Business & Financial
MGM Files Final Application to Build $800 Mil Massachusetts Gambling Complex
BOSTON — (Associated Press) - MGM Resorts International, which hopes to build an $800 million gambling and entertainment complex in Springfield, became the first company in Massachusetts to file a final resort casino application Monday with state regulators.
Wisconsin Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Tribe Looks to Enter Online Gambling Arena
After announcing it was in the process of entering the controversial payday loan business, Wisconsin’s Lac du Flambeau Chippewa tribe may be eyeing more lucrative business ventures, specifically online gambling.
Nevada Casino Revenues Up 12 Percent in November
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) - State officials say Nevada gambling revenues went up nearly 12 percent this November compared with a year earlier.
The state Gaming Control Board released a report Monday showing casinos won $876 million in November.
Revenues jumped almost 23 percent year-over-year on the Las Vegas Strip, which brought in $529 million last month.
Downtown winnings fell 1 percent to $38 million.
Reno casino revenue climbed 17 percent to $43 million, while South Lake Tahoe winnings dropped 2 percent to $17 million.
Chris Christie’s Bloated Estimates but Money for Online Gambling Keeps Flowing
While some critics and those in the media keep coming down on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his apparent overestimates of anticipated revenue and taxation derived from real money online gambling, few can say the new industry that kicked off late last month has been anything other than a huge success.
Bet on Tokyo as Asia’s Next Gambling Mecca
(Reuters) - Asian countries are lining up to steal gaming business from heavyweight Macau. The tiny enclave on China’s south coast is the world’s gambling mecca: it took $38-billion (U.S.) in gaming revenue in 2012; hotels run at 87 per cent occupancy, according to official data, a shade better than Las Vegas. Yet casino operators are already looking for the next casino capital. Japan may fit the bill.
Doggone Shame: Millions of Bitcoin Alternative Dogecoin Stolen in Christmas Hack
The founders of Dogewallet, a storage system for the Bitcoin alternative Dogecoin, have confirmed a hack that may have cost owners of the currency over $12,000. Reports of the hack first began gathering pace at the Dogecoin forum, where users reported their funds were being sent to a wallet without their authorization. In separate posts on Reddit’s Dogecoin page and the dogewallet.com front page, the founders explained the issue.
Bally Technologies Gets Chastised by Gaming Board: Could be Fined
LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - Nevada gambling regulators say slot machine operator Bally Technologies failed to register some of its employees.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a 28-count complaint against the company this week.
The complaint says that Bally registered its employees weeks, months, and in one case, years late. Nevada law requires gambling companies to register employees before they start work.
The board recommended that Bally be fined for each of the 28 counts. The company now has a chance to contest the complaint.
PokerStars Eyes Online Gambling License in New York State
Following New Jersey’s rejection of a licensing application from the world’s largest online poker company, PokerStars, its parent company is now said to be looking at neighboring New York State.
While New York does not yet allow real money online gambling, that could all change. PokerStars has reportedly begun hiring lobbyists to push for legalization in a state that this year embraced expansion of its brick and mortar casinos.
From Casino.org:
NJ Judge Approves Atlantic Club Shutdown
CAMDEN, N.J. (Associated Press) — A slowdown brought on by the rapid proliferation of casino gambling in the northeastern United States claimed its first victim in New Jersey on Monday when a federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale and shutdown of Atlantic City's Atlantic Club Casino Hotel.
The casino, which opened in 1980 as the Golden Nugget and featured then-owner Steve Wynn bringing fresh towels to Frank Sinatra in its commercials, will shut its doors Jan. 13.
Somach to Talk Online Poker ‘Texas Block’em’ With Inventor Arthur Pfeiffer
Journalist Tom Somach of Gambling911.com and the San Francisco Examiner and mathematician Arthur Pfeiffer, inventor of the new poker game Texas Block 'em, will be guests on national radio on the day after Christmas--Thursday, December 26, 2013.
David Beckham to Promote Casinos in Singapore, Macau
Retired British Football star David Beckham is set to begin promoting casinos in Singapore and Macau in the coming year.
He’ll be the face behind the Las Vegas Sands in those two markets.
Casinos Take Over Airwaves, Malls in New Jersey Online Gambling Blitz
The Newark Star Ledger’s Ryan Hutchins reports on what Gambling911.com noticed the last time we were in New York City during the launch of New Jersey’s real money online gambling sector in late November: online casino ads are everywhere.
Atlantic Club Casino in NJ Closing Jan. 13: Caesars Among Buyers
The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City says it will close on Jan. 13, reducing the number of casinos in the struggling gambling resort to 11.
It will be the first Atlantic City casino to close since the Sands shut down in 2006 to make way for a new casino project that never got built.
The casino said Friday it reached two sale agreements that will be submitted to a judge Monday for approval. It did not list either buyer, but a bankruptcy court filing identified one as Caesars Entertainment.
Net Entertainment Inks Deal With Bet365
Net Entertainment is very proud to announce that it has signed an agreement with Bet365 Group Limited, one of the world’s leading online gambling groups. Under the terms of the agreement, Net Entertainment will deliver a number of its top online games across bet365’s mobile and desktop channels.
Online Gambling and World Peace: Bringing Rodman and Kim Together
The Sydney Morning Herald on Friday profiled former NBA star Dennis Rodman’s visits to North Korea and how online gambling – of all things – helped make it happen.
Casino Exec With Ties to Online Gambling Rejected as ‘Unsuitable’ by NV Gaming Board
A onetime executive of the Golden Nugget and Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas has lost his bid for a Nevada gambling license after regulators rejected his application.
Smooth Landing: Dennis Rodman Back in North Korea After Purging, Execution
Former NBA player Dennis Rodman has landed safely in North Korea along with a documentary film crew to help coach the rogue nation’s men’s basketball team.
Rodman, whose trip is being sponsored by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, arrives just days after the execution of supreme leader Kim Jong-un's uncle, Jang Song-thaek.
Rodman was met at Pyongyang's airport by Vice Sports Minister Son Kwang Ho.
Bwin Sees World Cup Bringing Growth in 2014
LONDON – (Reuters) - Online gambling company Bwin.Party said on Wednesday the outlook for next year was positive thanks to betting on the soccer World Cup and growth prospects in the United States.
Trading in 11 weeks since the end of September 2013 has been in line with its expectations, the company said.
Bwin is focusing on fewer, better-regulated markets and is expanding in the United States, as gambling rules are relaxed in places like New Jersey.
Bankruptcy Bids Resume for Troubled Atlantic Club Casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – (Associated Press) - A bankruptcy auction of a struggling Atlantic City casino has resumed.
The second day of bidding for the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel got underway at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Eleven hours of bidding Tuesday failed to produce a purchaser for the casino, which filed for Chapter 11 protection last month.
The casino was formerly known as the Atlantic City Hilton. It has struggled to compete with newer, larger casinos and with gambling halls popping up in neighboring states.
Genting to Spend $3-$4 Billion in Vegas
KUALA LUMPUR - (Reuters) - Genting Bhd, Southeast Asia's biggest gaming group, will spend an initial $3 billion to $4 billion to develop an unfinished resort on the Las Vegas strip, as it seeks to build a U.S. empire of casino and leisure assets.
The Malaysian company is seeking to expand in the United States as the world's largest economy starts to recover, and as various states relax restrictions ranging from casino licenses to online gambling.
Churchill Downs, Wynn, Station Casinos Gets Seats on AGA Board
The American Gaming Association (AGA) announced three new seats to its board on Tuesday. Among the new additions are Wynn Resorts, Station Casinos and Churchill Downs.
Station Casinos is behind the first ever licensed real money online poker site to operate from the US, Ultimate Poker. The company currently operates within both Nevada and New Jersey but does not permit customers to play beyond those respective state borders.
Internet Gaming Expo to be Held in Atlantic City, New Jersey January 25
The first ever Internet Gaming Expo will be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center January 25 (2013). The one-day event is being organized by iGamingPlayer.com.
91,000 Online Gambling Accounts Set Up in New Jersey After One Month
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) -- New Jersey casinos added 20,000 Internet gambling accounts last week.
The state's Gaming Enforcement Division said Monday that 91,531 accounts had been created as of Sunday. The number of individual gamblers who have played so far has yet to be determined, though, as some users have created accounts with multiple gambling websites in New Jersey.
Wynn Resorts Suitable to Open Casino in Massachusetts
(Associated Press) - The Massachusetts Gaming Commission's investigative unit has found Wynn Resorts suitable to open a resort casino in Everett.
The commission wasn't planning to take a final vote Monday, but the recommendation is another hurdle Wynn has cleared as it seeks to win the one eastern Massachusetts casino license allowed under the 2011 casino law.
The commendation comes after four commission members signed off on a revised real estate deal for the proposed casino.
PayPal Admits to Sharing Customer Info With Company Tied to UB Poker Scandal
According to PayPal's Privacy Policy, the popular payment company contracts Iovation to "retrieve risk information regarding the IP and device from which you are accessing PayPal [and] research and testing as to appropriateness of new products and services."
Texas Block’Em Removes Element of Chance in Online Poker: Site to Open in US
Gambling911.com contributor Thomas Somach has interviewed an 80-year-old man who has developed a new form of online poker that eliminates the element of chance: Texas Block ‘Em. And, yes, it will operate from the US to those living in the US.
Arthur M. Pfeiffer, owner and founder of Palo Alto software company Thwart Poker Inc., told The San Francisco Examiner that his venture will be a website called Texas Block ’Em that is expected to debut some time next year.
Adelson Ditches Plans to Build $30 Billion Mega Casino in Madrid
Feisty 80-year-old gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson has cancelled plans to build a $30 billion gambling and leisure complex outside of one of Europe’s biggest metropolises, Madrid, Spain.
No way had been found to meet the "necessary criteria" for the project, the head of Las Vegas Sands Corporation said in a press release.
Skrill to Stop Online Gambling Transactions in Canada
The popular payment processing firm Skrill has decided to halt transactions for online gambling activity for the foreseeable future.
The change is anticipated as of January 2 of this coming year (2014). Transactions from merchants will end effective January 31.
Caesars Files Suit Against Massachusetts Gambling Panel Head
BOSTON — (Associated Press) - A lawsuit filed by Caesars Entertainment against the state's top gambling regulator alleges he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest in a timely manner.
Caesars had been a partner of the Suffolk Downs horse track in a casino bid but withdrew after a background check by commission staff.
The federal lawsuit challenges the ''constitutionality, objectivity and fairness'' of Caesars' treatment by Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby.
Somach World Exclusive: 80-Year Old to Open Online Poker Room in San Francisco
Tom Somach reports in this coming Sunday's San Francisco Examiner, December 15, 2013, about a new and supposedly legal U.S.-based online poker room set to debut in 2014.
