Author: Casino Connection Staff

It may be early in the game, but the first official look from members of Congress into sports betting in America in the post-PASPA era indicated a clear tilt toward some form of federal oversight.

Five witnesses were invited to testify last Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Before a one had spoken, however, Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, after professing himself a diehard Green Bay Packers-Milwaukee Brewers fan, set the tone of the hearing with his “personal view” that gambling, by virtue of the large amounts of money involved, poses a direct threat to the integrity of sports.

As he put it, “We’re going to be in for huge amounts of trouble in the future.”

He then went on to broadly outline the legislative landscape as he sees it in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s May ruling in Murphy v. NCAA striking down the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act

The recreational consumption of marijuana has been legal in Nevada for more than a year, but the state’s leading industry has never been comfortable with it.

Late last month, the Nevada Resort Association gave voice to gaming’s concerns in a letter to the city of Las Vegas urging it to hold off on an ordinance to allow smoking lounges.

Virginia Valentine, who heads the casinos’ principal state lobbying group, wrote that the lounges would create “unique challenges” for those gambling venues located nearby.

“Recreational marijuana has only been legal in Nevada since July 1, 2017, and it still relatively new in other states,” she stated. “Consequently, communities have little or no experience with the impacts of lounges on the communities or surrounding businesses.”

The letter, addressed to Mayor Carolyn Goodman and copied to members of City Council, City Manager Scott Adams and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, requests the delay “until further information is available from other jurisdictions”.

Councilman Bob Coffin, who has led the effort to move forward with the lounges

Former two-term New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States resulted in overturning the federal prohibition on sports betting earlier this year, will be the keynote luncheon speaker at the Winter Meeting of National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, January 4-6 at Harrah’s New Orleans.

Registration and host-hotel reservations for the three-day conference are now open at nclgs.org/meetings.html.

Christie, now a contributor with ABC News, oversaw a seven-year effort to legalize sports betting in New Jersey, culminating with the landmark SCOTUS decision on May 14. As a result, four states have implemented regulated sports betting this year and many other states have begun the legalization process.

“The Supreme Court ruling is bringing sports betting out of the shadows and allowing each state to decide for itself whether to include this form of gambling in its overall gaming framework,” Christie said. “I look forward sharing my insights—including those gained from our disagreements with the major sports leagues—with gaming legislators from across the country in New Orleans.”

Sports betting will a prominent subject throughout the NCLGS Winter Meeting. The three-day conference agenda includes:

• Six legislative committee sessions: Casinos, Emerging Forms of Gaming, Lotteries, Pari-Mutuels, Sports Betting/iGaming, and State-Federal Relations

• The Big Picture: Focus on Freshman Class of Legislators – an introduction to gaming

• Two Masterclasses presented by the International Masters of Gaming Law

• Friday evening welcome reception

 • Saturday afternoon offsite event

The previous NCLGS meeting, which took place in Cleveland in July, produced record numbers of legislators, gaming regulators, and overall attendees.

To view the NCLGS Winter Meeting agenda, register, and book hotel rooms at the host hotel at special attendee rates, visit nclgs.org/meetings.html.

NCLGS is the only organization of state lawmakers that meets on a regular basis to discuss issues relating to gaming. Members of NCLGS serve as chairpersons or members of state legislative committees responsible for the regulation of gaming in their state legislative houses. NCLGS does not promote or oppose gaming but is primarily concerned with the regulation and economic and social impacts of the industry. The NCLGS Foundation is the educational and research arm of NCLGS. The 501(c)(3) non-profit is a source of non-partisan data on issues of gaming legislation and regulation.

As companies and cities across the nation increasingly phase out single-use plastic straws, Caesars Entertainment Corporation recently announced it would stop using plastic straws and stirrers at all of its U.S. properties.

Currently, plastic straws and stirrers only are available upon request at Caesars Entertainment properties. Paper straws and other sustainable options are available in some locations. Caesars Entertainment officials said in the next phase of the plan, sustainable options will be offered in all U.S. locations, eliminating about 200 million plastic straws annually.

Caesars Entertainment Vice President of Beverage Ryan Voss said the decision to phase out plastic straws and stirrers “simply builds upon our pre-existing sustainability commitment. Our customers are responding favorably to our decision here, especially as single-use plastic straw eliminations become the new norm in the United States.”

Caesars is the largest resort on the strip to eliminate plastic single-use straws and stirrers. MGM Resorts International announced a “Straw Reduction Initiative” in May.

Formula One racing announced a deal worth at least $100 million with Interregional Sports Group to work towards the development of live in-play betting on its auto racing product.

The UK’s Financial Times reported earlier that the deal to sell betting sponsorships was worth at least $100 million over five years.

Liberty Media, the owner of the motorsport championship, and its data and media rights partners will work with information taken directly from races to enable the development of in-play betting markets during Grand Prix, the company said in a press release.

“As part of the deal, ISG will have the right to sub-license betting partnership rights to select betting brands around the world, subject to regulations,” Formula One said in the release.

The rights include regionalized branded on-screen graphics, physical and virtual trackside signage and integration across F1’s digital and social platforms, the release said.

The Financial Times said ISG would pay an upfront fee to Liberty and recoup that money through separate deals with gambling sponsors. The partnership also involves Sportradar Integrity Services to help ISG and gambling companies use the data to create markets and spot any suspicious betting patterns.

Sean Bratches, the sport’s managing director for commercial matters, said the deal would make the most of data generated at races worldwide.

“Data and sponsorship partnerships like this are common practice across almost all premium sports and this is the latest step in our mission to make Formula One the world’s leading sports entertainment experience,” said Sean Bratches, Formula One’s managing director for commercial matters. “This deal allows us to develop new and exciting ways for Formula One fans around the globe to engage with the world’s greatest racing spectacle, while ensuring integrity with best practice oversight from Sportradar.”

Though reported to be in the final phase of its investigation of Steve Wynn and Wynn Resorts, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said it needs more time to complete its work.

“Our investigators are balancing a sense of urgency with an uncompromising commitment to diligence and thoroughness,” Executive Director Ed Bedrosian said last week as members of the agency traveled to Las Vegas to gather additional information.

Wynn, the casino tycoon who founded Wynn Resorts, resigned as chairman and CEO of the company after The Wall Street Journal in January publicized detailed testimony from several women formerly employed by the company accusing the billionaire of preying on them for sexual favors. The Gaming Commission got involved after it was revealed that Wynn had not disclosed a $7.5 million settlement with one of his alleged victims in his 2013 licensing suitability hearings in the state.

Wynn, who has denied all the allegations, severed his ties with Wynn Resorts in the weeks after the bombshell Journal report, including selling the entirety of his shareholding. Nonetheless, the company’s license to develop and own a $2 billion resort casino outside Boston, which is slated to open next year, could hang in the balance of the commission’s findings.

Last month, commission Chairman Stephen Crosby said he expected the investigation to wrap up in September and be discussed in a public meeting before deliberations on potential penalties against Wynn and the company in a closed session.

Bedrosian has not contradicted that, but said last week that “comprehensive fact-finding and analysis must take precedence. As a result, investigators do need some additional time to complete their work.”

The commission is next scheduled to meet on Thursday.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is conducting a separate investigation, the findings of which will be disclosed after Massachusetts, according to Chairwoman Becky Harris.

Wynn Resorts’ board of directors has concluded an investigation of its own but has not disclosed its findings.

In a related action, a Nevada District Court judge has denied a request by a former Wynn Las Vegas salon director to dismiss a defamation suit filed against him by Steve Wynn.

Wynn accuses Jorgen Nielsen, whose testimony figured prominently in the Journal report, of lying to the newspaper and to ABC News in an attempt to smear him. The Journal quoted Nielsen as saying that “everyone was petrified” of Wynn when he was on his way to the salon. He told ABC that “we would hide people” from Wynn and pretend that some employees were busy when he was seeking an appointment.

Wynn’s suit, filed in April, decries Nielsen as a “disgruntled” former employee.

Nielsen’s attorney said the lawsuit was intended to intimidate into silence current or former employees that may seek to come forward with accusations of sexual harassment.

The court, however, ruled that the defendant failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant throwing the case out.

The two sides will now begin the process of gathering evidence, which could take as long as six months, after which a trial could be scheduled.

In Florida, voters will decide whether 13 amendments will be added to the constitution when they go to the polls November 6. Among the proposals is Amendment 3, titled “Voter Approval of Casino Gambling.” The ballot summary reads: “This amendment ensures that Florida voters shall have the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling by requiring that in order for casino gambling to be authorized under Florida law, it must be approved by Florida voters pursuant to Article XI, Section 3 of the Florida Constitution. Affects articles X and XI. Defines casino gambling and clarifies that this amendment does not conflict with federal law regarding state/tribal compacts.” The amendment requires 60 percent of voter approval to pass.

Essentially it would give Florida voters—not state lawmakers—the exclusive right to determine if expanded casino gambling should be allowed in the state. The legislature has repeatedly failed to pass comprehensive gambling laws in recent sessions, including not being able to renew a compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Under the 2010 agreement, the tribe has the exclusive right outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties to operate slot machines until 2030. Exclusive rights to banked card game expired in 2015, but the tribe has continued to make payments.

Recently Seminole Gaming Chief Executive Officer and Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen said, “If the state wants to expand gambling, which we completely respect it’s the state’s prerogative, that’s fine. But then, obviously, that’s when the compact payments of revenue share come into a conversation.”

Allen added, “If somebody wants to expand the scope or potentially erode the scope, then clearly the partners should be talking. If the state wants to go in a different direction, the tribe is completely respectful of that. But we’re not going to pay the state of Florida $400 million a year. You can’t have both. It’s either one or the other.”

This fiscal year the Seminole Tribe is expected to send the state about $355 million. The Seminoles have paid the state $1.8 billion over the past eight years, and the state expects to collect over $2.8 billion from the tribe in the next eight years. .

“We truly believe the issue is you have too many interests. International ventures, Las Vegas ventures, gaming company interests, publicly traded companies, parimutuel dog tracks. The list is so long,” Allen said. Each of them represent a potential competitor, he acknowledged, but, he noted, “If someone did the math, no doubt short-term it’s better for the tribe, because we would no longer be paying the state of Florida $300-$400 million a year. And if we have an additional $300-$400 million, it creates a very, very large sum of money to protect the tribe’s existing business.”

Legislators also have not been able to determine if slots can be allowed in counties that have approved them in local referendums, including Brevard, Duval, Gadsden, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Washington. This and other related issues are moving through the courts.

The Florida League of Women Voters, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Disney Worldwide and the Seminole Tribe of Florida all support Amendment 3. Only three groups have been financially supporting Voters In Charge, the political group behind the amendment. Disney has given $14.6 million, the Seminoles have given $11.75 million and No Casinos, Inc. has given $81,000.

Opponents include certain lobbyists and others in the gaming industry. Also, some members of the state legislature have expressed concerns, including incoming Senate President Bill Galvano. “It’s game over for the legislature if that constitutional amendment gets on the ballot and passes. And at that point, we’ll just be spectators in the world of gaming, which will essentially be a monopoly for the Seminole Tribe,” he said.

The tribe owns a half dozen casinos in Florida, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.

Under fire for comments critics said indicated he had already made up his mind about his staff’s investigation of the continued suitability of Wynn Resorts to operate a casino in Everett, Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby resigned last week, effectively immediately.

The resignation comes as the commission prepares to contemplate how to deal with the results of its investigation. Commission Executive Director Ed Bedrosian said on September 13 that his investigators were in the final stages of their investigation of Wynn and the corporation’s executives who may or may not have tried to hide his indiscretions from the commission when it was deciding whether to grant Wynn a license.

In his letter of resignation Crosby said, “With a profound sense of sadness, regret—and yes, frustration—I am resigning as chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, in order to give you the best possible opportunity to do your work without distraction.”

In a letter that indicated he felt he was being unfairly criticized, he wrote: “There has never been a shred of truth or accuracy to any charge of bias, favoritism, corrupt practice, ethics violations, or prejudgment in my execution of this job. I established our core value that our work must be ‘participatory, transparent and fair.’ I live that core value, as you do.”

But he added “Based on our experience, I have reason to expect that the commission’s objectivity—even if I recuse myself from the current proceedings—will be challenged.”

He noted that on September 17 he had received a letter from Steve Wynn that accused him of already making up his mind against Wynn and a week later the panel’s counsel got a letter from the Mohegan Sun’s attorney claiming that Crosby had already made up his mind in favor of Wynn Resorts in the suitability investigation.

Crosby was the longest-serving gaming commissioner, having been the first to be named to panel by then-Governor Deval Patrick shortly after the 2011 legislation that authorized four casinos in the Bay State. In those early days Crosby frequently stepped into hot water with his comments. Twice previously he had recused himself from the board’s decision-making because of a perceived possible conflict.

During his tenure as MGC chairman, it has issued licenses to the MGM Springfield, Plainridge Park Casino and Wynn Resorts.

The commission is in a somewhat unique position in that its decision-making about the location of casino licenses is not subject to review by the legislature or the governor. But at the same time it has been subject to a “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion” standard, a standard Crosby has himself emphasized many times, including four years ago when he wrote: “I have said repeatedly over my years as Chair that the single highest priority for our work is that we protect the integrity of the decision-making process. And I’ve said repeatedly that the appearance of integrity as well as the reality of integrity is critical.”

Four years ago the commission was sued and criticized over the licensing of Region A. Crosby wrote about that: “I was often at the center of these lawsuits and accusations. As the Commissioners now prepare to receive and deliberate on the IEB investigation of the suitability of Wynn Resorts to hold the Region A license, the lawsuits, threats of lawsuits and false allegations have begun anew.”

Before Patrick appointed him to be chairman was the founding dean of the University of Massachusetts Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. He was also in charge of the state budget under two Bay State governors.

Crosby has always been a champion of the ability of gaming to do transformative economic work, and even in his farewell letter he emphasized that economic power: “We have done extraordinary work at the Gaming Commission, under the most daunting of circumstances. We have launched a mixed-use development project in Springfield, anchored by the casino, that has the potential to dramatically regenerate the economy of that rising post-industrial city. We built a casino in Plainville that has repatriated tens of millions of dollars of out-of-state spending and employed nearly 150 unemployed or underemployed residents.”

The ex-chairman concluded, “That is your work, and it has been phenomenal. It is also demanding, exhausting, intensely scrutinized, and at times challenged by people of both good will and ill will. I cannot let my role here make it all the harder for you to do your work.”

The Mohegan Sun was only the latest entity that had called for Crosby to disqualify himself in any deliberations involving the Encore Boston Harbor. The tribe, which had sued the commission, claiming it didn’t get an equitable opportunity at the Boston metro license in 2014, has argued that the MGC failed to fully investigate the Wynn organization or the sexual misconduct allegations against Wynn founder Steve Wynn, who now has no connection with the company, aside from having given it his name.

Steve Wynn was forced to resign and divest himself of his holdings after a Wall Street Journal report in January that wrote about allegations that he paid $7.5 million to a massage therapist who claimed he tried to rape her.

Last week an attorney for the Mohegan tribe sent a letter to the commission’s attorney calling for Crosby’s “immediate disqualification” from further participation. The tribe objected to this statement that Crosby made after the new Wynn CEO Matthew Maddox spoke of changing the company’s culture to make it more welcoming to women.

Crosby said, that there was by “all accounts (there was) at least one terrible predator.” and added, “this whole #MeToo thing and all the horrible transgressions that have come about by powerful men has changed everybody’s sensibility. And I’m sure Wynn’s sensibilities, Wynn Resorts’ sensibilities, have changed, too.”

This statement, the attorney wrote, “made before he has heard any evidence on these issues, cast greater doubt on the impartiality of the proceedings.”

Wynn is less than a year from completing the construction of the $.4 billion tower that overlooks the Mystic River and beyond that the Boston skyline.

Wynn is itself the subject of a lawsuit filed by the former owners of Suffolk Downs, the racetrack that competed, along with the Mohegans, with Wynn for the Boston metro license. The owners seek $3 billion in damages in the civil action that accuses Wynn Resorts of RICO violations, conspiring “to fix the application process, circumvent laws in place to present the infiltration of mob elements, and interfere and eliminate various regulations aimed at protecting the public at large.” It further alleges that “the license could not have been awarded to the Wynn defendants in the first place but for the RICO predicate acts which include those described herein.”

The Wynn response was short, that the “claims are frivolous and clearly without foundation.”

Also suing Wynn is the former owner of the Everett property, Anthony Gattineri, who claims he was forced to sell the property at a substantial loss in profits because of allegations, which later proved to be untrue, the one of the owners of the property was a known mob figure and convicted felon. Gattineri seeks $18 million.

Although the commission is independent, that doesn’t mean it is immune from public pressure—such as that from former Attorney General Martha Coakley, who said recently “Given what we do know now and what the Gaming Commission’s job is in terms of qualifying, I haven’t seen anything that they should have gotten the license in the first place on this issue alone or should have it now. They’ve changed a few people they’ve changed the name of the building, but there’s no indication they’ve changed the culture.” Of course, her statement should be taken with a grain of salt since she is part of the legal team representing the Mohegans in the lawsuit against the commission.

The Lucky Dragon’s main creditor has secured a U.S. Bankruptcy judge’s OK to close the failed Las Vegas resort’s hotel, bringing an end to a great idea

MGM Resorts has acquired the operations of the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, opening the Ohio market to one of the fastest growing casino developers in the country.

The racino, which has 700 employees, is located 17 miles from Cleveland. MGM purchased the operations for $275 million with escrow expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. The casino will be added to an existing lease between MGM Resorts and its REIT MGM Growth Properties (MGP). MGM Resorts owns 70 percent of MGM Growth Properties. MGP bought the property in July for $1.02 billion. MGM will pay $60 million annual rent to MGP.

During the last month the Rocksino reported $293 million in net revenues and it has led the Ohio market for 35 of the last 39 months.

Despite the obvious link between MGM and MGP, the sale was a surprise to some. MGP had been negotiating with Hard Rock International to retain the operations and many thought the property would remain under the control of Hard Rock. The Rocksino quickly—and somewhat surprisingly—became the market leader in the Ohio gaming market despite the fact that it offers only VLTs and no table games.

MGM CEO and Chairman James Murren commented, “We believe the Rocksino is a great fit for the MGM portfolio and will benefit from our capabilities as a leading global entertainment company and our award-winning M life Rewards Program. We anticipate revenue and profit growth from this combination.”

Murren added, “We are pleased to welcome the Hard Rock Rocksino and more than 700 employees to the MGM Resorts family and look forward to working with them during this transition. Since opening its doors in 2013, the Rocksino has cemented itself as the market leader in gaming and entertainment due to its superior asset quality, premium location and dedicated employees. We believe the Rocksino is a great fit for the MGM portfolio and will benefit from our capabilities as a leading global entertainment company and our award-winning M life Rewards Program. We anticipate revenue and profit growth from this combination.”

MGM has properties in Nevada, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Maryland, with 11 properties owned by the MGM Growth REIT.

Ohio has four casino resorts in its largest cities and seven racinos in the Buckeye state’s racetracks. Hard Rock Rocksino is on 110 acres and includes a 200,000 square foot casino and the Northfield Park harness racetrack.

The casino has 2,300 video lottery terminals, retail shopping and some dining. It also hosts a 1,900-seat music area and 250-seat event venue.

The purchase opens MGM to a new market that would have the ability to take advantage of sports betting should Ohio eventually legalize that.

Dan D’Arrigo, MGM’s chief financial officer, pointed out, “The Rocksino’s attractive location, market leadership, and superior non-gaming offerings complement our portfolio of quality destinations, and we believe there are significant opportunities for MGM Resorts to further drive growth through our customer loyalty program and our operating expertise and scale.”

He added that the acquisition would “enhance our free cash flow generation.”

The $960 million MGM Springfield, Massachusetts’s first resort casino to open, experienced a strong “first month,” with almost $9.5 million in gross revenue in August, its first week in operation. For just its first three days the casino drew about 150,000 visitors to the downtown 14.5 acre site.

That breaks down into $7,347,491 in slots and $2,109,485 in table games, according to figures released by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. That translates into $2,364,244 in taxes. The state collects 25 percent of all gaming revenues.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis commented, “While these gaming revenue figures represent less than eight days of operations in August, they demonstrate MGM Springfield’s tremendously successful opening week, when we welcomed more than 150,000 visitors over our first weekend alone.” He added, “We are pleased our efforts to design a resort to complement Downtown Springfield is being so enthusiastically received.”

He later described how “We definitely had some lines and we had some folks that we actually had to send away Friday at about 2 a.m. It was a bit surreal. We had about three, four thousand folks lined up on Main Street at 2-2:30 a.m., bumper-to-bumper traffic and it felt like we were out in Times Square.”

The Bay State’s first casino to open, the slots parlor Plainridge Park Casino, by comparison generated $15,380,183 in gross revenue for the entire month of August. Which translated into $7,536,289 in taxes. It has been in operation since June 2015.

According to Mathis, business has settled into about 50,000 patrons on weekend days and half that number during the weekdays. Which is higher than initial projections of up to 20,000 guests per day made before the casino opened.

He told the gaming commission, “We expect some of those numbers to normalize but there is no question that there is tremendous interest in our resort. I think it’s largely because of the nature of the resort, which is a very mixed-use, downtown, porous design.”

By that Mathis means a design that encourages walk-in traffic from its open air plaza, retail shopping and eventual cinema.

The MGM Springfield has a host agreement with the city in which it pays about $17.6 million a year in lieu of taxes.

The casino’s exciting opening has also spilled over into a positive impact on some restaurants in the area, such as the Raices Restaurant, which stayed open later to accommodate customers who kept streaming in as the normal 7 p.m. closing time approached for several days after the casino opened. The eatery pushed closing time to 10 p.m. as an experiment.

The restaurant’s owner told the Associated Press: “We had a lot of customers. A lot of new customers from other cities. They loved our food. It was great.”

Of course, the opening week of a casino is always big, and it remains to be seen how much of a bump neighborhood restaurants will get once things simmer down. Says the owner, “We have our good days and we have our medium days. Not as crazy as we thought it was going to be.”

Another restaurateur, Nadim Kashouh, who owns the Downtown Mediterranean Grill, told the AP that his place experienced long lines from the exploring crowds, who were often looking for dinner at 11 p.m. “So there are a lot of people walking around the city,” he said. “That is not typical for us.”

He is now looking at staying open until midnight or even later if the business justifies it.

Some restaurants, like the Red Rose Pizzeria, experienced good but not record-breaking business. It has always been open late on weekends. Dine in business increased, said owner Tony Caputo, but take out was down.

The MGM Springfield was designed to be very much a creature of its downtown surroundings, with the casino complex facing out onto the street with a deliberate effort to connect visitors to the historic downtown area. Nevertheless, its function isn’t entirely to direct customers to downtown restaurants. It has several of its own, including the Cal Mare coastal Italian restaurant, Chandler Steakhouse and the South End Market food hall.

The South End Market has been an unqualified success, beating projections by a factor of two or three. The expectation was 1,800 visitors per day; the reality has been 4,000 and growing. The first three days visitors ate 4,500 burgers, 1,200 pounds of lobster and drank 9,500 gallons of soda from a self-serve station.

Mathis told the MGC that the casino has encountered the problem of finding minors on the casino floor. The “porous” design makes it easier for those under 21 to enter: “Which I think we all understood was an opportunity but would create challenges,” he said.

He told commissioners, “We definitely still have some folks that are getting onto the floor that are underage. We’re stopping them and we’re trying to increase our communication around that,” He continued, “We’ve got some parents that are choosing to leave their children in different parts of the resort while they game and we’ve identified that issue and it is a big problem for us and it is a big problem for the experience.”

This prompted the casino to enforce a ban on unaccompanied minors and to extend that definition to anyone in the casino under 16. All must be accompanied by an adult. Moreover, after midnight no one under 21 will be allowed in the building unless they are a hotel guest.

Although some of the minors sneaked onto the gaming floor on purpose, more were “inadvertent” according to Seth Stratton, vice president and general counsel.

Commissioner Bruce Stebbins, who personally witnessed the MGM’s two test nights, said he thought part of the problem “can be attributed to the newness factor of the facility as well as the kind of long-awaited excitement of MGM’s opening.”

The commission had insisted that the casino incorporate many non-gaming amenities and connect directly into the city’s vibrant downtown, said Chairman Steven Crosby. The situation, he said, “is, in part, due to what we asked you to do.” He added, “So we’ll stick with you while you figure out how to fix it.”

Mathis said most of the hiring targets it set it is exceeding, such as hiring at least 35 percent of its workforce from Springfield. The actual figure is 38 percent. It has not achieved its goal of hiring 50 percent women. The reality is 46 percent, but they are still working on that, he said.

Meanwhile the casino revealed that the luxury Regal Cinema at MGM will begin screening films on September 23, with a grand opening set for September 27. Customers will get $3 movies, popcorn and soft drinks as part of a charity fundraiser for Square One and Head Start, charities based in Springfield. Movies will be shown in high definition and 3D.

The three-screen theater will operate on the second floor of the complex. Besides watching in luxurious comfort on 650 plush recliners, patrons will be able to buy alcoholic beverages and gourmet food.

Mathis looks forward to Regal moving the resort towards its goal as “New England’s first truly integrated entertainment destination. Regal’s unique product offering and luxury amenities are a phenomenal complement to our first-in-class service and style, setting the stage for world-class excitement on and off the screen at MGM Springfield.”

MGM has also announced that it will open the Roar! Comedy Club inside the old Springfield National Guard armory next January.

Unlike some towns that are near the MGM Springfield, the city of Northampton has hired consultants to help it market itself in DEFENSE of the casino. The Rhyme Digital marketing plan revolves around creating a marketing website to promote special events and attractions in the city.

The city paid for the study using some of the $100,000 in mitigation funds that it was awarded last year by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Businesses, organizations and residents were interviewed for the plan. The remainder of the money will be used to fund the website and digital marketing plan.

The website will market the town’s dining, nightlife, entertainment, retail and arts offerings, using photos and submissions from local people. They would, in essence be able to do their own marketing using the platform.

The platform would target millennials and young professionals earning more than $50,000 a year. The city will apply for follow-up mitigation funds to further expand the program if it proves successful.

Encore Boston Harbor

Wynn Resorts last week was sued by one of its erstwhile rivals for the Massachusetts gaming license: Sterling Suffolk Racecourse.

The 37-page $1 billion civil lawsuit claims that Suffolk Downs and its partner Mohegan Sun Casino suffered financial damages and that Wynn Resorts and founder Steve Wynn violated the RICO Act. It also names current CEO Matthew Maddox, who took over in February and former general counsel Kim Sinatra and FBT Everett Realty, which sold the Everett property to Wynn Resorts. Under the RICO act the damages could be tripled to $3 billion, however it is rarely used in civil cases.

Referring to the RICO statute the lawsuit says, “While certain bad actors have been forced out of the Wynn organization, and Steve Wynn’s name has been wiped from its casino in order to appear to ‘cleanse’ the Wynn entities so as to attempt to retain the Region A License, this does not change the fact that the license could not have been awarded to the Wynn Defendants in the first place but for the RICO predicate acts which include those described herein.”

The MGC awarded the casino license in 2014. Sterling Suffolk claims that its proposed casino had been endorsed by the then mayor of Boston and alleges it had the superior proposal, but that the superiority of the project was trumped by illegal doings on the part of Wynn. It calls the racetrack site “by far the best suited location” comparing it to the former Monsanto chemical plant site in Everett that Wynn spent millions of dollars to clean up.

The lawsuit states, “The Wynn defendants were granted a license to operate their casino on a toxic waste site loaded with levels of arsenic still so high that a child day care center would not be permitted to be housed there, even after the site was remediated and the regulations amended to countenance higher levels.”

Wynn et al “conspired to fix the application process, circumvent laws in place to prevent the infiltration of mob elements, and interfere and eliminate various regulations aimed at protecting the public at large,” according to the lawsuit.

Among the illegal acts alleged are actions to suppress voter turnout at a referendum Suffolk held on its own casino proposal, lying about alleged mob ties with the property owner, and illegal campaign contributions.

In the brief Suffolk alleges: “The Wynn defendants should have been denied a license for each of those reasons and would have been denied the license but for the misconduct alleged herein,” which includes Wynn’s “pattern of sexual abuse and its cover-up.”

Wynn Resorts issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. “This lawsuit was brought by Richard Fields, an unsuccessful applicant for the license awarded to Wynn Resorts. His claims are frivolous and clearly without foundation.” Fields is the principal owner of Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, whose 161 acres was sold last year to an investment group to be repurposed into a commercial, residential and retail development.

The suit notes that this sale was for $155 million, which it calls “dramatically less than what a casino would have paid.”

This is the second such lawsuit to be filed against Wynn. The first was brought by the Mohegan Sun, another jilted suitor for the casino license, which also alleges unfair doings on the part of Wynn to win the license.

Whether these lawsuits will materially hurt Wynn is unknown. Clyde Barrow, an expert on the New England gaming market, told the Boston Herald, “Their revenues are coming from Macau. This doesn’t make or break Wynn financially as a company.”

Boyd Gaming, which owns 24 casinos across the country, last week officially took title to Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge casino, quickly moving to take advantage of changes in last year’s gaming expansion law allowing Category 3 resort casinos like Valley Forge add slot machines and participate in online gaming.

The Las Vegas-based regional casino leader completed its $280.5 million acquisition of the property and announced it will soon add 250 slot machines to the property, which is in King of Prussia.

Boyd CEO Keith Smith said in a statement the operator will closely examine offering both online gaming and sports betting through its existing partnership with FanDuel Group. The company already has applied for a full online gaming license.

The company now owns 25 casinos in eight states—Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.

The Valley Forge resort, located two miles north of the King of Prussia Mall, encompasses a 40,000-square foot casino with 600 slot machines, 50 table games, and nearly 500 hotel rooms. The property also has eight restaurants and bars, and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting, convention and exhibit space.