Author Archives: The Daily Payoff

Gaming Arts Looks Ahead to ‘Meaningful Growth’

Mike Dreitzer, president of Gaming Arts LLC, a Las Vegas-based manufacturer of electronic gaming machines, bingo, keno and interactive casino-wide promotional systems, is looking forward to a year of growth after the never-before experienced challenges of 2020. “Needless to say, it’s been a very difficult year for everyone,” he said. “From the beginning of this… Read more »

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Pennsylvania Launches Conscious Gaming’s PlayPause

Conscious Gaming and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board have jointly deployed “PlayPause,” an innovative self-exclusion tool for internet-based gambling created to modernize and strengthen the effectiveness of the U.S. gaming industry’s responsible gaming programs. This was the first deployment of PlayPause in the United States, with the solution being made available at no cost to… Read more »

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Aristocrat DEBUTS Timber Wolf Diamond

In January, Aristocrat Technologies marked the launch of Timber Wolf Diamond, a new version of one of the supplier’s all-time favorites, presented on the new Neptune Double cabinet. Timber Wolf Diamond reprises the theme in a game the company says is the latest evolution of one of the industry’s top performing games, Buffalo Diamond. Mohegan… Read more »

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IGT Cashless System Approved in Nevada

International Game Technology PLC has announced that the supplier’s Resort Wallet “carded cashless” gaming module has been approved by regulators in Nevada. The cashless play system will be available as part of the IGT Advantage casino management system. The Resort Wallet carded cashless module enables players to use a loyalty card to transfer cash into… Read more »

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Everi to Launch Cashless Payment Technology in Florida

Gaming supplier Everi Holdings Inc., in conjunction with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, will launch its WildCard Wallet across casinos operated by Seminole Gaming. A digital wallet powered by Everi’s CashClub Wallet solution, WildCard Wallet is a mobile wallet solution that provides cashless, touchless funding of electronic game play throughout the casino floor. The WildCard… Read more »

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Junket Boss Takes Helm at Macau Legend

Macau junket operator Levo Chan has replaced Melinda Chan as chief executive of casino operator Macau Legend Development. The change comes as Chan, CEO of junket group Tak Chun, moves to solidify his control of Hong Kong-listed Macau Legend after a series of share purchases last year totaling roughly 33 percent of the company’s equity.… Read more »

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Jordan Is Second Woman to Join LVS Board

Nora Jordan, a partner with New York-based law firm Davis Polk’s Investment Management Group, joined the Las Vegas Sands board of directors on January 1. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jordan has led New York-based Davis Polk’s for more than 20 years, advising hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity funds. She has worked… Read more »

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SJM CFO Retires, Toh Named New CFO

SJM Holdings Chief Financial Officer Bob McBain retired effective January 1, and was succeeded in the role by Ben Toh Hup Hock. McBain will be retained as an adviser to Sociedade de Jogos de Macau SA, the unit that holds SJM Holdings’ Macau gaming license, said the casino group, according to a filing with the… Read more »

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MGM Names Halkyard CFO

Last month MGM Resorts International announced the appointment of Jonathan Halkyard as MGM’s new chief financial officer. Halkyard, who spent 13 years as an executive of MGM rival Caesars Entertainment, replaces Corey Sanders, who became MGM Resorts’ chief operating officer last year. Halkyard was CFO of Caesars Entertainment for his last five years with the… Read more »

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Penn CFO Williams Steps Down; Hendrix Steps In

On December 31, David Williams stepped down as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Penn National Gaming Inc. In January, the company announced that, subject to customary regulatory approvals, Felicia Hendrix would take his place. Hendrix will join Penn National as executive vice president and CFO on March 2 following more than 20… Read more »

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Churchill Downs Names Anderson President

Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) in Louisville, Kentucky recently promoted three executive employees. CDI named Mike Anderson the 14th president at Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby. Anderson joined CDI in 1996 as controller and has served as vice president of corporate finance and treasurer. Most recently as vice president of operations, he managed… Read more »

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Industry Veteran Ron Lurie Dead at 79

Longtime gaming industry veteran Ron Lurie died December 22 at the age of 79. A Las Vegas lawmaker for almost 20 years, Lurie also served a single term as the city’s mayor. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lurie suffered from blood cancer and associated health problems complicated by Covid-19. Tributes poured in from public… Read more »

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Macau lawmaker believes the DICJ is too cozy with casino operators

A Legislative Assembly member in Macau believes the city’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ, for its Portuguese acronym) is too cozy with Macau’s casino operators. It would be hard not to have a close relationship, since the DICJ works with the six entities work on almost a daily basis, but José Pereira Coutinho thinks it goes beyond maintaining a necessary working connection. He accuses the DICJ of “permanent collusion” with the casino operators. 

Coutinho wants Ho Iat Seng, Macau’s chief executive, to step in and play a bigger role in the DICJ’s operations, at least as far as some activity is concerned. He feels that casinos have too much leeway when it comes to how they treat their employees and that the DICJ is, directly or indirectly, facilitating their ability to pressure staff into resigning to avoid being fired. A portion of that group of employees includes former nonresident casino workers who now just “drift about the streets of the city, some asking for money to buy food, and others asking for support from local associations,” according to a statement made by the legislator. 

There are also “systematic abuses” going on that the government knows about, but of which it has no interest in curtailing, explains Coutinho. He adds, “Incredibly, the government is aware of these situations, but it does not act in time to alleviate the suffering of the workers made redundant… One cannot understand why the competent authorities in the area of the Secretariat for Economy and Finance close their eyes to these systematic abuses as if they had nothing to do with their professional skills, obligations, and responsibilities. The abuses practiced by some gambling concessionaires have been widely denounced … [but] the competent authorities, out of stubbornness, do not intervene and are not even interested in knowing.”

It isn’t clear what the legislator bases his accusations on, but there is mounting concern that some businesses in Macau aren’t taking their employee responsibility issues seriously enough. A report surfaced earlier this week that one satellite casino, which is tied to an unidentified casino operator, has been strongarming some employees into taking early retirement so it can avoid looking like a bad guy. It has also resorted to threatening them if they don’t comply. However, there has been no indication that the DICJ had previous knowledge of the activity before it was revealed to Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau. Macau is getting a new Legislative Assembly this year, just ahead of the introduction of new casino concessions, currently expected to happen next year, and new gaming regulations. The COVID-19 situation has forced the city to take a closer look at its long-term economic and financial goals, and it would appear that the stage is being set for major changes in the local gaming market.

Russia’s central bank targets online gambling in latest crackdown

Online gaming operators serving gamblers in Russia might consider treading very lightly. The country’s central bank is reportedly targeting the online gaming segment with new controls that make it difficult for gamblers to cash out or place wagers and, while the bank’s end game isn’t totally clear, there are plenty of plausible theories. Given the fact that gamblers have lost access to virtually all online gambling-related payment channels, except for Bitcoin (BTC), there seems to be a definite and concrete plan unfolding. 

Inside Asian Gaming reported on some news coming out of the Russian business media source The Bell, which indicates that the country’s central bank is looking to thwart illegal online casinos and sportsbooks that are accessible in Russia. The past couple of months have seen a number of payment solutions, such as Qiwi and Yoo.Money, that have had their ability to send or receive cross-border transactions completely blocked, and ten financial and payment solution companies have reportedly been fined. Others, including Fintekh and Onego, have seen Russian authorities cancel their business licenses.

The Bell reportedly did a little undercover investigative work and was able to confirm that it is now possible to place bets with some of the largest online casinos only with BTC, not with any other payment method. The news source tested its theory on Admiral777, Gaminator and JoyCasino and, at all three, no Russian bank-issued cards (the test included cards from Sberbank and Tinkoff) or online payment solutions were accepted, only BTC. 

This is an interesting development for several reasons, including the fact that there have been rumors of Russia considering a switch to crypto in order to thwart international sanctions. In addition, given the fact that crypto is nowhere near as anonymous as some would like everyone to believe, it is plausible that authorities will be able to track the source of transactions to determine where crypto can be found in the country. Since crypto addresses can be traced, it also becomes a great way for Russia to uncover any other platforms casino operators may have attempted to launch under the radar. The country might be attempting to destroy an underground online gambling market that is said to be worth well over $20 billion annually.

Trump Plaza implosion countdown begins, new auction on the table

Everything is moving forward for Trump Plaza to finally be erased from the Atlantic City’s skyline. The casino has sat vacant for almost seven years and there’s virtually nothing that can prevent it from being imploded next month. The crumbling building is part of a larger legacy that is coming to an end and, even as D-day for the implosion approached, the property was not without controversy. An auction to award the rights to push the big red button to trigger the explosives was pulled at the last minute, but a new auction is now taking its place.

It might seem apropos to some that Wednesday, February 17 marks the day Trump Plaza turns into dust. That day also marks Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent that symbolizes the Christian belief that all humans came from dust. It also marks the end of former U.S. President Trump’s foray into the gambling business, which has effectively been dead for years. 

Atlantic City has tried for the past couple of years to have the casino razed, but found resistance from its current owner at almost every turn. Carl Icahn, the billionaire casino investor, purchased the property in 2016, but was never able to formulate a solvent plan to see the property come back to life. Icahn has been a strong supporter of Trump over the years, but will now say goodbye to the last bastion of the former president’s once-thriving empire. 

In preparation for the implosion, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small created a campaign last month to benefit the city’s local Boys & Girls Club chapter. An auction would be held that would allow the highest bidder to trigger the explosion, but someone in Icahn’s group decided, just as the auction was coming to an end, that there were “safety concerns” that forced the event to be canceled. With it, the $175,000 highest bid that would have gone to the non-profit organization was lost. 

Betting business in CIS countries and laws adopted in 2020

This is a guest contribution by Dmitry Marketing Manager of Inbet Games. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The popularity of betting business increased substantially within the territory of CIS countries. The betting companies will always bring income to their founders due to demand on the gambling market and possibility of acquisition of customers of various categories. This is proved by the official studies of experts in the economic area and gradual legalization of gambling business in many countries. In all cases success is based upon the choice of reliable software, customer-oriented approach and consideration of lines distinguishing the bookmakers’ facilities from the other competitors.

High revenues and continuous flow of betters attract the tax services and competent authorities of the countries, resulting in the implementation of new draft legislations. According to the European practice, the deductions from the bookmakers’ facilities increase the federal budget substantially and enable to raise new investment opportunities into the sports sector of certain country.

The legislative innovations

NFL Conference Championship Games offer awesome gambling options

Just two days from now, the NFL will settle the argument of who are the best teams in the AFC and NFC this year. The Conference Championship Games are coming this Sunday and the last four teams standing in the league this season now have everything they worked for all season on the line. There were some definite upsets along the way, which had sports gamblers more than a little upset, but it’s time to focus on what is going to happen this weekend. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers get the show rolling on Sunday when they take to the gridiron to determine the NFC winner. This is going to be a rematch of Week 6, when the two teams last met. However, no one should expect the Bucs to have things too easy. In that game, the Packers came out strong, scoring ten unanswered points in the first quarter before being shut down by the Bucs the rest of the game. Tampa Bay went on to win 38-10, but this is going to be a different ballgame. 

The Bucs are looking at possibly taking the field without wide receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Evans, as well as running back Ronald Jones. These three, and a few others, are being closely watched to see if they’ll be ready for the big game. On the other side, the Packers have a healthy squad with no one sitting out, although several key players are taking it easy this week. Bodog and other sportsbooks give the Packers the advantage, with Bodog listing them as -180 against the Bucs’ +160. The spread is only 3.5 (-105) in favor of the Pack, while the Over/Under of 51.5 would seem to indicate that this is going to be a battle. With potentially bad weather in Green Bay coming this weekend, this could end up being a real snowball game. 

The Kansas City Chiefs have already proven themselves under head coach Andy Reid. The team has now gone to three consecutive AFC championship games, using last year’s contest as a springboard to a Super Bowl win. This time, they’re facing the Buffalo Bills and the big question on most people’s minds is whether or not Patrick Mahomes will be able to lead the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance. The answer is, maybe.