Ruffin keeps moving, this time into Florida, but will Trump slow him down? By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 10, 2018 Phil Ruffin was an enormously successful businessman before he entered the competitive Las Vegas gaming scene with the acquisition of the Frontier Hotel & Casino and subsequent purchase of the Treasure Island. He was a successful Strip casino operator before… [continue reading]
Why Las Vegas Is Still America’s Most Sinful City By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • December 10, 2018 It came as no surprise that a recent WalletHub study named Las Vegas the most sinful city in the United States. After all, “Sin City” has to be more than just marketing fluff, right? Las Vegas definitely is sinful, at… [continue reading]
Chips are down in Macau for America’s casino kings By Nisha Gopalan, Bloomberg • December 9, 2018 If any worsening of the trade war leads China to call for a boycott of U.S. companies, America’s casino kings will be sweating. Three American companies — Las Vegas Sands Corp., founded by Republican Party donor Sheldon Adelson; Wynn Resorts… [continue reading]
UK Bookies Review Option of Setting Voluntary Advertising Restrictions By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 7, 2018 When the Remote Gambling Association, the major voice for Europe’s online gambling industry, wants to sit down with its UK members and talk over steps to improve responsible gambling and the industry’s public image, we know that stuff just got… [continue reading]
Atlantic City mayors are so corrupt they’re bad for casino industry’s image By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 5, 2018 Atlantic City has been making an economic comeback, but it appears Mayor Frank Gilliam may not be around to celebrate it. Like so many New Jersey mayors before him, he’s otherwise occupied by a political corruption investigation. And to think… [continue reading]
Lessons to be Learned By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • December 5, 2018 The US Supreme Court’s 6 – 3 decision in May of this year, ruling that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional, has opened the door for sports betting on a state by state basis. Gambling companies… [continue reading]
Thinking of the Children: Where to from Here? By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 5, 2018 The UK Gambling Commission recently released their annual edition of their publication “Young People & Gambling”. The report has a number of key findings which might give us pause for thought. Perhaps most important, while 1.7% of children aged 11-16… [continue reading]
Quietly, Resorts World Las Vegas on track to be the Strip’s first new mega-resort in nearly a decade By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • December 4, 2018 On a brisk December morning, the $4 billion Resorts World Las Vegas development was abuzz with activity. Along the Las Vegas Strip, onlookers could spot four cranes lifting pieces of construction material into place for the S-curved towers. From the… [continue reading]
Ghosts of Glitter Gulch: Bygone Fremont Street casino offers lesson for modern era By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 3, 2018 These days it’s just another ghost of Glitter Gulch, but there was a time in the 1970s when the Gambler’s Hall of Fame Casino hustled slot players on Fremont Street. It would never match the action at Binion’s Horseshoe Club or… [continue reading]
Seven Leadership Mistakes Casino Slot Managers Warn Against By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • December 3, 2018 Last week, I shared six leadership secrets for good management excerpted from Tales from the Slot Floor, a collection of edited interviews with casino slot managers, To recap, this book is based on a series of interviews with veteran slot… [continue reading]
Legal sports wagering has transfixed the nation’s gaming industry By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • December 2, 2018 Forget new casino openings. Legal sports wagering is the gaming industry’s fastest growth vehicle. Last week, before New York City became the gambling universe’s 50-yard-line for the ICE Sports Betting USA conference, representatives of H2 Gambling Capital visited separately with… [continue reading]
Pachinko mogul Okada clashes with Wynn, Universal spin ahead in Philippines, Japan, America By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • December 2, 2018 After spending three and a half hours listening to Kazuo Okada, the deposed founder of Japan’s Universal Entertainment and dispossessed co-founder of Wynn Resorts, and spending twice as many years following the saga of Okada and Universal versus Steve Wynn… [continue reading]
Report on young people and gaming released by UK commission By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 1, 2018 Young People & Gambling 2018, a research study into the gambling habits of teenagers in Great Britain, turned up some interesting observations. An astonishing total of 32.5 percent, almost a one-third of all children aged 11 through 16 in Great… [continue reading]
Second Philadelphia casino a bad bet for a city struggling with poverty By The Philadelphia Inquirer • November 30, 2018 The long-delayed casino near the sports stadium complex in South Philadelphia received another extension from the often-acquiescent Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. This casino has gone through changes in names, locations, and owners since the license was awarded in 2006 to… [continue reading]
American gamble: Tiger and Phil find a tough crowd for their head-to-head pay TV match By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 28, 2018 Golf is known for its well-mannered galleries, where volunteer ushers raise “Quiet” and “Hush” paddles and masses follow directions like well-trained retrievers. But it looks like champion golf hustlers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson found a much tougher crowd for… [continue reading]
Answers needed on fate of Everett casino license By Boston Globe Editorial • November 28, 2018 The house always wins. They know that in Las Vegas. But in Massachusetts, well, not so much. And right now the Massachusetts Gaming Commission — which faces a $2.6 billion decision on the Wynn Resorts Casino rising in Everett —… [continue reading]
Mass Shopping, Big Sales and the Thanksgiving Weekend By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 28, 2018 Thanksgiving has become the busiest travel and shopping holiday of the year. It is a great time for retail sales and travel destinations, but it is not without its potential liabilities. In the long-term, those who benefit today may suffer… [continue reading]
Kerkorian insiders describe late billionaire as understated but a shrewd businessman By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • November 27, 2018 Kirk Kerkorian was the most media-shy gaming executive I have covered in some 30-plus years following the casino industry. He was also, easily, the most influential. From the early 1960s until his death at age 98 in June 2015, the… [continue reading]
Tribal politics aside, Arizona a natural for legalized sports betting By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 26, 2018 FLAGSTAFF — The home crowd loves its North Arizona University Lumberjacks, win or lose. The affection for the home team runs hot in small college towns and big-league cities from here to Miami. Citizens of every state like to imagine… [continue reading]
Six Leadership Secrets From Casino Slot Managers By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • November 26, 2018 Earlier this year, I published Tales from the Slot Floor, a collection of edited interviews with casino slot managers, part of a larger project that captured how the discipline of casino management has changed and continues to evolve in the… [continue reading]
Best bet to combat gambling? Teach children bookies’ odds don’t add up By Greg Wood, The Guardian • November 25, 2018 Two stories over the past few days can only have reinforced the view of some – perhaps many – sports fans that the UK’s gambling industry is out of control. First came the news Bet365, the country’s biggest online bookmaker,… [continue reading]
A Guy’s First Race Horse By Bernard Kroviak, CDC Gaming Reports • November 24, 2018 The Breeders’ Cup, thoroughbred horse racing’s Championship day, was run earlier this month at Churchill Downs. A total of 221 horses were entered in this year’s Cup races. Many of these mounts were home-bred, meaning that they were bred and… [continue reading]
Sports book or casino – which one is the best bet for you? By Dave Nash, the SportsDaily • November 22, 2018 Whether they are exploring the strip in Vegas or touring the virtual world on a smartphone, when it comes to the games people play, they generally have two questions fairly close to the front of their mind. What are the… [continue reading]
Too many children are hooked on gambling. Why aren’t they protected? By Marc Etches, The Guardian • November 22, 2018 Gambling is everywhere. It is on our TVs during football games, on our smartphones and computers, in video games and on our high streets. For adults, this can be a serious issue, particularly if you suffer from addiction, or are… [continue reading]
Nobody Harmed By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • November 21, 2018 Recently I attended an event entitled “Nobody Harmed by Gambling”, organised by the bookmakers William Hill. The intent of the meeting was to start a conversation about how to reduce, to a bare minimum, the harm caused by abnormal gambling… [continue reading]
Novomatic Group In Austrian Gambling Addict Payout Court Ruling: A Case Study By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 21, 2018 A ruling has been issued in a regional court in Austria which presents a host of fascinating questions for the gambling industry, whether or not the decision is later overruled by a higher court within Austria, or even, ultimately, by… [continue reading]
An update on events in Greece By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • November 21, 2018 Loutraki is not the only casino that has not been paying its staff on time. Apparently, the Porto Rio Casino in Patras, Greece has been delinquent in paying its staff due to low revenues. The staff have become so frustrated… [continue reading]
Harris shows political savvy as Nevada Gaming Control Board approves sexual harassment regulation changes By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • November 20, 2018 Two weeks after Becky Harris was named as the first woman to lead the Nevada Gaming Control Board in the state agency’s 63-year history, the #MeToo movement engulfed the Las Vegas casino industry. In January, a Wall Street Journal article… [continue reading]
No recount needed: Florida gambling amendment does not cover sports betting By Daniel Wallach, Forbes • November 20, 2018 Florida’s gubernatorial and Senate races are not the only ballot items from Election Day that are undergoing re-examination. It turns out that the ballot question on the future of casino gambling in the Sunshine State is likewise the subject of… [continue reading]
Taylor and other unsung Nevada gaming investigators are something to be thankful for By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 19, 2018 Nevada’s casino history is noisy with notorious scammers. Some concoct clever and complex ways to cheat the games. Others keep it simple and just steal. In the last couple decades, their names wind up on James Taylor’s desk at the… [continue reading]
Acquisitions, Mergers and REITs: The Way Things Are Done These Days By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 15, 2018 The sales of three properties, Greektown in Detroit, Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City and Kentucky Downs in Kentucky, were announced in the same week. Terms were not disclosed on the Atlantic Club or Kentucky Downs, but Greektown was reportedly… [continue reading]
UKGC chief says industry needs better customer understanding By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 15, 2018 UK Gambling Commission Chief Executive Neil McArthur spoke at the Raising Standards Conference in Birmingham last week, using his time at the podium to call on the industry to collaborate and to strive to understand their customers better in order… [continue reading]
MGM Resorts can’t escape the 1October connection even at a football game By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • November 13, 2018 We hit our first speed bump over the weekend in the rushed marriage between professional sports and legal sports wagering. And it had nothing to do with gambling. Last month, the New York Jets and MGM Resorts International established a… [continue reading]
How 2018 Will Define The Future Of Las Vegas Casinos By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • November 13, 2018 There are certain years that, at the end of which, the world moves closer to the future than the past, years that mark major shifts in how we see the world, or a small part of it. It’s possible that… [continue reading]
Scandal-plagued CG Technology hopes for a break from the Nevada umpire By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 12, 2018 Sports betting company CG Technology has a history of breaking the rules. Now it’s hoping that three strikes won’t mean it’s out of the ballgame in Nevada. Facing the threat of losing its gaming license at a time legalized bookmaking… [continue reading]
New Mexico lawmakers can’t let rogue sports betting ride By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board • November 11, 2018 When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law earlier this year banning sports gaming in most states, justices made it clear that states should decide the issue, not the federal government. “The legalization of sports gambling requires an… [continue reading]
It’s all going dark again in the gambling capital of the world By Linette Lopez, Business Insider • November 11, 2018 We know that China’s economy is slowing dramatically, and one of the places where you can see that very clearly is Macau, the gambling capital of the world. Wall Street was reminded of that on Wednesday, when Wynn Resorts reported… [continue reading]
UK Minister who resigned over FOBTs delay speaks out By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 10, 2018 Former Minister for Sports Tracey Crouch spoke out last week about her decision days earlier to resign her post. By this point it was well understood that her resignation concerned the six-month extension granted by the government to the planned… [continue reading]
The Mid-Term Elections of 2018: Over at Last By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 8, 2018 Whew, the mid-term elections are in the rear view mirror. It brings an end to incessant political advertisements and speeches, to a daily stream of emails soliciting support and the harassing robocalls. The campaigning was intense, the rhetoric inflamed and… [continue reading]
Adelson reminded that, even in Nevada, it’s not easy being king By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 7, 2018 Nevada history is crammed with self-appointed kings. Whether it was the silver barons of the Comstock Lode era, banker and political racketeer George Wingfield, crude Senate powerhouse Pat McCarran, or eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, their audacious grasps for absolute power… [continue reading]
UK Forecast: The New Politics of Gambling By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 7, 2018 A minister has resigned, major bookkeepers are taking steps against gambling ads during live sports broadcasts (or at least against their proliferation), the Tories are being advised to take a leaf from Labour’s book when it comes to gambling policy,… [continue reading]
Not everything in Greece is as straightforward as it appears By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • November 7, 2018 The publication of the RFP for the new casino license in the Hellinikon project in Athens has been delayed. It was supposed to have been issued last month, but the delay is not surprising given the complexity of this RFP…. [continue reading]
William Hill takes a big punt on the US market By Nils Pratley, The Guardian • November 6, 2018 Farewell to the FOBTs, if only in supercharged form. William Hill is off to the US to seek its fortune. That, at least, was the gist of chief executive Philip Bowcock’s pitch to investors that set the eye-catching ambition to… [continue reading]
The distance between professional sports and legal gambling has diminished By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • November 6, 2018 When Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened in 2012, the property took out a large advertisement on the right field wall of nearby Progressive Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. The message was simply the Horseshoe’s logo. The casino did… [continue reading]
It’s remarkable how attitudes toward sports betting have evolved By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 5, 2018 I can talk all day about how much the views on sports betting and bookmaking have changed. Or I can just show you. While researching another topic this past week I came across a Gannett News Service article from 1981…. [continue reading]
Albania bans sports betting & online gambling By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 4, 2018 The Albanian parliament late last week passed a law banning several forms of gambling in a major move aimed at preventing and minimising illegal activities surrounding match fixing as well as curbing gambling addiction. The measure is also intended to… [continue reading]
How NBA sparked the American sports gambling gold rush By David Purdum, ESPN • November 1, 2018 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — On a Saturday afternoon in October, the race and sportsbook at the Borgata Hotel Casino is packed with horse racing enthusiasts cheering on the ponies. No one is paying attention to what’s hanging on the wall,… [continue reading]
The Man Who Would Be Wynn By Muhammad Cohen, Inside Asian Gaming • November 1, 2018 Kazuo Okada and Steve Wynn jointly created Wynn Resorts. In February 2012, Wynn Resorts directors removed Okada as vice chairman and redeemed Universal Entertainment’s 20% stake at a US$900 million discount, payable over 10 years, accusing Okada of granting improper… [continue reading]
Legalized sports betting is one bet paying off By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press • October 31, 2018 The action is coming fast and heavy. A bettor in New Jersey used his mobile app to win $325,000 on a $500,000 wager on Boston to win the World Series. Another DraftKings bettor hit a longshot money line parlay on… [continue reading]
LV Strip calling Boyd and Eldorado, but neither ready to take the plunge By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • October 30, 2018 Boyd Gaming Corp. and Eldorado Resorts each spent the past 18 months creating two regional casino giants. Boyd has 29 properties in 10 states, Eldorado 26 locations in 12 states. But there’s one place neither Nevada-based company currently operates –… [continue reading]
California tribal challenge a reminder for leaders to remain vigilant By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 29, 2018 It’s something Dennis Hendricks couldn’t stress enough at the 2018 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. In fact, during his panel discussions it’s something that rarely seemed to leave his mind. Hendricks, treasurer of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association… [continue reading]
Has Louisiana already missed the boat on sports betting? By Dan Jovic, ArkLaTex • October 26, 2018 Biloxi, MS – Capitalizing on opportunities, it’s how games are won in sports. A multi-billion dollar opportunity in sports gaming is presenting itself nationwide. So far only one southern state is capitalizing. “It’s been so well received here and it’s… [continue reading]
Casinos: A Good Gamble for Arkansas? By Susanne Brunner, KARK-TV • October 25, 2018 SHREVEPORT, La. – On Election Day, Arkansas voters will cast ballots for or against Issue 4. It would amend the Arkansas Constitution to authorize four casinos to operate in the state. Susanne Brunner went to Shreveport Louisiana to learn more… [continue reading]
Italy gambling survey says most gamblers report “no link” between gambling & advertising By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 25, 2018 A landmark study commissioned by the Italian Health Research Body Istituto Superiore di Sanita (ISS) has cast some degree of doubt upon the relationship between people viewing gambling advertising and then choosing to gamble, with roughly 80% of the study’s… [continue reading]
‘Boutique Thunderbird’ conjures apparition from Las Vegas history By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 24, 2018 You can’t reasonably call the Thunderbird Boutique Hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard a chip off the old block – and that’s a good thing. Although Las Vegas historians and longtime locals will quickly make the connection between its name and… [continue reading]
How a Founder’s Ball Became the Foundation of a Big Dance By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 24, 2018 On October 23rd an article in the Becker Hospital Review reported on a casino-themed, charity fund raiser called the Founder’s Ball held in Brooklyn, New York. The event was attended by 850 people and raised $1.5 million for the hospital. … [continue reading]
After an active 2018, casino company mergers just getting started By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • October 23, 2018 More than $8.6 billion in casino company buyouts are in the books for 2018, but don’t think the merger and acquisition market is slowing down. To paraphrase Al Pacino in Scent of Woman, in fact, we’re “just getting warmed up.”… [continue reading]
Expand gambling? Save an Idaho industry? A look at the claims facing voters this fall By Robert Patten, East Idaho News.com • October 22, 2018 One of the most contentious and expensive items on Idaho’s November ballot centers around a piece of electronics the size of a fridge. This machine — a “historical horse racing” terminal — could either boost Idaho’s horse racing industry and… [continue reading]
Small tribal casinos’ dilemma: Growing gaming in Indian Country By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 22, 2018 After listening to tribal casino executives during the recent Global Gaming Expo offer their insights into how small Native American gaming operators expand their business, it was hard not to be left less than enthusiastic. The presentation was interesting enough,… [continue reading]
Trump ties won’t help Sheldon Adelson win a casino license in Japan By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • October 22, 2018 Donald Trump is trying to help major campaign donor Sheldon Adelson get a casino license in Japan. That’s a key assertion in investigative journalism group ProPublica’s report on the relationship between the U.S. President and Las Vegas Sands founder with… [continue reading]
Did New Jersey Fumble Sports Betting In September? By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • October 22, 2018 After years of lobbying and legal maneuvering, the Supreme Court in May rescinded the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which had kept most forms of sports betting confined to Nevada. States from Mississippi to New Jersey have… [continue reading]
Macau is marrying George Clooney, investors want it to keep dating Donald Trump By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • October 21, 2018 So much for Macau casinos quieting investor worries. September gross gaming revenue showed the smallest improvement in 25 months, third quarter figures underline decelerating high end growth, Golden Week was not shiny enough, share prices keep sliding, a tighter smoking… [continue reading]
Got an extra million dollars lying around? By Bernard Kroviak, CDC Gaming Reports • October 20, 2018 Last month, there were two horse sales of great significance, one held in England and the other in Kentucky. Both sales dealt with yearlings – horses who had not yet reached age two. It should be noted – although you… [continue reading]
Paddy Power Betfair fined £2.2 million by UK Gambling Commission By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 18, 2018 The big news splashed across the national press on this side of the pond this morning is that gambling giant Paddy Power Betfair has been fined £2.2 million by the UK Gambling Commission. This fine follows a lengthy investigation by… [continue reading]
The New Strip on the Atlantic Coast By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 18, 2018 There are 38 casinos located in seven states between Boston and Washington, D. C. The long line of casinos might easily be called a strip, not unlike the Strip. On the Atlantic Strip, the casinos are being built as close… [continue reading]
Florida: Don’t let the gambling industry confuse you on Amendment 3 By Fabiola Santiago, Miami Herald • October 18, 2018 Politicians count on voters having short memories: forgetting, and by proxy, forgiving the bad policy they championed, the bad votes they cast. I seldom forget the battles, and definitely not the big ones, like the Florida Legislature’s recent attempts to… [continue reading]
Sky Bet Releases “Three Simple Tools” Safer Gambling Campaign By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 17, 2018 The evidence was in last year, when the UK Gambling Commission’s behaviour, awareness and attitudes survey showed that the number one quality sought by the betting public in a gambling company was a fair and trustworthy reputation. In the face… [continue reading]
Corporate social responsibility in gambling: What’s the end game? By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 17, 2018 Short-term thinking is an affliction deep-rooted and almost definitional to the nature of a corporate structure. It presents major challenges across most industries, including the gambling sector. The emphasis on turning maximum profits in the immediate term and a healthy… [continue reading]
Gambling on the Blockchain By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • October 17, 2018 Whilst at this year’s Global Gaming Expo I sat in on a talk entitled “Gambling on the Blockchain.” It was a fascinating look at how this emergent technology is being used in sectors of the gambling industry. I left the… [continue reading]
Turbulent stock market disconnected from gaming universe during G2E-crazed Las Vegas By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • October 16, 2018 While the industry partied in Las Vegas during the Global Gaming Expo, Wall Street burned. Last week’s stock market plunge – the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 1,400 points over two days – eliminated much of the value gained… [continue reading]
Joystick nostalgia: Pac-Man Battle Casino joins fight for younger slot players By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 15, 2018 Not every column includes a confession. This one has two. First, my own. There was a time I was addicted. Not to booze or barbiturates. To Pac-Man. And Missile Command. And Centipede. And Asteroids a little bit. I didn’t need… [continue reading]
Lucky Dragon casino was supposed to be a Vegas hot spot for Asians. Two years later, it’s going up for auction By David Montero, The Los Angeles Times • October 15, 2018 It opened up in the Year of the Monkey and closed in the Year of the Dog — a two-year stretch of bad fortune for a casino that once had designs on being the go-to place for an authentic Asian… [continue reading]
State’s gambling revenues need a designated home By The Lewiston (Pa.) Sentinel • October 12, 2018 In the 2 1/2 months since the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting, the state of New Jersey took in $1.1 million from its 8.5 percent tax on gambling. That came from $153 million spent… [continue reading]
The Rio Rumor: True or False? By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 11, 2018 There are rumors floating around Las Vegas that the Rio is for sale. One rumor says there are several suitors and the property is already scaling back some operations in preparation for new bosses. Another speculates the property is to… [continue reading]
For brave new world of legalized sports betting, biggest news yet to come By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 10, 2018 If you think the world of legalized sports betting turned upside down in 2018, just wait until next year. That’s the clear message sent Tuesday at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas during a dynamic presentation on the Sands… [continue reading]
Everi Holdings using G2E to showcase company’s growth prospects for 2019 and beyond By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • October 9, 2018 Everi Holdings hasn’t always been the easiest company for the investment community to understand. Born out of the 2014 buyout of slot machine maker Multimedia Games by payment processing business Global Cash Access for $1.2 billion, Las Vegas-based Everi was… [continue reading]
In a post-Steve Wynn casino industry, an emphasis on empowering women By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 8, 2018 In an industry long dominated by men, this is as close as I’ve ever seen to the year of the woman at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. It’s unofficial, of course. There are no banners to that effect. But… [continue reading]
Outsiders Still Misunderstand Japan Casino Opportunity By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • October 8, 2018 A recent entry on a investing discussion board asked, “In which quarter in 2019 do you think Japan will determine the three [casino] licensees?” Might as well ask, “In which quarter in 2019 do you think medical science will conquer… [continue reading]
Compulsive gambling stats should be on table By The Daily Item (Susquehanna) • October 8, 2018 It’s “game on” in Pennsylvania. Within the past 14 years, Pennsylvania lawmakers have done what few other states have even attempted, swinging open the casino doors to a myriad of on-site and online gambling options. Legal gaming began in Pennsylvania… [continue reading]
Tottenham Hotspurs betting partner 1XBet found to take cockfighting bets online By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 6, 2018 When Tottenham Hotspurs announced last month it was partnering with the Russian betting firm 1XBet for its sponsorship in Africa, nobody foresaw the fallout to come. The firm’s site, www.uk-1xbet.com, is fully licensed and legal, and permits gambling from the… [continue reading]
If legalized gambling is the future, our sports are really in trouble By Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post • October 4, 2018 “I liken sports betting more to Wall Street . . . I don’t believe it’ll be considered a game of chance. I think it will be a game of skill, just like you can be a day trader — you can be… [continue reading]
The UK Gambling Industry: Change (Under New Management) or Decline? By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • October 3, 2018 The cartoon version of the UK gambling industry probably would have it as a naughty schoolboy who knows he’s done wrong, fearing a severe punishment from the new headteacher. But an alternative might be a dinosaur, set in its ways… [continue reading]
The state of gambling in Great Britain By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • October 3, 2018 Each September, the UK Gambling Commission publishes its annual survey of gambling behaviour in Great Britain (not the UK). So September is the month when gambling operators hold their breath and gird themselves for the predictable media onslaught. Last year’s… [continue reading]
Storm warnings abate, but U.S. casino operators still cautious over Macau’s challenges By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • October 2, 2018 The investment community isn’t pushing the panic button on Macau – at least, not yet. Gaming numbers for the market during September came in far below expectations. However, the powerful Typhoon Mangkut that shut down the region’s casinos for 33… [continue reading]
A day of reflection brings tributes, lessons, and a few troubling questions By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 1, 2018 ALEXANDRIA, VA. – On what should long be considered a day of remembrance and reflection in Las Vegas, I found myself far from the Strip, but close to a casino. So I decided to visit MGM Resorts’ sparkling $1.4 billion… [continue reading]
Kentucky must help addicts, not limit sports gambling By Mike Stone, Lexington Herald-Leader • October 1, 2018 I read with interest the Sept.18 commentary by community columnist Carson Benn, “Expanding Ky. sports wagering not a wise bet,” As the debate over expanded gambling continues, some facts need to be emphasized. As Benn alludes to, Kentucky is a… [continue reading]
Pennsylvania gaming expands ‘with all deliberate speed’ By Mark Gruetze, CDC Gaming Reports • September 30, 2018 It’s been only 12 years, but in some respects 2006 seems a lifetime ago: In June 2006, Yahoo offered $1 billion to Mark Zuckerberg, then 22, for Facebook. He turned it down, saying the bid undervalued his company, which was… [continue reading]
The Money Side of Racing By Bernard Kroviak, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • September 28, 2018 Let’s talk about the money side of horse racing. Many of you already know this business fairly well, so what follows will read like Racing: A Beginner’s Guide. For those who don’t, let me outline some of the basics. Race… [continue reading]
Labour Supports Ban on Live Sports Gambling Ads By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 28, 2018 The Labour Party announced last Thursday, as part of its party manifesto, that it plans to remove gambling ads from live sports broadcasts and to require the gambling industry to submit to a mandatory 1% levy, which will be used… [continue reading]
Sports, Media and Gambling Have a Common Cause By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • September 27, 2018 In May, the United States Supreme Court ruled against a federal law banning sports betting. With that ruling New Jersey, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia rushed to pass enabling legislation. In June, sports betting began in New Jersey… [continue reading]
One year after senseless slaughter, community of Las Vegas continues to give real meaning to Vegas Strong By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 26, 2018 Late September marks the change of the season, but for many Las Vegans it will always mean the approach of a fateful day that saw the community challenged by unspeakable evil on October 1, 2017. Faced with the largest mass… [continue reading]
Nevada’s sports betting model protects consumers By A.G. Burnett, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • September 26, 2018 Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled in Murphy v. NCAA that a federal ban on sports betting was unconstitutional, giving each state and sovereign tribal nation the opportunity to create their own legal sports betting markets. This is welcome… [continue reading]
Keeping legal marijuana away from casinos becoming a little more complicated By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • September 26, 2018 Nevada’s gaming industry has long been warned to stay away from the state’s legal marijuana business. But the separation is getting harder to avoid. It was easy when legal marijuana was strictly medicinal and there were just a handful of… [continue reading]
Is Caesars Entertainment Angling to Open a Macau Casino? By Rich Duprey, The Motley Fool • September 26, 2018 Caesars Entertainment looks to finally be establishing a presence in Macau, registering its Flamingo and Cromwell properties for trademark protection there. With international markets the focus of the casino operator’s post-bankruptcy plans, and the potential for new licenses to be… [continue reading]
Kentucky lawmakers who are against casinos aren’t pious – just dumb By Joseph Gerth, Louisville Courier Journal • September 26, 2018 What is it that makes our legislators think that — despite our bourbon, despite our horse racing, despite our lottery, despite our smoking and all the vices that we Kentuckians embrace on a daily basis — their refusal to approve… [continue reading]
Let states compete on sports betting By Grover Norquist, The Hill • September 25, 2018 At the end of its last term, the Supreme Court voted to strengthen the Constitution in a 6-3 vote that was a long overdue decision to end a law that said “some states are more equal than others.” The question… [continue reading]
With ban lifted, casinos’ political contributions need some basic limits By Philadelphia Inquirer • September 24, 2018 Lawmakers in Harrisburg have been on break since June and only have a handful of session days scheduled in the fall. But once the largest “full-time” legislature in the country gets around to considering new bills, one priority is crafting… [continue reading]
At Wynn Resorts, fallout continues from Wynn’s fall from grace By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 24, 2018 A very smart man once said, “If you want to make money in a casino, own one.” The quip is credited to legendary casino man Steve Wynn. It’s probably as true a line as has ever been spoken about gambling…. [continue reading]
A waterfront casino in Toronto? Don’t bet on it By David Olive, The Star • September 24, 2018 Doug Ford, the Ontario premier, remains tight-lipped about his plans for reviving the downtown Toronto waterfront. As recently as five years ago, then-city councillor Ford championed a casino near the waterfront. And Rod Phillips, then-CEO of Ontario Lottery and Gaming… [continue reading]
Analysis: Abe’s re-election is good news for global casino firms By Daniel Beitler, Macau Daily Times • September 23, 2018 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was re-elected as head of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in a landslide election last week, paving the way for up to three more years as the nation’s leader and a push for his long-awaited… [continue reading]
Football Goes Long on Gambling By Peter Funt, Wall Street Journal • September 22, 2018 Elliot Harrison works for a multibillion-dollar limited-liability company, where he studies research reports, crunches numbers, and prepares weekly forecasts about how well his organization’s 32 units will perform. Odds are you’re thinking Mr. Harrison’s employer is a blue-chip firm and… [continue reading]
U.S. gambling monster lurks under NHL bed By Paul Wiecek, Winnipeg Free Press • September 20, 2018 They’ve yet to play a meaningful game, but already the New Jersey Devils and Las Vegas Golden Knights are the big winners of the 2018-19 NHL season. The Devils and Knights both announced this week they have gone where no… [continue reading]
Here’s How Wynn Won The Gaming License In Massachusetts By Walter Pavlo, Forbes • September 19, 2018 On Monday, Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, LLC filed a $3 billion (not a typo) Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) claim against Paul Lohnes (real estate developer/manager at Laverty and Lohnes), Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts and others. The basis for the… [continue reading]
Augmented Reality in Gambling By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 19, 2018 In past editions we’ve covered the phenomenon of virtual reality (VR), considering how it may impact on the gambling industry as it is picked up by more consumers and gradually (inevitably, if the budgets behind the tech are to be… [continue reading]
You can’t manage what you don’t measure By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • September 19, 2018 That quotation from Peter Drucker goes back a few years, before the advent of the internet and online systems, when customer playing data was notoriously inaccurate and subject to the whims of the people rating the players. Slot machine players… [continue reading]
Internal strife continues to keep California sports betting on the sidelines By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • September 18, 2018 California could easily be the center of the gaming industry universe. That may sound something like sacrilege coming from a Las Vegas-based journalist. You might even think I’m showing favoritism toward my home state, the place where I spent the… [continue reading]
Wynn Casino Has Its Legal Problems, Massachusetts Host City Everett Has Some Too By Walter Pavlo, Forbes • September 18, 2018 There have been rumors of political corruption in Everett, MA for years. The mayor, Carlo DeMaria has, for the moment, overcome claims of sexual harassment, ties to associates of organized crime and a federal investigation concerning strong-arm tactics used in… [continue reading]
Legalized sports betting would raise pulses and the action at Zia Park By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 17, 2018 HOBBS, N.M. — It was a beautiful afternoon for a horse race, but the thundering herd hadn’t yet arrived during my recent visit to the Zia Park Casino, Hotel & Racetrack. By that, I mean the track’s annual quarter horse and… [continue reading]
How the Evolution of Games Has Led to a Rise in Gambling Concerns By James G. Gatto, National Law Review • September 16, 2018 Recently, there has been a frenzy of legal activity with U.S. gambling laws and the number of gambling-related legal issues with video games. U.S. gambling laws have changed more in the past few years than they have in a long… [continue reading]
More Betting Links Found on Junior Club Websites By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 15, 2018 UKGC Issues Warning, NHS Boss Issues Criticism It is with a sad heart – and a strange sense of déjà vu – that I must report that the UK Gambling Commission has felt it necessary, once again, to issue rules… [continue reading]
Betting on the game is much different than just watching it By Sam Kouvaris, The Times-Union • September 14, 2018 As a boss, “Dirty Carl” was nearly the ideal kind of guy to run a bar in DC. Well dressed and older than the staff, he commanded a level of respect because of his age and he knew the business…. [continue reading]
BMM Testlabs may yet find out whether it will crack tough Illinois market By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 12, 2018 These should be the best of times for BMM Testlabs. By its own count, the independent gaming device testing laboratory is licensed in more than 420 jurisdictions. It is relied on to provide accurate examination of programs and gaming and… [continue reading]
Dan Gilbert has the right to cash in his casino chips, and the payout could be lucrative By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • September 11, 2018 As Ohio gaming regulators prepared to put the then-Horseshoe Casino Cleveland though its final test run before opening night six years ago, Dan Gilbert tried to blend in with the 1,600 employees. Dressed in a dark tailored suit and wearing… [continue reading]
The problem with college betting By Kevin Bendesky, Yale Daily News • September 11, 2018 If I were a betting man looking for a sure thing, I’d probably wager that our men’s lacrosse team wins the Ivy League again. If I wanted a bit of an underdog, I’d take a good hard look at our… [continue reading]
As a good sport, comedian Piscopo might just liven up casino atmosphere By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 10, 2018 CARSON CITY — The Joe Piscopo I remember made me laugh out loud. And I wasn’t alone. I suspect all TV viewers of a certain age cackled at Piscopo’s playfully maniacal sports anchor character on “Saturday Night Live,” as everyone… [continue reading]
How Las Vegas Casinos Are Getting More With Fewer Employees By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • September 10, 2018 Las Vegas casinos, like any hospitality business, owe everything to their employees. After all, they are the ones that provide the hospitality that guests are paying for, the link between the product and the people who buy it. And those… [continue reading]
LeoVegas Continues to Battle “Insane” Italian Ad Ban By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 9, 2018 It’s hurting every legitimate operator in Italy, but the ad ban looks very much set to take effect as planned on 1st January 2019, with those holding existing contracts able to continue advertising until July of the same year. Ironically… [continue reading]
Our coverage of G2E will be more than just the headlines By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • September 8, 2018 The rise of legal sports wagering in the U.S. has dominated headlines and newsfeeds since the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. But we at CDC Gaming Reports know the gaming industry is more than… [continue reading]
Mississippi needs mobile sports betting By Mark Lipparelli, Clarion Ledger • September 7, 2018 Estimates of the illegal sports betting market in the U.S. range anywhere from $60 to $400 billion a year, creating massive potential for states interested in generating tax revenue from a new, legalized betting market. And that’s precisely why states… [continue reading]
What could the mini-casino mean for the York Galleria, Springettsbury Township? By Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record • September 7, 2018 If a casino moves into the York Galleria, it’s expected to have a positive impact on tourism in the township, according to a local impact report. It also will require some traffic improvements and water and sewer upgrades. Penn National… [continue reading]
It Might Walk Like A Duck, But Is It? By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • September 6, 2018 The European Commission has finally decided to drop its action for illegal State aid against the Greek government in a case about entry fees payable by visitors to the Greek casinos. The background to the case is that each Greek… [continue reading]
Gambling vs. Gaming: Analysing The Drift By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 6, 2018 Kansspelautoriteit, the gaming regulator for the Netherlands (“KSA”, for short), might have a name to tie your tongue in knots, but their finger is on the pulse of the challenges facing the gambling industry. They recently announced a meeting with… [continue reading]
Federal oversight of legal sports wagering would be an ‘abject failure By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • September 4, 2018 A pair of polar opposite U.S. senators either want a piece of the action or are chasing pesky sports betting kids off their lawns. It’s understandable why Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of… [continue reading]
The Story Behind The Most Famous Missing Apostrophe in Las Vegas By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • September 4, 2018 It’s one of those insider Vegas tricks that’s actually right in front of your face in big letters: If you’re talking about the hotel casino that Evel Knievel made famous and The Hangover reminded us of, you never use an… [continue reading]
Legendary Sen. McCain loved to gamble, but was once a tough opponent of college sports betting By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • September 3, 2018 My exclusive interview with Arizona Sen. John McCain fell just a little short. Back in the spring of 2000, McCain led a fight to ban betting on college sports events as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. He brought his… [continue reading]
India: Don’t ‘bet’ on gambling By S Kalyanasundaram, The Hindu Business Line • September 2, 2018 The Law Commission of India has recommended ‘regulated gambling and betting’ in sports to check fraud and money laundering. It claims that regulation would not only empower the government to identify and prevent instances of gambling by minors and “problem-gamblers”… [continue reading]
ASA Probes “Psychological Tricks” in World Cup Betting Ads By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • September 2, 2018 A cascade of gambling ads poured over our TV screens during this year’s World Cup, and in the wake of this wave, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) received over a hundred complaints on the subject. While the UK Gambling… [continue reading]
Bet the house on Pa. banking on gambling By Delco Daily Times • August 31, 2018 Interested in a sure bet? Forget the lottery. Put your house on the Pennsylvania Legislature. How so. Simple. Every time the Keystone State finds itself in a financial pinch – and when was the last time the state did not… [continue reading]
Tackle the rush to sports gambling By The Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board • August 30, 2018 In a decision last May, the Supreme Court said that individual states can, in effect, “Play ball!” on legalized sports betting. The ruling overturned a 1992 federal ban on the practice. In just three months, seven states have approved sports… [continue reading]
Doris Lee: Co-founder of small casino was a big name in philanthropy By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 29, 2018 Doris Lee won’t be remembered as one of the gaming industry’s corporate casino titans. And I’m guessing that would be fine with her. Back in 1997, Lee and her husband Ted Lee co-founded the Eureka Casino Resort in Mesquite, Nevada…. [continue reading]
Manteris says new sports gaming states ‘making a foolish mistake’ in not following Nevada model By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 28, 2018 Art Manteris looked over the remodeled race and sports book at Las Vegas’ venerable Palace Station casino and tried to picture gaming markets outside Nevada replicating the investment. Station Casinos, through its parent Red Rock Resorts, spent a portion of… [continue reading]
Under unprecedented competition, some Northern Nevada casinos doing things right By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 27, 2018 MINDEN — Not many years ago, casino industry analysts and pundits were predicting the worst of times for the niche casinos of Northern Nevada. They couldn’t possibly compete for California gamblers after being short-stopped by well-funded and professionally operated Native… [continue reading]
Lessons from five months of casino-hopping By Mark Gruetze, CDC Gaming Reports • August 26, 2018 At one casino, a veteran blackjack dealer handled the cards with superb efficiency but no conversation and no smiles, not even a “thank you” for tips. At a place down the road, a dealer who could have passed for a… [continue reading]
Irish Football Association to host fair debate on ties with gambling sponsors By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • August 23, 2018 Although John Delaney, the Chief Executive Officer of Ireland’s Football Association, remains tight-lipped on any firm plans to cut ties with gambling sponsors, the FA has just announced an open conversation to be held on the matter which will begin… [continue reading]
Is Atlantic City a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes? By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • August 22, 2018 Atlantic City Casinos See Revenue Soar in July: That was the headline from the Press of Atlantic City on August 15th. It screamed out a phoenix-like rise of Atlantic City from the depths of decline that began a decade ago. … [continue reading]
New York State can help casinos, but must not bail them out By Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial Board • August 22, 2018 At first blush, the numbers are awful. The so-called “Resorts World Catskills” – the massive $1.2 billion destination at the old Concord resort in Sullivan County – has gotten off to a terrible start. In fact, it took a $58… [continue reading]
Gambling Ads Revisited (Rumblings in the Eurozone) By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • August 22, 2018 There have been rumblings across the Eurozone ever since the European Commission (EC) sheathed its claws on matters gambling, announcing in the summer of 2017 that it was suspending all infringement proceedings and treatment of complaints related to gambling. This… [continue reading]
Fighting Money Laundering with Regulations and Due Diligence By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • August 22, 2018 Money laundering, or should I say anti-money laundering (AML), is concentrating the minds of people in the gambling industry all around the globe. The EU implemented the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive in June 2017. The UK Gambling Commission has handed… [continue reading]
Northeast casino saturation looms in the background of MGM Springfield opening By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 21, 2018 See if this sounds familiar. At a gaming conference in Atlantic City, a panel debated the casino saturation point for the Northeast U.S. gaming market. “There’s a finite amount of gaming revenue out there,” said one panelist. “We are in… [continue reading]
By George: Maître d’ Levine one of the great Las Vegas characters By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 20, 2018 People tell me I live in the past, and I don’t disagree. Truth is, I’m probably more comfortable there. For one thing, in the past my clothes are in style. My hair is dark. There’s more spring in my step…. [continue reading]
So, you wanna own a racehorse? By Bernard Kroviak, CDC Gaming Reports • August 20, 2018 There are many ways to get involved in horse racing as an owner. You can partner with others to share the expenses or go it alone and pay all the bills yourself. You can buy a horse at a public… [continue reading]
Collusion for casinos? Indian tribes, others have a plan for your money By Greg Harton, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette • August 20, 2018 The Quapaw and Cherokee tribes in Oklahoma are becoming to Arkansas what the Russians are to U.S. elections. No, I’m not suggesting the tribes are headed by murderous thugs looking to return a nation to dominance by undermining its strongest… [continue reading]
Disney, Seminole Tribe team up with $26 million to keep casino competition out of Florida By Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel • August 17, 2018 In covering politics, it often takes a lot of work to connect the dots. I might suspect one guy is running a stealth campaign attacking another guy. But if the schemer is using shell corporations, LLCs and shady political committees… [continue reading]
Dancing the Wall Street Tango By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • August 16, 2018 Wall Street can be a ruthless taskmaster. Public companies hold earnings calls each quarter to discuss and explain the company’s revenues, profits and the extenuating circumstance-effected results. Analysts and reporters are on the call to ask questions and probe into… [continue reading]
Paddy Power speaks out against blanket gambling ad ban in Ireland By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • August 16, 2018 There’s a strange sense of già visto wafting around the Irish gambling industry this week. That’s the slightly less catchy Italian translation of déjà vu, as Ireland mulls over the merits and perils of a ban on gambling advertising without… [continue reading]
Gambling with our future: Betting industry football sponsorship needs tackling head-on By Dr. Heather Wardle, Huffington Post UK • August 15, 2018 The opening match between Manchester United and Leicester City will look different to many Premier League fixtures this season. Not just for the 8pm Friday kick-off time but because it’s a fixture where the two teams involved do not have… [continue reading]
Ormsby House: Even a great location no guarantee of success By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 15, 2018 CARSON CITY – If success in business starts with three words – location, location, location – then the Ormsby House must have seemed like a surefire winner when it opened in 1972 almost directly across the street from the Nevada… [continue reading]
States should tread carefully in setting sports betting tax rates By Johnny Kampis, Watchdog.org • August 15, 2018 The dynamic screens at the Venetian sports book list the various odds of the day, and the Atlanta Braves at 16-1 are a tempting pick to win the World Series. Although the team leads the National League East and faces… [continue reading]
It’s Not Necessarily A Bad Thing If Another Atlantic City Casino Fails By Steve Ruddock, Play NJ • August 14, 2018 The Atlantic City casino market is up to nine casinos following the dual openings of Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Atlantic City in late June. The addition of the two properties saw AC casino revenue hit an eight-year high… [continue reading]
Analyst doesn’t believe $315 million judgement will haunt Scientific Games By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 14, 2018 Investor concerns over Scientific Games Corp.’s potential need to make good on a $315 million judgement in a federal lawsuit may have played a role in the company’s recent stock price decline. If upheld, the judgement could do serious harm… [continue reading]
Cyborgs, yachts and VR: How technology will impact sports betting By David Purdum and Ryan Rodenberg, ESPN • August 14, 2018 In 2026, when North America hosts the World Cup, experts predict more than half of all U.S. states will be in the bookmaking business. And by that time, bookies, bettors and the regulators who monitor them will be playing an… [continue reading]
Nevada gaming regulators’ technology division watches evolution of sports betting in real time By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 13, 2018 Big changes are coming to legalized bookmaking in the wake of the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, but Jim Barbee takes those changes in stride. Barbee, chief of the Technology Division at the Nevada Gaming Control… [continue reading]
Designed to deceive: How gambling distorts reality and hooks your brain By Mike Robinson, Wesleyan University, Associated Press • August 13, 2018 (THE CONVERSATION) To call gambling a “game of chance” evokes fun, random luck and a sense of collective engagement. These playful connotations may be part of why almost 80 percent of American adults gamble at some point in their lifetime…. [continue reading]
The Life-Changing Magic of Chicken Wings and Sports Betting By Jason Gay, The Wall Street Journal • August 13, 2018 Buffalo Wild Wings is looking at getting into sports gambling. The local B-Dubs has always been an attractive choice for sports TV excitement, but someday you may be able to add the possibility of losing money on the Chicago Bears?… [continue reading]
As Louisiana riverboat casinos move onshore, a reminder how it isn’t an ‘expansion of gambling’ By James Gill, New Orleans Advocate • August 12, 2018 Riverboat casino owners will need to shell out for a few extras — a hotel or conference center, say — to get permission from the state Gaming Control Board to move operations onshore. Board chairman Ronnie Jones this week explained why: “The… [continue reading]
The Right Man for the Job By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • August 9, 2018 Phil Satre has a new job; he is the chairman designate of Wynn Resorts. Satre has a long and storied career in gaming. After law school, Satre joined the law firm of Vargas and Dixon; Mead Dixon was an attorney… [continue reading]
Japan gaming license would soften Caesars’ pain after missing out on Macau, Singapore By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 7, 2018 The process that Japan undertakes to award three casino licenses will be the most competitive bidding war the gaming industry has seen since 2006, when Singapore granted integrated resort deals to Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Malaysia-based Genting Berhad. Both… [continue reading]
Longtime casino executive Satre will help put out the fire at Wynn Resorts By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 6, 2018 A construction fire that started Sunday morning at Encore Boston Harbor could have been devastating, but fast action quickly extinguished the flames. Still, the smoky symbolism was impossible to miss. Big trouble of another kind has smoldered at the $2.5… [continue reading]
Legalized betting may not be a great panacea, after all By Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune • August 6, 2018 It probably won’t be long before you can order a caffe macchiato at Starbucks and then tell the barista to put down a few sawbucks on Rams-49ers and Raiders-Judases. I’m not overly excited about either. I have a coffee maker,… [continue reading]
Casinos are getting nervous as Las Vegas revenues drop and their stocks slump By David G. Schwartz, Forbes • August 6, 2018 Las Vegas casino operators seemed to be cruising earlier this year, but the summer has turned into a bit of a bummer for them. Whether this is a temporary decline or the start of a bigger reshaping remains to be… [continue reading]
You couldn’t go anywhere without reading about MGM last week, but not all the stories were positive By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 5, 2018 Jim Murren was a factor in as many headlines last week as LeBron James during the NBA playoffs. He and his casino company dominated the newswire. There are a few mentions, however, that Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts… [continue reading]
Bookies go from pariahs to partners in NBA deal By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press • August 3, 2018 LAS VEGAS (AP) – As revenue goes it barely registers on the books. The NBA probably gets more from the contract with its frozen daiquiri vendor than it does the new deal it inked with casino giant MGM Resorts International…. [continue reading]
Casinos in Italy May Be an Endangered Species By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • August 3, 2018 Italy, with a population of nearly 70 million, has only four casinos, all of which are located in the north of the country and are owned and regulated by local municipalities. Despite their shared monopoly they have fallen on hard… [continue reading]
The Rise of the Sports Betting Hydra By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • August 3, 2018 Back in May we ran an in-depth piece looking at a host of issues in the sports betting world which Europe has had to navigate, since it has possessed, in most cases, a liberal market of legalised sports betting for… [continue reading]
Developments in Italian Gambling Ad Ban: Facebook, EGBA, LOGiCO By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • August 2, 2018 The reality in Italy is starting to sink in. First, Google ordered advertisers to discontinue gambling ads facing Italy with immediate effect, despite the ban commencing in January 2019, and now fellow (and rival) tech behemoth Facebook is following suit…. [continue reading]
Here a Pokie, There a Pokie, Everywhere a Pokie-Pokie By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • August 2, 2018 In Australia slot machines are called Pokies. The name is derived from poker machines, although the name predates gaming machines that actually offered poker. In 1953, Len Ainsworth started to use his dad’s company and machinery to manufacturer slot machines…. [continue reading]
Despite Wynn’s problems, casino still rises in Everett By Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe • August 2, 2018 There, beyond Costco and the Texas Roadhouse restaurant, it looms: The golden tower, rechristened “Encore Boston Harbor,” to erase the name of Steve Wynn from the $2.5 billion casino project the now disgraced mogul personally championed for Everett. A recent… [continue reading]
At USBookmaking, Walker forges ahead into sports betting’s new frontier By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • August 1, 2018 Robert Walker may not have known it then, but the bookmaking world was experiencing the end of an era in 1986 when he went behind the counter for the first time at the Fremont casino’s diminutive spots book in downtown… [continue reading]
Las Vegas on the sidelines as regional market casino mergers fall into place By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • August 1, 2018 More than $8.7 billion of regional casino industry mergers and buyouts are in various stages of completion. It might surprise some that both the Las Vegas Strip and the Las Vegas locals’ market aren’t factored into the current deal making…. [continue reading]
Waiting for Garapan By Muhammad Cohen, Inside Asian Gaming • August 1, 2018 Imperial Pacific International continues to excel at many things. Its monopoly casino on the US Pacific island of Saipan keeps posting extraordinary VIP numbers, more than three times the roll at Wynn Macau on a speck in the ocean, four… [continue reading]
How are Esports being developed in APAC? By Jaccky Chan • July 31, 2018 如何在亚太地区开发电子竞技？ – 点击这里阅读中文/Read in Chinese For the first time this year, esports have been listed as a sport in the Asian Games. Specifically, they’re listed as a demonstration event and being treated as an exhibition. That said, this is an… [continue reading]
Big Data in the land-based casino industry in Asia: an absence at the moment By SL, CDC Oriental Elite Team • July 31, 2018 亚洲实体赌场为何不采用大数据？ – 点击这里阅读中文/Read in Chinese Big Data has become more and more visible in the media in recent years, with references in TV programmes and hundreds of articles in newspapers, magazines, and the like. And it’s having a serious impact… [continue reading]
Gambling Responsibility – What Does It Mean In Asia? By KL, CDC Oriental Elite Team • July 31, 2018 如何在亚洲实践「负责任博彩」？ – 点击这里阅读中文/Read in Chinese When it comes to responsible gambling, responsibility can be separated into 2 core areas: Responsibility of the individual person Responsibility of the gambling organisation In Asia, the issue of problem gambling has been around for… [continue reading]
Internal Audit – A real third line of defence By SL, CDC Oriental Elite Team • July 31, 2018 內部審計——真正的第三道防線？ – 点击这里阅读中文/Read in Chinese What do you think of when you think of Internal Audit (IA)? Do you think IA people are our friends or enemies? If you are looking after the business and the marketing functions, do you… [continue reading]
Why We Won’t See A Federal Sports Betting Bill Soon By Ifrah Law, JD Supra • July 31, 2018 Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in Murphy v. NCAA, in June Delaware became the first state to take advantage of the new ruling. Delaware governor John Carney placed the state’s… [continue reading]
Gambling away good sense By Peter Collins, IOL • July 31, 2018 It used to be possible to claim that from 1995 onwards South Africa had some of the best gambling legislation in the world, and that the regulation of casinos in the Western Cape was the best in the world from… [continue reading]
Welcome to Our New Gambling Hell, Sports Fans By Will Leitch, New York Magazine • July 31, 2018 Every NFL season has its signature image, the way that year will be remembered forever. 1985 has the Super Bowl Shuffle Chicago Bears. 2001 has U2 singing at the Super Bowl right before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady shocked the… [continue reading]
Moonves sexual harassment scandal recalls Wynn’s rapid fall from grace By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • July 30, 2018 The subject was sexual harassment at the highest levels of American business, and investigative reporter Ronan Farrow was talking about powerful CBS CEO Leslie Moonves. It was impossible not to think of Steve Wynn. Farrow, whose stunning reporting on high-profile… [continue reading]
America, a Gambling El Dorado? The Odds Are Long By Lionel Laurent, Bloomberg • July 30, 2018 European investors are getting excited about sports betting in the U.S. They should place their wagers carefully. When Mr. Burns draws up plans for a casino in “The Simpsons,” he thinks he’s found the perfect business: “People swarm in, empty… [continue reading]
South Las Vegas Strip has long history of failed projects By Eli Segall, Las Vegas Review-Journal • July 29, 2018 In a move that could pump more life into the south Strip, Israeli hoteliers this month bought the 1960s-era Motel 8 and plan to tear it down to build a casino. They can only hope the project turns out better… [continue reading]
Book Review: Atlantic City and ‘Wrestlemania factored into the making of President Trump By David G. Schwartz, CDC Gaming Reports • July 28, 2018 A lot was written about Donald Trump before he became President. A good amount has been written since then, with more to surely come. This volume by wrestling enthusiast and writer Lavie Margolin explore Trump’s involvement with professional wrestling via… [continue reading]
Google AdWords bans gambling adverts in Italy By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • July 27, 2018 Google has decided to adhere to the recently announced Italian ban on gambling advertising that will kick in beginning in 2019 and has informed operators using Google Adwords that they will not be permitted to offer any AdWords gambling advertising… [continue reading]
The Latest Skirmish in the Tuscarora War By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • July 26, 2018 On Monday, July 23, 2018 officers of the Robeson County Sheriff’s office, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Homeland Security, North Carolina and Virginia National Guard raided three casino locations in North Carolina. They arrested 26… [continue reading]
Gambling no longer an impediment to pro sports By Neal McLelland, The Daily Iberian • July 26, 2018 Ever since professional sports began, betting has been a no-no when it comes to the players in the four biggest American sports — football, basketball, baseball and hockey. It’s such a no-no that if you walk into a pro locker… [continue reading]
MGM Resorts should have followed Kerkorian’s example before creating horrible optics By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • July 25, 2018 Nearly 40 years ago, Kirk Kerkorian reached into his own pockets and paid out $69 million to settle all of the pending death and personal injury claims associated with the devastating fire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In… [continue reading]
Our view: We also must decide how we want to gamble By Herald & Review Editorial Board • July 25, 2018 As we move toward Illinois’ inevitable legalization of gambling on sporting events, there’s another discussion worth having. Of course, there are already discussions about the moral and societal wisdom of expanding gambling from casinos, parimutuel parlors, the lottery and video… [continue reading]
Pari-mutuels form two PACs to fight Florida amendment By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • July 24, 2018 So now there’s some competition: two racetrack casino operators have each created an organization to fight an amendment that would require any gambling expansion in Florida to be approved by the voters. “Voter Control of Gambling in Florida” is on… [continue reading]
Jai-alai in Edgewater would lead to casino complex in Omni By Michael Lewis, Miami Today News • July 24, 2018 Few are saying so, but civic leaders’ objections to a gambling incursion on downtown’s north edge must be more about what will follow than about a tawdry jai-alai fronton and poker parlor. Those bringing gambling to newly burgeoning Edgewater are… [continue reading]
Sports book industry’s Culver was ‘comfortable on both sides of the window’ By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • July 23, 2018 The name Russ Culver has been spoken with respect around the sports book industry for so long that it seems I’ve heard it much of my life. Whether it was as a successful player at the top of the leader… [continue reading]
Why don’t integrated resorts seem to work in Europe? By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • July 20, 2018 Given the success that integrated resorts have found elsewhere in the world, I am often asked why they seem to fail in Europe. Integrated resorts often generate taxes, employment, in-bound tourism and the like. To be clear, an integrated resort… [continue reading]
AI Falls Down on World Cup Predictions By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • July 20, 2018 Not long after the World Cup began, I ran a piece in CDC International (AI Predictions for World Cup abound, July 2) detailing some of the latest efforts by academics and financial institutions alike to use artificial intelligence and machine… [continue reading]
Gaming association brings promotional campaign to Des Moines By Casey Clark, Des Moines Register • July 19, 2018 When companies hold ceremonial groundbreakings to announce facility openings or expansions, oftentimes surrounded by community leaders and public officials, many believe it is a mark of better things to come for local residents. For the gaming industry, we take the… [continue reading]
Nevada sports book operators urge patience before making any regulatory changes By Howard Stutz, Executive Editor, CDC Gaming Reports • July 19, 2018 When it comes to the U.S. expansion of legal sports betting, we’re still in the top of the first inning. What about a couple of other sports metaphors? It’s first-and-10 following the opening kick-off, and the puck just dropped for… [continue reading]
William Hill launches new ‘Zero Harm’ campaign By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • July 19, 2018 It looks a little like the tide regarding problem gambling in the UK is really starting to turn; this new Zero Harm campaign by William Hill is both relieving and inspiring. It’s a bold move, as are the graphics on… [continue reading]
Pulling the reins on (Virginia) gambling By Daily Press • July 18, 2018 Virginia’s canter toward new forms of gambling has become a full gallop as the state considers historical horse racing The Virginia Racing Commission bucked the reins of restraint this past week, announcing it may allow as many as 3,000 historical… [continue reading]
Floodgates will soon open for NCAA betting. Will more scandals follow? By Craig Meyer and Stephen J. Nesbitt, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette • July 18, 2018 What happened to Mike Hamrick in Las Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. It stayed with him. One particular memory from his six years as UNLV’s athletic director — at the nexus of sports and gambling in the United States, with… [continue reading]
Miami racino hopes that jai-alai will bring a bounce By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • July 17, 2018 To see the challenges South Florida racetrack casinos face, one need only look at two media events: one in Miami, rolling out jai-alai at Magic City Casino, and the other in Hollywood, marking a milestone in the building of a… [continue reading]
Making lemonade out of Schenectady’s Rivers Casino By Phil Steck, Times Union • July 17, 2018 New York came to the casino dance a bit late. In a saturated casino market, projected revenues were unrealistic. But are the casinos a failure? I can only speak to the one casino in my district — Rivers. Rivers pays… [continue reading]
Tiny Taos Native American casino makes a perfect project for a gaming industry Ph.D. By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • July 16, 2018 TAOS, N.M. – You’ll have to go looking to find the diminutive Taos Mountain Casino. It’s located at 700 Veterans Highway between the entrance to the historic Taos Pueblo and the end of the famous artists’ town. As they say,… [continue reading]
Native American casinos eye Japan, ignore Chief Wahoo at home By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • July 16, 2018 Japan’s upper legislative house has passed gaming addiction legislation and begun debate on the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill, the final step for casino legalization in the world’s third largest economy. If the bill passes, the real fun starts, as localities and companies… [continue reading]
