Sports Betting Goes to Congress
The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigation will review the state of the sports betting industry in the U.S. and come up with recommendations for Congressional action, if any. The wild card is a possible request from testimony from Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson (l.), who is well known to be opposed to online gaming.
New Jersey Pledges Fight Against Illegal Online Sports Betting
David Rebuck (l.), the head of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement, testified before the state legislature last week, telling that that all the applications for sports betting licenses have been granted, but any future applications will be vetted strongly.
FanDuel Pays $82K Sports Betting Payout Despite Odds Glitch
FanDuel’s New Jersey sports book will pay an $82,000 winning ticket to a Newark man even though a computer glitch allowed the bet to be issued at over inflated odds. FanDuel said it decided to make the payment after meeting with New Jersey regulators. The player bet on the Denver Broncos to win late in the team’s recent game against the Oakland Raiders.
Washington State Joins 15 Countries Opposing Video Game Loot Boxes
Regulators in Washington State have joined with 15 European countries to work together to re-classify video games featuring loot boxes under gambling regulations.
Knights, William Hill Ink First NHL Partnership
The advertising and cross-promotional agreement between the bookmaking giant and the Vegas Golden Knights is wide-ranging and includes the display of league-wide odds on the T-Mobile Arena’s giant video board. It could be the template for partnerships with betting operators across the NHL.
Pennsylvania Awards Online Casino Licenses to Penn National and SugarHouse Casino
Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board has approved online gaming licenses for SugarHouse casino (l.) in Philadelphia and Penn National’s Hollywood casino. The two casinos were the fourth and fifth to receive official approval by the state, behind Parx, Harrah’s and Mount Airy.
Westgate’s Vegas SuperBook Going National
Since it opened at the former Las Vegas Hilton in 1986, the SuperBook (l.) has been regarded by locals as the best of breed in sports wagering. For the Westgate and operating partner Paragon Gaming, that’s a good bet for expanding the brand nationally.
Pennsylvania Casinos Ponder Sports Betting
So far, only two of Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos, Penn National’s Penn National Race Course and Parx Casino (l.) outside of Philadelphia, have opted for licenses to operate sports betting, while experts and pundits predict who the most likely next licensees will be.
American Gaming Association Announces 2018 Gaming Hall of Fame Honorees
Peter M. Carlino (l.), Richard Haddrill, Philip P. Hannifin and Steven Perskie will be presented with industry’s highest honor at G2E next month. The four are the latest class to be inducted into the prestigious American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame.
MGM Springfield Roars out of the Gate
The long-awaited $960 MGM Springfield enjoyed a remarkably lucrative first week, bringing in almost $9.5 million, and welcoming 150,000 visitors the first three days. MGM President Michael Mathis called the opening “tremendously successful.”
Bay State’s Wynn Probe Comes to Vegas
Investigators with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission were in the Las Vegas last week gathering information about Steve Wynn (l.) and his former company, and could release their findings by the end of the month. A separate investigation by the Nevada Gaming Control Board is also wrapping up and could be made public soon after.
MGM Resorts Buys Hard Rock Operations in Ohio
MGM Resorts has purchased the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. This allows MGM to enter the lucrative Ohio market for the first time, and possibly take advantage of sports gaming should the Buckeye state legalize it. MGM Growth Properties bought the real estate of the Rocksino in July for just over a billion dollars.
