Hard Rock and Ocean Resort AC casinos are planning summer openings but both have yet to get NJ casino licenses. Regulators hope to expedite the process.
The post The Clock Is Ticking, And Hard Rock, Ocean Resort Still Need NJ Casino Licenses appeared first on NJ Gambling Sites.
West Virginia’s Senate moved ahead with a sports betting bill Tuesday. In anticipation of a change to federal law that prohibits the activity, the state is just the latest to …
The prices for the Pennsylvania mini-casinos are down from the astronomical $50 million they opened at back in January. There is still demand above the minimum bid of $7.5 million though . The latest buyer, Sands Bethlehem, spent $9,885,000 to secure the fourth satellite license. The company selected a location near Hempfield, PA in Mercer County. However, there is a chance this location could cause some legal problems.
There are actually several Hempfields and Hempfield Townships in Pennsylvania. To be clear, the area Sands selected is the township in Mercer County. It is on the western end of the state, near Youngstown, OH.
If that description sounds familiar, it should. During the last auction, Mount Airy selected a similar site in New Castle, PA. The Mount Airy property is closer to Youngstown than the Sands site. However, both are just shy of two hours away from Cleveland, OH.
The Sands location is just over 30 miles from New Castle
If the sports betting law does change in Pennsylvania, the proximity of these sites to Ohio will become even more advantageous. Per the law, a Category 4 casino should be able to accept bets. So, the location near a populated sports town like Cleveland could bring in interested bettors. Especially since Ohio is one of the states who has not taken any legal action to allow wagering.
There is potential for controversy over this latest bid though. The law is very precise about where a Category 4 casino can go in relation to Category 1-3 casinos and opt-out municipalities. Where it is less clear is where a Category 4 casino can go in relation to another mini casino.
Per the auction rules provided by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), this is the only stipulation:
An affirmation that the proposed “Category 4 location” is notwithin any portion of a previous winning bidder’s “Category 4 location.” 4 Pa.C.S. §1305.1(B)(3)
Earlier in the rules, “location” is defined as the precise latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates the casinos provide. However, that is not where the casino will necessarily go. Bidders have to put their casino in a 25-mile range of the coordinates. Essentially, the location selected puts a pin at the center of a circle where the casino needs to go.
Problem is, the Sands Bethlehem location and the Mount Airy location now overlap. So, should the companies so choose, they could theoretically end up with casinos across the street from one another and still be in their respective circles.
The law is vague, so there is certainly a chance this overlap becomes an issue, especially if Mount Airy feels as though Sands is honing in on its area, which it paid more than twice as much for than Sands did for its satellite property.
There is a third party in the state who might be concerned about today’s auction too. Both sites are far from the boundary protecting the racino Presque Isle Downs in Erie, PA. Nonetheless, this is added competition for the casino, who relies on Ohio players for revenue.
All three properties are relatively equidistant from Cleveland. While Erie does have the natural attraction of the lake bearing the same name, Sands has the advantage when it comes to brand recognition. Sands Bethlehem trails only Parx Casino in revenue within Pennsylvania. Moreover, Sands is part of a global casino brand. The draw of the name and the linked rewards program that goes with it is certainly a boon.
With four licenses down and six to go, the field for available licenses is thin. Only Category 1 and 2 casinos are eligible to bid in this initial round.
The list of remaining eligible casinos is:
Parx participated in previous auctions. Other than that, the other casinos are silent on if they are going to stake claim to a property or not.
The base price for a satellite casino license is $7.5 million. Should any of the properties want to add table games, that will cost an additional $2.5 million on top of the auction bid. Once there are no more initial auction bidders, the secondary auction begins. At that time, Category 3 properties can bid, as can Category 1 and 2 casinos that previously bid on a location.
The post Sands Bethlehem Mini Casino Site Raises Legal Questions About Location appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
The country’s preeminent online poker advocacy group is going through some major changes. Now, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) says unless the public steps up to back the organization, it may not survive them.
The PPA sent out a press release Feb. 7 announcing longtime Executive Director John Pappas would be stepping down at the end of the month.
Vice President Rich Muny will take on the day-to-day responsibility of running the organization as PPA President. Pappas will remain on the board of directors and take on a role as a strategic advisor.
Pappas led the non-profit membership organization for more than a decade. PPA’s longest serving board member Linda Johnson described Pappas as a tremendous leader and true professional:
“Under his guidance, PPA has emerged as a policy advocacy and grassroots powerhouse in Washington D.C. and in state capitals across the country. For almost a decade, he has been the political voice and face of the poker community and regulated internet gaming advocates. He leaves the organization in a strong position to continue to ensure that consumer voices drive the internet gaming debate.”
However, just how strong a position Pappas is leaving the organization in is in question.
In the release, Pappas says there has never been greater momentum for internet gaming in the US than right now:
“Whether lawmakers are considering poker, casino gambling or even sports betting, a strong and organized grassroots effort will be critical to legislative success. I am proud of the work I have done with the PPA board of directors and the amazing PPA staff to bring us to this point. I will miss working for the poker community on a day-to-day basis, but I am confident that the PPA will continue its great work with Rich Muny at the helm.”
However, the PPA has been adjusting to a reduction in financial support from the internet gaming industry recently.
The PPA claims despite that, it was still instrumental in the legalization of Pennsylvania online gambling last year. However, it’s impossible to say if Pennsylvania would have passed online gambling legislation even without the PPA’s efforts.
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The organization also claims to have made a significant impact advocating for all forms of poker and internet gaming.
There’s little doubt the PPA has made a strong push for online poker and internet gambling. The PAA has definitely worked with state governments and stakeholders. It has maintained a position as a voice for the poker community.
However, results have been few and far between. Just four states have passed bills legalizing online poker. The truth is they may have done so even without the PPA’s help.
The PPA is now also considering a shift in its advocacy efforts. In fact, it claims to be thinking about jumping on the sports betting bandwagon. If only to see if it can’t attach the push for online poker to a movement with significantly more momentum.
New Jersey‘s case against a federal ban on sports betting was heard by the US Supreme Court in December. A decision is expected in the coming months. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of New Jersey it could open up the right for states across the country to legalize sports betting. As many as 20 states have already passed or are considering passing legislation that would legalize sports betting if the federal ban is lifted.
Despite more than a decade of effort from the PPA, there has never been this much momentum behind online poker.
The PPA says it is perfectly positioned to expand into this area. Plus, it could help the organization gain potential new activists and donors. Additionally, it says getting behind sports betting might help ensure poker is included in legislative discussions.
However, the organization also says it may not survive to see movement on any of it without the public’s help.
An update from Muny posted on the PPA website Feb. 16 claims this is a period of challenge.
It reiterates the point that the PPA has seen a significant reduction in donations from the internet gaming industry. Plus, it claims the PPA may be forced to shut down without the public’s help:
“We now find ourselves possibly shutting down right before what could be the biggest year for iPoker and iGaming yet. PPA cannot continue fighting for poker if we do not meet our fundraising goal of $25,000 by the end of March. With support from poker players and enthusiasts like you, we can easily make this goal.”
The plea ends claiming every dollar donated will go toward core operational expenses of the organization’s grassroots communications and advocacy.
The post Will The Poker Players Alliance Survive? Should It? appeared first on .
Party Poker is running a series of Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments from Sunday and supporting the series with $10 million in guaranteed prize pools. If you have never experienced the thrill of playing in a PKO tournament before, don´t miss out on this exciting opportunity. When a player buys into a PKO tournament, half of […]
One step forward, two steps back. That seems to be a consistent theme when talking about online poker traffic in New Jersey.
Both cash games and tournament traffic took a dive this week when compared to last week’s numbers. It is somewhat of a surprise because big online poker tournament series tend to draw a decent amount of players to the platforms for both tournaments and cash games.
All the major Sunday tournaments, except for Pala Poker’s Mega Rebuy, met guarantees – but not by much. And overall, the total number entries across platforms was 656, down 11.95% from last week’s number of 745.
On the cash game side of things, PokerStars once again claimed the top spot with the most traffic, but it was partypoker that posted the smallest decline in traffic.
The weekly average cash game traffic saw a 1.7% decrease with 285 players taking to the virtual felt compared to last week’s 290. Peak cash game traffic also fell with an average of 651 players down from 699 players last week for a 6.8% decrease.
While this week might have a been a step back, it’s hopeful next week will be a step forward. The New Jersey Poker Classic II is still running at 888poker, and PokerStars just announced the inaugural New Jersey Turbo Series scheduled to begin this week.
Both series have some enticing guarantees that will hopefully attract players and keep them at the tables.
It is important to note when analyzing the last week’s traffic that we were unable to collect cash game traffic data for WSOP/888 and partypoker on Tuesday, Feb. 13. To accommodate, we took the average of the week without Tuesday’s data and used that number for the charts and comparisons in this report.
Cash game traffic was also unavailable for Pala Poker for the entire week.
With that, let’s take a detailed look back at the cash game and tournament trends in the New Jersey online poker market for the week ending Feb. 18, 2018.
New Jersey has seven online poker sites operating on four separate networks.
During the week of Feb. 12 – Feb. 18, New Jersey online poker sites averaged 285 cash game players, a decrease of 1.7% from the previous week.
Peak traffic numbers were around 651 players, a decrease of 6.8% from the previous week.
Here’s how those players are distributed across the four online poker networks.
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
Cash game traffic data was unavailable for Pala Poker at the time the data for this article was collected.
*Cash game traffic data provided by PokerScout.com and compiled Feb. 20, 2018.
PokerStars is back on top for the week, capturing just over 38% of the traffic in the market. There is nothing really to celebrate, though, as the traffic numbers still came in behind last week’s figure, showing a 4.7% decline in traffic.
In fact, all three of the top operators posted a decline in traffic when compared to last week. partypoker posted the best of the worst, with a 3.7% decrease in cash game traffic for the week. (Data was unavailable for Pala Poker at the time the data was collected.)
WSOP/888 had a great week last week but couldn’t post numbers in positive territory three weeks in a row. They saw the most significant decline in traffic with a 7.8% decrease compared to last week.
Looking ahead, WSOP/888 is still running the New Jersey Poker Classic, and PokerStars will begin hosting the New Jersey Turbo Series this week.
It looked like the start of a promising month, quickly turned into more of the same mixed results for online poker in New Jersey. With two major tournament series on the calendar, there is still hope for a strong finish to the month.
Online poker will be entering a busy time, and WSOP satellites will continue to make their way to the platforms, so look for the uptick to continue.
The four online poker networks host a signature Sunday tournament. This week the major tournaments were:
Last week, tournament entries declined 11.9% from the week prior. As mentioned earlier, this is a little surprising because New Jersey usually shows up for big tournament series.
Knowing this, look for tournament numbers to rebound next week with the New Jersey Turbo Series on Poker Stars joins the New Jersey Poker Classic II on WSOP/888 to create a jam-packed tournament schedule.
Add to the WSOP satellites that are running through the weekend, and there’s a little something for everyone and let’s hope that translates into positive numbers for next week.
Look for these marquee events on Sunday, Feb. 25:
Note: For the latest and most up-to-date tournament information, always check the poker client.
This is the second week in a row that three of the four operators exceeded their guarantees. Pala Poker is still struggling to meet theirs; this week’s guarantee of the Sunday Mega Rebuy was reduced from $2,000 to $1,000.
And with that, here’s a look at the total number of entries for the most significant tournament held on each of the online poker networks in New Jersey:
The post NJ Online Gaming Scoop: Cash Game And Tournament Traffic For The Week Of Feb. 12 appeared first on .
One of the largest sports book operators in the world is facing a hefty fine over its business in the United Kingdom. The British Gambling Commission said in a news …
Casinos are popping up a frenetic pace across New England. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut all have projects in the works. Last year, the Connecticut legislature authorized the state’s two gaming tribes, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes, to build a joint satellite casino in East Windsor, Connecticut.
The East Windsor casino is a reaction to the MGM Resorts casino opening this fall just over the border in Springfield, Massachusetts.
When they’re complete, the two casinos will be about a 15-minute drive from one another and will be competing for the same customers.
The tribes revealed some general plans for their satellite casinos last week. While it’s scant on details, the plans for the East Windsor casino have some wondering if it will offer much in the way of competition to the Massachusetts casino.
MGM Springfield is a near-billion-dollar casino project.
When it opens its doors in September, the property will boast 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games. Other plans include:
By comparison, the East Windsor casino project has a price tag of just $300 million. It will house 2,000 slot machines and around 100 table games on a single floor that is devoted almost entirely to gaming.
There are preliminary plans for dining and entertainment options. Nonetheless, at $300 million, don’t anticipate finding the same number or level of amenities as MGM Springfield. What you should expect is a basic food court, a couple sit-down restaurants or bars, and maybe some local live entertainment on the weekends.
The property won’t have a hotel. It won’t have any retail space of note. And it won’t have any celebrity chef restaurants.
Based on the plans put forth last week, the most impressive part of the East Windsor casino appears to be the five-story 1,800-space parking garage.
The East Windsor casino is going to better resemble Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Massachusetts than it will Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Wynn Boston Harbor, or MGM Springfield.
That makes the East Windsor casino what can best be categorized as a gambling joint. Customers are going to go to this establishment primarily to mash slot buttons and play low-limit table games.
The proximity of the two casinos doesn’t bode well for the East Windsor project. Even if they’re coming from the south, it’s only an extra 15-20 minute drive to reach MGM Springfield.
If customers have the choice, that extra 15 minutes isn’t going to sway them one way or the other. And when push comes to shove, MGM Springfield is simply going to have more to offer.
One advantage the tribal casino might have over MGM is its ability to draw people who also go to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. Reason being, it’s likely the satellite casino will link its rewards program with the other tribal properties.
But other than serious gamblers, I don’t think that will be enough to overcome MGM’s other advantages.
The post It Appears East Windsor Casino’s Biggest Selling Point Is A Parking Garage appeared first on Play MA.
Live and Online:
Online poker operators in New Jersey collectively suffered their worst January on record in terms of revenue since the market launched more than five years ago, according to figures released last week by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
The state regulator reported that a combined $1.95 million was generated at internet poker rooms in the state marking the first time that revenue has fallen below $2 million in a month that has traditionally been one of the busiest of the year for online poker.