Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says he favors having the Ohio Casino Control Commission put in charge of regulating sports betting, rather than the Ohio Lottery Commission and has met with legislators to outline his preference.
As Ohio debates a sports-betting bill, naming a regulatory agency has become a central issue. The state’s House has moved a bill naming the Lottery Commission as regulator while the state Senate has moved a bill naming the Casino Commission.
The governor has met with representatives of both commissions, and Dan Tierney, spokesman for DeWine, told the Columbus Dispatch that DeWine informed the House speaker, Senate president and sponsor of the House bill, Rep. Dave Greenspan, R-Westlake, of his preference.
Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, said he respectfully disagrees with DeWine.
“The House believes there is an unanswered question on whether the Casino Control Commission has the constitutional authority to regulate sports gaming,” he told the newspaper. “The House has no question that currently the Ohio Lottery Commission has that authority.”
Householder said he is concerned that under the Casino Commission, proceeds are not required to go toward education.
But Sen. John Eklund, R-Chardon, the sponsor of Senate Bill 111, said recently that sports wagering is traditionally conducted in gambling establishments like casinos and racinos and the Casino Commission is the right agency to regulate it.
“Regulating sports gaming through other agencies would require new, complicated government structures to do what the (Casino Commission) is already positioned to do,” he said.
The Alabama legislature has approved a daily fantasy sports bill and sent it to Governor Kay Ivey.
The bill calls for fantasy sports operators to register with the Alabama attorney general’s office and to pay fees and taxes to the state.
Three years ago, state Attorney General Luther Strange sent cease-and-desist letters to fantasy sports operators, saying the contests violated Alabama’s gambling laws. After several failed proposals, the current bill was passed last week.
The bill would require fantasy sports operators with more than $10 million in national gross revenue to pay an $85,000 annual fee to the state. Other operators would pay a $1,000 annual fee.
The state Senate raised the proposed tax on revenue from Alabama players from 8 percent to 10.5 percent. The Senate then passed the bill by a vote of 22-8 and the House agreed with the tax rate change and gave the bill final passage.
Meanwhile, a daily fantasy sports bill has advanced in North Carolina.
A bill in the state’s House would create a state gaming commission to regulate fantasy sports, the North Carolina Education Lottery and any professional boxing matches held in North Carolina.
The bill cleared a House committee vote last week. The bill would require fantasy game operators to register with the gaming commission, ensure that no one under 18 and no insiders are playing and submit annual financial audits.
You’ll be able to drop a few bucks in the slots at a new Delta casino by late fall of next year.
Turner “Tfue” Tenny, a star eSports player of the game Fortnite, is suing eSports organization Faze Clan charging that it illegally limiting his business opportunities, took up to 80 percent of his earnings and encouraged him to gamble and drink underage.
The Hollywood Reporter released portions of the complaint.
“In no uncertain terms, these gamers are artists, entertainers and content creators — they perform, they act, they direct, they edit and they stream,” writes attorney Bryan Freedman. “Because the eSports industry is so new, there is often little to no organization or oversight. There are no real organizations such as unions or guilds to help protect the content creators/streamers that drive the industry.
“Most of these content creator/streamers are also very young, and are often unsophisticated, unseasoned and trusting,” the complaint reads. “As a result, these young content creator/streamers are susceptible to being taken advantage of and exploited–often by those that are supposed to be looking out for their best interests. Unfortunately, this has become industry standard.”
Faze Clan quickly denied the accusation that it took up to 80 percent of Tfue’s winnings, claiming that it has not made any money off of Tfue’s tournament winnings or revenue from Twitch and Youtube. According to Faze Clan, the organization has only made $60,000 from its partnership with Tfue.
In a follow-up statement, reported by Forbes magazine, Faze Clan says that there was a clause in Tfue’s contract that stated Faze clan would be able to take up to 80 percent of Tfue’s brand deals on social media platforms. However, it claims that it never collected on that clause:
Tenney said in the complaint that he has turned down or missed out on lucrative sponsorship deals as a result of his contract.
The suit has set off a heated exchange in the eSports world, which is now estimated to be a $1 billion industry by 2021. Many eSports stars are underage.
“The time is now for content creators, gamers and streamers to stop being taken advantage of through oppressive, unfair and illegal agreements,” Tenney’s lawyer wrote in the complaint.
At one time there were three bills to legalize sports betting in Montana, one under the aegis of the lottery, two bills as a pari-mutuel activity with private providers. Both were passed by the legislature. Ultimately Governor Steve Bullock signed only one: An Act Generally Revising Lottery Laws to Authorize Sports Wagering, which puts the lottery in charge.
The lottery could be operating sports betting on professional and collegiate sports at kiosks throughout the state by the end of the year, although sports book aficionados hope it will be earlier than that to take advantage of the NFL season’s start in September. Athletes, coaches, team staff, team owners and referees will be banned from making sports bets.
Montana becomes the ninth state to legalize sports book, and the first in 2019.
Senator Mark Blasdel, whose SB 330 would have allowed multiple commercial licenses in bars and taverns, still thinks the state would benefit from having that kind of choice in addition to the lottery option.
Governor Bullock disagreed. He vetoed Blasdel’s bill while signing HB 725, which legalizes sports book with the lottery in charge and its current lottery supplier, Athens-based Intralot, acting as bookmaker. A limited form of mobile betting is allowed for customers who are near the kiosks where the lottery is offered.
In the governor’s veto letter he said the market couldn’t support two sports book models: “For the market to succeed, Montana needs to enter the sports wagering market conservatively-adopting only one of the two models now. If, in two years, the market can tolerate more entrants, then I fully expect the legislature will revisit whether a second model is prudent for our state.”
Bullock added, “Under the Lottery model in HB 725, the state will have the ability to control, monitor, and protect sports wagering products and players through security and integrity protocols, policies around responsible gaming, and policies to ensure that sports wagering is competitive, transparent, and reliable.”
Neil Peterson, executive director of the Gaming Industry Association, told the Associated Press he hoped lawmakers would revisit the private model in two years. The legislature meets every other year.
“We think that’s where sports betting ought to be positioned, not as a government-run operation,” said Peterson.
Proponents estimate that the new law will raise up to $2 million for the general fund and up to $4 million for scholarships to benefit science and technology learning.
One of the reasons the governor gave for supporting the lottery over the private version of sports betting was that it would make more money for the state: “The private model could risk favoring market entrants with the most resources to advertise and promote their products. In that environment, competition between well-heeled, international purveyors of gambling could lead to a fragmented market with competing sportsbooks spending most of their profits on acquiring players-leaving little margin for return to the taxpayer.”
The bill’s sponsor Rep. Ryan Lynch, declared, “It’s a good day for Montana to be able to see sports betting in the marketplace. I think Montanans will enjoy the new aspect of watching sports for entertainment as well as betting on it.”
The Montana Tavern Association had lobbied for the bill, which benefits the bars and licensed restaurants where the kiosks are allowed. Executive Director John Iverson explained what the actual effects are likely to be: “Extra cheeseburgers; extra slices of pizza, a few more people filling seats. The actual revenue from the gaming isn’t going to be significant.”
The lottery estimates that during the first year about $65 million will be wagered, rising to $87 million by 2023.
Gaming regulators in Pennsylvania said at the meeting last week of the state Gaming Control Board that online casino gaming and online poker will launch July 15.
State lawmakers legalized online gambling as part of its 2017 gaming expansion law. However several factors have delayed launch, most recently the January Department of Justice memo on the 1961 Wire Act that forced regulators to make sure all facets of internet gaming would happen within state borders.
A spokesman for the gaming board also said that mobile sport betting could kick off as soon as early May. Brick-and-mortar sports betting began in Pennsylvania in November.
“We expect to begin live testing of the online sports betting app for at least one of the approved casino vendors within the next two to three weeks,” PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach told the news site.
Pennsylvania will join New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada as the only states with regulated online poker. West Virginia recently legalized it, but those games haven’t launched yet.
Nevada has poker only, so Pennsylvania would be the third in the country with online casinos. According to the Pennbets website, there is no immediate plan for the state to share online poker players with the other states, a hesitance brought on the by the Wire Act interpretation, which the DOJ says maintains the ban on interstate exchange of wagering and gaming information.
There are currently eight retail sports books operational in Pennsylvania, in casinos and off-track betting parlors, with a ninth pending at Presque Isle Downs. Adding mobile wagers is expected to be a game-changer for revenues. New Jersey, for instance, approached $400 million in sports betting handle in March, with more than 80 percent of it via mobile device.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony recently was held at Rosie’s Gaming Emporium at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia, featuring 600 historical horseracing machines, simulcast horse racing, a restaurant and bar and gift shop. Colonial Downs Group Chief Operating Officer Aaron Gomes said, “We are thrilled that Rosie’s is now open for business in New Kent County. Today marks an enormous economic development milestone for New Kent, the region and the entire Commonwealth that has brought together gaming enthusiasts, horse lovers and the community to experience an exciting and fun activity.”
Colonial Downs Group Senior Vice President John Marshall added, “Rosie’s is critical to the rebirth and revitalization of horseracing and the equine industry in Virginia. We are proud to have already invested $175 million to reestablish the Colonial Downs track, including resurfacing the turf track, as well as bringing historical horseracing to Virginia through the new Rosie’s. We could not be more excited that live thoroughbred horse racing is just months away.”
The first day of 15 live races at Colonial Downs is scheduled for August 8, with the Virginia Oaks and Virginia Derby both returning August 31. Live racing has not been held at the venue since 2014. State Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment noted, “It’s been five years of tears falling,” as the county suffered a “significant financial hit” when Colonial Downs closed after 17 years.
Rosie’s locations also will open in Vinton in May, South Richmond in June and Hampton in early fall, with other locations to follow. The venues are expected to create 800 jobs statewide and generate $25 million in annual state taxes plus another $25 million for Virginia’s horseracing industry. Virginia Equine Alliance Executive Director Jeb Hannum said that money will support higher purses, programs for horse breeders and “different elements of the industry.”
Colonial Downs officials said to date they invested $175 million in improvements and hired 450 people, mostly at Colonial Downs but also for the Vinton location. By the end of the year, officials said they expect to spend $300 million and hire at least 800 people
Rosie’s at Colonial Downs will be open 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. weekends.
Ted Leonsis, Chairman of Monumental Sports and owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards announced that the Green Turtle restaurant at the Capital One Arena will become Washington D.C.’s first live sportsbook.
Speaking in front of an audience at the MGM National Harbor before a three-day sports betting executive summit, Leonsis said plans are underway to transform the restaurant with hopes of opening this year. The restaurant had been independently owned, but was purchased by Monumental last month.
Leonsis said the operator of the sportsbook will be independent from Monumental to ensure there is no conflict of interest problems with either the NBA or the NHL.
Leonsis said betting information would be available as early as April to Capital One Arena patrons, but the actual construction and building of the sportsbook will probably take most of the year.
“So, we would like to re-imagine the arena and take a big piece of real estate and then partner with someone who is great at developing a sportsbook, but then the environment around that,” he said. “Someone that would construct and build a beautiful restaurant with fine food and high fidelity of bandwidth to deliver the information, and big screens that would subscribe to rugby games and soccer games and tennis matches. And maybe someone would just want to come in and have lunch and be with their friends and make some bets.”
Reports have also surfaced on plans for a live sportsbook at Nationals Park. Since Washington has no casinos, the district’s new sports betting law allows sportsbooks in sports venues. The district is creating a special class of gambling licenses for the four current professional stadiums: Capital One Arena, the sports and entertainment venue in Southeast D.C., Audi Field, and Nationals Park.
“We wanted it,” Nationals owner Mark Lerner told WTOP.com in a recent interview. “Monumental Sports kind of took the lead, and it’s silly for all of us to be trying to take the lead on it. They did a wonderful job.”
Lerner said the team has been reviewing several options to include a sportsbook in the stadium, but did not disclose details.
“Oh, a lot of thought,” Lerner said. “And a lot of money with architects. We’ve come up with what I think is a very unique way to do it.”
MGM Growth Properties last week agreed to pay MGM Resorts $637.5 million for the improvements and rebranding of the new Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas. Formerly Monte Carlo, MGP already owned the building, but agreed to reimburse MGM Resorts for the renovations. The high end NoMad Las Vegas operates 293 of the property’s 2,700 rooms. Improvements included construction of the Park Theater, a 5,200-seat facility that features residencies by such stars as Cher, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.
MGM originally put a $550 million price tag on the Monte Carlo improvements, and MGP agreed to the final number. However the rent paid by MGM Resorts on Park MGM will increase by $50 million annually.
MGM Park is one of six MGM Las Vegas Strip casinos owned by MGP. The company recently spent $1 billion to buy the most successful casino in Ohio, Hard Rock Northfield, which will be run by MGM Resorts and rebranded.
“MGM Resorts will continue to deliberately reduce our owned real estate through accretive transactions in the future,” MGM Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said in a statement. “MGM Growth is an attractive partner to achieve this goal. We remain committed to our stated strategic objectives, including reducing our ownership stake in MGM Growth.”
The American Gaming Association’s board of directors officially named veteran Capitol Hill lobbyist Bill Miller as the trade association’s new president and chief executive officer, effective January 14, 2019, following a comprehensive search and selection process.
Miller is the third CEO of the main trade association of the U.S. casino industry, replacing Geoff Freeman, who resigned to accept the top post at the trade association for the grocery industry. Freeman had succeeded founding chairman Frank Fahrenkopf.
During his tenure as senior vice president at the Business Roundtable (BRT), Miller helped grow the organization’s brand and advocacy footprint in Washington, leading the association’s outreach to Capitol Hill and the presidential administration.
“I am honored to join a team with a well-earned reputation for advancing the casino gaming industry’s legislative and communications priorities and addressing the issues that matter most to its members,” said Miller. “Much to the AGA’s credit, this is a remarkable time for gaming in America. The industry is growing, acceptance of gaming as mainstream entertainment has never been higher, and the opportunities to continue to advance gaming’s agenda are abundant. I am eager to help lead the industry in this next era.”
A broad, seven-member search committee was formed in June, led by Tim Wilmott, CEO of Penn National Gaming and chairman of the AGA Board of Directors.
“Bill’s extensive work with federal policymakers and as a seasoned leader of membership and industry advocacy organizations was critical to our decision,” said Wilmott. “He joins a successful organization at a time when our industry is enjoying great momentum, thanks in part to a major policy achievement—the ending of the federal sports betting prohibition. On behalf of the AGA Board, I am excited to welcome Bill to the team.
“The Board is extremely thankful for the leadership of Stacy Papadopoulos and Sara Slane, and the commitment of the entire AGA team during this period of transition,” continued Wilmott.
With senior-level experience at leading business groups and trade associations including BRT and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Miller joins the AGA at a time when the gaming industry is growing both in size and popularity. The May 2018 Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal ban on sports betting was a landmark policy achievement for the industry.
Revenue grew in 20 states with commercial casinos in 2017 and the commercial gaming industry as a whole brought in $40.3 billion in gaming revenue, while tribal casinos tallied $32.4 billion in total gaming revenue.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has granted preliminary approval to Australian sports book supplier PointsBet to conduct “soft play” betting in connection with the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The company will solely provide online sports betting services. The live sports book at Meadowlands is operated by FanDuel.
PointsBet allows bettors to water on the final score of a sporting event, and pays according to how close they are.
Join Boogie Nights nightclub and the Atlantic City Arts Foundation on Thursday, July 19 when they host the finale of the 48 BlocksCocktail Challenge! From 7-9 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) you can meet the finalists, sample their entries and watch as one lucky winner is chosen for Atlantic City’s Signature Cocktail.
48 Blocks is an annual event that celebrates the art and culture of Atlantic City. The 2018 event took place in June, with local bars and restaurants participating with a signature cocktail created specifically for the event. On July 19 the Top 10 participants will come together and one cocktail will be chosen as Atlantic City’s Signature Cocktail.
Entry is free to all industry food and beverage members and only $5 for everyone else. All door proceeds go directly to the Atlantic City Arts Foundation in support of all their great events and programs to strengthen the arts in Atlantic City.
Don’t miss this great event at Tropicana Casino’s Boogie Nights nightclub.
GVC Holdings, the multinational sports betting and gaming group, announced that it has reached a landmark agreement with slot manufacturer Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT) to exclusively launch Ainsworth’s proprietary slot games in New Jersey’s online casino market.
The multi-year agreement means that GVC’s New Jersey platform, which powers the MGM and Borgata gaming brands, will initially launch around 20 of AGT’s slots, with multiple additional games added on a monthly basis. Under the terms of the agreement, GVC has a six-month period of exclusivity to launch AGT’s titles on its network, which also includes the popular GVC-owned nj.partypoker and nj.PartyCasino brands.
Ainsworth is one of the largest suppliers to Atlantic City’s brick-and-mortar casinos, with a market share nearing 10 percent thanks to titles such as Mustang Money, Electric Nights King Strike and Wild Fire Riches—all of which will be available exclusively on GVC’s network later this year.
The announcement comes on the back of the recent roll-out of more than 30 titles created by GVC’s in-house development studio, and further enhances the network’s differentiation from other operators in the market.
“This is fantastic news for both our B2B partners and the wider casino playing public of New Jersey,” said Kevin Allan, GVC’s president of New Jersey operations. “The online market has been stagnant for too long, with many casinos offering a similar lineup of content. Ainsworth is helping us to really shake things up, bringing an entirely new collection of standout titles which are sure to be a major attraction and point of difference for our network.”
Jason Lim, general manager for Ainsworth Online, added, “We are excited to be partnering with the GVC Group for New Jersey and look forward to providing Ainsworth’s land based content online.”
Steve Nathan, VP Online Gaming at MGM Resorts, said, “We are extremely pleased to have this exclusive deal in place with Ainsworth for the New Jersey market. We are looking forward to giving our players access to some of the best and most recognized games in the industry.”
“We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Ainsworth and facilitating their entrance into the New Jersey market,” said Andy Whitworth, GVC’s head of content and commercial management. “Of all the many, many deals we have completed over the past 18 months, this is the one I’m most excited about. It will be a real game-changer in the highly static New Jersey market, which is hindered by a limited range of content.
“Strategically, securing Ainsworth’s market leading OMNI-content is huge for GVC, MGM and Borgata. Being able to offer their games on our network six months ahead of the market is a massive advantage for us, and—combined with the introduction of our exclusive in-house titles—creates an offer that cannot be found at any other operator in the state.”
In Michigan, after several rounds of negotiations and drafting a new bill, state Rep. Brandt Iden’s HB.4926, which would allow online casino gambling and poker, seemed to be on its way to passage before the legislative session ends June 21. However, in talks with tribal leaders, one issue, which Iden calls the “poison pill,” remained unsolved.
Iden said the tribes, which operate 25 Michigan casinos, noted the latest draft of the legislation states if the federal government changes its laws to prohibit tribal casinos from offering online gambling, commercial casinos may continue to offer it. “What tribes want is that if the federal government says they are not allowed, the commercial casinos cease from online gaming as well,” Iden said. He noted he included the provision in the bill at the urging of Detroit’s three casino operators, who said they would not make the necessary investment to set up online gambling sites if later they had to stop due to a dispute between Indian tribes and the federal government.
However, Iden said it’s unlikely the federal government would make tribes stop offering online gambling. Even if it did, he said, Michigan would have little influence because tribes answer to the federal government. “The reality of it is, there isn’t a lot I can put in there to ease that concern,” Iden said. Removing the language could result in the Detroit casinos stopping any progress for the legislation; on the other hand, tribal leaders said they’ll stop it if the language remains in the bill.
Iden said he would attempt to include more equitable language in the bill to address the tribes’ concerns. He noted they were very close to an acceptable compromise. “At the end of the day, it will be a win-win for Michigan and our casinos, both tribal and commercial,” Iden said.
The bill also includes a provision authorizing sports betting following the U.S. Supreme Court’s lifting of the federal ban, which happened last month. Iden stated the ruling has resulted in more of his colleagues working to advance his bill in the House. It also needs to pass the Senate and be signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder. “I have a great partner in Senator Kowall, and we’re going to work to make sure it becomes law before the end of the year.”
Despite bipartisan and industry support, North Carolina state Rep. Jason Saine recently pulled his fantasy sports bill from consideration just before it was scheduled for a committee vote. The same bill failed in a different committee last year. Saine said he worked closely with fantasy sports companies to write the measure which “protects consumers and allows for an increasingly popular industry to grow in our state.” He added the legislation bans players under age 18 and requires operators to register with the state and pay fines for violations.
Opposition included Christian groups who claimed the measure would expand gambling, although industry officials noted fantasy sports require more skill than luck. Reverend Mark Creech, president of the Christian Action League, said fantasy sports are a type of gambling and “moral erosion,” and urged legislators to vote against the bill.
State Reps. Mary Belk and Deb Butler said if the state decides to regulate fantasy sports, operators should pay fees to fund programs to help problem gamblers. “There’s nothing in here. We’re not asking these people who are benefiting from people playing to make sure people get help,” Belk said.
As a result, fantasy sports will remain in a legal but gray area in North Carolina, where players may be any age and major media companies like ESPN and Yahoo! Along with DraftKings and FanDuel run fantasy sports games for the NFL and other sports leagues. State Rep. Kelly Alexander said, “Whether it’s gambling or not gambling, it’s going on. It’s a reality. At least in my district, I’m told that some 20,000 to 25,000 people are participating in fantasy sports. We ought to at least start a regulatory framework, we ought to have some elementary protections to make sure that minors are not involved. So to vote against this measure is to vote in favor of the Wild West.”
A student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has invented a new type of card shoe that makes the cheating technique of “edge sorting” impossible.
Edge-sorting became infamous when poker star Phil Ivey was stripped of nearly $20 million in winnings from Crockford’s Casino in London and the Borgata in Atlantic City because courts agreed that he had used the technique to gain an illegal advantage on the casinos. Edge-sorting involves recognizing imperfections on the edges of cards to subsequently identify and predict when high cards are coming next from the shoe.
Brittney Martino, a student in UNLV’s Gambling Innovation class, developed a dealer shoe that uses flashing lights to obscure the edges of the cards. She has secured U.S. Patented No. USPTO 9,895,599 for the device, which explains:
“The purpose of the light(s) is to overlay colors or tones and white background on the back of the playing card. The wavelength, pattern (e.g., discontinuous distribution of light) and intensity of the shone light being sufficient to reduce optical contrast of different colors and/or shades on the back of the first playing card. The pattern can disrupt visible perception of the actual pattern printed on the back of the playing card. The emitted/projected pattern may be significantly different from the printed pattern, or only slightly vary from the printed pattern to confuse optical/visible reading of the printed image.
“Where the back of the card, for example, has red-and-white colors, the emitted light should be sufficiently red to color and blend the white into the red; when the back of the card is greenish, the emitted light should sufficiently match the green, and similarly with single colors or multiple colors on the backs of the cards and the emitters.”
Legendary Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band will perform at the Borgata’s Event CenterSaturday, June 2, 2018 at 8:00pm.
You won’t want to miss Ring Starr as he continues his American tour at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. Sir Richard Starkey has been a major pop sensation for more than a half-century as a drummer, singer, songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles.
The All Starrs include Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette. This line-up first came together in 2012 and have been touring together since.
Las Vegas’ drive to become a national eSports hub has taken another leap forward with the announcement that MGM Resorts International is partnering with eSports developer Unikrn to bring a slate of real-money tournaments to Level Up at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
Rahul Sood, chief executive of Unikrn, a Seattle-based leader in the development of eSports experiences and related wagering platforms, characterized the joint venture as “thrilling”.
“There’s never been a partnership quite like this fusion, and we’re pumped to be in the center of it,” he said. “Traditional entertainment destinations have a lot of room to grow in appealing to eSports and gaming fans, and MGM Resorts International is leading the way.”
The joint venture is tailor-made for Level Up, an innovative lounge-like space that debuted at MGM Grand in December 2016, offering bi-weekly eSports competitions and other skill-based and interactive competitions in addition to a variety of traditional arcade games.
“With our commitment to the future of eSports and increased focus on enhancing our guests’ entertainment experience, we know Unikrn will be a tremendous partner,” said Lovell Walker, executive director of interactive gaming development for MGM Resorts.
The news follows on the announcement earlier this year that 2018 will see the arrival of the Strip’s first dedicated eSports stadium―again courtesy of MGM.
Taking part of its inspiration from the 15,000-square-foot Millennial Esports arena at the Neonopolis on Fremont Street, Esports Arena Las Vegas, a joint venture with Allied Esports, one of the sector’s global giants, will take over the space at Luxor Hotel & Casino formerly occupied by LAX nightclub. Plans call for a multilevel arena spread across 30,000 square feet and featuring a competition stage, LED video wall, special telescopic seating, state-of-the-art streaming at an array of gaming stations and television-quality productions studios. A unique gamer-focused F&B offering with a $9 million construction budget also is planned under the direction of celebrity chef José Andrés, a well-known presence on the Strip dining scene with three locations at The Cosmopolitan and one at SLS Las Vegas.
MGM is making its mark on the eSports in other ways, too, recently investing in gaming studio startup Foundry IV, the brainchild of Tobias Sherman, former global head of eSports at WME | IMG.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is expanding its reach into the sector as well after planting its flag earlier this year by becoming the first major U.S. university to offer an academic course and supporting lab focused on eSports. UNLV is inviting its fellow Mountain West schools to participate in competitive exhibitions when the conference brings its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to Las Vegas in March.
“They would be played in the Thomas & Mack Center or the Cox Pavilion, with the games shown on the (scoreboard) screens,” said UNLV President Len Jessup. “We’re not sure, but there could be one event or maybe a few rounds in between the basketball games.”
If the event proves a success, the conference might consider taking a page from the NBA and NHL and launch an eSports collegiate league, Jessup said.
“It’s definitely heading in that direction. Several of the Big Ten schools are doing that, and Cal and Utah in the Pac-12 are doing that. I think you’re going to see university-based teams and conference matchups and maybe an even bigger, national matchup.”
Unikrn’s deal at MGM Grand calls for regular weekend tournaments beginning in 2018 with prizes that include cash awards and the company’s UnikoinGold digital currency.
There are no immediate plans for direct wagering on the competitions, according to news reports, but Unikoin would have value in facilitating that because it’s convertible to other virtual currencies, such as Ethereum and Bitcoin, which, in turn, can be exchanged for real money.
Italy is the largest nation in Europe in terms of its online gaming market. Only the UK has a larger share of the market. France and Spain are third and fourth.
The study was conducted at the Milanese university, which concluded that total online gaming revenue is over €1 billion, a 25 percent increase since 2015.
Typical Italian players have multiple online accounts, and although most such players are men, the share who are women is growing.
Some companies doing poorly in the U.K., such as Ladbrokes Coral, have seen dramatic increases in their online revenue in Italy.
In a surprise move, Matt Levinson, the chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, is stepping down after not being re-nominated to the position by Governor Chris Christie. News reports say James Plousis, the chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board, will replace Levinson. Multiple sources reported the news, but the CCC has not commented.
First appointed in 2012, Levinson leads the emasculated CCC, which lost much of its power to the Division of Gaming Enforcement in a regulatory restructure in 2011. Seats on the CCC were reduced from five to three, with a requirement that all the members not be of the same party. In most cases, the CCC rubber stamps the DGE’s recommendations since the CCC has few investigators on its staff.
Levinson is the son of Atlantic County Executive Denny Levinson and reportedly was a victim in a feud between his father and Christie. The senior Levinson is involved in a case challenging the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program for the Atlantic City casinos designed to stabilize the city’s taxes. With dramatically lower payments to Atlantic County under the PILOT program, Denny Levinson was challenging the legality of the measure.
The elder Levinson said his son was “collateral damage” in the fight against the PILOT measure.
“This is how it works, and it’s not a big surprise,” Denny Levinson told the Atlantic City Press. “If you go along with everything they want, they take care of you.”
Matt Levinson’s term expired in February and he has been serving as a holdover, and presumably will continue to do so until the timing for Plousis’ appointment is resolved.
The Stars Group (formerly PokerStars) announced the launch of PokerStars Power Up, an online game developed in-house that mixes aspects of traditional poker and modern video games.
PokerStars Power Up is based on a No Limit Hold ‘em Poker Sit & Go format, with three players facing off across an agreed upon buy-in stake of $1, $3, $7 or $15. Players will start with the same amount of chips and are dealt two cards on each hand as usual, but also begin the game with two randomly selected powers, such as “Clone,” “Intel,” “Disintegrate” and “Scanner.”
These powers regenerate during the game, enabling players to, among other things, receive a copy of the last power played, look at the deck, eliminate a card and force an opponent to reveal one of his or her cards.
However, each power uses energy, and players are advised to keep track of their energy level so that they can play their power when it matters the most.
“Poker has maintained its popularity for nearly two centuries because it has evolved with the times,” said Rafi Ashkenazi, chief executive of the Stars Group. “PokerStars Power Up continues this evolution by providing a modern twist on traditional poker that we believe will be exciting to not only poker players, but to a broad spectrum of gamers as well.
“We’ve been encouraged by the reaction during alpha testing in July and August, and are optimistic that PokerStars Power Up will introduce poker to a new generation of mobile gamers, excite current players and help reconnect with less active or former players.”
