Author: Casino Connection Staff

Penn National Gaming, Inc. announced that it expects to open Hollywood Casino Morgantown to the public at noon on Wednesday, December 22, pending final regulatory approvals.

Hollywood Casino Morgantown will be Penn’s fourth Pennsylvania casino. It is the operator’s second Category 4 satellite casino, also known as “mini-casinos.” Created under the 2017 gaming expansion law, Category 4 casinos are restricted to 750 slots and 30 table games at opening, with an additional 10 tables upon petition.

Located at the intersections of three major roadways—the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-176, and the Morgantown Expressway (Rt. 10)—The 80,000 square-foot facility will feature the maximum 750 slots and 30 table games, a climate-controlled outdoor gaming terrace, state-of-the-art Barstool Sportsbook, and three unique dining options.

At the Barstool Sportsbook, patrons will be able to enjoy sports from around the world on the jumbotron above the bar or on numerous high-definition televisions throughout the facility. The 150-seat, full-service restaurant will offer a wide selection of food and beverage options, from steaks to classic pub fare, more than a dozen craft and domestic beers, and hand-crafted cocktails inspired by classic sports movies.

Betting windows and kiosks for sports and racing are located throughout the sportsbook, along with interactive games, an outdoor fire pit and a Barstool Sportsbook merchandise station.

In addition, the company partnered with Tony Luke’s to bring his restaurant and a taste of South Philly to Morgantown. Tony’s signature cheesesteaks, roast pork Italian sandwiches and many of his award-winning delicacies will be available. With seating for up to 100 at the adjacent Bar 76 on the gaming floor, patrons will be able to grab-and-go and watch the action while eating what the company calls “the best cheesesteaks available on the north side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.”

Hollywood Casino Morgantown also will host the Red Lotus Asian Kitchen, serving patrons authentic made-to-order Asian cuisine. Red Lotus will feature popular noodle and southeast Asian specialties in a sleek, modern-designed open kitchen just off the gaming floor.

“The countdown to our grand opening begins today,” said Marc Guastella, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Morgantown. “We’re very excited to soon welcome patrons to this beautiful new property, where they’ll be able to experience premier gaming, dining and entertainment.”

Prior to the grand opening, Penn National will host two invitation-only test days, with gaming proceeds donated to charitable organizations in the area. The participating charities include the United Way of Berks County, Honey Brook Food Pantry and the Jarett Yoder Foundation, which serves community heroes and their families, including active military personnel, veterans, firefighters, first responders and the police.

“We are thrilled to be supporting these incredible organizations in Berks, Chester and Lancaster Counties,” said Guastella. “Penn National is committed to being actively engaged in the community and partnering with worthwhile groups to assist those in need.”

The development of Hollywood Casino Morgantown represents an overall investment of approximately $111 million, including license fees. Career opportunities are still available for the approximately 375 new jobs at the facility. Interested applicants can visit the Hollywood Casino Morgantown Career center, located at the Holiday Inn Morgantown at 6170 Morgantown Road.

The Morgantown casino represents Penn National’s fourth facility in Pennsylvania, joining Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Hollywood Casino at the Meadows south of Pittsburgh, and the Category 4 Hollywood Casino York, which opened in August.

After a year in which the Las Vegas tourism and hospitality industry rebounded strong from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the new omicron variant is raising new concerns.

The variant, which President Joe Biden labeled a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” led the U.S. and several other nations to restrict travel from eight “high-risk” African countries last week. While the restrictions do not affect Las Vegas directly, Nevada authorities are paying close attention to emerging information on the variant.

“As with the delta variant, the impacts of omicron will be hard to predict,” said Amanda Bellarmino, an assistant professor at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“The shutdown from the African nations may not have a direct impact on Las Vegas since we just reopened to international tourism; however, the ripple effect may have an impact. Until we know the severity of the omicron and its ability to be transmitted, we will be uncertain as to its impacts. In the short term, it may increase our domestic tourism as people fear further lockdowns. In the long term, I think it may push back further international travel.”

“Until there’s more known and understood by medical experts, it’s too early to tell,” Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of communications for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, told the newspaper.

National tourism officials repeated the message in statements to the Review-Journal.

“Covid variants are of concern, but closed borders have not prevented their presence in the United States while vaccinations have proven incredibly durable,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for the U.S. Travel Association. “That is why America’s travel industry is a vocal proponent of everyone getting a vaccine.

“With a vaccine and testing requirement in place to enter the U.S. we continue to believe that assessing an individual’s risk and health status is the best way to welcome qualified global travelers into the United States.”

California’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will be the first tribe to operate a Las Vegas resort by the end of December. The tribe received regulatory approval last week and the $650 million acquisition of the Palms from Red Rock Resorts became official.

The Palms has been closed since the pandemic shutdowns of March 2020. It has 700 hotel rooms, convention space, a 2,500 seat theater, pool and spa.

In preparation for the switchover, the San Manuel tribe has named former MGM Resorts International executive Cynthia Kiser Murphey as the property’s new general manager.

The tribe told Las Vegas Review-Journal that it plans not to reopen the nightclub, saying that it doesn’t fit their target customers, “gamblers.”

Its main job will be coming up with incentives to attract customers of its Southern California property to try out its newest resort.

Andrew Klebanow, principal at C3 Gaming, told the Review-Journal, “Unlike other recent first-time entrants into the Las Vegas casino market, the San Manuel Tribe brings with it a sizable database of gaming customers from the greater Southern California region.”

He added, “This will allow their marketing team to immediately generate visitation from qualified gaming customers, with mid-tier players receiving midweek vacation offers and high-worth players getting weekend gaming packages.”

Josh Swissman, founder of the Strategy Organization, said he expects the tribe to attract customers with a direct marketing campaign.

“It’s their first foray out of Southern California, so they have to do this well,” he said. He added they will also have to do a good job of attracting the local Las Vegas customer.

Kiser Murphey has a reputation as one of the most experienced gaming executives in the U.S. and one with an extensive knowledge of the Las Vegas market.

Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware will rebrand as Bally’s Dover Casino Resort. It is part of the effort of Bally’s Corp., which itself was renamed last year from Twin River Holdings Corp., to brand all of its casino resorts with the Bally’s name and logo.

The former Twin River acquired Dover Downs in 2018. Since acquiring Bally’s Atlantic City last year, the operator has gone on an acquisition binge, growing from four properties to 14. Nearly all have been rebranded as Bally’s casinos.

Dover Downs opened in 1969 as a combination horse racetrack and motor speedway. It added a casino and hotel after Delaware approved slot machines at racetracks in 1995.

The Louisiana Supreme Court recently ruled a referendum on Peninsula Pacific Entertainment’s (P2E) proposed $325 million Camellia Bay casino

resort near Slidell in St. Tammany Parish can go forward on December 11.

The casino question will be the only item on the ballot. St. Tammany voters approved fantasy sports betting in 2018 legalizing sports betting in 2020; both issues passed with two-thirds voter support. However, parish voters banned casino gambling in 1996. The upcoming referendum could overturn that.

Slidell Pastor John Raymond and attorney Charles Branton had challenged the election’s constitutionality, stating parish residents must first approve casino gambling before voting on a specific location. In October, District Judge John Keller determined the lawsuit was premature and that plaintiffs failed to show they would suffer irreparable harm if the election was held as scheduled. But the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal reversed Keller’s ruling earlier this month, stating a trial on the merits should be held prior to the election. The St. Tammany Parish government, which already had put the referendum on the ballot, then asked the Supreme Court to vacate the First Circuit ruling.

Meanwhile, both sides in the casino battle are spending an estimated $3.5 million on flyers, billboards, signs, broadcast advertising and social media to persuade voters how to vote. Ronnie Jones, former Louisiana Gaming Control Board chairman, said, “Nothing about what I see happening in the St. Tammany area surprises me. If you look at any other state, there is always a turbulent war between developers and citizens opposed to gambling for a variety of reasons.”

P2E and casino supporters said the casino, to be located at the foot of the Interstate 10 twin spans near Slidell, will bring jobs, tax revenue and new entertainment options to the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. The casino’s political committee, the Northshore Wins, filed a campaign finance report on November 12 indicating contributions of $2.3 million from August 26 through November 1 and expenditures of just over $1 million, with $1.3 million on hand.

P2E also made a $100,000 donation to a family oriented sports complex and pledged to give another $35 million to that project if the casino passes. In addition, P2E gave $1 million to Louisiana Coastal Relief and Recovery for meals and other relief following Hurricane Ida. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has endorsed the casino; one of its seven restaurants would be a steakhouse created by Brees and celebrity chef John Folse.

Casino opponents include St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal and Pearl River Police Chief Jack Sessions, who all warned the casino will lead increased crime. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the mayors of Slidell, Mandeville and Madisonville plus other local officials also have announced opposition and local restaurant and small business owners have expressed concerns.

Scott Wilfong, chairman of the nonprofit Watchdog PAC, headquartered in Baton Rouge, the group has spent more than $500,000, including a recent $400,000 media buy, and expects it will spend about $1 million. Wilfong said most of the money has been raised from small donations from individuals and businesses or groups. “I don’t think we have casinos” as donors, he said.

St. Tammany business owner Chris Jean also has formed another nonprofit, Stand Up St. Tammany. He said the group is leading a grassroots effort focused on businesses, not church groups. He said he launched the effort with his own money and donations from several restaurateurs who all agree the casino will harm the economy. About 500 businesses have joined in, Jean said. However, he acknowledged the group cannot compete with P2E. “We’ll be lucky if we spend a couple of hundred thousand. But people against it are going to vote,” Jean said.

For quite a while, P2E has intimated that Mississippi casinos are involved in the fight against Camellia Bay to protect their own interests. Dan Lee, whose company owns the Silver Slipper in nearby Waveland, said he has made contributions but said they were small. “Peninsula would like to blame us. We did do polling and decided we didn’t need to spend much money,” Lee said.

Ed Chervenak, a political science professor at the University of New Orleans, said “For a race like this, it’s all going to be turnout, who can get the pro or con voters to the polls.” He noted having only one item on the ballot will further decrease turnout. “What we’re witnessing is a battle for air time. But good ground game defeats air time every time,” Chervenak said.

The city of Bristol, Virginia recently approved the initial plans for transforming the former Bristol Mall into a temporary Hard Rock Bristol casino. Voters approved allowing gambling in the city on November 3, 2020.

Hard Rock spokesman Andy Poarch said, “We have submitted a demolition plan to the city. This plan relates to preliminary site evaluation work at the mall that we need to complete before finalizing our design for the temporary casino. We continue to work closely with the Virginia Lottery on next steps for construction of the temporary gaming facility, and planning for the permanent one. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation and assistance from local and state officials for all necessary permitting and licensing requirements.”

The $400 million casino resort will offer a gaming floor with 1,500 slots and 55 table games at first, expanding to 2,700 slots and 100 table games, plus a 300-room hotel, seven restaurants, four bars, a 3,200-seat performance venue, an outdoor entertainment venue, retail space, convention facilities and more. It’s expected to employ 1,000 to 2,000 people when completed.

Lottery Deputy Director of Gaming Compliance Gina Smith said her office has received applications for facility operator, principal entity, manufacturer and major and minor vendors. She said she anticipates receiving “thousands of applications” in the near future.

The reviews are taking place under the state’s emergency regulations while proposed permanent gaming regulations are undergoing a 60-day public comment period that ends December 24. If the lottery board approves those regulations at its January 2022 meeting, the governor’s office would be required to issue final approval. The regulations must be in place by October 2022.

Meanwhile, in Portsmouth, Mayor Shannon Glover announced ground would be broken for the $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth on Tuesday, December 7. Developers Rush Street Gaming said site preparation actually began in August.

The venue will include a casino, hotel and event center and prove 1,400 construction jobs and 1,300 permanent jobs. Rivers is expected to generate $16 million in tax revenue each year and produce more than $200 million for Hampton and Portsmouth annually.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey has named Felicia Grondin as its new executive director. Grondin has served as acting executive director since July, and has been a board member of the agency for four years.

Grondin was previously chief of staff for Assemblyman Fred Scerni and legislative liaison of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, where she helped streamline regulations. In addition, she served as assistant dean of social and behavioral sciences and associate director of the Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University.

“I am elated to have been selected as the council’s executive director due to my concern for the problem gambler and their families, especially due to the proliferation of gambling opportunities across the United States,” Grondin said. “I look forward to continuing to help those dealing with a gambling disorder.”

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IGRC) recently approved a $46 million financing plan allowing gaming operators Casino Queen to purchase two Louisiana riverboats.

IRGC Administrator Brian Ohorilko said, “The long-term plan would be for Casino Queen to purchase those riverboats, operate those casinos in Louisiana, but move one to Marquette and replace that boat. So it would be a larger boat, maybe a little newer. Just having the ability to have something larger, fresher, is definitely good for that market.” The Casino Queen is one of three riverboat operations remaining in Iowa.

A U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel has affirmed a lower-court ruling ordering Station Casinos’ Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas to bargain with the Culinary and Bartenders Union.

The decision upheld the order of District Court Judge Gloria Navarro that the casino must deal with the union.

“Just like Judge Navarro before it, the Ninth Circuit saw Station Casinos’ grant of benefits right before the election at Red Rock for what it was—a poorly disguised effort to take away union power and to discourage workers from unionizing,” said the Culinary Union in a statement.

“This is another victory for workers who stood up and organized to have a union at Red Rock Casino. We commend Red Rock Casino workers for their courage and resilience in the face of the massive anti-union campaign that Station Casinos shamefully waged against them.”

In a joint venture, Resorts World Las Vegas and Concerts West/AEG Presents have introduced a new theatre, designed by Scéno Plus. The Resorts World Theatre, a 5,000 capacity, multi-level venue, will debut with Carrie Underwood’s REFLECTION. Underwood, who is doing a residency which began December 1.

The theatre will also play host to Katy Perry, Celine Dion, and Luke Bryan.

“In collaboration with AEG, we are excited to introduce our guests to an extraordinary venue integrating world-class talent, innovative design by our partners at Scéno Plus, and cutting-edge technology,” said Scott Sibella, President of Resorts World Las Vegas. “The Resorts World Theatre celebrates our customers by delivering on our brand promise of exceeding industry standards through luxury and high-tech multi-sensory experiences.”

The space, with the furthest seat only 150 feet from the stage, features unobstructed sightlines, high-definition LED screens totaling over 5,000 square feet, and an immersive audio experience.

“We are appreciative of our long-standing and trusted partnership with AEG, and for the collaboration with the Resorts World Las Vegas team to design a unique space,” said Olivier Berthiaume-Bergé, President and CEO of Scéno Plus.