Summertime and the Living is Vegas Easy

The summer heat is one of Las Vegas’ most well-known—and most dreaded—qualities. But the machine never stops, and operators could pull out some tricks to help patrons beat the heat and improve business.

Elevating Identity Verification in Online Gambling

Identity verification is a chief consideration for iGaming and mobile sports betting operators, especially as fraud and responsible gaming issues continue to rise to the forefront. Craig Herman (l.), chief revenue officer at software supplier Aware, explores how biometric technology can help the industry in its efforts to root out these issues.

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WEEKLY FEATURE: Bloomberry Opens Second Solaire Resort

Solaire Resort North, Bloomberry Resorts’ new $1 billion casino complex, has opened in Quezon City, Philippines. Bloomberry CEO Enrique Razon says the resort will “elevate the entertainment experience” in the city.

Cohen’s Queens Casino Project Suffers Setback

After influential New York state Senator Jessica Ramos (l.), who represents Queens, publicly announced her opposition to a bill critical to Mets owner Steve Cohen’s casino project, Cohen is searching for an alternative plan.

Arkansas Casino Developer Presents Plans

Gulfside Casino Partnership, one of two developers competing for the Pope County, Arkansas gaming license, presented details about its proposed $405 million casino resort (l.). The plan includes an upfront payment of $65 million to the county and local communities.

Philippine Senator Files Bill to Outlaw POGOs

A longtime foe of Philippine offshore gaming operations has filed a bill that would ban the businesses outright. Legislation proposed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (l.) would repeal the law that legalized so-called POGOs.

Switzerland’s Casinos to Get New 20-Year Licenses

Switzerland’s federal council has granted new 20-year licenses to the Confederation’s 21 land-based and 10 online casinos. The action is seen as a recognition of the industry’s safe and responsible operations.

Oklahoma Choctaws Debut Newest Casino Resort

The Choctaw Nation officially opened the $238 million Choctaw Landing casino resort (l.) in Hochatown, Oklahoma. The property offers a casino with 600 slots and eight table games and a 100-room hotel with luxury amenities.

Caesars Launches WSOP Online

Caesars Entertainment announced the launch of WSOP Online, a new real-money poker platform combining player pools from Michigan, Nevada and New Jersey.

FANTINI’S FINANCE: Long Arm of the Legislature

Every profession has its hazards—for gaming, one of the biggest is legislative risk. The online sports betting industry got a full taste of that reality as investors sold off in response to Illinois’ recent tax hike.

ASIAN GAMING More

Koreans Top the List of Foreign Visitors to Macau

More than 192,000 South Koreans have visited Macau so far this year, putting them at the top of the list of international visitors. That figure could grow this year, report tourism officials in the Chinese SAR.

Wong: Loan Sharks More Organized in Macau

Illegal money exchange operators who frequent Macau casinos are becoming more sophisticated and organized, and also moving into loan sharking, says Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.

EUROPEAN GAMING More

Irish Pols Under Pressure to Dilute New Gaming Laws

Irish lawmakers are under increasing lobbying pressure by the gambling industry to pull back some of the more onerous proposals in its revision of gambling law. Among them is a ban on daylight gambling advertising.

GLOBAL GAMING More

Alberta Takes First Steps to Expand Gaming

The Alberta, Canada provincial legislature approved a bill that ends the monopoly of Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) in offering gaming. Now third-party operators can be granted licenses.

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Nevada Gaming Logs Best April Ever

Nevada’s statewide gaming revenue was $1.24 billion for April, an all-time record for the month and an increase of nearly 7 percent from last year.

Missouri Appeals Court Upholds Torch Decision

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, unanimously upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Torch Electronics, seeking to stop the Missouri State Highway Patrol from seizing its gambling machines and filing criminal charges.

Virginia City Formalizes Casino Partnership

The Petersburg, Virginia city council unanimously approved a resolution formalizing its partnership with the Cordish Companies to develop a $1.4 billion casino entertainment district. The agreement includes a temporary casino to operate while the permanent venue is built.

Louisiana Operators Expedite Riverboat Move

Queen Casino & Entertainment, owners of the Queen Baton Rouge, will speed up the move of the Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat (l.) to land, due to the success of its Queen’s move ashore last August. The Belle also will be rebranded, officials said.

South Point Owner Buys Nearby Plot for $5.5 Million

The owner of the South Point (l.) in Las Vegas, Michael Gaughan, recently acquired a 4.3-acre plot near the off-Strip resort for $5.5 million. The land is expected to be used as an overflow parking lot for the time being.

Kentucky HHR Venue Revenue Disappoints in Opening Quarter

In its first four months, Derby City Gaming Downtown (l.) in Louisville, Kentucky generated the least revenue of the state’s 12 historical horse racing venues. But Churchill Downs officials expect “consistent ramping” to continue at the $90 million venue.

North Carolina GOP Lawmakers Reject Casino Push

Following a failed effort to bring casinos to three North Carolina counties, some state Republican leaders are less than eager to revisit the issue, especially since they believe Senate President Phil Berger (l.) made a backroom deal with Cordish Companies.

Study Shows Strong Massachusetts Casino Workforce

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts’ Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts project concluded that the state’s casino workforce is strong, and that hiring goals have been met.

TRIBAL GAMING More

Opposition Over Idaho Tribal Casino Proposal

The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation in Idaho are fighting the proposed fourth casino by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe. They are appealing to the governor of Idaho and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

PEOPLE More

Playtech Reshuffles Board

Playtech has announced several changes to its board of directors, including a merger that will form a new audit and risk committee and a new committee examining risk and compliance issues.

ODDSworks Names Mishra COO

Gaming content supplier ODDSworks has named gaming supply veteran Kunal Mishra as chief operating officer and chief strategy officer, reporting to company President Larry DeMar.

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TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES More

AGS to Hold Seventh GameON Conference This Week

AGS will hold its seventh GameON customer conference this week at the Encore Boston Harbor resort, featuring keynotes by a neuroscientist and the head of an online news site, as well as several panel discussions.

NUTSHELL More

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