Although casinos have been expanding amenities to make them more suitable for whole families, incidents of children being left unattended while their guardians go off to gamble have increased dramatically. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has launched a campaign to bring awareness to the problem ahead of this holiday season, according to PGCB Executive Director Kevin O’Toole (l.).
When lawmakers approve the legalization of sports betting, they often think it’s a done deal. But then the regulators chime in and point out that the crafting of regulations takes time and knowledge. All hail the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (l.).
Mini golf might not be taken seriously yet, but Colorado and Wyoming just got approval to start taking wagers on events, though it still remains to be seen if any sportsbook will post odds.
The decision about the renewal of the six gaming concessions in Macau was almost a foregone conclusion so the official announcement last week wasn’t a surprise. But it is clear that the SAR’s gaming industry is entering a new and more complicated phase.
The U.K. Gambling Commission used the Covid hiatus to revamp its “Young People and Gambling Report.” The survey of 2,559 youths in England, Scotland and Wales surveys attitudes and actual activities connected with gambling.
A poll of New Jersey voters conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University showed opposition to expanding casinos beyond Atlantic City, and to a total smoking ban in Atlantic City casinos.
Macau is getting serious about a pivot away from gaming to underpin the city’s economy. At a government policy address last week, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (l.) laid out a goal to draw 60 percent (versus 14 percent in 2019) of total GDP from non-gaming. As a result, Macau operators have pledged to reinvest billions in their properties over the next 10 years.
While the U.K. struggles to get a grasp on gambling reform and regulation, its neighbors to the west are going full speed ahead. The Irish government recently formed a singular gambling regulator, led by longtime public servant Anne Marie Caulfield (l.), and laid out a regulatory framework as the market looks to expand in the near future.
Texas state Senator Carol Alvarado (l.) introduced legislation similar to a bill she sponsored last year which would allow four resort-casinos plus horse and dog racing, as well as a 25 percent tax on slot revenue and 10 percent for table games.
Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings recently confirmed that the company will build a casino inside of its upcoming resort on the coast emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (l.), which would be the first casino to open in the Gulf Arab region.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s (l.) new attorneys asked a federal court to let stand four tribal compacts signed in 2020. The state supreme court said the compacts were invalid, but Stitt’s lawyers contend the Interior Department allowed them.
Maryland authorities awarded 10 applicants licenses to operate a mobile sportsbook. But that doesn’t mean they can accept bets—the lottery agency will issue licenses after operators demonstrate systems work.
With three prime ministers this year, including the latest, Rishi Sunak (l.), and eight ministers overseeing gambling regulations since the government began the effort, the industry is understandably uncertain when they will finally get the long-awaited white paper. Some experts expect to see it at the beginning of 2023.
Bally’s officials expect to close on the $200 million purchase of the Freedom Center print plant (l.) before Thanksgiving, then lease it back to raise money for its $1.74 billion Chicago casino, to be developed on the site.
AGS announced that it will sell 8.2 million shares representing a 22 percent stake in the company held by private equity firm Apollo Global Management, after which PlayAGS’s share price dropped.
The highly competitive U.S. sports betting market claimed another victim last week as MaximBet announced to its customers that it was shutting down, becoming the third sportsbook to exit the market this year.
Nevada’s top gaming regulator, Brin Gibson (l.), has announced that he will step down as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board at the end of November to pursue other opportunities. Brittnie Watkins will take over temporarily until a permanent replacement is named.
At this point, investors have a bull on one shoulder and a bear on the other, and both make logical arguments, even if they’re laden with assumptions and platitudes. The worst part is that neither can be declared right, so it really comes down to which story you prefer to believe.
This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Simon Thomas, the CEO of London’s Hippodrome Casino, to talk about how the property is recovering from the pandemic and plans for the future.
Imperial Pacific International (IPI) expects to reach an agreement with Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) Casino Control Commission to reopen its Imperial Palace Saipan (l.) by early 2023. The casino has been closed for more of a year due to owed back fees.
Thieves made off with $13.4 million from South Korea’s Landing Casino (l.) in January 2021. After the case turned cold, one of the suspects was arrested as he got on a plane in Dubai. Another suspect is still missing.
In ongoing testimony in the Alvin Chau junket trial, a Macau law enforcement officer said Chau’s former company, Suncity Group, reaped an estimated $800 million from telephone betting in under two years.
Universal Entertainment Corp, parent of Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc., predicts it could incur $11.5 million in losses from the short-term occupation of Okada Manila by its founder, Kazuo Okada (l.).
Westminster City, a borough of London, U.K. is the first in the nation to introduce a policy aimed at protecting the vulnerable by cutting hours of operation and creating “gambling vulnerability zones.” The policy will need to be approved by Paul Scully (l.), the minister responsible for gambling.
Malta’s casino regulator is consulting with gaming industry stakeholders to help in the creation of a policy that will accommodate Innovative Technology Arrangements (ITAs) and allow operators to accept virtual tokens and virtual financial assets. The consultation will continue until December 14.
The high cost of living, holiday stress and a deluge of ads for the FIFA World Cup games could create a “perfect storm” for problem gambling, according to the GambleAware charity, which will launch a campaign to raise awareness of gambling problems.
The transition between the outgoing president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, and the incoming president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (l.) is creating an “unpredictable” landscape for the approval of gaming legalization by the Senate. It is considered unlikely to come up for a vote before 2023.
Entain and Sportsbet have submitted their responses to the Australian government with regards to its ongoing inquiry into the nation’s online gaming industry. The two companies gave their suggestions for future regulations and highlighted their ongoing harm minimization efforts.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced they will allow sportsbook lounges and kiosks in casinos, and many properties were quick to act, including Caesars Windsor (l.).
Gateway Casino and Entertainment reported last week that it had signed a new lease agreement with the Western Fair District (l.) in London, Ontario and will be expanding its operations.
Cambodia has joined China and Vietnam in a joint fight against illegal online gambling. The agreement was forged during a visit to the kingdom by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (l.) earlier this month
BetMGM, which operates an online casino in Michigan, has added a Detroit Lions-themed slot machine to its roster of games. The progressive game has nine paylines and fixed multipliers.
French lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) has launched an online poker range, which went live November 9 with its first poker game, Jackpot Sit & Go.
Rivalry, an iGaming and sportsbook company that recently began operating in Ontario, Canada, hopes to attract the millennial and Gen X generations to its interactive casino site. The site employs nostalgia for the 1990s with games reminiscent of MP3 players and using a WordArt style logo.
PlayStar announced the launch of its online casino app in New Jersey, available at Apply and Google Play stores, completing the operator’s entry into the Garden State.
For a brief time, sports betting existed in Florida. But a suit charged that the compact between Seminoles and the state violated several laws. The lower court agreed, and now the appeals kick in. The end game? No one knows.
Trustees for the village of Arlington Heights approved a zoning change to allow a sportsbook in the new stadium to be built for the Chicago Bears as part of a $5 billion project at the former Arlington Racecourse (l.).
The New York Jets are none too happy about their partner Fubo Gaming pulling the plug. The deal promised the Jets significant funds over a five year period. The team sued Fubo for the money.
Trying to find a silver lining in a resounding defeat on November 8, one supporter said it was a beneficial loss—it allows time for sportsbooks to turn positive profits for the next push for the legislature. Pechanga’s Jacob Mejia (l.) says the results confirm what tribes believed: California residents do not want online sports betting.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (l.) has clarified its rules for racetracks and how they can obtain sports betting licenses, as well as taking applications on a rolling basis.
Encore Boston Harbor (l.) has entered into a preliminary deal with Caesars Entertainment to give them one of the sports betting licenses, thus relieving Caesars of having to go through the application process.
Wind Creek Hospitality last week announced a new multi-year partnership with the Chicago Bulls NBA team. When it opens, Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Resort will serve as the Bulls’ official casino.
Legendary goalkeeper Tim Howard (l.) has joined BetMGM as the company’s newest brand ambassador. Howard will launch a $250,000 bracket challenge ahead of upcoming international soccer matches.
English football star Steven Gerrard (l.) has joined Asian iGaming platform M88 Mansion as the provider’s World Cup 2022 brand ambassador. As part of the deal, Gerrard will promote the brand across Southeast Asia.
A Chilean millionaire, Claudio Fischer (l.), has plans to build a resort on the Las Vegas Strip, but so far no plans for the 10 acres on the former site of the Riviera that he recently purchased have been revealed.
Tilman Fertitta’s 43-story Strip casino-resort project is officially underway, now that construction crews have begun clearing the 6-acre plot in preparation for the new building. This comes just weeks after the billionaire also acquired a sizable chunk of his would-be competitor Wynn Resorts Ltd.
According to co-CEO Peter Hoetzinger, Century Casinos will soon finalize its purchase of the Nugget Casino (l.) in Sparks, Nevada, which will become the company’s flagship property. Once the deal does go through, the company plans to hit the ground running, with minimal renovations.
The temporary Bristol Casino (l.) in Virginia, the future home of Hard Rock Bristol, is on track to generate more than $171 million in net revenue in its first year, compared to a legislative study that predicted net gaming revenue of $130 million.
Next year, West Virginia will be the only state offering greyhound racing. Opponents of the sport said revenue and attendance are down, and they hope newly elected lawmakers will eliminate it. But supporters said the industry continues to thrive.
Officials in Aurora, Illinois have begun working on creating a micro- tax increment financing district for the new $360 million Hollywood Casino (l.). The venue is moving from its current downtown location to a site in the northeast side of the city.
Nygren (l.) defeated the incumbent Jonathan Nez on election day to take over the Navajo Nation. Nygren also made history by having a woman, Richelle Montoya, as his running mate.
A former leader of the Mashpee Wampanoags, Cedric Cromwell (l.), was sentenced to three years in prison following his conviction on bribery and extortion charges.
A proposed casino by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe in Idaho is facing several hurdles, including a competing project and resistance by its own people. The tribe operates the Shoshone Rose Casino on its reservation.
As casinos search for activities to keep customers in the facilities, it appears one such amenity, bowling, has become very popular and provides an inexpensive option.
Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises’ River Spirit Casino and Resort (l.) in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been outfitted with Oosto face-based security software to help the casino security team identify bad actors in real time.
Sally Denby has been named chief financial officer at Aristocrat, after nearly a decade with the company. Denby had been serving as deputy chief financial officer since February.
Star Entertainment has appointed two new board members, Deborah Page AM and Toni Thornton, as the company looks to get back in the good graces of regulators across the country. Both have extensive experience in corporate finance.
Paul Baker has stepped down as president of SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau, four years after taking on the job. Prior to joining SJM, Baker worked for Genting Malaysia Bhd.
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi has announced the promotion of Kimberly Pelaez (l.) to vice president of human resources. Pelaez has been with the resort in various capacities since 1999.
U.K. content supplier HungryBear Gaming has agreed to a global deal with a subsidiary of Light & Wonder Inc. The deal will distribute HungryBear’s multiplayer Slot Masters titles across L&W’s widespread operator network.
Global Gaming Women works as a support group for women in the gaming industry. The organization has not done much outside the U.S, but they want to live up to their name and attract women from all over.
