With one month until opening day, Hard Rock Atlantic City is gearing up for the big day and a busy summer in AC. Here are seven things to look for when Hard Rock AC opens its doors.
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The American Gaming Association included mobile wagering among its top priorities for sports betting legislation. That could signal an impending policy shift by the AGA on online poker.
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Players using the Station Casinos sports betting app no longer need to go to a property to replenish their accounts.
Station now partners with PayNearMe to allow customers to deposit cash into their accounts at 350 locations in Nevada. That includes 217 7-Eleven stores throughout the state, as well as a number of other retail outlets.
The service went live last week for players using the STN Sports mobile app.
The process appears fairly streamlined for current users of the STN Sports app. Inside the app, players first select the option to deposit funds. They will be prompted to select what amount they will deposit from a pre-selected list, although they also can enter a custom amount.
The option to pay with cash at a 7-Eleven or another retail outlet will appear. Players then just need to go to the corner store and provide the top-up payment to refill their accounts.
The cloud-based money movement platform first entered the sports betting world two years ago by partnering with William Hill. Users of the William Hill app can deposit money into their accounts by paying with cash at 7-Eleven and other retail stores.
Station approached PayNearMe to create a similar solution for its app. PayNearMe worked with industry leader Mionmi to integrate its payment system into the platform. Mionmi’s user interface also powers apps for Boyd, Caesars, Westgate, and Wynn.
PayNearMe also partners with WSOP.com to fund account for online poker players.
To open a sports betting account with Station, players still need to go to one of the company’s 19 locations. That includes branded Station Casinos properties, Wildfire Gaming, Fiesta, El Cortez Hotel and Casino, and Baldini’s. Players must be 21 years old and place their wagers from within Nevada, even if they are not state residents.
A new account must be funded with at least $50 and be paid with cash, approved chips or tokens, or an authorized prepaid card. The minimum wager through STN Sports is $2.
Photo by withGod / Shutterstock.com
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Ocean Resort Casino, fast approaching its June 28 opening date, moves quickly to partner with sportsbook giant William Hill for its future NJ sports betting plans.
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A week and a half after New Jersey won its sports betting case, the effects continue to ripple throughout the country. The decision may be enough to even bring the Atlantic City Race Course back from the dead.
The post Legal New Jersey Sports Betting Could Bring Atlantic City Race Course Out Of The Ashes appeared first on Play NJ.
Does last week’s Supreme Court of the United States decision to repeal a federal ban on sports gambling mean legal sports betting is coming to Massachusetts?
It does not. Not right away at least.
Massachusetts is not one of a handful of states that passed sports betting legislation pending a change in federal law, anticipating the Supreme Court decision would hand all 50 states the right to legalize sports betting inside their borders.
That means Massachusetts lawmakers are not among those currently hurrying to put together state sports betting regulations. Or be among the first to take legal bets on sports outside of Nevada.
Like it has with almost every other gambling issue, the Massachusetts legislature appears to be taking its time with this one.
Most of the rest of the country has experienced a boom in commercial casino construction since the 1990s. Massachusetts has not been involved until recently.
The state’s interest in the commercial casino industry began when it passed the Expanded Gaming Act in 2011. Ultimately, this allowed Penn National Gaming to open up the Plainridge Park Casino slot parlor in June 2015, becoming the state’s first casino.
It also paved the way for construction of Massachusetts’ first two commercial casino resorts to begin. The $950 million MGM Springfield will likely open sometime this year. Plus, the $2.4 billion Encore Boston Harbor (formerly Wynn Boston Harbor) is scheduled to open in 2019.
Several Massachusetts-based Native American tribes have expressed an interest in the local casino market as well. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is now building the $1 billion First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton and expects to open the doors this summer.
Casino gambling is finally on its way to Massachusetts. But with last week’s Supreme Court decision making it possible, will it bring sports betting with it?
There is no sports betting bill currently being considered by Massachusetts lawmakers. There is a bill that would set up a special commission to study the issue further. However, it seems unlikely the state will get to the point of approving legal sports betting anytime soon. Certainly not before at least one of the two new commercial casino resorts open up.
However, sports betting remains an issue on legislators’ radar. In fact, Massachusetts gaming regulators issued a white paper examining the prospects for sports betting in the commonwealth on March 1.
The document is essentially a guide for the legislature should it decide to tackle the issue.
The white paper includes the opinion that sports betting will likely not result in any kind of huge windfall for the state. However, regulators seem to believe it will present some interesting opportunities. These include:
The document also makes it clear regulators believe any type of legal sports betting in Massachusetts will need to at least match the product currently being offered by illegal and offshore bookmakers.
That means mobile wagering. Plus, the availability of similar bets currently being offered in the black market, including in-game wagering.
The white paper also highlights the fact Plainridge Park, Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield have all said they’d like to to see the state legalize sports betting. Plus, each would consider opening up sportsbooks at the casinos with the right laws in place.
Fantasy sports operators have long claimed it is not gambling. However, it the only thing akin to sports betting that is currently legal in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill legalizing and regulating paid-entry fantasy sports in 2016. Under the current agreement, fantasy sports operators aren’t paying the state any taxes or fees. However, that could change when the deal expires later this year.
They haven’t had much to say about Massachusetts. However, Boston-based daily fantasy sports market leader DraftKings and CEO Jason Robins said they are eyeing sports betting in other states ready to legalize it now:
“Our mission has always been to bring fans closer to the sports they love and now, thanks to the wisdom of the Supreme Court, DraftKings will be able to harness our proven technology to provide our customers with innovative online sports betting products. This ruling gives us the ability to further diversify our product offerings and build on our unique capacity to drive fan engagement.”
If and when they will be able to offer those same sports betting products in Massachusetts remains a question. One only state lawmakers can answer.
However, the state’s slow build towards increasing gambling options over the past decade does suggest one thing. A regulated and taxed sports betting market in Massachusetts will open up eventually. It’s just a matter of time.
The post Unlike The Neighbors, Massachusetts Is Taking It’s Time With Sports Betting appeared first on Play MA–Legal gambling for Massachusetts.
$118,000 per day.
That is how much the Pennsylvania Lottery brought in during its first 17 days. Keno sold its first ticket on May 1. When you do the math, the Pennsylvania Lottery took in over $2 million in revenue through Keno ticket sales in the first few weeks.
“We watched sales rise steadily through the morning, which shows that our players are excited to try this new game,” said Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko in a press release. “By lunchtime, Keno was selling at a clip of about 8,200 tickets per hour and still rising.”
The availability of Keno across the state undoubtedly contributed to the successful launch. Players can purchase tickets at one of over 9,400 lottery retailers. For players that want to watch their way to a winning ticket, there are about 600 locations across the state that house the large-screen gaming terminals with an animated version of the drawing. Gary Miller, a lottery spokesman, expects that number to grow.
Before the launch, Svitko claimed Keno would pay players $0.65 on the dollar. In the first 17 days, Keno paid players $1.3 million, a return of $0.65 per dollar to players.
The Pennsylvania Lottery Fund benefits senior citizens in the state through:
The fund has been under pressure of late because of rising costs and the growth in the senior population.
Officials are looking for Keno and future games to alleviate some of the funding pressure over the next few years.
“Keno is a major step forward in our ability to generate new funds to benefit older Pennsylvanians,” Svitko noted. “We’re excited to see our players give this new game such a warm welcome.”
Scientific Games is the long-term provider of technology to the Pennsylvania Lottery, including the new Keno game and other online lottery games.
“Scientific Games is pleased to provide Keno games at retailers to support the Lottery’s mission of funding programs for older Pennsylvanians,” said Pat McHugh, senior vice president, global lottery systems for Scientific Games. “We are committed to quickly delivering new products and technology that meets our customers’ requirements and our own stringent protocols for quality and security.”
Launching Keno is just the beginning for the Pennsylvania Lottery. Sometime this summer, the lottery, with the help of Scientific Games will launch Xpress Sports.
With Xpress Sports, players can place bets on fantasy sports events such as Inspired Entertainment’s Stock Car Racing and 1st Down Virtual Football.
Following Keno’s lead, players place their bets in local bars, restaurants, and other retailers. Monitors in select locations will show the simulated games and races.
Irene Grant, from Adamstown, Lancaster County, became the first Keno winner required to go to headquarters to claim a prize.
Grant bought a ticket at a local convenience store. It wasn’t until later in the day that she checked her numbers and realized she won $10,000.
Grant plans a celebratory barbeque for the family. When claiming her prize, she also told lottery officials she would pay off some bills and possibly take a trip.
Interestingly enough, Grant didn’t know how to play the game when she bought her ticket. While it is not necessary to understand how to play the game to win, here is how to play Keno:
How to play Keno:
With Keno in its infancy and the Xpress Sports launch on the horizon, expect more retailers and more monitors to infiltrate the state for the lottery’s newest games.
The post There Are Now Almost 10,000 Places To Play Keno In PA appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
The U.S. arm of international online gambling firm Paddy Power Betfair has reached a deal to merge with daily fantasy sports giant FanDuel, according to a news release. The groups …
States are keeping an eye on New Jersey as they navigate the legislative hurdles towards regulating sports betting in the Garden State.
Most likely, whatever bill passes will be a foundation for legislation in other states. That fact is probably making a few casino owners nervous.
Proposed language in the current Senate bill under consideration restricts anyone who owns a sports team from accepting sports wagers. Specifically, the proposed legislation reads:
“Any person who is an athlete, coach, referee, team owner, employee of a sports governing body or its member teams, or a player or referee personnel member … shall not be permitted to have any ownership interest in, control of, or otherwise be employed by an operator or a facility in which a sports wagering lounge is located or place a wager on a sports event.”
The integrity of the game is at the heart of the issue. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney is intent on making sure there is enough separation between the interests of team owners and sport books owners.
“There should be a separation. You know, if you own a team, you shouldn’t be allowed to own anything where you take sports bets,” Sweeney said to NJTV. “Because that alone really questions the integrity of sports betting.”
Tilman Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Currently, Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada doesn’t accept bets on the Houston Rockets.
The language in the bill is seeking more separation than simply not accepting bets for the teams in question.
Other casinos where the “team owner” language comes into play are MGM and Caesars. MGM Resorts International is the owner of Borgata and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. Joshua Harris is the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. Apollo Capital Management, which owns Caesars, was co-founded by Harris.
All three casinos have shared plans to open sports books in New Jersey and other states where they operate – pending legislation.
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Visit Golden NuggetWhile Sweeney is intent on protecting the integrity of the game, he doesn’t think an integrity fee is the answer. He is dead set against including such a fee in the Senate bill.
“They never got an integrity fee from Las Vegas,” Sweeney said to NJ.com. “The Senate is not passing an integrity fee.”
Sweeney has been harsh in criticism of the leagues lobbying state legislators for the addition of an integrity fee. He is urging other states to follow his lead.
Today I sent correspondence to the governors and legislative leaders in all 50 states detailing the legal history of New Jersey’s fight to allow sports betting and urging them to resist the attempts by the sports leagues to collect so-called “integrity fees.”
— Steve Sweeney (@NJSenatePres) May 23, 2018
“The best way to protect the integrity of sports gaming,” Sweeney said to Insider NJ, “is to make sure there are no conflicts of interest and no competing loyalties on the part of those directly engaged in the athletic events.”
Sweeney is taking a strong position for a bill that addresses the integrity of the game. The current bill in front of the NJ Assembly doesn’t include the team owner language.
Both Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin are working together to pass legislation by June 7. To make that happen, they are working together to bring one bill before the two houses.
Certainly, casino owners are inserting themselves into the discussion in hopes of softening the language or eliminating it altogether.
Surely, the bill will include some measures directed at protecting the integrity of the game. What that looks like remains unknown.
The leagues are now lobbying for federal legislation. Strong protections for the game at the state level may make it harder to take up the issue on the national level.
If the Senate and Assembly agree on a bill and it passes both houses by June 7, expect the first sports wager to happen soon after.
Until then, it’s wait and see as to how it will impact casino owners.
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The heat continues to rise for the tournament scene at New Jersey’s Borgata Hotel & Casino poker room.
First up, it’s the return of Borgata’s popular Memorial Day Weekend Deepstack Poker Tournament. East Coast players, once again, have a tournament worth traveling for and an action-packed way to start off the long Memorial Day Weekend.