K. has rejoined the European Casino Association after leaving it two years ago. The return to the ECA came after a Memorandum of Understanding that confirmed that the U.K. will have full association status for its eight operators.

The Malta Gaming Authority will be focusing on “detailed player protection” in its proposed guidelines for gaming licensees operating on the island nation. Its proposals would include “licensees’ obligations regarding their responsible gaming policies and procedures.”

A decade ago, Denmark’s regulating gaming market came into being. When it did, 39 percent of market share was the state-owned monopoly and the rest was illegal and unlicensed websites. Today 90 percent of the operators in the market are licensed and legitimate, largely thanks to the country’s regulator, Spillemyndigheden, and its director Anders Dorph (l.).

The Vicar Lane bookmaker, owned by William Hill, has produced the best digital products for customers. If successful, look for it to surface in Glasgow and other prime spots.

The Cascades Casino Delta (l.) in British Columbia, Canada opened after a two-year delay. The casino is expected to create 600 new jobs and increase tourist traffic in the area.

Ohio expects to launch sports betting by January 1, but there are still outstanding licenses. Some never attracted applicants. Others were rejected.

The NBA took another deep dive into a gambling- centric platform. Last month, the league debuted NBABet Stream, a digital treasure trove of sports wagering content.

The race by sportsbook operators to outspend each other to promote their product was supposed to cool off, but that hasn’t been the case when it comes to NFL games—spend is up more than $4 million.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission barred the use of credit cards for sports betting as well as for physical retail casinos. The regulator has been successful in keeping such activity to a minimum.

Maryland targeted the new year to unveil its mobile sportsbooks. Yet if the chips fall in place, some operators could be taking wagers before the year is out.

You know those annoying phone calls and computer logins where they send you a code after you do the password thing? The NJDGE created one for mobile sports betting logins. It’s working so far.

MLB Steps Up Commitment to Promote Responsible Gambling

Illinois’ standing as the third-largest sports betting market could go higher if someone would finally take those four online licenses up for grabs. Alas, applicants have failed.

MaximBet launched in its second market last Friday, setting up in Indiana through a partnership with Caesars, Kambi Group and White Hat Gaming.

The latest round of data from Nevada’s gaming market has shown that 2022 will likely fetch a new record in terms of gaming revenue, which seemed unfathomable just two years ago. Visitation rates, although still down from pre-Covid levels, are also steadily climbing.

Two weeks after being hit by Hurricane Fiona, most of Puerto Rico’s casinos and racetracks are up and running again. According to the island’s tourism association, “The flow of visitors is similar to what it was before the hurricane.”

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen (l.) has allowed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy and constitutionality of a casino license granted to Legends Resort and Casino by the Arkansas Racing Commission to go forward. The commission had tried to quash the lawsuit.

Pennsylvania Rep. Seth Grove (l.) would like to change state law so that truck stops that sell less than 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel a month can host gaming terminals. Grove argues that many truck stop operators have been hard hit by rising fuel costs.

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming aims to beef up changes in regulations to discourage minors from playing. It will consider rule changes at its December 14 commission meeting. Some commissioners feel that more attention is being paid to underage drinking than to underage gambling.

Recent court filings have indicated that former Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn (l.) could still face trial next year in a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department demanding that he register as a Chinese foreign agent. Wynn delivered a message to former President Donald Trump on behalf of Chinese officials in 2017, which the U.S. government sees as lobbying.

Visitors to the Parx Casino (l.) in Bensalem, Pennsylvania are now being screened to determine if they are carrying firearms. If they are found to have firearms, they are being asked to exit the facility. William McVey, the township’s public safety director, says he totally approves of the policy.

Station Casinos last week celebrated the topping off of its newest property, Durango casino resort, in the southwest area of Las Vegas. It’s the first in a series of new developments planned for the company over the next decade.

Saratoga Casino Holding has officially closed on its purchase of the Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel (l.) in Natchez, Mississippi, and took over operations of the property October 3.

A dispute between the state of Texas and the El Paso Tigua Tribe regarding bingo-like games at the tribe’s Speaking Rock casino (l.), which made it all the way to the Supreme Court, ended last week after both sides agreed to walk away.

The Harrah Cherokee Valley River Casino (l.) in Murphy, North Carolina is embarking on an ambitious $275 million expansion that will bring more guest rooms, gaming and dining.

The Bay Mills Resort & Casino (l.) on the shores of Lake Superior announced a $65 million renovation project that will bring more rooms and other amenities.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (l.) and the Sokaogon Chippewa Tribe agreed to a new compact last Friday that will allow the tribe to offer sports wagering in its casino and on the reservation via mobile app.

Maureen Beddis has been named as senior vice president, membership and events for the American Gaming Association. She joins the AGA after 16 years at the Vision Council.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has appointed Kristi Torgerson as the new chief of its Enforcement Division, following the retirement of Chief James Taylor. Torgerson previously held the position of deputy chief since 2019.

Lynn Mah has been promoted to chief financial officer of Ainsworth Game Technology, the company announced. Mah has worked in Ainsworth’s financial division since 2007, and she replaces Mark Ludski, who previously held the position for over 20 years.

Now that MGM Resorts’ acquisition of iGaming operator LeoVegas is all but finalized, a new three-person board of directors has been announced. The new board consists of LeoVegas CEO Gustaf Hagman, MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle and Gary Fritz, head of gaming for IAC.

Gaming attorney Michael Gore, known for his Asian practice, passed away on September 22. Gore was a former regulator in New Jersey and earned degrees from Rutgers Law School and the University of Phoenix.

Playmaker has announced that media veteran Mike Stricoff will join the company in an advisory role. Stricoff will help the sports betting social media company further develop its content partnerships, including with Snap Inc., where Stricoff previously worked.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has formed a new tribal gaming law program, to be headed by Jennifer Carleton and John Tahsuda (l. to r.), both of whom have decades of experience in Indian gaming. Known as the Indian Nations Gaming and Governance Program, it will be offered via UNLV’s Boyd School of Law.

Endeavor Group has closed on its previously announced acquisition of Light & Wonder’s sports betting platform subsidiary, OpenBet, for a total consideration of $800 million in cash and stock.

Everi Holdings will acquire strategic assets of Venuetize, a mobile-first, guest engagement technology solutions provider, expanding the company’s addressable market.

The AGEM Index of gaming supplier stock prices for September was down 91.73 points compared to August, and 306.97 points, or 23 percent, year-on-year.

Station Casinos has announced that it will incorporate IGT’s Resort Wallet and IGTPay cashless gaming modules at all of the operator’s six largest Las Vegas properties.

Washington-based operator Maverick Gaming has partnered with Acres Manufacturing to implement Acres’ Cashless Casino modules across all of its properties.

Sightline Payments will invest up to $300 million to bring cashless gaming to some 250,000 slot machines across the United States, working in collaboration with Acres Manufacturing Company.

Leading firms Global Market Advisors and The Strategy Organization have combined to form a new consulting agency offering services to all facets of the gaming industry. The new company will have offices in Las Vegas, Denver, Singapore and Europe.

Longstanding agencies Red Square and Foundry have merged to form Good Giant, which now becomes the biggest gaming creative agency in the U.S.

IGT has deployed its Floor Manager system, a cloud-based solution granting access to dozens of downloadable IGT games, at seven Qullqi casinos across Peru.

Everi announced last week that its Digital CashClub Wallet Technology will leverage Prove Identity’s solutions for more intuitive, secure and seamless gaming experiences.

IGT has previewed a vast array of products it will display at this week’s Global Gaming Expo, covering all of the company’s verticals in casino, system and digital products.

Everi has previewed a lineup of products for display at the Global Gaming Expo that reflects the diversity of its games for land-based and digital as well as its fintech product portfolio.

Aruze Gaming America will exhibit online gaming products at the Global Gaming Expo, as the company lays out its first-ever digital gaming strategy.

Acres Manufacturing will debut new features to its Foundation casino management system at G2E, and will highlight how it is helping operators drive player engagement and loyalty.

Gaming Arts will stage its largest booth ever at Global Gaming Expo, along with the largest portfolio of games the supplier has shown since moving into casino slots.

Novomatic Americas will highlight premium hardware and game content for all its markets at G2E, including Class III and VLT/VGT markets, as well as sports betting and electronic table games.

Gaming Laboratories International will use the Global Gaming Expo to demonstrate its comprehensive suite of testing and compliance services for the gaming industry.

QCI will use its G2E booth to showcase its platform, which empowers operators to create loyalty programs tailored to the needs of each customer.

TCSJohnHuxley will display its new iGaming products to U.S. customers for the first time at its prominent new booth location at the Global Gaming Expo.

BMM Testlabs will demonstrate all of its testing, compliance and consultancy services, and will celebrate its fifth decade of operations, at Global Gaming Expo.

Agilysys will use G2E to demonstrate new digital and mobile software approaches to lingering staff shortages in the hospitality and gaming industry.

Win Systems will showcase its WIGOS casino management system at G2E, and its WINUP player app, which has been the focus of the company’s development efforts.

ETG will showcase the next generation of self-service betting terminals for land-based casino games, and a new multiplayer product for casinos.

BetConstruct will display its “Infinite” betting product, designed to offer a new wagering capability ahead of the FIFA World Cup, at the Global Gaming Expo.

Global Gaming Women will host its 12th annual “Kick Up Your Heels” fundraiser at G2E 2022. The event will take place October 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at XS Nightclub at Wynn, Las Vegas.