Poker, addiction and awarenessBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 28, 2018This week, the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) released a report stating that 46%, nearly half, of all poker players surveyed in the country had a gambling problem of one kind or another. This is a higher rate than was… [continue reading]
Are casinos a sound tool for growth as government aims to pass bill?By The Yomiuri Shimbun • February 27, 2018Doubts cannot be dispelled about opening casinos in the expectation of economic benefits without looking squarely at the adverse effects and risks involved in gambling. The government is promoting efforts to draft a bill on the operation of integrated resort… [continue reading]
Why Advantage Players shouldn’t worry casinosBy Nicholas Colon, Gambling Insider • February 27, 2018Every so often there are people who try to circumvent the system for profit. In the casino gaming realm they are known as Advantage Players. Casinos often go to great lengths to prevent APs from playing in their casinos. The… [continue reading]
One challenge for MGM, and the rest of us: Talking about business in the wake of tragedyBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • February 26, 2018Corporate quarterly earnings report conferences are usually dominated by high levels of optimism and punctuated by moments of unabashed cheerleading. Charles Dickens couldn’t have written about them. No matter how tough the competition or rotten the market conditions, it’s always… [continue reading]
West Virginia sports betting bill contains few sure thingsBy Mike Myer, Parkersburg News & Sentinel • February 26, 2018If West Virginia legislators behind the sports betting bill were trying to ensure we can compete against surrounding states, they went way, way overboard. Should sports betting become a reality here, that could cost West Virginians millions of dollars a… [continue reading]
Las Vegas Sands: Prime For A Possible Move Over Wynn Woes And Strong FundamentalsBy Howard Jay Klein, SeekingAlpha.com • February 25, 2018Around 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]
Parking, resort fees could put damper on Las Vegas Strip boomBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • February 24, 2018The 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]
Should Massachusetts permanently legalize and impose a tax on sports fantasy betting?By Eileen M. Donoghue, State senator and Les Bernal, Stop Predatory Gambling • February 23, 2018Hear 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]
Too many casinos can spoil the potBy Don Glynn, Niagara Gazette • February 21, 2018Nearly 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]
Opposition lacking to Florida gambling amendmentBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • February 20, 2018A good fight must have two sides: A puncher and a counter-puncher, if you will. But so far in one group’s attempt to put gambling expansion in the hands of Florida voters, the opposition hasn’t shown up. Voters In Charge,… [continue reading]
Gambling Ads Crackdown in the UKBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 20, 2018The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) in the UK have announced a slew of new regulations designed to help protect vulnerable gamblers. These regulations will apply to all advertisements broadcast during live sporting events, of which the UK has an… [continue reading]
Adam Silver proves that NBA’s sports betting ‘integrity fee’ is a total shamBy Brett Smiley, SportsHandle.com • February 20, 2018During a press conference on Saturday at the All-Star Weekend, NBA commissioner Adam Silver inadvertently revealed that the league’s expansive lobbying effort for a cut of all wagers on legal sports betting is a bogus hodgepodge of nonsense. “This notion… [continue reading]
Will Wynn’s departure be enough to keep Boston casino project on track?By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • February 19, 2018Steve Wynn enjoyed success at the highest levels of the gaming industry during his long career, but in many ways the $2.4 billion Wynn Boston Harbor project was positioned to be his penultimate prize. All that’s changed in the wake… [continue reading]
Clarion responds to industry sexism claims over ICE LondonBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 19, 2018Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, the organisers behind London’s massive gaming conference ICE – held earlier this month at the ExCeL centre – has responded to the complaints made by Sarah Harrison of the UK Gambling Commission in… [continue reading]
Two Years Behind Schedule, MGM Finally Arrives In Cotai Amid Macau BoomBy Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • February 18, 2018It’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]
Trump’s true believer in Nevada pushes Heller to the right – and runs opposite of gaming – in U.S. Senate primaryBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • February 17, 2018It’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]
Horserace handicappers hope they won’t be left in the dust by SCOTUS ruling on sports bettingBy Bernard Kroviak, CDC Gaming Reports • February 16, 2018The 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]
The Past Is Still With UsBy David G. Schwartz, Green Felt Journal, Vegas Seven • February 15, 2018We 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]
Can Wynn Resorts Find Its Way Out Of This Quagmire?By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • February 14, 2018It 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]
Who’s Going to Fix Wynn Resorts? Not Its BoardBy Joe Nocera, Bloomberg • February 14, 2018Is 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]
Give Delaware’s casinos a breakBy The News Journal (Delaware) • February 14, 2018Over 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]
Missouri considers mirroring Illinois’ bar-slots arrangementBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • February 13, 2018One of my best friends attended a small college in St. Louis, which is on the Illinois-Missouri border. This was back in the 1970s, so fraternity initiations were a little rougher. But that was mitigated by the fact that this… [continue reading]
Will Vegas ever be the same?By David Purdum, ESPN • February 13, 2018Back 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]
With mini casino, some will win, some will loseBy Reed Pederson, Trib Live • February 12, 2018Recently, our state legislators bestowed upon us more personal freedom. We can buy consumer-grade fireworks without driving to another state, and we’ll be able to gamble without driving to another county. With an estimated $75 billion in unfunded public pension… [continue reading]
Stockholder lawsuit tars shimmering world of fallen casino kingBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • February 12, 2018The hits kept coming last week for fallen casino king Steve Wynn. The awful details contained in The Wall Street Journal recently not only blew Wynn out of the chairman’s throne at Wynn Resorts, but the tough times continued with… [continue reading]
Gaming regulators still going after Steve WynnBy Jane Ann Morrison, Las Vegas Review-Journal • February 11, 2018For 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]
15 alternative phrases for NBA, MLB’s ludicrous sports betting ‘integrity fee’By Brett Smiley, SportsHandle.com • February 9, 2018Here’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]
SkyBet CEO Flint Speaks Out on Problem Gambling at ICEBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 9, 2018Richard Flint, CEO of SkyBet, held his hands up on the first day of the ICE gaming convention this week and acknowledged publicly that the industry, SkyBet included, had “not done itself any favours” in the past with its approach… [continue reading]
Mixed Microgaming Bag at ICEBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 9, 2018Microgaming gave us some pretty mixed signals this year at ICE, drawing a fair amount of attention for all sorts of reasons. To begin with, they kicked off the show with a new product which has drawn quite a bit… [continue reading]
Understanding the Wynn LegacyBy David G. Schwartz, Green Felt Journal, Vegas Seven • February 9, 2018The news of Steve Wynn’s resignation from the company he founded, Wynn Resorts, has brought more questions than answers in Las Vegas. Most of those questions won’t be answered for some time, if ever. Right now, many people are wondering… [continue reading]
Odds Grow Longer For East Windsor CasinoBy Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant • February 8, 2018Legislators 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]
ICE: Bigger & Better Than EverBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 8, 2018ICE London, held at ExCeL in the east of the capital was larger and arguably more successful than ever this year, covering a staggering 43,500 square metres this year – more than twice its size back in 2012 – with… [continue reading]
Thoughts from ICE 2018By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • February 8, 2018That is ICE, now the largest gaming show in the world, over for another year. It is funny to think that this all started in 1987 when Jeff Lindsay, the founder of John Huxley Casino Equipment, decided to exhibit at… [continue reading]
Wake-up call: Gaming industry is progressing, the men who run it aren’tBy David Fickling, Bloomberg News • February 7, 2018The 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]
Jai-alai has gained bounce, thanks to pari-mutuel expansionBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • February 6, 2018Jai-alai was supposed to be on the way out in South Florida. Attendance has declined since the Florida Lottery began, then further with the arrival of professional sports teams, and yet further when casinos came to the area. The frontons… [continue reading]
West Virginia sports betting has potential – if done rightBy The Intelligencer, The Register-Herald • February 6, 2018West 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]
Sports betting legalization issue heats up for Super Bowl LIIBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • February 5, 2018Becky Quick looked good in red, but maybe she should have worn stripes. Quick, who anchors the syndicated “On the Money” program on CNBC, in a broadcast that aired on Super Bowl Sunday, found herself playing referee in a lively… [continue reading]
PASPA to drive $4.6 billion in illegal bets on Super Bowl 52By Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • February 2, 2018Earlier this week, we released our annual estimate on how much Americans will wager on the Super Bowl, this year topping $4.76 billion. Due to the failed Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a staggering 97 percent of total… [continue reading]
Would Wynn Resorts be better off without Steve Wynn?By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • February 1, 2018Accusations of sexual misconduct against Steve Wynn last week led to an immediate 10% loss in the share price of Wynn Resorts, the company Wynn founded and still heads as chairman and CEO. Shares of Wynn Macau were hit harder… [continue reading]
Gaming handle versus gaming revenues: NBA doesn’t understand how things work in a casinoBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • February 1, 2018Many 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]
CMA investigation shakes up UK online gambling promotions structureBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • February 1, 2018After the conclusion of a lengthy Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into online gaming promotions, it looks like the industry in the UK is set for a significant shake-up regarding bonus terms and conditions, play-through requirements, and withdrawal options… [continue reading]
Macau Casinos May Face a Tough YearBy Rich Duprey, The Motley Fool • January 31, 2018The 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]
Some Indian casinos cautious about sports wageringBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • January 30, 2018Like other gambling industry members, Indian tribes are pondering their next move as the possibility of legal U.S. sports betting inches toward becoming a reality. In December, the U.S. Supreme Court heard an appeal against the constitutionality of PASPA, the… [continue reading]
1995 Bridgeport casino players: Two went to jail and one to the White HouseBy David Collins, The Day • January 30, 2018To 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]
In Macau, ‘draining the swamp’ has real meaning for AdelsonBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • January 29, 2018Casino king Sheldon Adelson is fond of reminding people about the times his doubters have been wrong. From the sound of things, there have been more than a few memorable moments in his business career. The fact the Las Vegas… [continue reading]
Why the NBA’s legalized sports betting proposal is preposterousBy Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun • January 28, 2018Much 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]
The Vegas shooter and problem gamblingBy Editorial Board of the Christian Science Monitor • January 25, 2018Nearly 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]
National Bookie Association?By Anthony Curtis, Las Vegas Advisor • January 25, 2018The NBA has made it known that it wants a piece of the pie if sports betting becomes legal in the U.S. In a statement this week, an attorney for the league said that 1% of all wagers made sounds… [continue reading]
New York casinos will continue to battle each otherBy Sara Foss, Daily Gazette of Schenectady • January 24, 2018We’ve been told that Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady has yet to reach its potential, that the gaming facility is still new and that revenues will rise. But what if this never happens? What if revenues take a hit… [continue reading]
Indiana got out in front, but now everyone is catching upBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • January 23, 2018Sometimes after you do things right, and get good results, circumstances change. Take the case of gambling in Indiana. In 1993, state leaders approved riverboat casinos in a rational, well-planned manner (although it require a special session in which budget… [continue reading]
The Future of GamblingBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 23, 2018Traditional high street bookies in the UK took a big hit recently on the news that the government review into fixed odds betting terminals looks set to conclude on reducing their maximum stake to the lowest level being considered, namely… [continue reading]
A quick European tourBy Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • January 23, 2018The French land-based casino industry saw another year of growth in 2017. Overall gross gaming revenues (GGR) increased by 2.4% to €2.3 billion, but within that there were definite winners and losers. Lucien Barriere, the country’s largest operator by GGR,… [continue reading]
The FOBT FuroreBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 23, 2018The Sunday Times was an early leader in fixed-odds betting terminal (FOBT) speculation this week, with coverage from “an ally” of Cultural Secretary Matt Hancock suggesting that it is highly likely the government will opt for the full reduction in… [continue reading]
Science has a gambling problemBy Nature.com Editorial Staff • January 23, 2018Pathological gambling is thought to affect as many people as autism and schizophrenia. It disrupts employment, relationships and health, and places an enormous burden on the state. It is the only behavioural addiction formally recognized by the American Psychiatric Association,… [continue reading]
UK Bookmakers pay the price for failure to clean up their act on FOBTBy Nils Pratley, The Guardian • January 22, 2018Bookmakers usually celebrate when a heavily backed favourite gets beaten on the line – but not this time. If the Sunday Times’s confident report that the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, will cut maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from… [continue reading]
An eccentric and entertaining fit: intriguing Meow Wolf coming to Las VegasBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • January 22, 2018If ever an art entertainment experience and city were meant for each other, the eccentric Meow Wolf is the venue and Las Vegas is the place. Founded in 2016 in a Santa Fe, N.M., in a former bowling alley owned… [continue reading]
Crypto Gains: Gambling or Investment? A Taxing QuestionBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 22, 2018The press has been awash this week with news of a potential tax loophole related to profits from cryptocurrency speculation, such as investment in Bitcoin. After a huge spike in value this year, followed by some very turbulent weeks for… [continue reading]
With latest Facebook update geared towards people, what can casinos do to maintain exposure?By Cory Roberts, CDC Gaming Reports • January 22, 2018As someone who joined Facebook in 2006, when it was still exclusive to students, Facebook has, over time, evolved from mostly text-based updates and an easy way to share photos with friends, to an ever-updating feed of company posts, memes,… [continue reading]
Savvy businesspeople missed the mark with Lucky DragonBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • January 22, 2018It’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]
A Gambler Turns Unwittingly TerroristBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • January 21, 2018Recently, 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]
Gaming tycoon Lawrence Ho adds $1.2B to wealth, but aims for bigger prizesBy Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • January 20, 2018Lawrence 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]
Scientific Games could be a strong contender following favorable sports betting rulingBy Howard Jay Klein, SeekingAlpha.com • January 20, 2018Overleveraged 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]
Chatter on the CEBR Report into FOBTsBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 18, 2018There’s been a good deal of discussion this week about the report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) into fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The report, which was released at the start of the week, concluded that the… [continue reading]
Casino Future Not So Hard to PredictBy David G. Schwartz, Green Felt Journal, Vegas Seven • January 17, 2018I 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]
Women’s equality advancing in the casino world – but progress is slowBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • January 16, 2018“I’ve been giving the same speech for the past 25 years and in those years very little has changed,” says Jan Jones Blackhurst, on the topic of women in gaming and how to break the glass ceiling. Yes, we’ve been… [continue reading]
High-flying Eagles enthusiast a reminder of NFL’s ongoing marketing to female fansBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • January 15, 2018Decked out from cap to sneakers in Philadelphia Eagles fan ware, there was no mistaking the woman’s favorite NFL team as she slid into the middle seat on a Saturday morning Southwest flight from Albuquerque to Las Vegas. Even her… [continue reading]
CNBC’s Jim Cramer Flashes Macau Buy Sign — Time To Run?By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • January 15, 2018CNBC 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]
CNN: Macau’s best casinos: A 2018 guideBy Kate Whitehead, CNN • January 14, 2018Macau’s casinos have seen some tough times in recent years, but take a walk along the city’s casino boulevard, the Cotai Strip, and you’d never know it — a couple of mega casinos have opened recently and more are in… [continue reading]
As Seminoles build hotels, they protect their turf elsewhereBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • January 13, 2018Yes, the Seminole Tribe of Florida now has the necessary business environment to accelerate construction in Florida, thanks to an agreement this summer with Governor Rick Scott. But the tribe is still aggressively protecting itself against competitive dings by more… [continue reading]
Finding Something to Trust in a Distrustful WorldBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • January 12, 2018The 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]
Scandal: UK Junior Footballers’ shirts used to promote gamblingBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 12, 2018Once again, gambling operators – and this time, some of the top football clubs, to boot – are the subject of quite a scandal in the national press this week. Led by an investigation by The Sunday Times, it emerges… [continue reading]
Stan Fulton: A gaming industry pioneer who brought ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to lifeBy Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports • January 10, 2018Stan Fulton’s name adorns the building on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus that houses the school’s International Gaming Institute. Focusing on research and innovation, while also operating a state-of-the-art casino laboratory and developing educational programs, the Institute offers… [continue reading]
Gambling Addiction: Looking AheadBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • January 10, 2018The New Year is a time for pulliing up the trousers we’ve found that still fit us, and resolutely making a list of things to improve ourselves – a healthier diet, getting some exercise, perhaps even undertaking to have a… [continue reading]
Casinos Austria to have a new owner and possibly Codere tooBy Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • January 10, 2018The European gambling industry is seeing several sizable developments with ownership changes in recent months. Firstly, it looks as if the Czech-based Sazka Group will become the largest shareholder of Casinos Austria AG (CASAG), which owns the Austrian Lotteries Group… [continue reading]
Legislators have work to do (and it’s not sports betting)By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • January 9, 2018I began my newspaper career in 1980 in the Midwest before settling in Fort Lauderdale in 1985. I specialized in human interest stories for about 20 years, until one day the managing editor called me into her office. “We have… [continue reading]
Congress, A Crystal Ball, And the ‘Controversy’ Over Sports BettingBy Ryan Rodenberg, SportsHandle.com • January 9, 2018The current call for Congressional hearings about sports gambling has become a bipartisan issue. “I respectfully request that the [House] Energy and Commerce Committee hold a hearing on the future of sports betting in the United States,” wrote Nevada Congresswoman… [continue reading]
North end woes: Flashy Lucky Dragon fires like a rocket, fizzles like a sparklerBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • January 9, 2018The Lucky Dragon must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Despite the fact it was located neither on the Strip nor downtown, it was heralded as the first new hotel on the north end of Las Vegas… [continue reading]
Sports Betting: A Gaming Industry Instant ReplayBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • January 6, 2018There is no instant replay in real life as there is in sports, regardless of how much we would like to see something one more time. However, observers in the gaming industry may be on the verge of a replay. … [continue reading]
Up in arms over U.K. child gambling? Go protest Chuck E. CheeseBy Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports • January 5, 2018Based on moral or reputational grounds, there are plenty of reasons to be alarmed about the reports emerging from the United Kingdom chronicling the prevalence of child gambling. Some 370,000 kids – aged 11 to 16 – are gambling per… [continue reading]
What does Jeff Sessions’ anti-marijuana move mean for sports betting?By Brett Smiley, SportsHandle.com • January 5, 2018On 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]
Bristol: Prepare to pay more to drink, smoke and gambleBy Ned Bristol, The Sun Chronicle • January 5, 2018Perhaps 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]
Where Are Asia’s Casinos Headed In 2018?By Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • January 4, 2018After 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]
Fathers, sons and the lure of the trackBy Bernard Kroviak, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • January 4, 2018I suppose that many racing enthusiasts had their first horse racing experience – their first taste of the game – by attending a local track with their father, grandpa, maybe even an uncle or a close family friend. For me,… [continue reading]
New Mexico tribes step up to measure human cost of gaming legalizationBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • January 3, 2018ALBUQUERQUE – The rise of legalized gambling in New Mexico has been a boon to tribal and the state economies, but there’s more than profits at the bottom line. There’s the human cost of doing business. Measuring the financial impact… [continue reading]
It’s a good bet to legalize sports bettingBy Steven Chapman, Panama City News Herald • January 3, 2018Americans 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]
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania municipalities do the right thing in opting out of consideration for casinosBy Lancaster Online • January 2, 2018THE 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]
DFS well-positioned for 2018, but does anyone still care?By Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports • January 2, 2018Daily fantasy sports posted a banner year on the legislative front in 2017, gaining legal status in several states and bringing the grand total to 18 U.S. jurisdictions that have deemed the activity to be a game of skill and… [continue reading]
New York’s bad bet on casinos: Have Gov. Cuomo and legislators learned their lesson?By Errol Louis, New York Daily News • January 2, 2018As Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature prepare this year’s economic development strategy, let us hear no more fanciful hopes and dreams about the supposed benefits of expanding casino gambling in New York. An ill-advised 2013 referendum that approved up to… [continue reading]
Asia’s casinos in 2017: Macau’s winning streak goes on while the Philippines weather tragedyBy Muhammad Cohen, Forbes • January 1, 2018Happy new year. At the start of last year, I made several predictions about the gaming business in Asia. Now it’s time to review how well my crystal ball worked. (When I’ve got it tuned, I’ll bring it to a… [continue reading]
It’s as simple as a phone call: Engage more players and drive more tripsBy Daniel Wood, VP of Business Development at Engagex • January 1, 2018As casino executives, we often devote most of our direct marketing and player development resources to top end players. We make personalized phone calls to our big spenders while allowing simple mailers to take care of players who typically spend… [continue reading]
Scientific Games Scrutinised for Child-Friendly ContentBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 29, 2017The massive gaming entity that is Scientific Games came under heated scrutiny this week after an expose running in the Guardian examined the company’s provision, via Facebook, of games “similar” to slots which allow wagering of purchased credits and which… [continue reading]
What’s the deal with these California card rooms?By Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports • December 29, 2017If 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]
On a Comeback of Its Own, the WNBA Is a Great Fit for Mandalay BayBy Brock Radke, Las Vegas Weekly • December 29, 2017We’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]
Video games are unlocking child gambling. This has to be reined in.By Alex Hern, The Guardian • December 28, 2017In a tale of gambling addiction posted to Reddit shortly before Christmas, the numbers were as shocking as they were unsurprising. First the anonymous addict frittered away $200 (£149), in November 2016. Then $700 more, later that month. Then $300,… [continue reading]
An Anniversary in Macau Shines a Light on Changes in Atlantic CityBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • December 27, 2017MGM 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]
Yes, there were some good things in 2017By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • December 27, 2017At 3:45 a.m. on Monday, October 3rd, I got a text from my stepdaughter, Michelle: Are you OK? I’m sure many of you had a similar situation in early October. My Michelle, a high school guidance counselor in the Fort… [continue reading]
Assembly defies voters in approving casino gaming at NJ racetracksBy Press of Atlantic City staff • December 27, 2017Just over a year ago, New Jersey voters stated emphatically they didn’t want casino gambling in North Jersey. They voted 4 to 1 against a ballot question intended to allow a casino at the Meadowlands Racetrack and another location —… [continue reading]
Leonsis: Legalized gambling is ‘the only thing that will save the NFL’By Dan Steinberg, The Washington Post • December 26, 2017Here is a true story: In the fall of 1994, fairly early during the ascension of fantasy football into a national obsession, I founded a league with some fellow University of Delaware freshmen I had barely met. This was in… [continue reading]
Bad-beat poker jackpot players hoping for holiday miracleBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • December 26, 2017Here’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]
Looking backward and forward: Las Vegas at the end of a tough yearBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 25, 2017Driving south on Las Vegas Boulevard a few days before Christmas, it’s easy to get lost in the moment. The grand, audacious, larger-than-life spectacle of the Strip does that to me every time. As a native son of the neon,… [continue reading]
2017: A Momentous Year for GamingBy Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • December 21, 2017It has been a momentous year for gaming. The success our industry achieved in 2017 is a direct result of increased engagement, greater unity and stronger collaboration. AGA has leveraged these emerging strengths and through effective research, lobbying and communications… [continue reading]
An Alchemist’s Dream, Dust into GoldBy Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • December 20, 2017The 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’s Image ProblemBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 20, 2017The 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]
AGA: What Tax Reform Means for GamingBy Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • December 20, 2017Moments 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 the poker room, the talk is flop, turn, and BitcoinBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • December 20, 2017There’s one more item that is now almost ubiquitous among poker players, and it’s much more valuable than sunglasses, hoodies, or even headphones: many players are investing in Bitcoin. “We’ve been hearing about it everywhere,” said Laura Cornelius, a reporter… [continue reading]
The Sport of Kings isn’t just for kingsBy Bernard Kroviak, CDC Gaming Reports • December 19, 2017Here’s a thought experiment. Who would be crazy enough to pay upwards of $8 million for a thoroughbred that will never run again, or a million or more for a horse that is less than a year old and may… [continue reading]
With Congressional spotlight on sports betting, Nevada delegation carries big messageBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 18, 2017She majored in political science, not parlay cards, but Nevada Rep. Dina Titus is showing the kind of savvy the state’s experienced oddsmakers can appreciate these days. She’s not alone. Despite what seems like an endless campaign season and nonstop… [continue reading]
The future of sports betting starts with the end of the PASPA disasterBy Gerard Scimeca, opinion contributor, The Hill • December 18, 2017Abraham Lincoln said the best way to get a bad law repealed was to enforce it strictly. If this maxim has any weight, then surely it would apply to PASPA (the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act), the 25-year-old federal… [continue reading]
Stratosphere owner says casino is on Las Vegas StripBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • December 16, 2017When Las Vegas-based Golden Entertainment closed on its $850 million deal to acquire American Casino and Entertainment Properties, whose four casinos included the Stratosphere with its 1,149-foot tower and 2,427 rooms, Chairman and CEO Blake Sartini was ecstatic. Sartini, a longtime local… [continue reading]
Should New Jersey Sports Books Emulate Nevada?By Vic Salerno, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • December 16, 2017New Jersey and other jurisdictions will likely face the decision of what type of sports books to offer their customers in their respective sports betting venues. Las Vegas has many examples of opulent sports books that can be found at… [continue reading]
Bridgeport Is Lost and Then Found AgainBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • December 15, 2017In 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 EC’s Big Gambling Step-BackBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 15, 2017The European Commission took a decision last week which came as something of a surprise to the gaming industry across Europe: it decided to close all infringement proceedings and treatment of complaints related to gambling. The reasoning behind the decision,… [continue reading]
GVC & Ladbrokes’ Deep DiscussionsBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 15, 2017Ladbrokes has struggled just a bit in the UK lately. Granted, their gains in Europe, particularly Italy, have made their overall numbers look healthy, but a recently reported loss in wagering percentage over the last season in the UK market… [continue reading]
How Conscious is Our Gamble?By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 15, 2017GambleAware have been saying it for years. Indeed, it’s in their very name. If we’re going to gamble, it is vital that we gamble responsibly, within financial and mental limits which match our personal circumstances. Further, as a society, it’s… [continue reading]
Gambling away FederalismBy Trevor Burrus, Forbes • December 14, 2017Pennsylvania legalized online gambling in late October, becoming the fourth state to allow online betting. Some lawmakers in Washington, however, would like the federal government to override those states’ laws and prohibit online gambling nationwide. The Restoration of America’s Wire… [continue reading]
Crypto: Hacking the industry vs. Bitcoin hacksBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 14, 2017With bitcoin’s value reaching unprecedented heights this winter, rising from around $1,000 to over $15,000 at the time of writing, cryptocurrencies are in the limelight as never before in their relatively short history. Billions in investment are pouring in to… [continue reading]
The rising spectre of child gambling in the UKBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 13, 2017A new study published this December by the Gambling Commission underscores a growing public concern which has been echoed recently in the national press – that of children being exposed to gambling, and even participating in real money gaming. With… [continue reading]
As gambling options grow, compacts get more complicatedBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • December 12, 2017The 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]
How The Supreme Court Could Hand A Win To New Jersey And Sports BettingBy Daniel Wallach, Forbes • December 11, 2017Proponents of legalized sports betting had to be feeling confident after last Monday’s oral argument in NCAA v. Christie — the so-called New Jersey sports betting case, in which leagues including the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball are seeking to… [continue reading]
All that is gambling doesn’t glitter in Pa.By TribLIVE Editorial Board • December 11, 2017Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion, which will add 10 mini casinos to the state’s existing mix, is no fire-starter for about 200 municipalities across the state that prefer not to roll the dice on gambling within their borders. And even though municipalities… [continue reading]
As Supreme Court Weighs Landmark Sports Betting Case, Push To Curb Underground Market IntensifiesBy Matt Rybaltowski, Forbes • December 10, 2017If a prominent bookmaker fielded a request to set a line on whether the Supreme Court will rule in favor of New Jersey in the landmark sports gambling case before the nation’s top court, the sportsbook may opt instead to… [continue reading]
For many, horse racing as intoxicating as team sportsBy Bernard Kroviak, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • December 8, 2017Sports, both in this country and around the world, are huge, not only as big business, but also as something the common man or woman can identify with and enjoy. Why are people so attuned to sports? Why do so… [continue reading]
National sports gambling coming, it will be good for colleges and NCAA needs to be readyBy Dan Wolken, USA Today • December 7, 2017NEW YORK — Finding an NCAA rule that lacks common sense isn’t particularly challenging these days. But as the Supreme Court considers a case that effectively would open the door to legalized sports gambling nationwide, the NCAA’s prohibition on playing… [continue reading]
Rumblings of Disruption: Catastrophe or Cryptopia?By Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • December 7, 2017With 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]
Skill Games – What Will It Take for Success?By Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • December 7, 2017The 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]
Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti carries a new perspective as he approaches age 87By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • December 6, 2017This summer, employees didn’t see John Brunetti, owner of Hialeah Park, doing much roaming of the 200-acre property, which consists of a horse track and a casino. Brunetti had a cancerous lung removed in mid-year. It was his third major… [continue reading]
Is sports betting about to go mainstream? Bet on itBy Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press • December 6, 2017LAS VEGAS (AP) – Jimmy Vaccaro has been taking – and dispensing – money in this city’s sports books for the better part of 43 years. Until this week, he thought he’d seen just about everything in a business that’s… [continue reading]
It’s Too Soon to Start High-Fiving Over Legal Sports BettingBy Vic Salerno, Special to CDC Gaming Reports • December 5, 2017As a long-time casino sports book industry executive, I am amazed by the exuberance of the gaming media and my professional associates regarding the possible repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). It is now… [continue reading]
Like Most Sports Controversies, the Supreme Court Gambling Case Is About Money and ControlBy Charles P. Pierce, Sports Illustrated • December 5, 2017WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the off moments when they weren’t shooting the King’s soldiers, dumping crates of tea into harbors and otherwise committing treason, the Founding Fathers were quite the bunch of gambling men. They all bet the ponies. (In… [continue reading]
Cheating queen eluded law, escaped the Black Book, wound up working for casinoBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • December 4, 2017Take one look at Nevada’s Black Book, and you’d understandably conclude that casino cheating is almost exclusively a man’s game. With a single exception, it’s a frat house filled with mob associates and muckers. Of the cross-roaders and hoodlums who… [continue reading]
Reaction From Today’s Supreme Court Oral Arguments on Christie v. NCAABy Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • December 4, 2017Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on New Jersey’s challenge (Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association) to the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This law largely bans sports wagering outside Nevada, prevents the… [continue reading]
Sports Betting: Rethinking Some Old and Cherished PositionsBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • December 3, 2017The Supreme Court is hearing a case in December that may well lead to legalized sports gambling in many states. As the hearing nears, a chorus of voices advocating an end to a federal ban on sports betting are singing… [continue reading]
How Geoff Freeman and the AGA led the gaming industry to the Supreme CourtBy Jeffrey Compton, CDC Gaming Reports • December 3, 2017Monday morning the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS, to its close friends) will hear Christie v. NCAA, the most important gaming industry case in three decades. Not since California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians could a SCOTUS… [continue reading]
NFL squandering chance to force President Trump to kneel on gambling case and be on side of fansBy Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports • December 1, 2017The NFL can’t get out of its own way of late, feuding with its players, feuding with its fans, feuding with wedge-seeking politicians and, of course, feuding among itself. So it’s of little surprise it will do the same Monday, getting… [continue reading]
Ahead of SCOTUS Hearing, Momentum Continues to Grow for Legalized, Regulated Sports BettingBy Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • November 30, 2017On Monday, December 4, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on New Jersey’s challenge (Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association) to the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. This law effectively bans… [continue reading]
The Supreme Court should let states set their own sports gambling lawsBy George F. Will, The Washington Post • November 29, 2017American democracy’s comic opera frequently features collaborations of “bootleggers and Baptists.” These entertainments are so named because during Prohibition, Baptists thought banning Demon Rum would improve public morals (oh, well) and bootleggers favored the ban because it made scarce a… [continue reading]
Pequots try to avoid paying state on ‘simulated’ slotsBy David Collins, The Day • November 29, 2017You would think the Mashantucket Pequots, while trying to finesse the establishment of a new Connecticut off-reservation commercial casino, would play nice with the state. After all, the failure by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to sign off on… [continue reading]
Editorial: Let voters be heard on deadly dog racesBy Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale • November 29, 2017It’s time to ban dog racing in Florida. Why? Consider this. You’re running a foot race at 40 mph when your feet tangle with a competitor’s. The emergency room awaits you both, then a long convalescence. No human runs nearly… [continue reading]
Editorial: Sports gambling’s a sure bet for futureBy The Plattsburgh Press-Republican • November 29, 2017Sports betting will be coming to New York state – eventually, if not immediately. The time to debate the morality of it passed long ago. As the Press-Republican reported, it looks very much as if sports betting will reach state… [continue reading]
Connecticut Indian casinos could feel competitionBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • November 28, 2017In many regions of the U.S., Native American casinos got the jump on potential commercial competitors. That’s because tribes began opening casinos with bingo-style Class II games soon after President Reagan signed the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act in 1988. Some… [continue reading]
The U.S. Supreme Court Is Set to Decide on Sports Gambling. Is the NFL Ready for the Result?By Andrew Brandt, Sports Illustrated • November 28, 2017Having taught sports law for many years, I am well aware of the rarity of sports-related cases that reach the United States Supreme Court, a number that can be counted on one hand. Well, we can add one to this… [continue reading]
Sports betting, cellphones and a wedding cake: Three cases that make December a blockbuster month for the Supreme CourtBy Marcia Coyle, PBS Newshour • November 27, 2017Sports betting, cellphones and a wedding cake are at the center of three potential blockbuster challenges that the U.S. Supreme Court will examine during its December round of arguments. Since John Roberts Jr. became chief justice in 2005, just a… [continue reading]
Las Vegas should get serious about a museum for its great entertainersBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 27, 2017The great Della Reese joined the angels last week and took with her a piece of the soul of the best of Las Vegas. She was 86. If the masses remember Reese these days, it’s likely because of her role… [continue reading]
Can Macau Casinos Sustain Las Vegas-Style Entertainment?By Rob Kachelriess, Vegas Seven • November 27, 2017The biggest show in Macau looks a lot like something you might find in Las Vegas. Running at least five nights a week at Melco Crown Entertainment’s City of Dreams resort on the Cotai Strip, The House of Dancing Water… [continue reading]
Nevada Gaming Policy panel to look at recreational marijuanaBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • November 26, 2017The state Gaming Policy Committee is going to pot this week as top gaming policymakers, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, will discuss whether there’s a possible point of entry for recreational marijuana among Nevada’s tourism assets. It’s going to be a… [continue reading]
The Joys of Living in China’s ShadowBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 24, 2017Macau is an intriguing casino destination filled with gamblers, scammers and legal uncertainty. The casinos generate significantly more casino revenue than any other place on earth. Macau gaming revenues are forecasted to hit $36 billion in 2018; that is three… [continue reading]
You’re looking live at Brent Musburger in a sports bookBy Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press • November 24, 2017LAS VEGAS (AP) – The wink and nod are no longer needed. Neither are the euphemisms Brent Musburger liked to use on network television for those who might have a dollar or two bet on whatever game he happened to… [continue reading]
Seminoles on gambling expansion: Hold. That. Line!By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • November 21, 2017It’s football season, so let’s use football terms to look Florida gambling: the Seminole Tribe of Florida had a successful summer of playing offense. Now it’s time to invest in defense. Earlier this summer, the tribe and Florida Governor Rick… [continue reading]
Wynn-Okada legal fight moves forward as attorneys move to seal, redact recordsBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 20, 2017For a civil battle pitting two of the gaming industry’s biggest names and involving one of the world’s best-known casino companies, the warring parties in the Steve Wynn-Kazuo Okada litigation sure appear interested in maintaining their privacy. Wynn Resorts Ltd…. [continue reading]
When Will the First New Casino Open in Pennsylvania?By Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 17, 2017Pennsylvania is to have more casinos, but it is anyone’s guess when they will open. On October 30th, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill to increase gambling dramatically in the Keystone State. The bill was part of the legislation… [continue reading]
Las Vegas rolls the dice and comes up a winnerBy Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press • November 17, 2017LAS VEGAS (AP) – This was a sight no self-respecting bookie in this gambling town would have ever laid odds on seeing. There was Roger Goodell, praising Las Vegas with the lights of the glittering Strip shining brightly behind him…. [continue reading]
Optics of BC money laundering scandal problematic for casinosBy Aaron Stanley, CDC Gaming Reports • November 16, 2017Casinos may be bearing a disproportionate share of the blame in a massive money laundering scandal that has ensnared British Columbia in recent months, but the incident demonstrates how easy it is for the industry to be pinned as the… [continue reading]
Social gaming: An appetizer to the main course?By Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • November 16, 2017We know that social gaming (online games that involve a social network) still has plenty of unexplored territory. We also know that to be a successful casino in the future, you’re going to have social casino gaming in your mix…. [continue reading]
When success can be too much of a good thingBy Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, Tottenham & Co • November 15, 2017What do Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Australia have in common? Answer: they all have experienced a significant public push back against a proliferation of gaming machines. This is hardly surprising, given the extraordinary density of… [continue reading]
Listening in on the CSR UproarBy Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports • November 15, 2017The issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is receiving an almost unprecedented degree of focus at the moment in the UK gaming industry. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has made examples of several major operators, levying some significant seven-figure fines…. [continue reading]
Deal the Deck, Forget the Past, Fear the Future in MacauBy Shelly Banjo, Bloomberg Gadfly • November 14, 2017No hotshot gambler tells epic stories about losing money. It’s the winning hand people want to hear about. But blocking out memories of preventable miscalculations also blocks out learning from them. That’s happening with Macau’s casino operators, which are enjoying… [continue reading]
Can sinners save Pennsylvania? Lawmakers gambling on itBy Justine McDaniel, Philly.com • November 14, 2017The solution to your problems is never alcohol, they say — and probably not smoking or gambling, either. Unless, that is, you’re the Pennsylvania legislature. The passage of the state’s most major gambling expansion since casinos marked the third time in less than… [continue reading]
First annual Sports Betting USA Conference is right on timeBy Justin Martin, CDC Gaming Reports • November 14, 2017If sports are an elemental part of being human – and, considering the human urges toward achieving, competing, and winnning, it seems fair to conclude that they are, at least on some intrinsic level, then betting on sporting competitions probably… [continue reading]
Despite denial, story of Wynn delivering letter from Chinese to Trump picks up steamBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 13, 2017The story was filled with international intrigue and punctuated with a flat denial. Did Las Vegas casino king Steve Wynn play letter courier on behalf of the Chinese government with his friend, President Donald Trump? The news came from The… [continue reading]
A New Mayor Proclaims A New Era In Atlantic CityBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • November 12, 2017While the voters in New Jersey selected a new governor, the citizens of Atlantic City selected a new mayor. Immediately after being elected mayor, Frank Gilliam proclaimed a new era for the city. The Democrat mayor-elect is replacing the unlucky… [continue reading]
Mainers too smart for casino scamBy Jim Fossel, CentralMaine.com • November 12, 2017Congratulations, fellow Mainers. I knew you could do it. While other results of Election Day this year might have been disappointing, it was extremely gratifying to see the flawed York County casino proposal go down to a historic, lopsided defeat…. [continue reading]
Pirates give way to one-armed bandits In MacauBy Bob Schulman, Huffington Post • November 11, 2017Our jet-powered ferry backs out of the dock at Hong Kong with a giant WHOOOOSH, then straightens out for the 40-mile run down the Chinese coast to Macau. I’d made the trip before, back in the 80s when the ferries… [continue reading]
Why GOP-led Iowa doesn’t support free market for casinosBy B. A. Morelli, The Gazette • November 11, 2017CEDAR RAPIDS — Much of American industry is based on a free market where competition spurs better products and lower prices and determines which businesses thrive or fail. Why, some wonder, in the increasingly red state of Iowa where Republicans… [continue reading]
Seminole Hard Rock’s older sister: it’s a Classic among localsBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • November 8, 2017It takes an average of 2 minutes and 18 seconds for a slot player to place a drink order at the Seminole Classic casino, Larry Buck says. If you hit a major jackpot ($1,200 or more), which freezes your machine,… [continue reading]
Casino revenue should give N.Y. cause to pauseBy Poughkeepsie Journal • November 7, 2017Even before New York officials got sensible and went with the legal route to expand casino operations, they were basing their financial expectations on rosy projections. At one point, in fact, they were pitching as many as three casinos for… [continue reading]
New Mexico educator lived large in Vegas at expense of his charter schoolsBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • November 7, 2017Southern Nevada’s professional educators and administrators regularly search for new ideas to improve our struggling school system. But even their most aggressive inquiries at the headquarters of Media Learning Solutions of Las Vegas wouldn’t have given them much insight into… [continue reading]
Atlantic City can have market big enough for more casinosBy Press of Atlantic City Staff • November 5, 2017People spend a lot of time looking for problems to avoid or warn others about. That’s human nature because it often is beneficial. But it also results in overlooking opportunities, which can be as harmful as any problem. Some now… [continue reading]
State legislators ponder maximizing revenues, competition from neighborsBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • November 2, 2017Because almost all gambling decisions in the U.S. are made at the state level, not the federal level, legislators across the country face different situations when it comes to deciding what is best for their state. But there’s one thing… [continue reading]
The Golden Knights, live gambling and the future of live sports attendanceBy Jesse Lawrence, TechCrunch • November 1, 2017One of the biggest early season NHL stories has been the success of the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights. Not only are the Golden Knights off to an 8-2 start, but they also rank in the top 10 of the… [continue reading]
VGT group frustrated by restrictions in Pennsylvania billBy Mark Gruetze, CDC Gaming Reports • November 1, 2017After years of rancorous debate, Pennsylvania has legalized video gaming terminals outside casinos – sort of. A far-reaching gaming expansion bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Tom Wolf limits VGTs to large truck stops, with no more than five… [continue reading]
Fixed-odds betting crackdown will barely restrict the bookmakersBy Greg Wood, The Guardian • October 31, 2017When the department for digital, culture, media and sport finally announced a range of options for the new maximum stake in fixed odds betting terminals on Tuesday, the most interesting alternative was arguably the one that wasn’t there. The stake… [continue reading]
NOkada ManilaBy Muhammad Cohen, Inside Asian Gaming • October 31, 2017After years of controversy, it all seemed to be coming together for Okada Manila, the brainchild of Universal Entertainment Corp founder Kazuo Okada. The biggest integrated resort project in the Philippine capital’s burgeoning Entertainment City district opened last December with… [continue reading]
25 Years Of PASPA — The Future Of Sports Betting In AmericaBy Tony Batt, Gambling Compliance • October 31, 2017No matter what happens in the U.S. Supreme Court, there appears to be a consensus in the gambling industry that sports betting will expand in the future, and the court’s ruling may set the guidelines on how the expansion unfolds…. [continue reading]
Continuing to learn about the pluses and perils of legalizing sports bettingBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 30, 2017In Australia and Great Britain, sports betting is not only legal, taxed and regulated, but experiencing a variety of stresses that won’t be foreign to the U.S. if the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act gets repealed and states are… [continue reading]
Dated Louisiana gambling laws are up for game-changing discussions, law changesBy The Advocate Staff • October 30, 2017After more than 25 years of legal gaming in Louisiana, the casino industry is well-established, and there is a reasonable case to be made for updating the laws that govern the mostly permanently docked “riverboat” gambling facilities. The Legislature established… [continue reading]
Debate over Pa.’s online slot tax rate has familiar ringBy Mark Gruetze, CDC Gaming Reports • October 29, 2017Pennsylvania’s plan for a hefty tax on online slots echoes a line of reasoning familiar to gamblers. “This bet paid off big before,” the logic goes. “Let’s do it again!” A proposal to allow iGaming, several additional casinos, and various… [continue reading]
Steve Wynn provides showstopper in quarterly earnings callBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • October 29, 2017The Encore Theatre at Wynn Las Vegas once had a production show called “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers,” which closed in 2016. Wynn had a showstopper of his own last week when he had a captive audience of analysts and investors tuned… [continue reading]
Losing the Paddle Wheel and the CaptainBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 27, 2017Riverboat gaming is undergoing change, evolving away from its beginning. Riverboat gambling states are revisiting the legislation and regulations hoping to make the casinos safer and more competitive. Riverboats are the product of difficult financial conditions in the late 1980s… [continue reading]
25 Years Of PASPA — Senate debate on sports betting still resonates todayBy Tony Batt, Gambling Compliance • October 27, 2017Only one current U.S. senator voted against the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), and his arguments during the Senate debate seem remarkably relevant 25 years later as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to consider New Jersey’s appeal against… [continue reading]
25 years of PASPA — the history of sports betting in AmericaBy Tony Batt, Gambling Compliance • October 26, 2017Betting has played a significant albeit overlooked role in American history, and an upcoming ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could signal a new era of influence for an industry eager to expand its footprint. Americans are a “people of… [continue reading]
Innovation: Casinos need to put some skin in the game, tooBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • October 25, 2017Yes, it’s in the best interest of GameCo for a culture to develop that favors innovation among alternative game developers and operators, company president Blaine Graboyes admits. But it also behooves the casinos, who are seeking solutions to a flat… [continue reading]
Las Vegas tragedy sent seismic reverberations through Southern California, tooBy John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports • October 24, 2017I experienced much of the aftermath of the nightmare of 1 October at a distance. A family medical issue sent me to Southern California just a few hours after the horrific event. Driving south on Interstate 15 while it seemed… [continue reading]
AGA Highlights Tribal Gaming’s Positive Economic ImpactBy Geoff Freeman, President, American Gaming Association • October 23, 2017Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in our first Get to Know Gaming Event with AGA’s Tribal gaming partners in Oklahoma City. As you know, this series of events convenes the gaming industry, small businesses that benefit from… [continue reading]
Illinois VLTs Now Exceed Casinos in Taxes GeneratedBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 21, 2017Illinois has just seen a changing of the guard; in fiscal year 2017 VLT tax revenue exceeded that of the state’s ten casinos for the first time. The change has been a long time coming, but it is here to… [continue reading]
A small town cools down, a big league city heats upBy David G. Schwartz, Green Felt Journal, Vegas Seven • October 19, 2017It’s that time of year again: the mercury drops below 100 degrees. The summer, once so terrible, slinks off, toothless. We know that it will be back next May, just as strong, but we can feel a small bit of… [continue reading]
Skill-based games highlighted G2EBy Elliot Frome, Gaming Today • October 18, 2017One of the hot topics of this year’s Global Gaming Expo was skill-based games. For those of us in the industry for a while, we find the notion that skill-based gaming is a new concept to be misleading. Casinos have… [continue reading]
When to Drop Print Advertising from Your Marketing StrategyBy Mark Astone, Strategic Raving Partner • October 18, 2017During a recent internal meeting here at our agency, I posed the following question to the group, “Who has actually read a newspaper in the last 30 days? Not an online version, but an actual printed paper.” I wasn’t shocked… [continue reading]
Slot traditionalists, take note: Nostalgia isn’t going anywhereBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • October 17, 2017If there were a statute of limitation on slot themes, the Global Gaming Expo floor at the Sands Expo and Convention Center would have had some gaping holes earlier this month. Despite all the hue and cry about marketing for… [continue reading]
Report from Sonoma CountyBy John Broughton, CDC Gaming Reports • October 15, 2017Publisher’s Note: John Broughton, our copy editor (as well as my friend for almost 50 years) send us this update from Windsor, California Joan and I live in Windsor, a suburban town with a population about 27,000. The town is… [continue reading]
Vegas Strong isn’t just a hashtag. It’s proof of what we’ve becomeBy Geoff Carter, Las Vegas Weekly • October 14, 2017We were not ready. When news of the terrorist-led events of September 11, 2001 reached Las Vegas, we reacted the best we could: We shut down the airport, organized charitable events and vigils, draped the casinos in the colors of… [continue reading]
Point Spreads Do Affect the Outcomes in SportsBy Aaron Brown, Bloomberg • October 11, 2017The University of California college football team trailed the University of Washington 38 to 7 this past weekend with one second left on the clock and facing a fourth-down-and-twenty-one. When there’s no chance of winning, coaches usually either “take a… [continue reading]
Global Gaming Gets Unique CoverageBy Ken Adams, CDC Gaming Reports • October 11, 2017The 2017 version of Global Gaming Expo, G2E ended on October 5, 2017. By all accounts it was a success, even in the face of the carnage at the Route 91 Harvest concert. In that attack 58 people were killed… [continue reading]
How gambling in bars is holding up a budget deal for Pa.By Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board • October 11, 2017The budget stalemate in Pennsylvania isn’t about taxing gas extraction. That’s not going to happen this year. It isn’t about getting the state out of the liquor business. The State Stores workers’ union is too strong. Nor is it about… [continue reading]
Busted glass and low attendance, but the dream still shines through at Florida City Jai-AlaiBy Nick Sortal, CDC Gaming Reports • October 10, 2017The new jai-alai court where southern Miami intersects with the Florida Keys has been deserted for a couple of months now, and it’s not related to any hurricane. Kings Court, the new facility in Florida City, has already served its… [continue reading]
The Shooter GamblerBy Anthony Curtis, Las Vegas Advisor • October 9, 2017During the past week, speculation about Strip shooter Stephen Paddock’s gambling proclivities took front and center in this saga for about two days. I’m in the rolodexes of some of the big media outlets and the calls started coming on… [continue reading]
Caesars bankruptcy battle, waged for 2½ years, is overBy Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal • October 8, 2017Hail, Caesar! That bankruptcy battle that has gone on for 2½ years has ended. Not since the Battle of Alesia in the Gallic Wars has such a fight been waged by a Caesar. “This was a knockdown, drag-out fight,” said… [continue reading]
A certainty, and some speculations and opinions about last Sunday eveningBy Jeffrey Compton, CDC Gaming Reports • October 7, 2017As almost everyone knows, the CDC Gaming Reports editorial team and I were chest-deep at G2E last week, but that did not prevent me from continually reading, hearing, watching and thinking about the tragedy of Sunday evening on the south… [continue reading]
What I Liked about G2E 2017By Bob Dancer, CDC Gaming Reports • October 7, 2017I’m a video poker player, so what I examine at gaming shows is new video poker. Naturally, at a gaming show, I look at different things than I would in a casino. In a casino, I’m aware of pay schedule,… [continue reading]
What, If Anything, Does Stephen Paddock’s Gambling Have to Do With the Las Vegas Shooting?By Steve Freiss, Daily Intelligencer • October 6, 2017He was a dedicated — addicted? — gambler who tethered himself for hours at a time to high-stakes video poker slot games known for their 99.17 percent “hold.” He was also a heavy drinker, known to demand high-end cognac and… [continue reading]
Avoiding the Security DogpileBy Richard W. Munchkin, CDC Gaming Reports • October 6, 2017It is a nightmare for any casino operator. Security goes to evict someone on the property. Maybe the patron has been drinking, gets belligerent., and refuses to leave. Security grabs him, he pushes back, and the next thing you know… [continue reading]
