Part of the success of Las Vegas is its never-ending pile of crazy ideas that would likely flame out anywhere else. But, that’s not to say that even some of Sin City’s ideas are in fact rather silly—now that 2023 is nearing the halfway point, Ira David Sternberg (l.) takes a look at how some of this year’s plans have panned out.
The Culinary Union and Station Casinos are not friends; the two sides have been unsuccessful in coming to a compromise for years now, and the union’s latest tactic is to appeal to the artists in Lorenzo Fertitta’s art gallery to pull their works and inflict some pain on the Station exec.
A sports betting official in Maine sent out a series of offensive tweets and was suspended with pay. The suspension of Milt Champion (l.) came after he used sexist and racist remarks in tweets.
What started as one has become three—in a controversial move, TikTok Australia has expanded its partnership with the country’s bookmakers to include two more brands, Dabble and Neds. The addictive platform has already been partnered with Sportsbet since last year.
New York’s downstate casino competition plods along, as Las Vegas Sands secures a 99-year lease on the Nassau Coliseum site amid community protests and the Citi Field and Trump Links plans hit roadblocks.
Smoking now will be allowed at Shreveport’s two casinos, Sam's Town Casino and Bally’s Shreveport Casino, following the city council’s 4-2 vote to lift the smoking ban enacted in 2020.
From the beginning, the Oakland A’s have made it clear that they’d like some public assistance in building a new $1.5 billion ballpark on the site of the Tropicana. It appears that they’ve gotten it, or at least the support for it, according to a recent statement from the team and several Nevada lawmakers, including Governor Joe Lombardo (l.).
Governor Gavin Newsom (l.) of California has signed two bills connected with gaming. One relaxes some provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it relates to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The other reimposes a 25-year old moratorium on new card clubs.
Gross gaming revenue in Macau was projected to reach $1.38 billion for the first three weeks of May, according to estimates from JP Morgan Securities. That’s an improvement on April as the city’s comeback continues.
Hugo Jorge Bravo (l.) isn’t losing any sleep over launching an investigation into match fixing for the Vila Nova soccer club in Brazil. He is the president of the club, but when he first learned of alleged activities he didn’t hesitate to turn the information over to the District Attorney of the state of Goias.
The U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) will soon implement the changes the recently released white paper calls for. But first there will be a consultation period that will begin in July. That’s according to statements by UKGC CEO Andrew Rhodes (l.) and Deputy Chief Executive Sarah Gardner.
DraftKings took a hit when a small group of hackers led by 18 year-old Joseph Garrison unloaded more than $600,000 from 1,600 accounts. That incident is now concluded, but the company is in hot water again for accepting hundreds of unauthorized tennis wagers.
Fanatics officials believe their edge of marrying sports bets with merchandise from their catalog will overcome their late entry to the market. They just have to convince the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority has agreed to prematurely end the contract of CEO Charles Harris (l.), who had a rocky tenure with the organization from the time he was first hired back in 2020.
The recent popularity of optionality harkens us back once again to an old favorite, Golden Entertainment. Oh, and congratulations to Tom Carper, the latest addition to the semi-retired Delawarean club.
The Philippine gaming regulator will divest of its casino assets by the end of 2024, says Chairman Alejandro Tengco. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has been criticized for both owning and regulating casinos.
Korean gamblers are the backbone of the Philippine VIP segment, according to a note from Maybank Securities. The number of visitors from Korea has reached 70 percent of pre-Covid levels.
Entain, the owner of the U.K. gaming company Ladbrokes, is being accused of being two-faced, or in more specific terms, of publicly embracing the new regulations proposed in the white paper recently issued by the government but urging constituents to trash the proposal to their members of parliament.
Malta’s parliament has tabled Bill 55, which would protect from liability Maltese gaming companies that are sued by residents of foreign countries because those activities are illegal in those countries. The bill would amend gaming regulations to prevent courts from awarding damages to such plaintiffs.
If you’re a bar or club owner in New South Wales, you can offer poker machines, you just can’t let anyone know about it directly. Or at least that’s the message given by the New South Wales government after it banned all gaming signage from non-casino venues.
Members of the Public Services Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have joined a picket line in front of Casino Woodbine (l.) in Etobicoke, Ontario in solidarity with striking workers. The workers were locked out by the casino on May 8. The members voted May 3 and 4 to reject the casino’s offer.
Africa’s largest casino company, Tsogo Sun Gaming, has bought interest in the South African hotel chain City Lodge. Its share in the company is 5 percent, acquired through two subsidiaries. It isn’t known yet whether the gaming company is contemplating expanding into the hotel industry.
The potential impact of sports betting on low income residents and communities of color helped prevent Minnesota from passing sports betting legislation. But hey, there’s always next time.
You had to deep dive into stats to find positive results on the racing charts for this year’s running of the Preakness on May 20. Most of the numbers fell off compared to prior years.
North Carolina has been there before and not done that. 2022? A single vote short. This year, confidence abounds. We’ll see what the Senate does when it gets the legislation.
In a survey of young adults, the NCAA discovered that 58 percent of those 18 to 22—college age—bet on sports. The 18- and 19-year-olds are still in their teens.
The NFL is working on ways to combat an uptick in sports betting violations. Five players were suspended in April and face at least a year away from the gridiron.
Can the world of pro wrestling make a case for becoming another sport folks can bet on? It seems to be a long shot, given the over-the-top, scripted storylines and dramas.
Pennsylvania state Senator Gene Yaw (l.) has introduced a bill that would establish a regulatory framework and tax structure that would legalize the so-called “skill games” spreading through the state.
Richmond, Virginia voters narrowly rejected the ONE Casino + Resort (l.) in November 2021. Now the city council has revamped the $562 million project that would include a casino, luxury hotel and entertainment venue, and create 1,300 jobs.
A North Carolina House committee is re-examining a bill that would legalize and regulate thousands of gray-area gaming machines currently operating in “sweepstakes parlors.”
Florida seniors have been warned by AARP Florida and the state gaming commission to avoid unregulated, illegal casinos operating as arcades, game rooms, internet cafes or senior clubs.
A New York federal court ruled New Jersey regulators should investigate a gambler’s claim that the dice used when he played craps at Golden Nugget Atlantic City (l.) were “scribed” and in violation of state gaming law.
The application review for a proposed casino, microbrewery, hotel and conference center in Concord was delayed after the developers failed to include enough information regarding emergency services and other details.
Each Missouri casino sets its own rules regarding players’ lines of credit. The Gaming Commission doesn’t regulate or collect data on how many gamblers use short-term loans. Meanwhile, the state slashed funds to provide problem gambling services.
Nevada gaming licenses are valuable, and hard to obtain. Organizations with grandfathered licenses often retain them by opening eight-hour “pop-up casinos” to satisfy state and county regulations—Marriott International recently did so on its lot adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Bay 101 (l.) and Casino M8trix casinos in San Jose, California may not be able to expand after all, although they will still be stuck with higher taxes that they agreed to in exchange for the expansion.
The Palms Casino Resort (l.) and the local Culinary and Bartenders unions have agreed to a new three-year labor contract, the sides announced. The deal was ratified by the casino’s workers on May 23 by a 95 percent majority.
Chief Marketing Officer Elen Barber and Chief Commercial Officer Anne-Jaap Snijders have resigned from Swedish gaming operator Kindred Group, following resignations of the CEO and CFO.
Rob Goldstein (l.), chairman and CEO of Sands China Ltd., has been reelected as an executive director of the Macau casino operator. Goldstein is also chairman and CEO of the U.S.-based parent company.
Micro-betting platform provider Simplebet has inked a wide-ranging partnership deal with Hard Rock Sportsbook, which includes rollouts across multiple states.
Gaming Laboratories International has acquired all outstanding shares of iTech Labs, an Australia-based gaming testing organization, which will now be a subsidiary of GLI Australia.
Light & Wonder has announced a $422 million proposal to acquire the remaining 17 percent of shares it does not already own of SciPlay, the company’s social gaming arm.
AI is the topic on everyone’s minds, and its potential drawbacks are nothing to scoff at. For its part, the International Gaming Standards Association has formed the Ethical AI Committee, to help identify and curb such problems for the gaming industry.
