New Year Brings Plenty of New Poker Tournaments
Do you love poker? New Jersey’s online poker sites have a whole lotta action for you this month. First up: PokerStars NJ’s Winter Series tournament event. The special series runs from January 18 to January 26, and includes 21 tournaments with $300,000 in total prize-pool guarantees. Highlights include: $60,000 guaranteed Winter Series Main Event on […]
Divine Fortune Does It Again!
By now, this story has a familiar ring to it: a Northampton County, Pennsylvania firefighter and former Marine just won a life-changing jackpot, playing Divine Fortune at PlaySugarHouse.com. The winner, who preferred to remain anonymous, hit the first jackpot of 2020—betting $100, and winning more than $129,000. “We’re just buying a house, and this couldn’t […]
Pennsylvania Board Approves Penn License for York Mini-Casino
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week unanimously approved the license for Penn National Gaming to operate its mini-casino in York. The $120 million Hollywood Casino York will open in an 80,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by the Sears anchor store at the York Galleria Mall. It will offer 500 slot machines, 24 table games, a […]
Wynn CEO Maddox’s Contract Extended Through 2022
By a unanimous vote of its board, Wynn Resorts has extended the contract of CEO Matt Maddox through December 2022, and congratulated him for guiding the company through its transition after the sudden departure of founder and CEO Steve Wynn, who left in early 2018 under a barrage of sexual misconduct allegations. His contract was […]
Report Changes Virginia Tribe’s Proposal
At a recent public hearing, Norfolk, Virginia Mayor Kenny Alexander announced the Pamunkey Tribe would pursue a federal tribal casino rather than a commercial enterprise. Alexander cited the results of the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) report released last month as the reason for the change. Originally, the city of Norfolk and […]
Ruffin OK’d For Circus Buy
Phil Ruffin is the new owner of Circus Circus. The deal with MGM Resorts was finalized last week when the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission both gave the deal their approval. Ruffin will pay $825 million for the property, which is located on the burgeoning north Strip. The Kansas billionaire first entered the […]
California Card Rooms: New Rules Will ‘Kill Us’
The Golden State of California has 72 card clubs, many of them in urban centers where tribal casinos don’t operate. Examples include the Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens and the Hustler Casino in Gardena. In addition to poker, these clubs also operate pai gow poker, blackjack and baccarat—so-called “California games.” If new rules […]
Louisiana Misses Sports Betting in 2019
During Louisiana’s 2019 legislative session, amendments to sports betting bill undermined its support and momentum, paving the way for its defeat in the House in June. But Ronnie Jones, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, said the “lack of a collaborative approach” provided legislators with a ready-made excuse to oppose it. In a recent […]
No Amendment Required For Kentucky Sports Betting
At a recent meeting of the Kentucky Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations, sports gaming attorney Daniel Wallach said a constitutional amendment would not be required to allow sports betting in the state. Legislation pre-filed by committee chairman and state Rep. Adam Koenig would authorize sports betting at racetracks, the Kentucky Motor […]
Rhode Island Mobile Sports Betting Hurt by In-Person Signup
The rollout of Rhode Island’s mobile sports betting is lagging behind the bricks-and-mortar variety. Experts blame the requirement that players must register in person before participating. In October the state’s sports betting handle grew 27.4 percent, to $28.3 million over the previous month. Although the mobile handle increased 78 percent over September to $5.9 million […]
PA Sports Betting Passes $1 Billion Mark
The state of Pennsylvania celebrated one year of legal sports betting since Hollywood Casino at Penn National Gaming opened the first retail book, and celebrated in a big way—the state’s retail and online sportsbooks passed the $1 billion mark in total handle. The milestone was achieved thanks to $316.4 million in wagers recorded for November. […]
Japan: Osaka Can Wait, Hard Rock Presses Hokkaido
Japan is gearing up to open a trio of multibillion-dollar integrated resorts, bringing the first legal casinos to the country. As the official bidding approaches, operators, developers, local partners and local governments are parrying for position. Even parties that have taken a pass—like the government of Hokkaido—are still swept up in the tide of events. […]
