Tag: Casino

Chinese Government’s Gambling Ban Is Still Almost Intact

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As it stands, all forms of gambling save for two types of lotteries are still officially victims of the gambling ban that has been imposed by China’s government. While horse racing operations are allowed albeit to a very limited extent, sports betting has been banned completely with all the forms of gambling being confined to the autonomous region of Macau, the only place in China where casino gambling is allowed.

Hundreds Arrested in Illegal Online Gambling Ring

As part of the efforts to implement the gambling ban, the country’s authorities have recently dismantled a major illegal gambling ring and in the process arrested over 100 suspects – this was done in two separate and effectively coordinated operations. The antigambling administration of China has also been working diligently against land-based gambling operators.

The raid on online gambling rings reportedly involves 13 different gambling websites with over 100,000 registered users who had collectively wagered over RMB350 million ($55 million) before the crackdown. The investigation began in February after Chinese authorities received a tip that a local firm had been renting out its servers and providing technical support for unauthorized online gambling operators. Since then, the number of people that have been arrested for being suspects in the online gambling rings has reached 453, and this could be an indication how deep-rooted the activity is.

Is Moving Gambling Operations to Hainan the Answer?

A number of industry experts do not believe that the country’s island of Hainan could become the next Chinese casino hub, much like Macau. The experts believe that such a decision would be made by the government and at the moment it would be a long shot to think that the Chinese government would allow such a thing. However, if by some miracle this goes through, the casino industry experts have expressed a lot of optimism that the island, which is considered to be China’s “Hawaii” could open doors for several kinds of sports lotteries.

A couple of months ago, there were reports that the government had been considering legalizing some forms of gambling on Hainan Island. This came to pass later in April 2018, when the government officially revealed that it was going to officially legalize horse racing as well as many other types of sports lotteries on the island. The move was part of the country’s bid to turn the island into the largest pilot free-trade port.

While this would have effectively ended the gambling monopoly of Macau, it will take some time before it officially begins. In fact, according to Su Guojing, gambling sector expert, and founder of the China Lottery Industry Salon, casino gambling outside Macau contradicted to the overall ideology and legislation in China. As such, it was nearly impossible for the Chinese government to allow the establishment of land-based casinos outside Macau, at least not for the moment.

West Virginia Casino Operators Dispute ‘Sports Betting Deal’

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Last Thursday, Governor Jim Justice made a surprise announcement that sent the West Virginia gaming industry into a state of confusion. The governor issued a release that claimed that the state and its casino operators had come into a tentative agreement to incorporate an “integrity fee” into the state’s new sports betting law.

The alleged agreement which also happened to involve the “sports consortium” would see the state’s casino operators part with a percentage of their sports betting profits – this is totally separate from the state’s cut. However, West Virginia casino operators are saying that they never agreed to pay the fee in case the Profession and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) is abolished and sports betting is legalized in the United States.

According to an article that was posted on the gaming industry’s “Sports Handle” website on May 10, during the closed-door meeting at the Lottery headquarters, “nothing and a lot happened.”

“A lot, because firsthand accounts of this closed-door meeting paint a colorful picture between attendees that include state lawmakers, a lobbyist for the NBA and NFL who has ties to Gov. Jim Justice (Larry Puccio); an appearance by the NHL, possibly the first time the league has gotten involved on sports wagering publicly; representatives from West Virginia University and Marshall, plus casino representatives and a ‘citizen volunteer’ for West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (Bray Cary), who did not attend in person but spoke by speakerphone. There was also some reported shouting, ‘shuttle diplomacy’ and an apparent conflict of interest in play,” reads a snippet of the article.

John Cavacini, the president of the West Virginia Gaming and Racing Association, said that the day-long meeting came to a close with the casino operators remaining opposed to the incorporation of an integrity fee that is to be paid to the professional sports leagues.

However, Cavacini revealed that there was a conceptual agreement for the casino operators to enter into private contracts with the sports leagues to provide them with game data that would be necessary for sports betting. The only alternative that the leagues would have is to buy data from third-party providers.

“We’re trying to get the leagues some money, but we’re not going to pay the integrity fee,” John Cavacini said.

As it stands, West Virginia lawmakers have shown very little interest in revisiting the sports betting law that they just recently passed, according to MetroNews. This implies that it will take a bit of time before the tug of war between the casino operators and state is won by either party.

Massachusetts Regulators Allow Wynn Resorts to Drop ‘Wynn’

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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday made a decision to allow Wynn Resorts to drop  Steve Wynn’s name from its license for a planned $2.5 billion casino in the state. Wynn Resorts has been in the spotlight for quite some time following sexual abuse allegations levelled against Steve Wynn. The gambling commission’s decision came amid ongoing investigations by associated state regulators as part of a process that could affect the company’s operations in Massachusetts.

As of now, Steve Wynn, the company’s fallen founder who resigned a few months back, no longer has anything to do with the planned casino. The regulators have since confirmed that as far as they are concerned, Wynn and the company have effectively parted ways.

“The commission rejects the characterization by Mr. Wynn’s legal counsel that he is nothing more than an ordinary private citizen of the state of Nevada vis-a-vis Wynn Resorts,” the Massachusetts Gaming Commission wrote. “There is, however, substantial evidence that the relationship between Mr. Wynn and Wynn Resorts has been terminated in a meaningful way such that Mr. Wynn no longer falls with the definition of a qualifier at the conclusion of the upcoming annual shareholders meeting.”

The gaming commission’s decision was made on condition that Steve Wynn would not vote at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting that is slated for next week. The company’s lawyers then requested that Wynn is removed as one of the “qualifiers” for the sake of the company’s Everett casino that has now been renamed the Encore Boston Harbor. Fortunately, all of Steve Wynn’s stock has been sold thus effectively severing all ties between him and the company.

“We are pleased that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has concluded Steve Wynn no longer has any involvement in our company and should no longer be considered a qualifier,” a Wynn Casino spokeswoman said. “We look forward to continuing to move Encore Boston Harbor forward.”

In addition to this, the company has gone a step further by implementing a policy that requires Wynn Resorts’ officers and directors to report any direct or indirect communication with Steve Wynn or to Wynn LLC Legal counsel. This is particularly important because the company is still being investigated in order to determine how it dealt with the allegations of sexual misconduct.

Japanese Government Approves Bill Paving Way for Casinos

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On Friday, the Japanese government put aside gambling addiction and antisocial behavior concerns and went ahead to approve a bill that will provide a broad regulatory framework that will foster the establishment of a casino industry in the country. All that remains is for the document, which is referred to as the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill, to be passed the Diet voting – the Diet is Japan’s parliament.

According to Kyodo News, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government are aiming to have the bill pass the Diet during the ongoing session that will end on June 20. The Prime Minister hopes that the new casino industry will serve as an attraction for more overseas visitors which will, in turn, assist in providing the much-needed boost to the country’s regional economies outside Tokyo.

However, regardless of how promising the bill is, there is a high likelihood that deliberations will not have ended by the time the Diet sessions ends in June. This is due to the existence of a number of political scandals involving Prime Minister Abe, his minister as well as some ministry officials that have had a disruptive effect on Japan’s parliamentary proceedings.

“We will promote tourism with visitors from all over the world spending days while taking complete measures to address various concerns including gambling addiction,” the Prime Minister said in a government meeting that was attended by related officials.

If the Japanese parliament passes the bill, casinos will begin operating in the country in the mid-2020s. This might happen much earlier in some places – Osaka’s governor Ichiro Matsui, for instance, believes that a casino resort could open in the region by 2023 if Diet approves the necessary legislation quickly enough.

What the Bill Entails

Under the bill, there will be a fixed 30 percent tax rate on any casino gross revenue generated by all the gaming resorts that will be established in the country. Also, there will be a 6,000 yen or $55 entrance fee for Japanese locals – this will only be for a 24-hour access period. Furthermore, Japanese locals will be limited to three casino visits per week and 10 casino visits per month in aggregate, a measure that is probably put in place to assist with gambling addiction. Foreigners are the luckiest bunch in this case since casino entry is free and there will be less stringent limitations if any.

The Japanese government will be introducing a government-managed license system for the casinos in an effort to alleviate some of the concerns that have been raised pertaining to the launch of a casino industry in the country. The system will require operators that wish to obtain gaming licenses to submit business plans and establish measures for preventing problem gambling. In addition to this, background checks will be carried out to ensure that the applicants do not have ties to any organized crime groups.

Pennsylvania Receives No Bids for Sixth Mini-Casino License

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On Wednesday, April 19, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) held its sixth mini-casino license auction in Harrisburg. The board received no bids for the sixth mini-casino license something that according to experts, puts the auctions of the remaining licenses in a rather tight spot. Already, state regulators are pondering about opening the remaining licenses to bidding by non-casino business in the state or even out-of-state casino operator. This applies to the sixth one as well as it goes to the third and final round of bidding.

The board has the option of opening the field of qualifies bidders that has so far been off-limits to the operators of Pennsylvania’s existing casinos. This decision is yet to be made and once it is made, the board will announce it at a later date. If the board chooses to conduct more auctions, it will have to establish suitable criteria and procedures that will be used to justify the qualification of the entities that wish to bid on the licenses.

It is however very likely that the decision will be similar to the one that was made for the March auction of the fifth mini-casino license. Like the case with the sixth mini-casino license, no bids were received and the PGCB was forced to include operators of two relatively smaller resort casinos in the bidding process. The winning bid, however, came earlier this month when a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming known as Thoroughbred Racing Association offered the board $3 over the $7.5 million minimum.

The Keystone state had planned to auction off 10 mini-casino licenses in an effort to make up for its financial shortfalls. Each of the mini gambling halls can host up to 40 table games and as many as 750 slot machines. So far, the state has been able to amass $127 million from the auction of the first five mini casino licenses – officials originally estimated a total of $100 million for all the 10 mini-casino licenses. Therefore, the initial rounds of auctions might as well be over but we will have to wait for the board’s decision before we can be certain of any developments in this regard.

Atlantic City Casino Job Fair for Veterans Set for April 19

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According to reports by local media, a casino job fair for veterans is scheduled for April 19 in Atlantic City. This follows the entry of two more casinos into the Atlantic City casino market – the two will begin operating later this year and they are hoping to staff up before their official launch dates.

The April 19 casino job fair will be held from 9 am to 3p at the offices of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission that is located at the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Veterans who are looking for new job opportunities have been advised to get ready for the event especially because it is tailored specifically for them. These veterans have been invited to pre-register and attend the job fair where there will be a number of casino job opportunities made available for them.

Some of these available job opportunities will require the approved applicant to obtain licenses from regulators but, according to Jim Plousis, the head of the New Jersey Control Commission, the process should not take that long. The approved applicants will be able to begin working within as little as a couple of weeks.

“It’s called ‘Bet On A Vet’ and the 8 casinos down here and the two that are looking to open up soon will be here and hiring veterans,” Chairman Jim Plousis said in an interview with KYW Newsradio. “Registrations don’t take that long. We can have them done in a couple weeks and then people would be able to work.”

Veterans are further encouraged to bring their resumes and be dressed appropriately for spot interviews. In addition to this, veterans’ services will be provided to people who might need them.

The new casino operations that will launch in a few months on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk will create as many as seven thousand new job opportunities in the city. Still, all the seven operational casinos in Atlantic City will participate alongside the yet to be launched casinos at the job fair.

Think this is the right opportunity for you? Check out the applications here.

UK Gambling Commission Unveils Plans for Intensified Checks

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UK’s Gambling Commission has unveiled plans to make online gambling “safer than ever before”. This follows on from details that the commission revealed last week as part of the advice that it submitted to the UK government’s review of gambling.

So far, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has confirmed that it would work constructively with the Gambling Commission once its finals become known. The online gambling review that the commission released last week included details of its consultative efforts on proposals for age verification checks for players. This regulation will apply even to dem0 games.

Even though the fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) that are operating in the UK will probably be the most affected by the forthcoming government crackdown on gambling, online gambling operators are not completely clear of the line of fire.

Other than banning the operators from offering free-to-play demo games until customer age has been verified, the commission also proposed that the speed and effectiveness of age verification processes should be improved. On the same note, operators will be forced to set limits on consumer spending until affordability checks are carried out. The commission further made it clear that it would deal with unacceptable marketing while at the same time tightening the requirements for operator interaction with customers that are more susceptible to harm.

“Britain has the largest regulated online gambling market in the world and we are continually looking for ways to make it even fairer and safer for consumers,” commented Neil McArthur, the Gambling Commission’s chief executive. “The proposals we have announced today are intended to protect children better, reduce the risks to vulnerable consumers and build on the measures we already impose on operators to know their customers and intervene at an earlier stage before consumers experience harm.”

Ensuring Safety and Sustainability in the Gambling Industry

The UK government, through sport and civil society minister Tracy Crouch, says that it is committed to providing a safe and sustainable gambling industry. Crouch also mentioned that the proposals for additional regulations would go a long way in strengthening the controls that are already in place while at the same time ensuring that children and vulnerable people are protected from the risks of online gambling.

The Remote Gambling Commission (RGA) has already laid the groundwork for the desired UK gambling industry through such efforts as advertising restrictions, the introduction of a national online self-exclusion system as well as advocating for the introduction of a new and independent statutory social responsibility levy.

Casinos Rove into Virtual Reality in a Bid to Excite Players

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Casinos are always looking for new and innovative ways to attract new customers and to get their existing customers excited about gaming. Online gaming was just the beginning and a lot of fresh ideas have sprung up since then, some successful and others entirely bizarre. Still, more and more innovations are being pursued in a bid to revolutionize casino gaming in the same way that online gaming did.

One of the newest innovations in casino technology that is currently being tested is virtual reality (VR). This admittedly exciting new concept will allow players to “compete against each other for cash prizes in spirited VR tournaments.” This was through the efforts of both International Gaming Technology (IGT), a game developer and HTC Vive, a renowned virtual reality hardware developer. The two hardware developers collaborated to launch the new Virtual Reality product referred to as “Virtual Zone” at Boyd Gaming’s, The Orleans in Las Vegas which makes the casino the first and only operator with such an offering.

The pairing is a rather strong selling point for this new idea – HTC delivers the amazingly-engineered immersive virtual reality headgear that takes players into IGT’s Virtual Zone, the virtual reality competition arena that pits the players against each other in a series of skill-based gaming tournaments. Obviously, the winner gets to walk away with a prize.

Is This the Future of Gambling?

While it is certainly too early to tell which direction this will take, it is quite clear that casino gaming is diverging from the traditional casino floors and virtual reality might be a fresh extension of that trend. This is especially because of the fact that the casino industry has been trying to engage with the millennial generation that is not very fond of traditional casino gaming.

Esports is a great reference – casinos are slowly catching on to the reality that gladiatorial nature of competitive video gaming is far more appealing to younger markets as when compared to the one-dimensional and strategy-devoid slot machines.

With virtual reality, it is safe to say that virtual reality might end up redefining gambling games and make them work as spectator sports. Most casino games have been perfected for decades, and even centuries, which makes them ripe for a bit of innovation. The ultimate goal is to keep the players excited about a casino’s offerings. In the unlikely case that this goes south, there are a number of great alternatives, some of which have not even been thought of yet.

Sands Exits Pennsylvania Casino Market as Online Poker Nears

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Last fall, Pennsylvania legalized online casino despite strong opposition from billionaire casino boss Sheldon Adelson who owns and operates Las Vegas Sands Corp. The company has been operating a casino-resort, Sands Bethlehem, for years now but the establishment is being sold off before the United States Supreme Court delivers a ruling that will bring legal online gambling in the state.

Sands officially announced on Friday that the company had entered into an agreement to sell the Sands Bethlehem casino-resort for a whopping $1.3 billion to a group known as Wind Creek Hospitality which is an affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama. The $1.3 billion itself is not a bad return for Las Vegas Sands Corp., per se, since the property was built for $743 million before it was launched in 2009. Since then, Sands Bethlehem was among the most successful casino businesses in Pennsylvania’s $3 billion-a-year casino gambling market.

As mentioned earlier, since Sheldon’s the company is not really pro-online gambling, the sale is sort of a reaction to the legalization of online poker to Pennsylvania even though it came months after the state made the ruling. However, Sands Bethlehem is not the only gambling establishment that has felt the pinch – a good number of the other Pennsylvanian casinos have been forced to go back to the drawing board and find out how they can compete in the online space.

“Sands Bethlehem has become one of the leading regional entertainment and gaming destinations in the United States and we are extremely proud of the positive contributions the property has made for Bethlehem and eastern Pennsylvania,” Sheldon Adelson said in a statement about the sale.

Sands Bethlehem has maintained a great track record of success in Pennsylvania especially due to its 36-table poker room that is considered to be among the best places in the state. Fortunately for the casino’s customers, the casino’s management has assured players that the sale will not affect its operations and they can continue enjoying everything that the casino-resort has to offer.

The Drew Las Vegas Casino Resort Set to Open in 2020

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Global development firm Witkoff and Marriott International have partnered in a bid to open a new integrated resort and casino on the site of a project that was previously known as the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The large casino-resort whose construction on the Las Vegas Strip has been left unfinished since 2009 is now scheduled to launch towards the end of 2020 under a new moniker – The Drew Las Vegas.

The site initially hosted the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino that opened in 1948, after which it was later renamed to Silverbird then El Rancho before it was finally closed in 1992. Eight years later in 2000, Fountainbleau Resorts purchased the property but after imploding El ranch bought additional acreage and began a construction project that was halted in 2009 before it was sold to Icahn Enterprises’ L.P.’s majority shareholder Carl Icahn for $600 million.

In addition to featuring a casino and about 4,000 rooms and suites, the new luxury entertainment project will also be hosting the Las Vegas strip’s first JW Marriot. Also, once open, Marriot International will be responsible for managing the hotels.

“It is going to be a design-forward building, and when we bring it all together, people are going to say, ‘I really want to come back,’” said Steven Witkoff, chairman, and CEO of Witkoff. “The structure here is so well conceived, even from nine years ago, that there are a lot of possibilities for us to put our imprint from a design standpoint on that property.”

What to Expect

The resort is expected to include 50,000 square feet of convention and meeting space alongside a variety of nightlife, entertainment, retail and over 20 dining options. Witkoff further mentioned that while the building’s design is yet to be finalized, the existing eight-and-a-half acre pool deck will be redesigned to make it stand out among all other in Las Vegas.

Another project that is also in the works and has an anticipated 2020 launch date is the multibillion-dollar Resorts World Las Vegas that is going to lean more towards Chinese and Chinese-American tourists. In total, the two projects will be offering 7,000 rooms to the area and this will also be at about the same time that a mega expansion of the Las Vegas Conventions Centre will be completed. Looks like Sin City is about to get even more exciting.