The Americas
The Wall Street Journal reported that MGM Holdings is interested in buying out Entain (formerly GVC Holdings). It was reported that a bid of $10 billion was rejected, and MGM are considering returning with a higher offer; Main Event champion and prop bet legend Huckleberry Seed was finally inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Huckseed finished ahead of Matt Savage and Isai Scheinberg in the final voting; The Navajo Nation, a native Indian tribe that operates casinos in Arizona and New Mexico, continues to struggle with COVID restrictions in 2021. The group is set to furlough over 1,100 employees, and permanent closures may be on the way; Casino operator Bally’s Corp has struck a deal to build a new Pennsylvania mini-casino. The operator announced that it had signed a framework agreement to develop the mini-casino near Penn State University; Florida lawmakers continue to try and push the state and tribes to come to an agreement on sports betting. State Senator Jeff Brandes proposed three bills in late December in a bid to legalise sports betting in the state; Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) is replacing its sports betting brand with a more established brand in a bid to compete in the U.S. online market. TwinSpires is expected to partner with CDI in a long-term arrangement; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to push for his state to legalise mobile sports betting. Media outlets have predicted Cuomo will make a pitch for mobile betting in his State of the State address; Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson is taking leave for cancer treatment as the Sands chairman has battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2019.
Europe
Sports betting operators continue to watch the situation in the U.K. as the Premier League ponders a shutdown. U.K. Prime Minister has initiated a third national lockdown as several players have also tested positive; Oryx Gaming is making final preparations to enter the Dutch market in 2021 as the Dutch government adds the final touches to iGaming legislation for operators; U.K. gambling company Entain has made a £252m offer for Baltic online operator Enlabs in a bid to expand Entain’s Eastern European presence. Enlabs shareholders have until mid-February to accept the offer.