WEEKLY FEATURE: New Jersey Passes Sports Betting Bill

The New Jersey legislature last week unanimously passed bills to begin regulation of sports betting in the state and allow sports books to open in Atlantic City and Garden...

Published June 11, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Hard Rock Gets OK for Spanish Casino

U.S.-based casino operator Hard Rock International has secured its license to build an integrated casino resort in the Catalonia region of Spain. The company will invest €700 million (US$818...

Published June 4, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Sports Betting Shuffle

Every state is taking a different approach to the legalization of sports betting. Each state has different issues, approaches and concerns. But the race to legalize sports bets has...

Published May 28, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: State Stampede on Sports Betting

Open the floodgates! The interest in sports betting in the individual states ramped up last week when the Supreme Court rejected the federal ban. New Jersey appears best positioned...

Published May 21, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Culinary Seeks OK to Strike Strip Casinos

Thousands of Las Vegas casino workers are voting this week to authorize a walkout if negotiations with the city’s resorts fail to produce a new labor agreement. The talks...

Published May 14, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Wynn Wars Escalate

Elaine Wynn is suing Wynn Resorts to force the board of directors to postpone its upcoming annual meeting and reopen its membership to new nominations. At the same time,...

Published May 7, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Elaine Wynn Flexing Her Muscles

Elaine Wynn (l.), Wynn Resorts’ largest shareholder, has urged her fellow investors to reject long-time director John Hagenbuch for re-election at the company’s upcoming annual meeting and wants them...

Published April 30, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Elaine Wynn Settles Suit, Influences New Board Appointments

Elaine Wynn (shown in happier days with her former husband), now the largest shareholder in Wynn Resorts, last week settled a six-year lawsuit with the company and former CEO...

Published April 23, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: No Boracay Casino for Galaxy

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (l.) has rejected plans to build a casino resort on the holiday island of Boracay, which soon will be closed for environmental remediation. Duterte says...

Published April 16, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Japan Casino Bill Shaping Up

Lawmakers from Japan’s ruling coalition have agreed on pieces of a regulatory bill to launch casino gaming in the country. If the bill goes to parliament this month, it...

Published April 9, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Virgin Buys Hard Rock Las Vegas

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson (l.) celebrated in Las Vegas last week about a deal in which his Virgin Hotels agreed to buy the legendary Hard Rock Hotel. The...

Published April 2, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Wynn Exits; Galaxy Enters

A stormy two months for Wynn Resorts are drawing to a close on a couple of decidedly positive notes. Disgraced founder and ex-Chairman Steve Wynn (l.) is no longer...

Published March 26, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Could Abe Scandal Derail Japan IRs?

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) has ambitious plan for casino gaming in the country. But his vision has never won much support among the populace and could suffer...

Published March 19, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Japan Casinos Likely Stuck on 3

In light of public opposition to casinos, Japanese lawmakers are taking a restrained approach to the country’s first integrated resorts, with a limit on the number of IRs, entry...

Published March 12, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Churchill Acquires Two El Dorado Properties

Churchill Downs Inc. will purchase Presque Isle Downs (l.) and Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania and Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi from Eldorado Resorts for $229.5 million. With the...

Published March 5, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Sands Sevens Out in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s fourth mini-casino license was awarded to Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, owner of the Parx casino (l.) outside of Philadelphia, for a casino inn Cumberland County, after regulators invalidated...

Published February 26, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Complaints Mount Against Wynn

Nevada regulators investigating Steve Wynn have begun accepting complaints online pertaining to his alleged sexual misconduct. The Wynn Resorts board, reeling from shareholder anger over the accusations, also will...

Published February 19, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Chinese Gambling Threat to Macau?

The Beijing government has proposed bringing legal gaming to Hainan, an island often referred to as “China’s Hawaii.” Relax Macau: the plan will take years, and is for online...

Published February 12, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Wynn Resorts in Damage Control

Wynn Resorts has moved quickly to cooperate with investigations by regulators in Nevada and Massachusetts into allegations that Steve Wynn (l.) has been sexually harassing female employees for decades....

Published February 5, 2018

WEEKLY FEATURE: Angel To Devil For Sports Betting

An attorney for the National Basketball Association testified before the New York State Assembly in favor of legalized sports betting—with 1 percent of wagers to the league. This would...

Published January 29, 2018