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A deal in an empty market Casinos around the United States may be closed and there might not be any prospects for any real sort of cash flow for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean that gaming industry deals can’t still be made. Recently, Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. announced that it has agreed… Read more »
Though several states have begun to “reopen” in recent days, giving people who just absolutely cannot deal without a haircut the opportunity to have somebody else groom them, Nevada casinos are still shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And rightfully so. No state has even met the minimum requirements for the federal government’s “Phase 1,”… Read more »
The last couple months have been pretty bad, which is the understatement of this new decade. There are silver linings and rays of light in all this darkness, though. One such positive is the immense creativity that so many people have displayed in the ways they work, entertain, and just generally live while largely stuck… Read more »
The Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL) has officially begun the sports betting application process. Documentation potential operators need to apply for a license in the Volunteer State are posted on the Lottery’s website. The basics There are three categories of licenses: sports gaming operator, supplier, and vendor. The category that most of us will be paying… Read more »
Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) announced on Monday that it has completed the acquisition of the Tropicana Las Vegas from Penn National Gaming. The deal was originally said to be worth $337.5 million, but the final tally is now $307.5 million. The two companies came to their agreement in March, shortly after Nevada Governor… Read more »
Virus spread quickly Eight retirees ranging from age 70s to mid-90s had been getting together for a home poker game at their condo in South Florida for years. Five days a week, they played a low-stakes game like many of us might, just having a blast spending time with friends. A month ago was their… Read more »
During the poker boom, online poker rooms scrambled to sign as many poker pros and celebrities as they could to endorsement deals. PokerStars was big with tournament players, having three consecutive World Series of Poker Main Event champs onboard at one point: Chris Moneymaker, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, and Joe Hachem. Full Tilt Poker (remember Full… Read more »
Not home, but safe and comfortable Among all of the problems the COVID-19 pandemic has created, one of them is the quandary health care workers and first responders have been put in. They work so hard every day to save lives, but in turn risk the lives of their family members when they return home… Read more »
Dan Smith, fifth on the all-time poker tournament money list, announced on Monday that he has launched an initiative through his Double Up Drive organization to raise money for households in the Las Vegas area that are most at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, he has teamed up with Phil Galfond,… Read more »
Poker is a funny game, isn’t it? One minute, you can be down and out, not able to do anything right, and the next minute you can be flying high, hitting every card you need. Such has been the case for Phil Galfond in the first matchup of the Galfond Challenge. In February, he was… Read more »
This doesn’t exactly have anything to do with poker. Actually, it has nothing to do with poker. It doesn’t kind of relate to sports betting, so if we want to pretend this has something to do with gambling, there you are. But regardless, Wimbledon is cancelled. On Wednesday – and this was not an April… Read more »
Penn National Gaming announced that it has agreed to sell the Tropicana Las Vegas to Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI). The deal for the casino on the south end of the Strip is for $337.5 million. Interestingly, the $337.5 million will not be paid in cash, but rather in a “non-cash rent payment.” The… Read more »
We are now officially unable to gamble at commercial casinos in the United States. The coronavirus pandemic has either forced them all to shutdown or some level of state, county or local government has forced their closures. The last place to fall was Deadwood, South Dakota, which shuttered its casinos as of noon today. Took… Read more »
And there it is. On Tuesday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all “nonessential businesses” in the state to close to the public for 30 days. Most notably for our interests, that means that all Nevada casinos – Las Vegas Strip and all – have now gone dark. Governor lays it all out Sisolak made no… Read more »
It is a 100 percent, stone-cold, lead pipe lock that the phrase of 2020, whenever that title is handed out, is going to be “social distancing.” There is absolutely not a doubt in my mind. I would bet my entire net worth on it, which fortunately isn’t that much right now after these last couple… Read more »
It was inevitable As the United States finally starts to embrace the seriousness of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), social distancing has become the key tool in fighting the virus. By staying away from each other, by limiting crowds, we can help slow the spread of the coronavirus. To this end, MGM Resorts International announced on… Read more »
Details emerge from December robbery This past December, two men who had just had good nights at the MGM National Harbor casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, were robbed when they arrived home. The public didn’t know much else about the incident, but through a search warrant, Prince William County police have revealed that serious violence… Read more »
The north end of the Las Vegas Strip, particularly once you get past the Wynn, isn’t the most exciting place for poker players. Things got a little more interesting on Valentine’s Day, though, when the Sahara Las Vegas unveiled its new poker room. It is the first time poker has been offered at the casino… Read more »
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City launched live online slots on Tuesday morning. It is the time in the history of online gambling that a live version of slots has been offered. Live dealer games at online casinos cropped up during the poker boom (perhaps toward the end of it – I… Read more »
Look, I will be the first to admit that as a parent, I am pretty amazing. I mean, while my wife and daughter were out of town recently, I watched the movies Get Out, Us, and Alien with my son. That’s a damn fine dad right there. But while I would love to take him… Read more »
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is no more. On Monday morning, after a weekend-long party, the 25-year old landmark closed. The building is not going anywhere, but when it re-opens in the fall, it will be Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The giant Stratocaster will be gone, the music theme will be… Read more »
One of the summers I covered the World Series of Poker for this website, I lived with my boss (he no longer owns PND). One of his favorite things to do when we weren’t working was go to the Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas to play blackjack switch. On one of our outings, we… Read more »
PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg is on United States soil for the first time in a couple decades after turning himself in to federal authorities to face charges stemming from the Black Friday indictments. Writing was on the wall According to Forbes.com, Scheinberg was visiting Switzerland a few months ago when federal prosecutors attempted to have… Read more »
$50 million deal Caesars Entertainment and VICI Properties announced on Wednesday that they have agreed to sell Harrah’s Reno Hotel and Casino an unnamed affiliate of CAI Investments. The sale price is $50 million, with 75 percent going to VICI Properties and 25 percent going to Caesars. Once the transaction is complete, Harrah’s Reno will… Read more »
Two more iconic properties sold MGM Resorts International announced on Tuesday that it has agreed to sell both the MGM Grand Las Vegas casino and the Mandalay Bay. The total value of the deal is approximately $4.6 billion. The sale of MGM Grand is the most heavily-covered part of the deal in MGM’s press release.… Read more »
