Pro-Casino Forces Push Japanese Bill

Lawmakers who support the legalization of casino gaming in Japan are rushing to submit a casino bill by the end of March. Officials including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.)...

Published March 30, 2015

Senator Introduces Carcieri ‘Fix’

Indian tribes outraged by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Carcieri v. Salazar ruling are pinning their hopes on a “Carcieri fix” introduced by Senator Jon Tester. But the road to...

Published March 30, 2015

Optimal Payments Planning Skrill Purchase

London-based listed payments provider Optimal Payments is reportedly preparing a bid to buy competitor Skrill for €1.1 billion. Optimal Payments runs Neteller and the purchase would strengthen the company’s...

Published March 30, 2015

Sun International Buys Competitor Peermont

Sun International Ltd. Will purchase competitor Peermont Global for $768 million. Johannesburg-based Sun is South Africa’s biggest hotel and casino operator with 27 resorts across Africa and the Americas....

Published March 30, 2015

GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Allon Englman, Senior Vice President and Chief Design Officer, Scientific Games

This week the GGB Podcast sits down with Allon Englman, the senior vice president and chief design officer for Scientific Games, discussing how the mergers of WMS, Bally and...

Published March 30, 2015

WEEKLY FEATURE: Raw Testimony at RAWA Hearing

A House subcommittee, chaired by Sheldon Adelson acolyte Congressman Jason Chaffetz (l.), held a hearing on the Adelson-backed restoration of America’s Wire Act—which would ban online gambling in the...

Published March 30, 2015

MGM Springfield Breaks Ground on $800 Million Casino

The city of Springfield, Massachusetts and MGM Resorts celebrated a groundbreaking last week for the $800 million MGM Springfield that, more than any other casino in the Bay State,...

Published March 30, 2015

WEEKLY FEATURE: Caesars Bankruptcy Gets Dicey

The judge in the bankruptcy case of Caesars Entertainment’s largest operating unit has ordered an independent examiner to investigate transactions related to the restructuring. He refused to dismiss a...

Published March 23, 2015

New Mexico Compact Approved by Legislature

The New Mexico legislature last week approved a new gaming compact with the Navajo Nation (Fire Rock Casino at left), Mescalero and Jicarilla Apache tribes, and the pueblos of...

Published March 23, 2015

It’s Official: Macau in Recession

The decline in Macau’s gaming industry, which began last summer, is likely to reach double-digit losses in 2015, say analysts, with no upturn in the foreseeable future. The city...

Published March 23, 2015

Texas Lawmakers File Gambling Bills

Texas lawmakers have filed bills to establish a gaming commission; allow gambling at resort areas, horse racetracks and cities with 675,000 or more population; open casinos in order to...

Published March 23, 2015

RAWA Hearing Set

The postponed hearing on the Restoration of America’s Wire Act before a U.S. Senate sub-committee has been scheduled for March 26. The bill would ban online gambling in the...

Published March 23, 2015

GTECH/IGT Merger Approved in U.K., to Close April 7

The merger agreement under which GTECH will acquire International Game Technology was approved by the High Court of England and Wales to be effective April 7. The new company...

Published March 23, 2015

FANTINI’S FINANCE: REIT Fever

The interest in real estate investment trusts has been accelerating in the casino industry. It first started with the smaller companies, but now the gaming giants are getting involved....

Published March 23, 2015

GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Marcus Yoder, Vice President, Business Development, Gamblit

This week, the GGB Podcast features a discussion with Marcus Yoder, the vice president of business development for Gamblit, a company that combines the fun of social gaming with...

Published March 23, 2015

WEEKLY FEATURE: Connecticut Declares War

Vowing to fight “economic warfare,” several top ranking Connecticut lawmakers, including Rep. Steve Dargan (l.), have introduced legislation that would allow for three more casinos in the state, under...

Published March 16, 2015

Revel Atlantic City Sale Scrapped

The sale of the closed Revel Atlantic City to Florida developer Glenn Straub was halted last week when a bankruptcy court judge decided she lacked the authority to approve...

Published March 16, 2015

End Run Planned for Japanese Casino Bill?

Proponents of legal gaming in Japan led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) could try to push the casino bill forward by bypassing the busy cabinet committee and resubmitting...

Published March 16, 2015

Chaffetz Walks Out on Debate Over Online Ban

According to several published reports, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (l.)—who is the main sponsor of the Sheldon Adelson backed bill to ban online gambling in Congress—abruptly left a conference...

Published March 16, 2015

Echo Entertainment on the Move

Australian gaming operator Echo Entertainment Group may move its headquarters from Sydney to Brisbane if the Queensland government OKs its bid to build a multimillion-dollar casino resort (l.) at...

Published March 16, 2015