Icahn Says He Won’t Sell Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal
Carl Icahn says Atlantic City’s closed Trump Taj Mahal casino is not for sale, but he does plan to surrender the casino license for the property under a new state law. New Jersey has passed a law designed to specifically keep Icahn from re-opening the casino as a non-union shop. Icahn closed the property in October after a long, unresolved labor battle.
Georgia Legislators Likely To Reconsider Casinos
Georgia state Rep. Ron Stephens (l.) said he will introduce a bill that would change the state constitution to allow casino gambling and up to four casinos, including two in Atlanta, with revenue going to the HOPE scholarship fund. Last year he presented a similar but it died after House Speaker David Ralston postponed a vote.
N.Y. Court Rebuffs Casino Opponents
A citizens group opposed to New York’s new del Lago Resort & Casino (l.) have lost a court challenge to delay the project over environmental concerns. The $440 million property, the second of four commercial casinos coming to the state, is set to open February 1.
Baazov Ends Amaya Bid
Amaya Inc.’s founder David Baazov (l.) announced he has ended talks on his $4.1 billion bid to take Amaya private saying some shareholders in the company were seeking too high a price. Baazov made the bid in November. Including debt and transaction costs, the deal was valued at $6.7 billion.
Pro Sports Leagues, NCAA Respond to New Jersey’s Sports Betting Appeal
The four major sports leagues and the NCAA have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing New Jersey’s appeal to allow sports betting. The leagues and NCAA have been in opposition to the state’s attempts to get around a federal ban on sports betting for several years and have sued to stop sports betting legalization in the state.
Judge Rules Indian Online Bingo Unlawful
Operating an online bingo site at the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel reservation violates the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) a federal judge ruled last week. The tribe tried to be the first in California to operate online gaming.
Virtual Reality, a Looming Game Changer
Forget eSports, social casinos or skill games, virtual reality and augmented reality could be the future of the gaming industry. Already the darling of millennials, VR/AR should liven up a flat casino gaming landscape in the near future.
FIFA Extends Sanctions for Match Manipulation
FIFA has extended sanctions against two officials and five players from England, Korea DPR and Laos respectively for match manipulation and betting activity.
Group Cautions Swiss On Online Gambling Blocks
A technology federation is warning Swiss officials that moves under consideration to block illegal online gambling sites in the county could backfire and threaten online security. The move could also lead to the blocking of sites not involved in online gaming, the group said.
Ladbrokes Offers Inspired Gaming Mobile Titles
Inspired Gaming’s portfolio of HTML5 mobile slot games is now available to iGaming sites hosted by British operator Ladbrokes Coral Group.
Nevada Congresswoman Asks Pence to Oppose RAWA
Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (l.) has responded to a letter by 10 state attorneys general sent to Vice President-elect Mike Pence opposing online gambling and urged the incoming Trump administration to oppose RAWA and any online gambling ban. The move comes as many analysts feel supporters of RAWA will try to get legislation passed in the lame duck session of Congress. Also, a new anti-online gambling bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
PPA Blasts Pennsylvania Senator’s iGaming Misconceptions
The Poker Players Alliance has criticized a November letter to the state Assembly from state Senator Robert Tomlinson (l.) that repeated misconceptions about iGaming.
