California Sports Betting Petitioners Stop Effort
Proponents for a measure that would legalize sports betting in tribal casinos and racetracks in California have stopped collecting signatures, after nearly reaching the threshold for the November ballot. The coalition of 18 tribal casinos and racetracks in the Golden State were forced to stop by Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order shutting down the state […]
Will Tennessee Tax Turn Off Sportsbooks?
For Tennessee, getting sports betting signed, sealed and delivered was a long time coming. But the arrival of the first mobile-only system faces a hurdle in competition with neighboring states: a 10 percent hold on all wagers. When the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. board of directors unanimously approved the final betting rules in a telephone […]
Tribes Line Up to Sue Over Covid-19 Relief
Several tribes have sued the U.S. Treasury Department to prevent any of the $8 billion Covid-19 relief under the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act legislation earmarked for federally-recognized tribes from being disbursed to Alaska’s Native corporations. Tribes that filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. last week included the Tulalip Tribes […]
WSOP Postponed Until Fall
After weeks of will-they-or-won’t-they, organizers finally postponed the annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The 51st annual tournament—the country’s single largest live poker event—was scheduled to run from May 26 to July 15. The tourney will take place sometime in the fall instead, another victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Besides its size, the […]
PA’s Wolf Announces Reopening Plan
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a plan to reopen the commonwealth, including the 12 casinos that have been shut down since mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In an address to citizens on April 17, Wolf called on the state legislature to pass several relief measures for businesses and individuals as the state gradually reopens […]
Las Vegas Operators Look to a Cautious Reopening
A partial reopening of Nevada’s economy, including the all-important casino industry, could come in the early days of May, although state officials and industry leaders both stress that nothing is certain without reasonable assurances that the Covid-19 pandemic is containable. Last week, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman sparked widespread criticism and outright ridicule for her […]
Virginia Lawmakers Approve Amendments
The Virginia General Assembly recently convened for one day to consider gambling legislation amendments focusing on electronic skill games, casino revenue and sports betting. The most controversial proposal concerned the thousands of electronic games of skill that have sprung up across the state. Governor Ralph Northam had supported a ban on the unregulated, untaxed games […]
Oklahoma AG: New Tribal Compacts Invalid
In an elaborate ceremony on April 21, officials of the Comanche Nation and Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma signed new gaming compacts that allow them to offer sports betting and banked table games like blackjack at their casinos in the state. Governor Kevin Stitt said in a statement, “The new compacts recognize the sovereign rights of […]
U.S. Race Tracks Await State Go-Aheads
For sports betting to succeed, you have to have sports to bet on. Since the coronavirus knocked professional and college games out of commission, U.S. sportsbooks have offered wagers on everything from Belarus soccer and English darts to sumo wrestling and table tennis. But some traditional sports remain. A handful of racetracks still run horses […]
Idaho Casino To Be First to Reopen
The Coeur d’Alene tribe of Idaho last week announced it would reopen its casino on May 1, becoming the first casino to reopen in the U.S. since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. The casino closed on March 20, five days before the order from Idaho Governor Brad Little issued a stay-at-home order, which expires […]
SBA Opens Door to Smaller Gaming Companies
It was good news for small U.S. casinos last Friday as the Trump administration revised guidelines to allow small casinos hit by the coronavirus to get small business loans. The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that size-eligible small gaming entities can participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to TheHill.com, in the initial package, […]
Twin River Buys Casinos In AC, Louisiana & Nevada
Twin River Worldwide Holdings expanded its portfolio last week, announcing plans to buy casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The trio of deals constitutes a major expansion of Twin River, which currently owns and manages seven gaming halls in four states: two in its home state of Rhode Island, […]
