MGM Springfield prepares for reopening; union expects not all workers will return right away Jim Kinney, MassLive · July 6, 2020 at 3:58 pm SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield — the nearly 2-year-old, $960 million resort casino in Springfield’s South End — is calling back employees ahead of a planned July 13 reopening. But an official with its largest labor union doesn’t expect everyone to resume their jobs initially, if at all. MGM Springfield had about 2,500 employees before the state ordered it and Massachusetts’s two other casinos … [Read more...]
Las Vegas’ Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace reopens Ed Komenda, Reno Gazette Journal · July 6, 2020 at 3:50 pm Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace has reopened. The Caesars Entertainment property is the seventh to open since Nevada lifted a COVID-19 shutdown that lasted almost three months. “As customer interest in visiting Las Vegas continues to increase, we remain committed to creating memorable experiences for guests at our premier boutique hotel with enhanced health and safety protocols,” said Gary … [Read more...]
Plainridge Park on track to be the first casino in Massachusetts to reopen Michelle Williams, MassLive · July 6, 2020 at 3:47 pm Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that the state will enter Phase 3 of the reopening plan on Monday, July 6. In this phase, casinos, museums and gyms are among the industries allowed to reopen with coronavirus safety measures in place. A day after the announcement, Plainridge Park confirmed to MassLive it intends to reopen to the public on Wednesday, July 8, pending approval from state … [Read more...]
Southern Nevada showing 66% compliance on new mask policy, agency says Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal · July 6, 2020 at 3:44 pm A state agency says Southern Nevada businesses have had a 66 percent compliance rate for the use of facial coverings since Gov. Steve Sisolak issued an order for public mask use June 26. A release from Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations Occupation Safety and Health Administration issued Monday says 921 initial field observations also found 84 percent compliance in Northern Nevada. In … [Read more...]
Maine casinos to reopen after state agrees to coronavirus safety plan Fred Bever, Maine Public · July 6, 2020 at 3:43 pm They’ve been closed for months because of the pandemic, but this week Maine’s two casinos will be allowed to reopen after state officials agreed to a pandemic safety plan that will limit capacity to 200 people. With gatherings still limited to 50 people, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck says the biggest challenge was figuring out how the casinos could safely operate and still … [Read more...]
Clarion Gaming’s free digital webinar series starts tomorrow Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 3:10 pm This week, Clarion Gaming is hosting a live four-day digital webinar series on the road back to recovery for the gaming industry. The free online conference, called “The Road Back: Refocus. Reopen. Recover,” runs for one hour over four days, starting tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Eastern and 8:30 a.m. Pacific and continuing through Friday. Some 800 people are expected to watch live and it will be … [Read more...]
IGT launches bartop slot machines in California and Las Vegas CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 2:00 pm International Game Technology said Monday the company launched a line of bartop slot machines at casinos in California and Las Vegas. IGT unveiled the product at last year’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. The games, which include much of IGT’s game content, including video poker. "Launching the PeakBarTop builds on IGT's decades of commanding leadership in video poker and positions us to … [Read more...]
Churchill Downs closes Miami casino three weeks after reopening Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 12:30 pm Churchill Downs’ casino in Miami closed Friday – three weeks following its reopening – after government officials ordered entertainment venues to close due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the area. In a statement Monday, Kentucky-based Churchill Downs said it “temporarily suspended” operations at the Calder Casino in Miami Gardens following the emergency order from Miami Mayor Carlos … [Read more...]
Nominations open for SBC Awards 2020 CDC Newswire · July 6, 2020 at 10:57 am Nominations are now officially open for the SBC Awards 2020, firing the starting gun on the race to find the sports betting and gaming industry’s outstanding performers of the last 12 months. The winners will be honoured at a lavish ceremony in London in December, during which 700 guests will enjoy fantastic hospitality and entertainment, as the industry looks to finish off a difficult year in … [Read more...]
CDC Gaming Reports and Gambling Insider announce strategic content partnership CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 10:46 am Today, CDC Gaming Reports and Gambling Insider announced a partnership that will increase coverage of world gaming issues for readers of both publications. Going forward, CDC Gaming Reports will use Gambling Insider content to better cover daily international gaming news in its morning e-newsletter The Flash. Readers of CDC Gaming Reports will be able to read up to 200 words of Gambling Insider … [Read more...]
California tribes receive an extra 90 days to qualify sports betting ballot initiative Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 7:32 am California Indian tribes, hoping to qualify a sports betting initiative state’s 2022 ballot, have until the middle of October to finish the signature collection process that was upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The tribes had hoped to place a question that could have legalized retail sports betting at Indian casinos and several racetracks in front of California voters on the November 2020 … [Read more...]
Bellagio error may be biggest sportsbook loss for Vegas Associated Press · July 6, 2020 at 7:25 am The nearly quarter-million dollars in winning wagers reportedly placed at MGM Resorts last Sunday might be the largest sportsbook loss in Las Vegas history on bets made after an event has started. Seven longtime Las Vegas bookmakers can’t recall a larger loss, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. But each oddsmaker has taken hits on past posts and said it’s a fairly common occurrence at … [Read more...]
Donaco to raise AU$14.4m in fresh capital in response to COVID-19 Violeta Prockyte, Gambling Insider · July 6, 2020 at 7:23 am Donaco International is planning to raise AUS$14.4m ($9.99m) to go towards immediate working capital and will be used to strengthen its balance sheet. The Australia casino operator stated the urgent need for capital is due to the impact COVID-19 has had on the market, mainly associated with travel restrictions. Donaco runs several venues in Asia, such as Star Vegas Resort in and Club in … [Read more...]
World Game Protection Conference canceled, eyes 2021 return Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports · July 6, 2020 at 6:57 am The World Game Protection Conference in Las Vegas has been canceled and won’t be held until sometime in 2021, with a new target date in March. The conference was originally scheduled for last March, but was moved to October 5-8 after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic and the U.S. enacted a travel ban on flights from Europe. The conference was supposed to … [Read more...]
‘We’re ready for it:’ Sask. casinos gearing up to reopen on July 9 Lynn Giesbrecht, Regina Leader-Post · July 6, 2020 at 6:36 am In a week’s time, people will be allowed to walk through the doors of Saskatchewan’s casinos again, but when they do, the experience will likely be quite different from what they remember. Card tables will remain closed. The number of people allowed in will be limited by the size of the space and how well people can maintain physical distancing. The directional arrows that have become familiar … [Read more...]
Crowds slowly growing as Vegas reopens Jason Bracelin, Las Vegas Review-Journal · July 6, 2020 at 6:10 am Exhale, the insults and $5 Pabst tallboys are back. It’s 3 p.m. June 11, the first day the Excalibur has reopened since the COVID-19 shutdown put the kibosh on property staples like the counterintuitively titled Fun Dungeon arcade and winkingly obnoxious eatery Dick’s Last Resort, where the snark is as colorful as the stained-glass knights mounted above the casino floor. Everything here is … [Read more...]
People mover, Monorail to coexist on the north Strip Bryan Horwath, Vegas Inc. · July 5, 2020 at 11:05 pm In Las Vegas, it’s often the shiny new thing that grabs most of the attention. As plans proceed for a possible expansion of the underground people mover project at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a more dated transit system — the Las Vegas Monorail — has taken a back seat. This undated conceptual drawing provided Elon Musk's The Boring Company shows a high-occupancy Autonomous Electric … [Read more...]
Fireworks Show at Rancho Mirage Casino Draws Hundreds of Spectators LA.com News · July 5, 2020 at 11:00 pm The only official fireworks show slated for the Coachella Valley this Fourth of July at a tribal casino in Rancho Mirage has drawn hundreds of spectators parked in cars along Bob Hope Drive despite near-triple-degree temperatures, but caused no fires. The 5th annual Fourth of July Spectacular began at 9 p.m. at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort in Rancho Mirage in 97-degree heat amid social … [Read more...]
Pennsylvania: Smoking no longer permitted inside Meadows casino Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · July 5, 2020 at 9:07 pm Smoking is no longer allowed inside the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County. The casino announced in a Facebook post Friday night that the policy change was made “by order of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Pennsylvania Department of Health.” The casino also said that smoking will still be permitted in outdoor smoking lounges. … [Read more...]
Industry giants slam Berlin gaming hall restrictions iGaming Business · July 5, 2020 at 8:41 pm German gaming giant Gauselmann Group and Austria’s Novomatic Group reacted with dismay after authorities in Berlin implemented new restrictions on gaming halls, that will force the majority of the city’s 496 arcades to shut. The Berliner Spielhallengesetz, a law that has been in development for a number of years, has come into force, setting out minimum distance requirements for arcades, … [Read more...]
Delhi gamblers hedge illegal bets on COVID-19 Hayley Grammer, Gambling Insider · July 5, 2020 at 8:38 pm While many gamers anxiously await the return of local and international sports, illegal betting circles in Delhi have taken matters into their own hands, with punters waging bets on statistical predictions linked to the pandemic. COVID-19 betting has grown in popularity among Indian customers looking to fill the void left by the global shutdown of the sporting industry, with bets now being … [Read more...]
Arkansas judge: denies casinos motion for contempt Associated Press · July 5, 2020 at 5:28 pm LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas judge denied a casino's motion for contempt alleging that a state commission did not follow its own rules and issue the company a casino license within 30 days of the judge's previous ruling. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox's Thursday ruling did not approve Gulfside Casino Resort’s contempt request against the Racing Commission. But he ruled that … [Read more...]
Probe opened as Las Vegas bettors exploit error in international baseball bets Doug Kezirian, ESPN · July 5, 2020 at 2:10 pm A few Las Vegas bettors uncovered a scenario last weekend that raises questions about opportunity versus ethics. They exploited a mistake by BetMGM and wagered on baseball games that had already started, thus giving them an incredibly strong chance to win tens of thousands of dollars. The errors could cost the operator nearly a quarter-million dollars because of approximately 50 questionable … [Read more...]
Cache Creek Casino makes COVID-19 testing mandatory for employees, some already infected Vincent Moleski, The Sacramento Bee · July 5, 2020 at 12:25 pm Cache Creek Casino Resort, one of Northern California’s largest gambling halls, recently instituted mandatory COVID-19 testing for employees as infection rates continue to rise. In a news release, Cache Creek leadership said that as a result of the testing program, which is ongoing, “a small number of our employees” were determined to have contracted the coronavirus on Friday. “As we have … [Read more...]
Legalized gambling fails to reach finish line again in General Assembly Dave Williams, Capitol Beat News Service · July 5, 2020 at 12:15 pm With state tax collections running below expectations even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, supporters of legalized gambling in Georgia were optimistic they could finally prevail during the 2020 legislative session after years of failure. But even the glaring need for additional sources of tax revenue wasn’t enough to get casino gambling or pari-mutuel betting on horse racing over … [Read more...]
