NJ Transit plans to shut down the Atlantic City Line beginning Sept. 4 for five months. The closure will affect Philadelphians looking to visit AC casinos while NJ Transit staff is reallocated elsewhere.
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Sports betting’s triumphant Supreme Court victory has prompted a change from the American Gaming Association (AGA). The AGA updated its Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming to include language about sports betting and its associated advertising.
According to a press release, the update establishes provisions to ensure that advertising for sports betting is age-appropriate and tasteful. In addition, advertisements must occur at a reasonable frequency. Per AGA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Sara Slane:
“The American Gaming Association and its members are committed to fostering a gaming environment that focuses on education, wellbeing and responsibility. As gaming enters a new landscape, our industry is prepared to be a proactive partner in how we approach responsible gaming, highlighted today with our updated Code of Conduct that spells our obligations to our patrons, employees and communities.”
Fittingly, the update launched the AGA’s Responsible Gaming Education Week. The week will feature events, activities, and panels across the country to promote responsible gaming in all markets that host casinos or gaming establishments.
The AGA is one of the top lobbying firms for the gambling industry. Members include major casinos, tribal operations, suppliers, and other companies with interests in gaming.
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Visit DraftKings SportsbookThe AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming is not a lengthy document. At merely five pages, it simply codifies the expectations that its members must fulfill.
Most of the changes to the code are merely additions of the phrase “sports betting company.“ More or less, the rules that apply to casinos now apply to sports betting operators.
So, according to the AGA rules, sports betting company members must:
Like most voluntary pledges, signatories are on the honor system. So, there’s no real consequence for failing to follow the guidelines. However, the AGA is a powerful entity politically, and not the kind of organization that a gaming company should readily oppose.
Naturally, sports betting’s inclusion into the AGA’s Code of Conduct is evidence of the massive upheaval in the US gambling scene. The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down PASPA has created market opportunities in almost every state.
Seven states have taken advantage by legalizing the practice. In fact, three of them (New Jersey, Delaware, and Mississippi) have already begun accepting wagers.
As a result, gambling companies have reached numerous partnerships with each other in the last two months. Gaming giants across the globe are teaming up to offer retail and mobile solutions at almost a daily rate.
In just the past week, we’ve seen deals between the following companies:
This sort of list is unprecedented in the American gaming industry. Amazingly, this activity happened since July 26 – literally seven days ago.
Sports betting will only accelerate from here. Last year, gaming analysts Eilers and Krejcik estimated that 32 states would legalize sports betting by 2023.
So, companies are scrambling not only to grab the existing markets but also to set up relationships as the market expands. Of the new partnerships, MGM’s deal with the NBA is the most significant, because it represents the acquiescence of a major sports league to sports betting’s inevitability.
With so much activity happening, the AGA felt like it needed to get out ahead of the sports betting wave. Otherwise, hastily-written promotions might find their way to underage eyes, and generate the exact type of attention that the gambling industry doesn’t want.
The post AGA Kicks Off Responsible Gambling Week With New Sports Betting Guidelines appeared first on Play USA.
British boxing champion David Haye is all in on poker. In the wake of a recent retirement announcement after back-to-back TKO losses, Haye said that he’s partnering with a local …
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) released its July slots revenue totals, noting that the state’s 12 casinos saw a 2.6 percent drop over the same time in 2017.
The drop is by no means a drastic one, as PGCB Communications Director Doug Harbach told PlayPennsylvania that increases and decreases of 2-3 percent are within the normal range of variation.
Parx was once again the top slots revenue earner, pulling in more than $34.7 million.
Valley Forge leads the way in revenue gains
Often we see slots numbers go up year-on-year because at least one of the big three casinos — Parx, Sands, and Rivers — experience a spike in revenue.
That wasn’t the case this month, as two of the top three properties failed to increase revenue by more than 0.77 percent.
Valley Forge posted the most positive numbers, logging 4.91 percent growth. Here is a list of the other casinos who saw gains:
By contrast, the PGCB’s June report revealed a 4.9 percent overall increase in slots revenue. This was due, in large part, to the fact that the top-three revenue earners all reported gains, with Parx posting a formidable 10.37 percent gain. Sands had a 2.84 percent increase and Rivers saw their slots revenue jump 7.13 percent over the previous year.
The month was so profitable, in fact, that all but two casinos (Mohegan Sun, Lady Luck Nemacolin) reported losses over the previous year.
The comparison of July and June show that as the state’s top revenue earners go, so goes the overall slots totals.
Whereas June was a fantastic month for the state, July was tough. Not only did the top casinos experience minimal growth, but seven casinos reported drops in revenue. Here are casinos and their reported losses:
Along with the sluggish growth from Parx, Sands, and Rivers, the fact that The Meadows, Hollywood Casino and Mohegan Sun experienced revenue dips ranging from 3.02 percent to 8.84 percent didn’t help the overall numbers, either.
Mohegan Sun and Lady Luck were the only two casinos to see year-on-year drops in both June and July.
The PGCB noted that there were 57 more slot machines operating in July 2018 than in July 2017.
July marked the first month of the 2018-2019 fiscal year and, while the numbers certainly weren’t what casinos were looking for, they did have the consolation of knowing that the 2018-2017 fiscal year was a success.
According to numbers from the PGCB, PA casinos reported $16 million more in gross revenue in 2018 than they did in 2017: $2.35 billion to $2.33 billion.
Overall revenue from table games and slots increased 0.69 percent from fiscal year 2016-2017 to 2017-2018.
The post The Fiscal Year Casino Revenue Numbers Were Good, But July? Not So Much appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
Authorities in New York City said Friday that they have busted an underground poker operation that used the social networking site Meetup.com to find players. The Office of the Special …
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Episode 264: Ivey Bluffs It Off
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Choctaw Casino and Resort is a breed of property unlike any other frequented by major tours in the United States. Set 90 minutes north of Dallas, just over the Oklahoma/Texas border, the casino draws some of the largest fields on both the World Series of Poker Circuit and World Poker Tour on a regular basis.
The fourth edition of the WPT Main Tour arrived in Choctaw on Friday to kick off an event expected to draw 1,000 entries. In the first three volumes, the prize pool hit $3 million each time. The largest turnout was in Season XIV when 1,175 entrants created a prize pool of $3.989 million.
There is no special secret to what makes Choctaw so popular, says tournament staff member Bill Bruce. The combination of amenities and action make it a must-stop for locals and professionals.
When players enter the Grand Theater, they are welcomed by one of the greatest spectacles in poker. Banners from all major Choctaw Main Events since 2011 hang from the rafters with close to 100 tables lining the floor. The experience of playing in Choctaw is one-of-a-kind thanks to the amenities of the property and top-notch tournament staff.
“Choctaw is a great venue with lots of things for the players to do when not playing poker or gambling,” Bruce said. “There is a new modern movie theatre on property, bowling, laser tag, a terrific pool layout, large workout center and a wide variety of restaurants.”
Bruce heads the group of traveling tournament staff with long-time World Series of Poker tournament supervisors Troy Iverson and Brian Freitas by his side.
The first-impression lays the foundation for a powerful tournament experience, according to Bruce.
“Additionally, Durant, Oklahoma is centrally located to draw poker players from all over the U.S. to compete with local players and players from nearby Dallas,” Bruce said. “So traveling pros get to play in tournaments with a healthy mix of local players and locals get to experience the atmosphere of big-time poker close to home.”
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Visit Global PokerThe local players in the Oklahoma/Texas corridor make up a monster share of what keeps the poker economy solvent at Choctaw. Over 100 players qualified via satellite for the $3,700 WPT Main Event. Satellites operate around the clock in the Grand Theater alongside the over 40 events that compiled the prelim schedule. None of the events on the schedule topped the $500 buy-in mark but drew massive fields.
Eric Rivkin took down a $350 event with a $500,000 guarantee that put $759,786 in the prize pool thanks to 2,746 entrants.
A quality satellite schedule is one of the first items on the agenda of Bruce and Choctaw Tournament Director Jimmy Sommerfeld.
“I think how you design the schedule of events is what create a large number of satellite seats that are awarded to the big buy-in Main Events,” Bruce told USPoker.com. “Sommerfeld and I, with input from our tournament team, design unique schedules for each event that provide a variety of opportunities for players to win a seat in the Main Events.”
A combination of locals and professionals are usually represented each season come the WPT final table. Season XIV winner Jason Brin made the drive over from Greater Kansas City area to win $682,975. Texas pros Mina Greco and Andy Hwang joined him with Darren Elias, Jake Schindler, and Alex Lynskey representing New Jersey, Florida, and Australia, respectively.
Last season, Jay Lee used his $593,173 in winnings to open a bar in his hometown of Austin, Texas.
Bruce works with Choctaw year-round and watched the property expand its offering of WSOP Circuit stops from one to two last season. The traditional January stop is complimented by November’s venture. Both drew well in the recent season of the Circut. A total of 908 came for the $1,675 Main Event in the fall and another 1,249 followed in the winter.
Is there a second stop for the WPT in Choctaw’s future? Bruce isn’t ruling it out.
“I believe there is great respect for the WPT brand and the product that they put forth for poker players. Should the opportunity present itself for further collaboration I’m sure all parties would definitely be open to considering that option.”
Lead image courtesy of WPT/Flickr
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Late Thursday night, Vital Vegas tweeted a rumor that the World Series of Poker will move from its home at the Rio to the new Caesars Forum Convention Center when it opens on the Strip in 2020. The reason? According to Vital Vegas, a sale of the Rio is progressing.
You know those persistent rumors of Rio sale? Next level chatter happening, Caesars seriously shopping this fixer-upper.
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) August 3, 2018
However, a Caesars spokesperson flatly denied the rumor about the WSOP this morning.
In an email to USPoker, the spokesperson wrote:
“We have had no discussions to move the WSOP. We consider the Rio its home for the foreseeable future.”
For its part, Vital Vegas stuck to its guns in subsequent tweets. The website has accurately predicted events in the past, but the concrete denial from Caesars casts this particular prediction in doubt.
However, it got us thinking about the possibility of such a move.
Since 2005, the Rio All-Suites Casino and Hotel has hosted the series and seen poker through its most explosive growth period. However, a move to the Strip would make sense for several reasons.
The Rio has always been something of an odd choice to host the marquee event for poker players. The off-Strip casino became the home of the WSOP after Caesars (well, Harrah’s) purchased Binion’s Horseshoe.
However, the Rio has never been a crown jewel in the Caesars family of casinos. It seems more appropriate for such an important event to be center stage.
The new Caesars Forum would be exactly that location. A sparkling $375-million building with 300,000 square feet of meeting space would be a perfect place to compete at the highest level of poker.
The Caesars Forum is under construction behind Harrah’s, the Linq, and the Flamingo. The facility will be accessible via both car and walkways from those three properties.
Having the World Series of Poker in the middle of the Strip is guaranteed to increase accessibility for the millions of people who visit Las Vegas each year. The prospect of taking a taxi or one of the free shuttles from the Strip to the somewhat remote Rio drives away more casual players and fans.
Those casual players and fans could potentially spark a new phase of development for the WSOP. A WSOP accessible to foot traffic would increase player numbers and player pools simply by virtue of people dropping by to see the show.
The presence of the WSOP next to those three casinos would also increase their value immensely. Those three casinos have long been trouble spots for Caesars.
However, the WSOP occurring next door would make those rooms incredibly valuable real estate. This effect would be particularly noticeable during the summer months.
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Visit WSOP NVOf course, there are good reasons for the WSOP to stay put, as well. There’s a reason that the concept drew such an unequivocal denial.
The biggest reason that Caesars would not move from the Rio would be that a new convention center is far more valuable in its intended purpose. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Caesars has already booked more than $70 million in convention business for a building that won’t exist for another two years.
A convention center in the heart of the Strip can command top dollar. Also, the revitalization of the three properties mentioned above — Harrah’s, the Linq, and Flamingo — may benefit even more greatly than if the WSOP moved in.
In fact, conventions at the Forum would run year-round. Potentially, all three casinos would see a near-permanent uptick in business if they just stood pat.
Moving the WSOP away from the Rio would also have a deleterious effect on the Rio itself.
Most off-Strip casinos struggle to stand out from the crowd. Unless they establish themselves as a place for locals, off-Strip locations have to maintain some sort of novelty for tourists to make the trip.
Unlike a property like Hard Rock or Hooters, there’s nothing that truly stands out about the Rio aside from its position as home of the WSOP. In fact, it’s likely that the move in 2005 was Caesars’s effort to distinguish one of its lesser casinos.
Holding the WSOP at a Strip location would create incredible logistical nightmares for the entire area. The increased traffic, both foot and car, would congest the area even further.
There would also be ongoing complaints about parking fees and hotel rooms. Every nearby casino would find itself swarmed with poker players, who are traditionally a lower-profit group for gambling establishments.
There would also be an increased need for staff and security. With so much activity on the Strip, the chance of criminals preying on WSOP players would be a problem.
We cannot say for sure which option we prefer. However, for the time being, the WSOP appears to be staying put.
There’s no denying that the 2019 World Series of Poker will proceed from the Rio. Beyond that, you never know what might happen in Vegas.
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