In Virginia, the temporary Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock, has been open for one year and the temporary Caesars Danville has been operating for two months. Construction may start on Norfolk’s HeadWaters Casino later this year.

Saratoga Casino Hotel CEO Sam Gerrity (l.) and his partners hope the unique location of Coney Island will translate into one of the downstate casino licenses in New York.

A myriad of casino heists and cons have plagued Las Vegas in the last two-plus years, with two of the most prolific burglars, each charged with multiple robberies, now in police custody. One has begun trial while the other awaits.

A Philippines court has ordered the arrest of Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada (l.) and his associates for allegedly lifting funds from the Okada Manila casino cage during a seizure of the property last summer.

Crown Resorts’ historic US$293 million settlement with AUSTRAC has been approved in Federal Court. The beleaguered operator will pay the fee over a two-year period.

Visitors are increasing at the Primorye gambling zone in Russia and it was announced last week that construction on a long-delayed hotel and casino (l.) will begin in September.

Kentucky became the 37th state to approve sports betting in March. Governor Andy Beshear (l.) promises to place the first wager September 7, the first day of the NFL season. Expectations are high for sports bets.

Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson (l.) is determined to overturn the sports betting monopoly enjoyed by Washington’s gaming tribes. He has appealed the U.S. federal court ruling dismissing his case that challenged that law.

The powerful Seminole Tribe of Florida scored a court victory to strengthen its grip on sports betting. Opponents could toss more legal maneuverings to change the trajectory. Meanwhile, the decision could be a windfall for fellow tribes in California.

We have reached the halfway point of 2023, and second quarter earnings season is upon us. Not many surprises or unanswered questions are left remaining, but the advancement of artificial intelligence remains the biggest wild card. Oh, and Len Ainsworth turned 100.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento, which debuted right before the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, has risen to become one of the premier properties in the northern California market, thanks in large part to the leadership of this week’s guest, President Mark Birtha (l.)

A Macau court has dismissed an appeal by former junket king Alvin Chau (l.), convicted in January of running an illegal gambling network. Chau’s attorneys say some evidence against him was inadmissible.

Korean casino developer Shin Hwa World is walking back plans to build a casino resort in the Philippines. The firm, which runs Jeju Shinhwa World in Korea, has been unable to find available land for the development.

The first integrated casino resort in Europe, City of Dreams Mediterranean (l.), opened July 11 on Cyprus. ICR, which opened the resort, is made up of Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Cyprus Phassouri (Zakaki) Ltd.

The CEO of the U.K.’s Betting and Gaming Council says the industry welcomes the “evidence led” approach used in the government’s White Paper. But Michael Dugher (l.) says evidence doesn’t support a link between sports ads and problem gambling.

Spain has begun a public consultation on updating its “information monitoring system” for Spanish Gambling. The Spanish Directorate General of Gaming wants to begin collecting data to encourage a safer gaming environment.

Merkur has opened its first U.K. casino in the Scottish city of Aberdeen and the company celebrated with a grand opening on June 23.

Denmark’s regulator Spillemyndigheden says Flutter Entertainment subsidiary Betfair breached multiple sections of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act. Betfair has been given three months to bring itself into compliance.

BetStop, a new nationwide iGaming self-exclusion program in Australia, will launch August 21. Upon its arrival, bettors will be able to self-exclude from all of the country’s licensed iGaming sites for anywhere from three months to a lifetime.

Singapore lawmakers have approved a new bill giving them greater authority to shut down illegal online activity and content. The Online Criminal Harms Act includes illegal online gambling as well as scams.

The Philippine National Police will collaborate with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to inspect iGaming operations in the country, in an effort to root out crime in the online industry.

Arizona has two sports team licenses to issue and one tribal license. The state should have little trouble finding potential takers.

The New York State Gaming Commission reported Empire State bettors wagered more than $1.16 billion in June, an 11 percent increase over June 2022.

PENN Entertainment shut down Barstool Sportsbook to give it a new platform and system. Fear not. The mid-tier sportsbook will take your money by July 14.

The case is closed in the case of three North Dakota gaming distributors that tried to sway bars to use their machines by linking them to a veterans’ charity. The alleged scam was a target of AG Drew Wrigley (l.).

Wichita billionaire Phil Ruffin (l.) was approved for a license from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to operate a casino at the old Wichita Greyhound Park.

Jake’s 58 Casino (l.) on New York’s Long Island, owned by Suffolk OTB, has received state approval for a planned $200 million expansion and renovation project; local approval is needed.

Blackstone Group is considering selling some of its stake in the real estate on which the Bellagio (l.) sits on the Las Vegas Strip, and one analyst says there will be no shortage of buyers.

It looks as though the nine acres the Oakland A’s were given for a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip (l.) by Bally’s Corp. may not be enough to accommodate a retractable roof structure, but that’s no biggie, according to Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim.

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment will pay Cedar Rapids, Iowa $165,000 for the option to purchase land to develop the proposed Cedar Crossing gaming complex. However, Iowa regulators still have a moratorium on new gaming licenses.

California lawmakers are considering SB 549, which would create a one-time window for gaming tribes to sue to defend the exclusivity of some card games. They could challenge cardrooms who continue to offer house-banked games.

The Ak-Chin tribe, owners of Harrah’s Casino (l.) in Maricopa County, Arizona, became the first to lose its sports betting license since its mobile wagering partner, Fubo, left the state. Harrah’s still offers a retail sportsbook.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (l.) wants to end the 3-year battle over Governor Kevin Stitt’s “unilateral action of negotiating illegal compacts” with four small tribes to pressure others into renegotiating their own compacts.

In an unusual move, the Northern Arapaho Business Council requested a liquor license for its Wind River Casino (l.) in Fremont County, Wyoming. Even more unusual, the county granted the license, the first in three decades.

U.K. 's Entain and Romania’s Superbet recently scrapped plans to buy Slovenia’s national sports lottery. Slovenians are glad two foreigners pulled out. Entain bought a Polish sportsbook instead.

IGT CEO of Global Lottery Fabio Cairoli (l.), who has led all IGT lottery operations since 2012 when he joined IGT legacy company Lottomatica, died suddenly at age 58.

Gaming industry legend Len Ainwsorth (l.), who began building slot machines in the 1950s and went on to found Aristocrat and Ainsworth Game Technology, celebrated his 100th birthday last week.

Milton Champion (l.) returned to his post as Maine’s chief regulator after being suspended for questionable social media posts. Champion apologized and said the posts were meant to be “humorous” but many question his fitness for the job.

Wind Creek Bethlehem General Manager Kathy McCracken (l.) announced she’ll retire September 30. McCracken led the Pennsylvania property’s Covid-19 response and directed its $160 million addition, which opened in June.

Kambi Group has partnered with Eyas Gaming to support the launch of the anticipated Lance! Betting sportsbook platform.

G2E Asia returned to Macau last week, convening for three days at the Venetian Macao in Cotai. The event showcased non-gaming offerings meant to draw greater international tourism to Asian markets.