WEEKLY FEATURE: Back in the USA

The sale of PokerStars to Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion could open the door for the poker giant’s entry into the fledgling U.S. online market. Amaya and its chairman,...

Published March 31, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: MGM Gets First Massachusetts Casino License

MGM Resorts won the first casino license in Massachusetts last week for a proposed casino in Springfield (l.). But voters in the Bay State appear to have radically changed...

Published June 16, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Still a Pulse for Japan Casino Bill

Amid fading hopes that Japan’s parliament will act this year to legalize casinos, a leading advocate for the stalled bill in the Diet says it could come up for...

Published June 9, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Death in Japan

It looks as though casino advocates in Japan’s Diet have run out of time to get a legalization bill passed in the current session, even as PM Shinzo Abe...

Published June 2, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Asian Influence

Last week’s G2E Asia turned the attention of the gaming world on Macau. Keynote speaker and MGM China Co-Chairwoman Pansy Ho (l.) took the opportunity to emphasize that Macau...

Published May 26, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Macau’s Credit Card Headache

More bad news for jittery Macau investors. The latest is that local authorities have given the casinos until July 1 to oust illegal hand-held card-swipe devices from their properties....

Published May 19, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Analysts Say Japan Moving Forward

Despite some unsettling reports to the contrary, investment brokers Union Gaming Research Macau maintain that all is fundamentally well in Japan with the process of legalizing casinos. The firm...

Published May 12, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Much More MGM in Vegas

MGM Resorts International announced several developments last week that will cement its position as the largest and most important operators in Las Vegas. After announcing it will build an...

Published May 5, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Hopes Fade in Vietnam

Investors looking for a more open market in Vietnam have found disappointment instead. New regulations have been submitted to the National Assembly, which will maintain the current ban on...

Published April 28, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Odd Couple

Baltimore-based mega developer the Cordish Companies and the Pennsylvania-based national gaming company Penn National are putting their act together and taking it to Orange County, New York, where they...

Published April 21, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Caesars Downgrade

A group of Caesars Entertainment Corp. lenders and bondholders is taking a closer look at the company’s recent strategy of creating subsidiaries in an effort to manage its debt....

Published April 14, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Okada’s Chiller in Manila

The $2 billion Manila resort planned by Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada (l.) is on the rocks again. His Philippine subsidiary has fired one of the partners it secured last...

Published April 7, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Tough Times In Tunica

With business dramatically down, Caesars Entertainment announced it will close its Harrah's casino in Tunica on June 2, laying off up to 1,300 workers. Still, conditions are not so...

Published March 31, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: ‘Creepy’ Showdown

Las Vegas Sands spokesman Andy Abboud (r. in photo) squared off with Caesars Interactive head Mitch Garber last week at iGaming North America in Las Vegas, moderated by World...

Published March 24, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Door A or Door B?

Illinois lawmakers will consider two expanded gambling proposals in bills sponsored by state Rep. Bob Rita (l.). One would create a state-operated, 10,000-position Chicago casino only. The second would...

Published March 17, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: All in the Family

Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment has announced plans to sell four of its resorts, including the recently re-branded Quad (l.), to a Caesars subsidiary. The shift could enable Caesars to...

Published March 10, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Happy Together

Two of the three states offering online gambling in the U.S. have come together and signed a pact to combine online poker sites and increase their player pools. Nevada...

Published March 3, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Taking the Long Shot

New Jersey has filed a challenge to a 22-year-old federal law that prevents sports betting in the state with the U.S. Supreme Court. While there is no guarantee the...

Published February 24, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: Florida Fun

In a surprising turnaround, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford (l.) said he would support an expanded gambling measure—if it included two key provisions. First, voters would have to approve...

Published February 17, 2014

WEEKLY FEATURE: First Bay State License Set to Go

Massachusetts’ first gaming license—for a slots parlor—will be issued by the state Gaming Commission on February 28, if things go according to schedule. The owners of Raynham Park believe...

Published February 10, 2014