DraftKings to Sponsor WPT Event
DraftKings is returning as a sponsor for the World Poker Tour and will sponsor the Season XVI WPT European Championship in Berlin, Germany in January 2018. DraftKings had been a major sponsor of WPT events through 2012.
Betfred.com Adds Scientific Games Titles
SG Interactive, a division of Scientific Games Corporation announced that Betfred.com has added Scientific Games’ interactive games portfolio, including MONOPOLY Big Event (l.), on its Betfred.com website in a new partnership.
Aristocrat Hooks Big Fish
Australia’s Aristocrat Leisure will acquire Big Fish Games, a unit of Churchill Downs Inc., for $990 million. The company announced it is making the acquisition to increase its social gaming footprint. Churchill Downs Board has approved the sale.
Penn, Pinnacle Talk Deal
Reports several week ago about a possible purchase of Pinnacle Entertainment by Penn National Gaming is true. The Wall Street Journal last week reported that talks were ongoing and a deal could be reached within weeks.
Sports Betting Battle Begins
Eyes of the industry, government and law enforcement officials focus on the United States Supreme Court as arguments are heard in New Jersey’s challenge to the U.S. sports betting ban on Monday. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (l.) is getting ahead of the game, calling for a federal law that will set up a framework for states to legalize the wager.
Support Grows for Third Connecticut Casino
Federal lawmaker, Rep. John B. Larson (l.), has thrown his weight into trying to persuade the Department of the Interior to issue a ruling making it possible for Connecticut’s two gaming tribes to open a commercial casino in East Windsor. Larson says he has been too busy fighting a Republican tax bill to write a letter to the Department before this.
Caesars REIT Buys Harrah’s Las Vegas
The $1.4 billion sale of Harrah’s Las Vegas (l.) to VICI Properties lands Caesars more than 18 prime Strip acres for a new convention center and the bulk of the funds for the acquisition of two Indiana racinos. Caesars will continue to operate Harrah’s on a lease from VICI.
Pennsylvania County Seeks Mini-Casinos
Lawrence County in Western Pennsylvania, which has been seeking a casino since the state legalized casinos in 2004, is actively promoting itself as a mini-casino location. Previous plans to build a racetrack and casino (l.) went nowhere.
New Jersey Senate Leader Wants to Block State Payment for Trump Plaza Demolition
New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney (l.) is calling for the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to deny a payment of $5.6 million to help fund demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino. The closed casino is owned by billionaire Carl Icahn, who is seeking casino reinvestment funds to offset part of the $13.2 million cost to demolish a hotel tower at the site.
Wynn Boston Harbor Completing Environmental Cleanup
It’s rare for a big business like Wynn to undertake a hugely expensive environmental cleanup of a site (l.) such as the Wynn Boston Harbor. It’s a cleanup that will leave the Mystic River shoreline cleaner than it has been in 200 years.
Strip Shooting: High Court Ruling Has MGM in the Hot Seat
Not only is gaming giant MGM Resorts certain to be deluged with claims from victims of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Now a panel of the Nevada Supreme Court has issued a ruling in a 5-year-old assault case that dents the company’s defense that the massacre was “unforeseeable.” Meanwhile, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani (l.) wants to ban all traffic from the Strip.
Wynn-Okada Battle Heading to Trial
A Nevada judge says Wynn Resorts will have to prove to a jury that it acted properly five years ago when it forcibly redeemed Kazuo Okada’s 20 percent stake in the company in the process of ousting him from the board of directors. Okada wants the shares back, plus $1 billion in damages.
