A few pages into William C. Rempel’s informative and entertaining new biography of the late casino king Kirk Kerkorian, you might find yourself wondering if such a success story would even be possible in today’s gaming industry. In a business… [continue reading]

Just because Steve Wynn has stepped down from his leadership positions at Wynn Resorts Ltd., has sold all the shares he owned in the company and settled legal differences with his ex-wife, Elaine, don’t think for a minute that gaming… [continue reading]

This is one so rich with irony I’m having a difficult time staying seated. Proving that they are beyond shame when it comes to sports betting, the NBA and MLB engaged New Jersey officials in recent months to discuss how… [continue reading]

Casino gambling in the U.S. outpaced the general economy in 2017, according to information from RubinBrown, an accounting and business-consulting firm. Total commercial gaming revenues in 2017 were $39.9 billion, a 4.1 percent over 2016, while Native American casinos collected… [continue reading]

VizExplorer is in the information business, and the easiest illustration of what it can do is visible at a blackjack table. The company, in partnership with ARB LABS, has created a solution to an eternal problem: How to track how… [continue reading]

Five years ago, the American Gaming Association (AGA) membership was largely comprised of large commercial casino operators. Those entities founded the organization in 1994, and defending their interests in Washington – or better yet, keeping Washington out of their business… [continue reading]

Ten days ago Hyatt Hotels Corp. and AC Ocean Walk announced that the redeveloped Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City would be part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection of international hotels. That might turn out to be the year’s biggest Atlantic… [continue reading]

In these days of political polarization, very few voters trust any government official.  Actually it is a long-term trend; Forbes has been doing a poll for 16 years on the most and least trusted professions in the country.  Nurses, military… [continue reading]

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on lifting a federal ban on legalized sports betting. Such a ruling is expected later this year. If the court favors broadening the availability of legalized sports wagering, as expected, the decision… [continue reading]

The NBA, MLB and now the PGA Tour have engaged in a sprint since January, lobbying for sports betting legislation favorable to their collective financial interests. This multi-pronged effort in over a dozen states eyeing legal sports betting has involved… [continue reading]

Less than seven years after a tornado ripped through Springfield, the city continues to grow in ways even optimists could not have imagined in 2011. According to Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy, public and private investment since the tornado totals… [continue reading]

Resorts World Catskills, New York’s fourth commercial casino opened on February 9, 2018.   It cost $1.2 billion to build and has 2100 slot machines, one hundred and thirty table games and one hundred hotel rooms.  New York is a rather… [continue reading]

After the gambling industry took over the state a generation ago, politicians were all eager to assure the public that its tentacles would extend no further. After the lottery, casinos and video poker had been legalized, there would be no… [continue reading]

The progress of Japan’s Integrated Resort enabling legislation is being dragged to the altar like a couple in a shotgun marriage. The IR initiative, a child of Premier Shinzo Abe for over four years, is amidst a personal political firestorm… [continue reading]

March had some shocking moments for the gaming industry. In separate events two industry giants suddenly walked off, if not into the sunset, at least into the clubhouse.  Both were evolutionary moments; in the blink of an eye, the gaming… [continue reading]

As the date of the announcement of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act draws near, just about every stakeholder in the decision seems to be in agreement on the most… [continue reading]

A U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the federal government ban on sports betting would trigger expansion of all forms of online gaming in Asia, industry experts say. Opinions differ on how fast U.S. legalization might alter Asia’s gaming landscape… [continue reading]

Genting Bhd. Chairman Lim Kok Thay has never quite gotten over losing out on a Macau casino license. The Malaysian gambling and resorts group failed to win a permit when the territory opened its casino market in 2002, and an… [continue reading]

Another earnings season has come and gone, and Southern Nevada’s Big Six casino companies had mostly positive news to report as they wrapped up 2017 and plotted their respective courses for 2018 and beyond. For Southern Nevada’s dominant publicly traded… [continue reading]

In mid-February, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly weighed in on the ongoing multi-state tug-of-war over the direction and contours of legal sports betting legislation in the U.S. The battle? The leagues want money and control over an annual multi-billion dollar… [continue reading]

YES Eileen M. Donoghue, State senator, Lowell Democrat Eileen M. Donoghue More people are playing daily fantasy sports, which has become an exciting new part of our innovation economy. It flourishes worldwide, with 59 million people playing last year in… [continue reading]

There’s a lot of talk about how quick Las Vegas is to throw out its history. (“Las Vegas” being used as shorthand for the resort operators who make many important decisions about the region’s most prominently built environments.) What’s missing… [continue reading]

The return of March Madness is a reminder that perhaps the most common of all the unenforced laws in America — after changing lanes without using turn signals — is the ban on sports gambling. An estimated $10 billion is… [continue reading]

This week, the AGA released our annual estimate on how much Americans will wager on March Madness, again topping $10 billion this year. Due to the failed Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a staggering 97 percent of total… [continue reading]

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s Gaming Policy Committee, in record time last week, approved a resolution affirming the state’s stance on the use of marijuana in gaming establishments in what was likely the last policy group assembled under his watch. Committee members… [continue reading]

Six weeks after the New York State Senate held a hearing on the potential of New York sports betting, Chairman of the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, John Bonacic (R-42nd District), introduced Senate Bill S7900, which would legalize sports… [continue reading]

Japan is embarking on a casino adventure and it is carving its own unique path. In December, the Japanese Diet passed initial enabling legislation. The law as it stands is too vague and could not be implemented without more structure…. [continue reading]

CDC Gaming Reports has matured over the last 15 years. It has grown from being the distributor of a single report, the Adams Daily Report, to a news outlet that five days a week publishes the early morning Flash, mid-day… [continue reading]

Around our industry there are lots of people who have gone on record as never seeing the possibility of a deal between Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson and now, former Wynn Resorts Ltd (NASDAQ:WYNN) CEO Steve… [continue reading]

The Southern Nevada casino industry is riding a new wave of confidence bolstered by some strong financial results, an anticipated uptick in visitation and a flurry of new projects that will return the region to the look of those go-go… [continue reading]

Hear from both sides of the story. YES – Eileen M. Donoghue, State senator, Lowell Democrat Daily fantasy sports has become a growing part of people’s pastimes and an exciting new part of our innovation economy. It flourishes worldwide, with 59… [continue reading]

Nearly five years after New York voters approved a constitutional amendment to expand casino gambling, widespread concern prevails that the Empire State may soon be saturated with the gambling palaces. Now, however, while the state expects to profit from the… [continue reading]

It’s not often that you can be two years behind schedule and have good timing. Five years after breaking ground, and 10 years after opening its first property on the Macau peninsula, MGM has its foothold in Cotai , the… [continue reading]

It’s no secret Republican U.S. Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian is an unabashed Donald Trump fanboy who has hitched his political fortunes to the president’s agenda. When the first page of your campaign website enthuses, “In 2016 you voted to Make America… [continue reading]

The 2017 Breeders Cup is over, and Gunrunner was victorious in the $6 million Classic. He also finished second in the $10 million Dubai World Cup last March. In January, maybe unsurprisingly, he was named Horse of the Year at… [continue reading]

We all have things in our past that we’re not proud of. It might be a playlist that captures immature musical tastes, or a bad haircut. This isn’t confined to individuals: Groups of people feel it as well. The Las… [continue reading]

It is almost impossible to avoid talking about Steve Wynn and Wynn Resorts these days. Wynn has always been an important figure in gaming, a marketing genius and a game changer.  But, since January 26th, Wynn has transcended the gaming… [continue reading]

Is there a corporate board in the U.S. worse than the one at Wynn Resorts Ltd.? It took two weeks for chairman and chief executive Steve Wynn to step down as a series of exposes about his alleged sexual behavior… [continue reading]

Over the past several years, the owners of Delaware’s three casinos have been sounding alarm bells over high tax rates that they say are putting jobs at risk. But those warnings have gone unheeded in Legislative Hall in the face… [continue reading]

Back in the September of his years, Frank Sinatra would take the mic and command this little lounge stage. Still the headliner of all headliners at The Sands, four miles down The Strip, Sinatra would escape to this neighborhood joint,… [continue reading]

For 12 days, an acidic drip, drip, drip demolished Steve Wynn’s reputation, finally forcing him to resign as chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts on Tuesday. Now it looks as if his resignation won’t spare him further embarrassment after all…. [continue reading]

Here’s a SportsHandle first: a listicle. Over the past few weeks in states advancing bills to implement legal sports betting, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have joined forces to lobby state lawmakers for a 1 percent “integrity… [continue reading]

Legislators reconvened the General Assembly Wednesday for their final regular session before facing the voters in November. The occasion is always marked by fresh proposals labeled as progress. The gaming industry is providing us with a sharp reminder of how… [continue reading]

The fall of Steve Wynn is a wake-up call for the global casino industry. Gambling has traditionally gone hand-in-hand with seamier activities, and sexual politics that would be considered unacceptable in other sectors have long been tolerated. Wynn’s resignation Tuesday… [continue reading]

West Virginia ought to have a sports betting statute on the books this spring – but it needs to be a home run, not a foul ball. Within a few months, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to clear the… [continue reading]

Many people confuse handle and win, equating handle with gross income and therefore a suitable target for taxation.  However, handle is not the equivalent of revenue in other industries, nor is win when it comes to taxation.  In retail, revenue… [continue reading]

The revival of VIP gambling in the Chinese enclave helped Macau witness a 19% gain in gaming revenue from the year before, and because Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) generates 60% of its revenue from the region, it was able to overcome… [continue reading]

To understand the dynamics of the way MGM Resorts International is using a bid for a casino in Bridgeport as a smoky decoy, you need to look no further than the failed 1995 bid to build one there. The Vegas-based… [continue reading]

Much like the public reaction to its superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant when they joined super teams, the NBA itself has gone from hero to villain in Las Vegas circles over the past week. The gaming industry had widely… [continue reading]

Nearly four months after the Las Vegas massacre, investigators have released a preliminary report about the shooter, Stephen Paddock. His motives remain unclear but officials can’t help but point to one possible factor: his extensive gambling in the days before… [continue reading]

It’s hard to imagine that someone as smart as William Weidner, former president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands and one of the backers of the Lucky Dragon, could have been so wrong about positioning the off-Strip casino,… [continue reading]

Recently, police in New York arrested a man for making terrorists threats.  The 47-year-old Wayne County resident was found sleeping on a couch in the lobby of the Del Lago casino. When casino security discovered him sleeping, they called the… [continue reading]

Lawrence Ho got a more than $1.2 billion boost to his wealth over the past year as Macau’s casinos continued their strong recovery. But this likely means less to him, at age 40, than asserting more control over his empire. In May,… [continue reading]

Overleveraged Scientific Games’ recent acquisition of NYX Group puts it in a solid position for sports betting contracts. The stock is pricey, but its valuation – based on shrinking losses and the NYX sports betting platform OneBet – creates real… [continue reading]

I think we would all like to know the future—just a little bit of it, at least. Right now, probably like many of you, I think that if I could learn the next winning Powerball numbers in advance, that would… [continue reading]

CNBC pundit Jim Cramer has put the buy sign on Macau, specifically U.S. traded Wynn Resorts and MGM Resort International. “I believe that Macau can keep rebounding courtesy of this phenomenal global economic expansion, which means that Wynn Resorts might… [continue reading]

The times we are living in are times of distrust.  We do not trust the news, but we do believe in false news and we suspect all media of fostering it upon us.  Conspiracy theories abound and many people are… [continue reading]

On Thursday Attorney General Jeff Sessions made one of his “stupidest decisions” as head of the United States Justice Department (DOJ), by reversing rules set forth under President Barack Obama that created a federal policy of noninterference with states that… [continue reading]

Perhaps you noticed there was a lot in the papers the last couple of months about cutting taxes. I don’t know about you but my eyes glazed over when I opened these stories and read about things like paying next… [continue reading]

After reviewing predictions for 2017, here are forecasts for 2018. Macau concession extension The gaming concession for SJM Holdings and its subconcession sold to MGM and Pansy Ho expires in March 2020, two years ahead of Macau’s other two casino… [continue reading]

Americans have long since broken free of their Puritan past, but the Puritan impulse is not quite dead. Among the places it shows signs of life is the 1992 federal law that prohibits states from — you are not going… [continue reading]

THE ISSUE All 60 Lancaster County municipalities have opted out of consideration to have a Category 4 casino, according to state Sen. Scott Martin, a Martic Township Republican. Earlier this month, Martin and fellow state Sen. Ryan Aument, also a… [continue reading]

If you’re a football fan, you may be familiar with the variety of websites that track NFL player run-ins with law enforcement, and even provide “Arrest-o-Meters” that tells how many days it’s been since the last arrest. Some internet entrepreneur… [continue reading]

We’re suddenly surrounded by sports. Much of the infectious current excitement is being generated by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, the city’s first major league professional team, which is defying expansion expectations by leading the Western Conference. And of course… [continue reading]

MGM Macau just turned ten years old; a celebration was held to honor the 1,900 employees who have been with the casino since day one.  MGM Macau has a total of 8,900 employees, but on January 29th, that number is… [continue reading]

Here’s one of those only-in-Vegas holiday stories. A state Gaming Control Board patron dispute hearing this month generated considerable interest in the local poker community as players who believed they had qualified for a “bad beat” jackpot gathered in a… [continue reading]

The European gambling landscape is quite mature, with very few opportunities for meaningful expansion. There are still ways to grow profits, such as improving revenues through better marketing programs and doing cost reductions, but without new licenses becoming available the… [continue reading]

The UK gambling industry has an image problem, and it’s probably more than skin deep. It may turn out to be a character flaw, rather than just poor lighting, which is giving the industry that slightly dour jawline. The voices… [continue reading]

Moments ago, Congress approved the most extensive changes to the tax code since 1986. While time will tell whether this broad overhaul ultimately leads to the type of economic growth proponents have promised, AGA is proud to have actively led… [continue reading]

In November, during MGM’s third quarter earnings call, CEO James Murren announced a change in strategy for the corporation.  Murren said that after a very aggressive decade of expansion and construction, MGM would no longer be seeking opportunities in new… [continue reading]

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has sounded an alarm that likely will become familiar in the coming years: that their exclusivity is being compromised because of a new form of gambling entering their state. The Seminoles issued a letter of… [continue reading]

With bitcoin spiking at the end of November at above $10,000 per coin, the first time it has reached that level, the cryptocurrency world has never looked so bubbly. Some see bitcoin’s bullish run extending for years, with the price… [continue reading]

The latest buzz to hit the slot floor is about games of skill, slot machine games that contain an element of skill – and the key word is “element”. The element of skill needs to allow the player to believe… [continue reading]