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Breaking ten tables Though Las Vegas is close to getting “back to normal” after being a ghost town for much of last year, not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. To wit: the Planet Hollywood Resort poker room is set to close on July 11. Less than week for the room’s fans to get in… Read more »
Fixed-odds betting on horse races is on the way in New Jersey, as a bill to legalize the odds structure has passed the Senate and is on the way to Governor Phil Murphy’s desk. It looks like an absolute lock to be destined for Murphy’s signature, as the Senate voted for the bill 40-0 and… Read more »
Current sports betting industry is handcuffed Canadian sports fans who want to throw a few bucks down on a game will soon be able to, thanks to the Senate of Canada passing bill C-218 on Tuesday. The bill, which passed 57-20-5, legalizes single-event sports betting in the country. All that is left now, as it… Read more »
Defunct soccer gambling site Football Index announced Tuesday that the UK High Court has handed down an order that will allow many of the site’s customers to find financial relief. Football Index is required to reimburse its customers £3.2m ($4.5m). The judge ruled that administration (essentially bankruptcy) began on March 26, 2021, so customers who… Read more »
Prolific scammer had long list of victims There are times when I hear about some crime that I invoke Ron Burgundy and think to myself, “…you ate a whole wheel of cheese? How’d you do that? I’m not even mad. That’s amazing.” Of course, I don’t actually condone the crime, it’s just that sometimes you… Read more »
Rahm was destroying the field Even though golfer Jon Rahm didn’t even finish the Memorial Tournament over the weekend, many people who placed bets on him still won. In a goodwill gesture, several sportsbooks decided to pay out Rahm bets after he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after the third round because of… Read more »
Dealers’ wages stay as is Casinos are getting back to full – or at least greatly increased – capacity across the United States and with that comes the need to staff back up. To help fill its roster, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh is guaranteeing a $15 per hour minimum wage for non-tipped employees. That means people… Read more »
Crown not even bothering Australia’s Crown Resorts is in trouble yet again. During a royal commission in Victoria into Crown’s gaming license on Wednesday, Adrian Finanzio, counsel assisting with the inquiry, called Crown’s responsible gambling policies “an example of the most irresponsible approach to gambling.” As reported by WAtoday, Crown allowed some gamblers to sit… Read more »
William Hill sportsbook at Capital One Arena The NBA playoffs are in the midst of the first round, so don’t expect anything particularly memorable to occur (though my Milwaukee Bucks are the only team to advance so far and the only team to sweep their opponent). All the really fun stuff happens later. The Washington… Read more »
Casinos didn’t like a copycat In 2019, before online casino games even launched in Pennsylvania, the state’s casinos sued the Lottery. It was a turf war – the casinos believed that though the Pennsylvania Lottery was permitted to offer its own internet-based games, its games were too similar to those the casinos had in their… Read more »
Small stake is still against the rules The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the administrative organization for European soccer, has fined superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović €50,000 ($61,000) for his involvement in online casino and sportsbook Bethard. UEFA began its investigation a little over a month ago, appointing an ethics inspector to examine if Ibrahimović violated… Read more »
Take your time When you read this, you might think to yourself, “How can you make that mistake?” I didn’t. I just thought that someone instantly went from having a normal day to having the best day of their life. That’s what happens when you recover a lost million-dollar lottery ticket. According to The Washington… Read more »
FanDuel paying AP for access In a partnership that has raised some eyebrows, FanDuel has inked a deal with the Associated Press (AP) to be the news organization’s exclusive supplier of betting odds for its news content. FanDuel is paying AP for the privilege, though payment terms were not revealed. The Associated Press will use… Read more »
Maryland has legalized sports betting. Governor Larry Hogan signed a bill to make both online and retail (in-person) sports wagering legal on Tuesday, an action which was entirely expected considering state lawmakers passed the legislation last month by overwhelming margins. Under emergency authorization, the law can take effect immediately, but no sportsbooks are expected to… Read more »
Iconic casino gets its due The Plaza Hotel & Casino has been a focal point of downtown Las Vegas for 50 years. If you have ever been downtown, you can’t miss it, as it looms large at the end of Fremont Street, as if looking over all of its children. On Tuesday, the Nevada Preservation… Read more »
MGM got its employees vaccinated With millions of COVID-19 vaccines getting administered every day in the United States, the pandemic statistics are moving in the right direction. Because of this, casinos have gradually been upping their customer capacities. Things are really starting to accelerate in Nevada, as MGM received permission from the Nevada Gaming Control… Read more »
Continues the real estate/operation split MGM Growth Properties has acquired the real estate of MGM Springfield in Massachusetts from MGM Resorts International for $400 million cash. The purchase is a leaseback deal in which MGM Resorts will continue to operate the property and pay MGM Growth $30 million per year in rent. In Tuesday’s announcement,… Read more »
Winning tickets are still winners 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for an illegal steroid after the race and could end up disqualified. Legendary trainer Bob Baffert said that the horse tested positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone, a steroid typically used to treat inflamed joints. This used to be twice the legal… Read more »
Paying employees to get vaccinated The slow march toward the beforetimes continues in Las Vegas, as The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is set to increase its gaming floor capacity to 100%. The Nevada Gaming Control Board permitted the casino to go up to full capacity from 80% because The Cosmopolitan reported that 80% of its… Read more »
Palms was for the cool kids The wheeling and dealing in the casino industry continues as Red Rock Resorts announced that its subsidiary, Station Casinos LLC, has sold the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians for $650 million. The sale is an all-cash deal. If the deal… Read more »
Back when Ultimate Poker became the first legal, regulated online poker room to launch in the United States, it developed its own software from scratch. It was ok, it was playable, but it was initially quite limited, as the company opted to get up and running as quickly as possible, before the software was robust.… Read more »
More people means more betting It is going to take a while before we are back to “normal” in the United States, but this past weekend’s Kentucky Derby gave us at least a little glimpse of what something approaching normal used to look like in the sports world. Churchill Downs Incorporated reported that 51,838 fans… Read more »
Wolf in sheep’s clothing From the moment I let my kids start playing with tablets and smartphones, I required them to check with me before they downloaded an app. One is about to start high school and the other will be a teenager at the end of the year, so I have become much more… Read more »
Too many concerns about Bally’s plan Bally’s Corporation has been in expansion hyperdrive for about a year now, but even with all of the company’s momentum, there are still bumps in the road.* One such bump was hit Wednesday, when the Richmond, Virginia mayor’s office announced that it has eliminated Bally’s from contention for a… Read more »
Get ready to party on The Strip I have always enjoyed the times I have spent in Las Vegas (no drunken-blackout-lost-all-my-money disasters for me, fortunately), but I never really liked the crowds. An empty casino is depressing, but a jam-packed one, well, that’s not really my cup of tea. Give me somewhere in the middle.… Read more »
