OPINION: Time is right for full N.J. casino smoking ban South Jersey Editorial Board · April 20, 2021 at 9:45 am Smokers say it’s hard to quit cold turkey. It’s why there’s big business in vaping, nicotine patches, prescription quitting aids and chewing gum — both nicotine-laced and the regular kind. There’s one big exception to the difficulty that addicted smokers have in climbing that cold-turkey mountain. Atlantic City casinos have found it very easy to cease smoking in an instant. They did it with … [Read more...]
American Gaming Association issues white paper calling for removal of illegal gaming machines Rege Behe, CDC Gaming Reports · April 20, 2021 at 8:14 am Gaming machines can be found in bars, gas stations, small convenience stores, and bodegas. They have names like “Just 4 the Fun of It,” “Video Redemption” and “Cherry Master.” And in most cases, they are all illegal. According to a white paper released Monday by the American Gaming Association, the use of illegal gaming machines has expanded in the United States. “Unfortunately, there’s … [Read more...]
Michigan: Gun Lake Casino unveils plans for $300M expansion to include new hotel, dining options, pool and spa Ryan Boldrey, mlive.com · April 20, 2021 at 7:40 am The Gun Lake Tribe and Gun Lake Casino unveiled plans Monday for a $300 million project that will expand the casino near Wayland into a hotel resort with numerous amenities. The project, according to a news release from the casino, will be the largest expansion to date. The casino has undergone multiple expansions since opening in 2011. A $100 million expansion consisting of a … [Read more...]
Sightline Payments expands senior management team to oversee expansion opportunities Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports · April 20, 2021 at 7:23 am Sightline Payments announced an expansion of its senior management team Monday, saying its recent $100 million funding earlier this month allowed the Las Vegas-based financial technology company to recruit executives with payment processing and gaming industry experience. In a statement, Sightline Payments CEO Joe Pappano said the expansion of the executive team brings on individuals who have … [Read more...]
Casinos in Louisiana see major gains in March revenue Timothy Boone, nola.com · April 20, 2021 at 6:55 am New Orleans-area gambling establishments brought in $51.6 million during March, a 119% increase over what the properties brought in during COVID marred March 2020. Statewide, the 13 riverboat casinos, Harrah’s land-based casino and four racinos brought in $225.1 million during March, according to figures released Monday by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. That’s a 132% increase over what 15 … [Read more...]
Swedish regulator appeals decision to overturn Kindred’s deposit cap sanctions Daniel O'Boyle, iGaming Business · April 19, 2021 at 11:00 pm Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen has appealed a decision from the Administrative Court in Linköping to overturn sanctions against Kindred regarding a loophole in the country’s SEK5,000 (£422.4/€489.4/$581.2) online casino deposit cap. The case dates back to a December 2020 sanction, when Spelinspektionen issued injunctions with accompanying fines against both Kindred and former horse racing … [Read more...]
Betsson strengthens LatAm operations with JDP Tech acquisition Robert Fletcher, iGaming Business · April 19, 2021 at 10:45 pm Betsson has purchased a 50% stake in JDP Tech, a software development business that owns a proprietary technology platform for handling payments in Latin America. Agreed through the operator’s Betsson Perch Investments subsidiary, the acquisition deal is worth €8.8m (£7.6m/$10.6m), with Betsson to settle this in shares. Betsson said the purchase will secure customer payment flows for its … [Read more...]
Spain: Sportium takes ownership of Marca Apuestas Ted Menmuir, SBC News · April 19, 2021 at 10:30 pm Sportium, the sports betting unit of Grupo Cirsa, has reached an agreement with Spanish news publisher Unidad Editorial SA to take control of the Marca Apuestas sportsbook brand. Marca Apuestas serves as the sports betting subsidiary of Marca, Spain’s highest-selling daily sports newspaper and highest coverage online news portal. Spanish business news source Merca2.es reports that Sportium … [Read more...]
Could California follow New York with mobile sports betting? Not so fast. Brad Allen, Legal Sports Report · April 19, 2021 at 10:15 pm Mobile NY sports betting might have limped across the finish line this month, but don’t expect California to follow suit. Online sports betting in the Golden State is at least 5-10 years away, according to panelists on an IGB-run tribal gaming webinar Tuesday. Legislative efforts to legalize mobile sports betting in California fizzled out last year in the face of strong tribal opposition. … [Read more...]
New York March sports betting revenue sees small boost Jason Guilbault, Lineups · April 19, 2021 at 10:00 pm It was an up and down month for some of the casinos, which does cause some concern for the rest of the year’s outlook. Tioga Downs saw a drop from $156,397 to $122,877 in the month of March from February. This was with the anticipated boost of March Madness, but that didn’t seem to matter much in New York. More money came over to New Jersey from New York because of the limited betting options. del … [Read more...]
Louisiana state senator casts tie-breaking vote for Slidell casino. His wife is one of the lobbyists. Tyler Bridges, The Advocate · April 19, 2021 at 9:45 pm A controversial proposal to move a casino boat to Slidell cleared its first hurdle Monday when a Senate committee chairman, whose wife is a lobbyist for the measure, cast the tie-breaking vote. State Sen. Gary Smith, D-Norco, cast the deciding vote before the Senate Judiciary B Committee that he chairs. His wife Katherine is one of the 19 lobbyists hired by Brent Stevens, the founder and … [Read more...]
Southland Casino Racing sets starting wage at $15 an hour Mike Suriani, WREG-TV · April 19, 2021 at 9:30 pm Salaries for non-tipped positions at Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis will now start at $15 an hour. The welcomed news comes as Southland looks to resume normal operation. Tomeka Banis is a security officer and is one of hundreds of employees seeing their pay boost to at least $15 an hour. She got the good news while she was off last week and just couldn’t believe it. “That’s all I … [Read more...]
Dutch regulator receives 28 applications for igaming licences Robert Fletcher, iGaming Business · April 19, 2021 at 9:00 pm Dutch gambling regulator the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has so far received 28 applications from operators seeking to offer online gambling products in the country’s regulated market, which is scheduled to open later this year. The KSA this month launched the licencing process after the new national Remote Gambling Act came into effect on 1 April, with the market set to launch on 1 … [Read more...]
BetMGM to host online poker series for Michigan players Mihajlo Ivanović, Beat the Fish · April 19, 2021 at 8:30 pm BetMGM announced its inaugural Online Poker Series that will take place in Michigan. Although its site went live just a couple of weeks ago, the gambling giant is already preparing to set off the online poker season for Michigan players. Powered by Partypoker technology, BetMGM Poker will host the series consisting of ten events. Every evening, from April 18 to April 25, players will partake in … [Read more...]
Sports betting and gambling advertising bans in America? Not bloody likely. Jeff Edelstein, Sports Handle · April 19, 2021 at 8:15 pm Last week, the UNLV International Gaming Institute issued a report titled The Marketing Moment: Sports, Wagering and Advertising in the United States, and it advocated for sports betting firms to get a grip on how they advertise their product before the government steps in and tells them how to do so. And before you say “it can’t happen here,” know that it’s happened there: In Italy, all … [Read more...]
Gambling, medical marijuana votes in Alabama House could be weeks away Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser · April 19, 2021 at 8:00 pm It could be a few weeks before the Alabama House of Representatives takes up two of the most ambitious and controversial pieces of legislation in the 2021 regular session. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said recently bills authorizing medical marijuana and establishing a lottery and gambling won’t come up for a vote in the chamber for a few weeks. The medical marijuana bill may not … [Read more...]
PokerGo reaches new multi-year television agreement with CBS Sports CDC Gaming Reports · April 19, 2021 at 7:31 pm CBS Sports today announced a new multi-year rights agreement with PokerGO streaming service as its new television partner for the World Series of Poker Main Event and select WSOP Bracelet Events. Beginning with this year’s WSOP, CBS Sports Network will be its exclusive domestic television home, featuring 15 hours of Main Event coverage and 36 hours of 18 additional Gold Bracelet events, easily … [Read more...]
European Super League – the key questions, reactions Sky Sports · April 19, 2021 at 7:19 pm Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have announced they have agreed to establish a new midweek competition, the European Super League, governed by its 'Founding Clubs'. The proposal involves the clubs forming their own competition to rival the UEFA Champions League. The [English] Premier League's big-six clubs - Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and … [Read more...]
Legislators back expanded gambling at tribe’s Indiana casino Associated Press · April 19, 2021 at 6:12 pm INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana legislators have endorsed a deal allowing the tribal casino in South Bend to become a full-fledged competitor to Indiana's other casinos. The Indiana House voted Monday for final legislative approval of the agreement signed in January by Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Dowagiac, Michigan-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. It will allow the tribe's Four Winds … [Read more...]
$4.3B Resorts World on Las Vegas Strip announces June 24 opening date Ken Ritter, Associated Press · April 19, 2021 at 4:31 pm LAS VEGAS (AP) - One of the biggest casino projects ever on the Las Vegas Strip has set a date to open, after more than seven years of planning and building. The $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas announced Monday that it will open to the public on June 24 and began taking reservations for more than 3,500 rooms at its three Hilton-branded hotels. The project will be the first all-new … [Read more...]
Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino plowing $15M into renovations Wayne Parry, Associated Press · April 19, 2021 at 4:25 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Following a year when it was the only Atlantic City casino to increase its operating profit during the coronavirus pandemic, the Ocean Casino Resort is spending $15 million mostly on renovations. The work will include upgrades to the casino floor, as well as outdoor amenities like pools, cabanas and the beach. The property will open a new high-limit table games … [Read more...]
Atlantic City: Bobby Flay restaurant in Borgata casino closing in June Wayne Parry, Associated Press · April 19, 2021 at 4:15 pm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - A celebrity restaurant inside Atlantic City's leading casino will close in June, both parties announced Monday. Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata casino will close on June 30. The casino and the restaurant's parent company, Bold Food, made the joint announcement in a press release that was short on details. It only said both parties "made the mutual decision to … [Read more...]
Victim of their vices: Why the lockdown was especially hard for gambling addicts Ngozi Ekeledo, LX · April 19, 2021 at 4:10 pm Andy Bellatti classifies his worst day with a price tag: $3,000. Three thousand dollars... gone in just two hours... while sitting inside a casino in Las Vegas. “I’ll never forget that was the day where I was sitting next to somebody who was playing, and she was also losing, losing, losing, and I did not know this woman,” Bellatti said, “and at one point she turned to me and she goes…‘Are … [Read more...]
Sportradar appoints Deirdre Bigley to Global Board of Directors CDC Gaming Reports · April 19, 2021 at 4:05 pm Sportradar today announced that Deirdre M. Bigley has been appointed to the Sportradar Holding AG (“Global”) Board of Directors, effective immediately. Deirdre Bigley has been chief marketing officer of Bloomberg, the financial-data distributor, since 2014. Bigley has been responsible for designing and launching the first global marketing department at Bloomberg and building marketing … [Read more...]
Facebook sued as alleged co-conspirator to social casinos Kirsten Errick, Law Street · April 19, 2021 at 3:39 pm Following suits against Apple and Google, three consumers filed a class-action complaint Friday in the Northern District of California against Facebook for its purported continued participation “in an illegal internet gambling enterprise.” The plaintiffs claimed that over the past 10 years, slot machine makers “have teamed up with American technology companies to develop a new product line: … [Read more...]
