Expect the spread of sports betting across the U.S.> to continue in 2021. Morgan Stanley Research believes as many as 12 states will get there, with much of it coming in the first half of the year.

In their analysis, Thomas Allen, Michael M DeLalio and Ed Young note that the total number of states with legalized sports betting should reach 35 by the end of the year. They also expect as many as 3 more to legalize online gambling (raising the total to 9). They write:

“Notably, there are 6 Governors who have publicly asked their legislatures to pass laws, 3 states whose citizens have passed referenda, and in the remaining states bills that have already been filed.”

The drive, they note, is to correct budget deficits. Several states, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota and Mississippi included, have obstacles that they expect won’t be surpassed this year.

Every year for the past 37 years, football fans have anxiously waited for the Super Bowl. Not just for the excitement of the hits and breakout runs, but also for the commercials. It has become an annual tradition to determine who can outdo whom with the most creative spots, some of which can cost over $5 million, just for the airtime. One advertiser has become a standard feature over these past 37 years, always expected to bring something new and exciting to the game, apart from the quarterback sacks and last-second touchdowns. Super Bowl LV is not going to feature ads from Budweiser this year, which means no dalmatian sticking out his tongue at his jealous friends and no Clydesdales. However, there will be a first this year, as DraftKings has picked up a couple of spots to highlight sports gambling this year. The company better be ready to wow viewers, or it will be sidelined quicker than a red-shirted rookie.

Budweiser decided to forego Super Bowl ads this year in order to focus on raising awareness for COVID-19 vaccines. The company feels that it has a larger social responsibility and that its marketing dollars can be better spent ensuring everyone is educated during an event that can draw over 100 million viewers. However, Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB), isn’t completely giving up on its annual ritual, and will have some spots running on digital channels, where the cost is much less. In addition, some AB brands, such as Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, will be featured in Super Bowl spots.

Other beverage companies are going to be absent, as well. Coca-Cola is out because it wants to “[invest] in the right resources,” while PepsiCo is changing its lineup so it can put more effort into the Super Bowl halftime show, which it is sponsoring. That means Pepsi and Coke won’t be battling as the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle, but PepsiCo plans on having some of its second-stringers, like Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay, make appearances in TV spots.

As an indication of the changing gambling environment in the U.S., DraftKings will have several ads on TV during the Big Game. There will be two 15-second commercials appearing in the second and third quarters that will promote a fourth-quarter gambling pool that is free to join. The sports gambling and fantasy sports operator doesn’t have any direct sports gambling promotions lined up for the Super Bowl, but it all starts with baby steps. 

The ties between mobsters and the early days of Las Vegas are well-documented. There has been plenty of attention given to the subject over the years, and one of the figures said to have helped mob bosses get their hands dirty in Sin City was Jimmy Hoffa. At the time, he was in charge of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), having served as its president from 1957-71. He reportedly provided, illegally, millions of dollars in the way of loans using the union’s Central States Pension Fund and, when the heat got to be too much, suddenly disappeared in 1975, reportedly taken out by the mob itself. However, no one ever came forward to admit to killing Hoffa and the whereabouts of his body have remained shrouded in controversy. If two journalists from Fox News are to be believed, the search may be over. 

Hoffa has been the subject of multiple movies and documentaries over the years and was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in an eponymously-named filmed. The Irishman, a movie by Martin Scorsese in 2019, rekindled the interest in locating Hoffa’s body and the theories that surround his disappearance. Some say he was “offed” by a friend; others say he was “whacked” by a mafia hitman. However, at the core of all of the rumors is a link to Hoffa’s demise at the will of the mob. 

Eric Shawn and Dan E. Moldea of Fox began looking into Hoffa’s disappearance as part of a new documentary for the media outlet, and uncovered something they believe to be a positive identification of Hoffa’s location. Moldea was one of the first to document the controversial disappearance, publishing The Hoffa Wars in 1978. As part of the journalists’ investigation, they interviewed Frank Cappola, the son of the man who claimed to have buried Hoffa, Paul Cappola, Sr. Frank had been told where the body was buried, but swore secrecy and promised his father he would never reveal the location. However, perhaps knowing that his own demise was imminent, Frank broke that vow and shared his secrets.

Hoffa is reportedly buried just outside the property line of an 88-acre landfill in New Jersey – a landfill previously owned by the Genovese Crime Family mobster Phil “Brother” Moscato and Paul Cappola. He is said to have been shoved in a 55-gallon steel drum that was put in the ground before other drums were thrown on top. The journalists visited the site with ground-penetrating radar that reportedly detected a number of “round anomalies” right where Cappola said they would be. Moldea finds it difficult to contain his excitement, asserting, “Frank’s story is the best darn story that I have heard about this case in the 44 years since I first started investigating Hoffa’s murder.”

Newsweek has determined that Caesars Entertainment is one of the most responsible companies in the U.S. The casino operator was chosen by the magazine for its dedication to environmental, social and corporate governance issues, landing among the top 399 companies that made it to the list. It was the only gaming company included, and other gaming operators now have the bar set for them.

Newsweek puts together its annual “America’s Most Responsible Companies” list together with consumer data and statistics firm Statista. The entrance of Caesars among the top 399 comes following the merger of the former Caesars with Eldorado Resorts, which has led to the creation of a new business model that puts greater attention on community efforts. The new Caesars has begun to dedicate more resources to environmental protection and climate change, and is also known for its approach to diversity in the workplace. According to company data, 50% of its global workforce was comprised of females at the end of 2019, and just under 50% of its leadership positions are held by women. In addition, 61% of the workforce is comprised of “employees of color.”

The list put Caesars at 104, 42 spots higher than it had achieved last year. The company was given a total score of 79.7 points out of 100, with 78.1 for its environmental score, 83.8 for social and 77.3 for corporate governance. It occupies the number-one spot on the list’s Entertainment, Leisure and Dining subcategory. To put things in perspective, the overall top company was HP, which was given a score of 93.2.

Tom Reeg, the former Eldorado CEO who now leads the new Caesars company, said of the results, “We often talk about the power our incredible Team Members have to create guest experiences that drive our lasting successes at Caesars Entertainment. That same power is amplified in their commitment not just to guests, partners, and the environment, but to each other and to the communities in which we live and work.” He added, “It’s through the steadfast work, compassion, and generosity of dedicated Caesars Team Members that we can make a positive impact that continues to grow each year.”

The U.K Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been implementing a lot of changes lately as it looks to assert closer scrutiny on how gaming operators manage their businesses. It constantly explores the industry from different angles to figure out what changes it can introduce, even calling on gamblers to help shape its policies. As the UKGC advances its initiatives, it is now looking for a great deal of feedback and guidance from virtually everyone in the gaming ecosystem, asserting that operators aren’t reacting quickly enough when it comes to protecting their users. 

SBC News reports that the UKGC is launching a consultation to determine how online gaming operators interact with their users. The commission wants input from all sorts of companies, as well as their customers, operating in the gaming space in order to determine “what protections should be offered by online gambling operators to prevent harms to their customers.” The UKGC decided to launch the new investigative study after field research showed that operators are “sometimes too slow to protect customers.”

According to UK gambling laws, operators have to complete a thorough verification check on their users to ensure they are properly identified and registered. This is designed to help prevent money laundering, as well as to provide a mechanism that can assist in identifying potential gambling issues. Operators are required to intervene any time a user is suspected of having a gambling problem, stepping in to provide access to addiction and gambling education programs.

The UKGC said in a statement, “Action to protect customers could mean that more customers have to provide information to gambling operators about their income and what they can afford, or give permission for credit agencies to provide information. Many customers are reluctant to provide information to gambling businesses and they may feel that they would prefer such information to be private.”

Progress to bring integrated resorts (IR) to Japan continues to advance, albeit not always without having to cross a few hurdles. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered before the image on the canvas comes into focus, but the paint brushes are constantly flying. Nagasaki has closed its request-for-proposal (RFP) as expected, while things in Yokohama are both up and down at the same time. That’s potentially good news for certain operators hoping to win over the local government as they present their cases to be the chosen casino operator.

Nagasaki began receiving RFPs on January 7, anticipating the process to last for three weeks. According to Masahiko Kunihiro of Nagasaki’s IR planning department, last Thursday was the last day for submissions and five applications were received. The names of the candidates haven’t been released, and Nagasaki’s IR committee will now spend the next few months reviewing the applications. In August, it is expected to announce the winner, with a goal of having a resort ready to welcome guests sometime in the last half of the decade.

The governor of Nagasaki, Hodo Nakamura, added in a statement, “The public tender for the Kyushu-Nagasaki IR started on January 7 and the application period that closed at 5 PM on January 28 resulted in five groups spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia applying. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the applicants and their partner companies for their applications during a time when the world continues to fight COVID-19. We will continue to follow the national basic policy and proceed with a rigorous review for our IR operator selection.“

The Yokohama prefecture, which has had to deal with more resistance to the IR concept, isn’t planning on backing down from its goal of becoming one of the first three locations to host a casino resort. Amid attempts to oust the mayor of the city of Yokohama, Fumiko Hayashi, the local government has set aside $3.43 million in its new fiscal year budget to promote the benefits of an IR. Last year, it had spent $3.8 million on marketing the idea, but is putting more money into overcoming COVID-19. It has almost $2.3 billion of its annual budget allocated for various projects, including support for small- and medium-size companies, welfare and more. Hayashi explained of the budget layout, “The budget proposal puts both measures against infectious diseases and economic revitalization as a top priority, and Yokohama will make strong progress toward future growth.”

With casino’s closed half the year, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) saw a very dismal income for 2020. The regulator-operator brought in P1.57 billion ($32.7 million), dropping nearly 84% from P9.66 billion the year before.

The take for 2020 declined largely due to gaming operations, which dropped 60% year over year to P30.00 billion from PHP75 billion. Of that, P7.14 billion came from casino customers, and over P27 billion from other sources, such as junkets, non-casino customers and “other” income.

Licensed casino revenue fell just as much, dropping to P11.52 billion. Junket operations were halved to P397.8 million. Finally, Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) dropped the least, down 18.7% to P4.66 billion.

Close to P16 billion were deducted in taxes and government contributions. One benefit of 2020 was reduced costs, which fell 42% to P18.68 billion from the previous P32.24 billion. But a repercussion of the cut costs were less payments to “corporate social responsibility projects,” which fell to P4.75 billion from P13.62 billion.

Last December, casinos in Macau enjoyed a small boost in activity over what they had reported a month earlier. Gross gaming revenue (GGR) was still way below what everyone wanted, 65.8% lower than it was in December 2019, but was still a 16% month-over-month improvement. Even though 2021 hasn’t gotten off to an overwhelmingly successful start, there is still movement in the right direction, and Macau’s casinos reported GGR that was better than it was last month.

Since February of last year, Macau’s casinos have seen nothing but extremely weak performances, with just a few minor spikes throughout the year. Two consecutive months of improvement can be seen as a small victory for the gambling properties, as well as the city, and January’s GGR was 2.6% better than it was in December. Approximately $1 billion, according to Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ, for its Portuguese acronym), was reported by the city’s casinos.

The uptick isn’t enough to cause massive celebrations, especially since it has already been predicted that the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) won’t bring any kind of relief. As COVID-19 continues to find new ways to threaten populations, Macau, as well as other areas, has been forced to tighten travel rules, which is limiting the city’s ability to expand. China, the largest feeder for Macau, has been taking additional measures, as well, and this is impacting any potential exercises to increase visitation to the city.

Based on the figures provided by the DICJ, analysts with the Sanford C. Bernstein brokerage were able to determine who is giving the city the biggest boost. They explained in an update released today, “On a relative basis, premium mass was the best performing segment during the month, while junket VIP was most hamstrung and base mass continued to be hampered by low levels of visitors and Hong Kong travel closure.” They added that January “continued to be negatively impacted by visitation bottlenecks due to visa processing and [COVID-19] test requirements, and by weakness in VIP volumes.”

Poker, to many, is the Cadillac of card games. Stretching out forever, perceived as cool by may outside the game, how can you always feel like a winner when you’re playing the game day in day out?  

Well, you can start by reading these super-cool poker quotes. From a swinging sixties singer to the Devilfish, being cool and playing poker is made to sound easy by these legends.

1. “If there is one ‘X Factor’ that unites all great poker players, it’s their willingness to play aggressive poker.” 

Phil Gordon hits the nail on the head when he speaks about the importance of aggression in poker. The game has gotten a lot more aggressive in recent decades, of course, and this call on what gives poker players their ‘X Factor’ still stands.