Nebraska Casino Petition On Hold
In Nebraska, the coronavirus has forced organizers of a petition drive to legalize casinos to stop collecting signatures to place the issue on the November ballot. But organizers said they’ve already gathered a large portion of the 121,000 signatures that will be required by the July 2 deadline. Lance Morgan, president and chief executive officer […]
Colorado Hopes for May 1 Sports Betting Launch
Colorado regulators still hope to launch sports betting on May 1, coronavirus or not. Whether that target is met in the face of the coronavirus pandemic will likely be decided next month. “We’re still moving everything forward as far a licensing and everything to make sure we reach that May 1 date and are able […]
California Sportsbook Initiative Pulled Until 2022
In light of the coronavirus emergency a consortium of 18 gaming tribes in California have sheltered-in-place their efforts to qualify an initiative for the November ballot that would give Golden State voters the chance to legalize sports betting but would limit it to gaming tribes and racetracks. Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home […]
Illinois Casino Closures Extended
On Friday, March 20, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker issued an executive order to “stay at home” through April 7 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Illinois Gaming Board extended its order requiring all casinos and video gaming terminals to shut down through April 8. Originally the gaming commission shut down […]
PA County Uses Casino Taxes to Help Local Companies
Pennsylvania’s Bucks County is acting to help local tourism and hospitality companies that have been hardest-hit by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority announced a “rapid response loan program” that will use gaming revenue taxes collected from the local Parx Casino to provide emergency zero-interest loans to eligible tourism and hospitality companies […]
Tribes Reject Settlement Offer From Oklahoma Governor
In a letter to state tribes, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt proposed a deal to end the standoff about gaming compacts. The compacts expired on December 31, 2019, and Stitt wants them renegotiated. The tribes claim the compacts renewed automatically, setting up this showdown. Stitt asked for 5 percent of gross gaming revenues. Last year the […]
Penn National Sells Trop Las Vegas to GLPI
Penn National Gaming announced last week a coronavirus survival plan that includes the sale of the Tropicana Las Vegas and a planned casino in Pennsylvania. The buyer is Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. (GLPI), the company’s main real estate investment trust (REIT) partner. Penn National CEO Jay Snowden, who recently succeeded Tim Wilmott in the […]
Nevada Braces for ‘Unprecedented’ Impact
Nevada’s tourism-dependent economy has weathered its share of 21st century crises the dot-com crash, 9/11, the global financial meltdown and the Great Recession that followed and the 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. None of them compares to the destructive whirlwind of Covid-19. The Nevada Resort Association, the gaming industry’s lobbying arm, described […]
AC Could Face Long Climb Back
On March 16, by order of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Atlantic City’s nine casinos shut their doors—not for a few days to weather a hurricane, but for two weeks or more to ride out the nationwide Covid-19 outbreak. The precautions were necessary to protect visitors and employees,” said Rummy Pandit, executive director of the […]
eSports Replace Real Ones in Viral Era
Sports of all sorts have disappeared during the coronavirus pandemic, games postponed or cancelled around the world. MLB, NBA, NHL, FIFA, all gone, leaving emptiness in much of the public psyche, a symbol of a lack of normalcy. When the time comes next month, two months, six months from now that major sports returns, with […]
BetConstruct Offers Live Streaming of Casino Games
U.K.-based digital gaming supplier BetConstruct announced it is offering land-based casinos its services to live-stream casino games during the coronavirus crisis, to help offset the damage caused by mandated casino closures. “The response actions to COVID-19 outbreak cause massive shutdowns of gambling hotspots for the safety of both visitors and casino employees leading to significant […]
WSOP Holds Out Hope for 2020 Events
Although most of the U.S. gaming world is shut down due to the coronavirus, the World Series of Poker is still holding out hope that the tournament will begin May 23 in Las Vegas. WSOP is still making preparations to begin the tournament at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. WSOP Vice […]
