UK-listed gambling operator GVC Holdings’ Betdaq brand has ‘donated’ its shirt sponsorship of Sunderland AFC to a local cancer charity.

Ahead of the League One 2018-19 season, Sunderland signed a two-year shirt deal with Betdaq, but that was before the betting exchange’s parent company GVC called on the UK gambling industry to reduce its marketing exposure to local sports fans, including an end to such highly visible shirt deals.

Betdaq now says that it will ‘donate’ its Sunderland shirt space to the Children With Cancer charity for the upcoming 2019-20 season. Sunderland will debut the new-look kit this Sunday at Wembley Stadium during the club’s Championship playoff with Charlton Athletic.

GVC has been among the most vocal UK operators pushing for the industry to adopt a more robust approach to responsible gambling initiatives, including reducing its advertising during televised sports. However, critics have pointed out that the company enjoys widespread free publicity through the signage at its thousands of Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops and thus is relatively less reliant on a visible presence on the pitch than some of its rivals.

UK online sports betting giant Bet365 is shifting most of its Gibraltar operations to Malta as a hedge against potential Brexit fallout.

On Thursday, the Stoke-based Bet365 issued a statement saying the company would increase its operations in Malta at the expense of its Gibraltar operations to “ensure [European Union] market access and to maintain and enhance operational efficiencies.” Bet365 plans to “maintain a presence” in Gibraltar but declined to offer further details.

The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) reported that an undisclosed number of Bet365’s Gibraltar staff were handed redundancy notices on Thursday while other staff are being offered new positions at Bet365’s Malta offices.

Bet365 said its decision was due to a “highly uncertain environment, driven primarily by the continuing Brexit landscape.” A review of Bet365’s business had determined that it was “increasingly challenging to efficiently run multisite operations.”

Macau’s casino scene hasn’t gotten off to a great start this year, with gross gaming revenue (GGR) down compared to the same period last year. The rest of 2019 doesn’t look too much better, either, with analysts expecting either flat or negative growth. However, this isn’t stopping Suncity Group, long involved in Macau’s junket operations, from wanting to grab a piece of the action. The company has announced that it is considering submitting a bid for a casino concession in 2022.

In an interview with the Lusa news agency out of Portugal, Suncity chief investment officer Andrew Lo Kai Bong stated, “If there is a chance, Suncity Group would love to try to get into the bidding for a concession.” That chance may or may not come, as Macau has yet to decide whether or not to allow additional concessions, a point Lo recognized in the interview. He added, “Up to now, there are some rumours, but we have not yet seen any official news about this.”

All six of the licensed casino operators in Macau will see their concessions expire at about the same time in 2022. There has been talk that the city could allow one or two more concessions to be issued, but city officials have been silent on the topic. Given the saturation in the market currently, bringing in additional casinos most likely would not be in the best interest of Macau’s gaming industry, or of the city’s plans to diversify away from being a gaming-focused tourist destination.

However, Macau Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac earlier this month hinted toward there possibly being some latitude coming in 2022 when the concessions expire. Instead of granting new casino-only concessions, any new endeavors, if allowed, would have to offer additional non-gaming options in order to be appealing to a wider market.

Louisiana could be trying to put the squeeze on Harrah’s and Caesars Entertainment. Harrah’s New Orleans has been looking for an extension of its casino license that would push it out another 30 years, but the state has already asserted that it would only consider such a deal if the casino were willing to commit to $325 million in investments. Now, the state is looking for even more money and has come at the company from a different angle – taxes.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) believes that Harrah’s New Orleans owes the state up to $40 million in hotel taxes. The company certainly isn’t willing to take the issue lying down and is preparing for battle in Louisiana courts.

Harrah’s had allegedly made a deal with the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association in 2001 that would allow the venue to avoid paying taxes on comped hotel rooms. The LDR doesn’t agree and even Governor John Bel Edwards doesn’t understand how it would be possible. He stated in a recent interview, “It’s my understanding that it’s state law that applies to all of these (New Orleans hotel) properties, and I don’t know how you would do that with respect to Harrah’s and not all of the rest.”

If a judge sides with Harrah’s, the decision could have permanent ramifications for Louisiana’s tax revenue from Caesars. House Bill 744, which covers the $325 million in investments that would be required by Harrah’s, also lets the company off the hook for all occupancy and sales taxes on comped rooms now and in the future. The bill reads, in part, “The memorandum of understanding and agreement with the Greater New Orleans Hotel and Lodging Association dated April 2019, shall provide for certain restrictions, relative to advertising of market rates and room taxes, for rooms that exist prior to August 1, 2018, and restrictions in the same regard that apply only to the additional rooms authorized by the MOU and agreement.”

Paradise Entertainment shareholders have given their support a company initiative to buy back shares and issue a special dividend. The program comes from a board suggestion to the shareholders on Tuesday and will result in the casino equipment manufacturer and casino operator purchasing up to 10% of the issued shares.

The board had first proposed the idea last month, but needed shareholders to buy off on it during the annual general meeting that was held this week. As the company reported to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where it is listed, the holders of 99.78% of the issued stock approved the deal. A slightly lower percentage – 98.98% – also approved a move by the company to issue new shares at a nominal amount of no more than 20% of the issued share capital.

When announcing the possible buyback program last month, the company stated, “As at the latest practicable date, Mr Jay Chun and August Profit Investments Ltd, a company wholly owned by Mr Jay Chun are beneficially interested in approximately 59.96 percent of the issued share capital of the company. In the event that the directors exercise in full the power to repurchase shares pursuant to the repurchase mandate, the interests of Mr Chun and associate would be increased to approximately 66.63 percent of the issued share capital of the company.”

Shareholders also approved a final dividend to be issued on the company’s performance from last year. That dividend amounts to $0.0032 per ordinary share and was driven by 2018 positive growth. The company earned a profit of $7.41 million last year after finishing 2017 in the red with a $3.91-million loss.

A casino purchase deal first announced last November has finally made progress. The Greektown Casino in Detroit, Michigan will successfully change hands from Jack Entertainment to a partnership between Penn National and VICI Properties, a real estate investment trust that was started by Caesars Entertainment. The sale was worth $1 billion and is a plus for both Penn National and Jack Entertainment owner Dan Gilbert.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) authorized the sale this past Tuesday. Penn will pay $300 million for the rights to operate the venue, while VICI will purchase the property itself for $700 million. VICI has already scooped up a number of casino properties across the country under similar deals and now owns 22 casinos. The $1 billion will be paid in cash and the deal is expected to be finalized today. It has already been approved by the city of Detroit, as well as the Federal Trade Commission.

Penn has been on an expansion for the past year and has been looking at a number of solutions in the US that would provide it with more liquidity. The challenge, of course, is how to improve liquidity when having to make massive outlays, and this conflict has been shown in the company’s revenue reports.

Gilbert stands to walk away with some nice pocket change. He purchased the casino in 2013 when it was hemorrhaging serious amounts of cash and had been in bankruptcy from 2008 to 2010. After his acquisition, things turned around and the casino reported revenues of $29.3 million this past April. It may be third in line among Detroit’s casinos, but Gilbert paid $600 million for the purchase. $400 million in gross returns isn’t a bad deal.

Most businesses in the US develop a serious case of heartburn when the subject of unions comes up, but the workers’ groups are still a major part of the employment landscape in the country and have a serious amount of legal support on their side. As such, it’s always a better option to play nicely with the unions, but this doesn’t always happen. Case in point, the Palms Casino Resort, a casino in Las Vegas owned by Station Casinos, has just been found by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be breaking the law, which could have serious ramifications for the company.

According to a press release from Bethany Khan, the Director of Communications & Digital Strategy for UNITE HERE union affiliate Culinary Workers Union Local 226, the NLRB ruled last week that the Palms is illegally refusing to recognize and negotiate with both the CWU and the Bartenders Union Local 165. The three-member board voted unanimously to certify union elections that were held at the end of last month, but the Palms is apparently not willing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the elections.

In announcing its decision, the NLRB stated, “By failing and refusing since May 17 to recognize and bargain with the Union as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the employees in the appropriate unit, the Respondent has engaged in unfair labor practices… Having found that the Respondent has violated Section 8(a)(5) and (1) of the Act, we shall order it to cease and desist, to bargain on request with the Union, and, if an understanding is reached, to embody the understanding in a signed agreement. To ensure that the employees are accorded the services of their selected bargaining agent for the period provided by law, we shall construe the initial period of the certification as beginning on the date the Respondent begins to bargain in good faith with the Union.”

With the NLRB decision, union representatives now want action. The Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, Geoconda Argüello-Kline, states, “We demand that Station Casinos recognize their workers’ voices and votes at the Palms and begin contract negotiations in good faith immediately.”

New Jersey was the first state to launch sports gambling after the US Supreme Court said lawmakers had been wrong when they approved the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). Since then, casinos across the state have been pouring money into sports gambling operations and the Borgata has led the way. It was the first to accept a sports wager following the death of PASPA and is now putting the final touches on a major sports gambling project that the brass says will blow everything else away.

According to a press release, the new $12-million Moneyline Bar & Book is coming on June 29. Connected to the sports bar and sportsbook will be another bar and lounge, Level One, that will offer a separate ambience from Moneyline.

Borgata CEO and president Marcus Glover adds, “When conceiving Moneyline and Level One, we knew we wanted to provide our guests with an experience that was more than a transactional venue for sports wagering. We felt Borgata’s guests deserved something that would advance the market by bringing together sports, culinary, entertainment, gaming, and nightlife into a destination experience.”

Moneyline will offer six sports gambling windows, as well as self-service betting kiosks. The facility will also offer traditional gaming activity, such as 19 slot machines built into the bar and four blackjack tables that will be available in the cocktail lounge. The installations were designed by Nelson Worldwide and also offer a 40’x11.5’ LED video wall that provides 17 98” and 86” displays around the 8,000 square feet of floor space. The bar is 35’ long and offers “flex-back” gaming stools.