Ruffin Discloses Plans for Circus Circus
The new owner of Circus Circus on the Las Vegas Strip says the resort will be getting a new 2,000-seat theater to house a new Cirque du Soleil show, “The Illusionists,” currently playing in New York. Billionaire Phil Ruffin owns Treasure Island on the Strip, which hosts Cirque’s long-running Mystere. He announced the $11 million […]
Missouri First State to Approve Eldorado-Caesars Deal
The Missouri Gaming Commission recently approved the $17.3 billion sale of Caesars Entertainment to Eldorado Resorts, plus the sale of Eldorado’s Isle Casino Cape Girardeau and Lady Luck Caruthersville to Century Casinos Inc. to avoid antitrust issues. Missouri thus becomes the first of 18 states to OK the transaction that also will require Federal Trade […]
Michigan Sports Betting Bill at the Finish Line
Michigan is finally ready to approve sports betting and iGaming now that the state’s tribes have come to the table and agreed to an outline, according to state Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. He says the negotiations with Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer are going well, and he expects the bills to be voted out of a […]
Rio Deal Closes
The sale of the Rio casino hotel in Las Vegas closed last week when Caesars Entertainment sold it to the Dreamscape Companies, owned by Eric Birnbaum. The $516 million deal includes $40 million in financing by Caesars, which will operate the property for at least the next two years, paying a rent of $45 million […]
Eldorado Sells Three Properties
Eldorado Resorts recently closed on the $385 million sale of Isle Casino Cape Girardeau and Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville in Missouri and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia to Century Casinos and real estate investment trust VICI Properties. The Missouri casinos could have faced federal antitrust issues as part of the $17.3 billion […]
Do iGaming Fines Reduce Problem Gambling?
The Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) levied fines last month against casino companies mobile and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, drawing a response from an organization opposed to iGaming. Most of the violations were self-reported by the companies involved. According to the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, the slew of sanctions, totaling $150,000, rounds out a rough […]
Kentucky Hopes 2020 Is Lucky for Online Poker
When 2019 began, Kentucky looked like it was on track to become the fifth state to legalize online poker, after Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. West Virginia beat it to the punch, but the Bluegrass State could still become No. 6. Bill H 175, introduced by Rep. Adam Koenig this past spring, would have […]
Harrah’s Partners with Philadelphia Eagles
Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Chester, Pennsylvania has become the latest gaming property to sign a partnership with a professional sports team since the repeal of the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018. Harrah’s announce that the property has signed a marketing deal with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. The deal, which includes […]
Washington Gaming Seeks Smartphone Exemption
Washington’s gaming industry has unveiled a new lobbying organization, Game On WA, whose goal is to persuade lawmakers to exempt smartphone games from local gambling laws. A federal court decision that created confusion about the legal status of smartphone apps purchased in the state sparked the creation of Game On WA. The organization seeks legislation […]
In Las Vegas, Nothing ‘Stays Here’ Forever
Next year could be a disappointing one for the Las Vegas resort industry as a slowing national economy makes its impacts felt in the city’s hotels and casinos. That’s the forecast from Dr. Stephen Miller, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Miller tempered his […]
California Sportsbook Proposals Compete
Several weeks after a consortium of 18 California gaming tribes introduced a campaign to amend the constitution to legalize sportsbook for tribes and racetracks but not card clubs, two legislators plan hearings on a bill, ACA 16, with a much wider appeal. Question is, do the legislators, Rep. Adam Gray and Senator Bill Dodd, have […]
Michigan OKs Sports Betting, iGaming Legislation
In Michigan, just before the 2019 legislative session ended last week, a package of gaming bills, including the Lawful Sports Betting Act, passed the state Senate in a 35-3 vote and the state House in a 100-8 vote just a few hours later. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “As I understand the bills, I plan to […]
