Gulfstream Park & Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida has chosen Konami Gaming’s award-winning Synkros casino management system to replace a previous CMS. Gulfstream is the first land-based casino to launch Synkros in the state of Florida. “We selected Konami Gaming to replace our previous system, due to Synkros’ demonstrated extremely high reliability and Konami’s reputation… Read more »
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International Game Technology Plc. announced that it successfully launched its next-generation bartop hardware, the PeakBarTop cabinet, at California’s Cache Creek Casino Resort, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa and San Manuel Casino, and Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. “Launching the PeakBarTop builds on IGT’s decades of commanding leadership in video poker and positions… Read more »
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It’s “all systems go” in Nevada after the state Gaming Commission took the first baby steps toward establishing a cashless wagering process when it changed and approved several regulations. The prohibition against using such systems was the first to go, which opens the door to beta tests for systems developed by various manufacturers. The commission… Read more »
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The two largest trade shows in the gaming industry took a hit last month as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The American Gaming Association (AGA) announced the cancellation of this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the industry’s largest annual trade show and convention, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions that resulted.… Read more »
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Jennifer Roberts joined the Tennessee Lottery as the director of the state’s online-only sports betting program in December 2019. Now, six months later, she has tendered her resignation before the first bet was placed. Roberts will join video game gambling company GameCo. Tennessee lacks a land-based casino industry, so lawmakers were unable to turn to… Read more »
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Loren Gill, chief executive officer for San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, has left his position. The band operates the San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino County, Southern California. No reason was given for Gill’s departure. However, San Manuel Tribal Chairman Ken Ramirez issued this statement: “Loren has developed what we believe is one of… Read more »
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Scientific Game Corp. announced two appointments last month. Eileen Moore Johnson will join the company as executive vice president and chief human resources officer. In this role, Johnson will oversee the company’s global human resources organization and report directly to Scientific Games President and CEO Barry Cottle. A well-respected gaming industry leader, Johnson joins Scientific… Read more »
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International Game Technology has announced a new organizational structure focused primarily on two business segments: Global Gaming and Global Lottery. According to a company statement, the new structure is designed to: provide greater responsiveness to customers and players; increase IGT’s effectiveness and competitiveness in providing products and solutions that address the opportunities of each market… Read more »
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Station Casinos was mourning its president, Richard Haskins, who passed away last month after an accident with a watercraft while on vacation in Michigan. Haskins had been with Station for more than 25 years, spending the last 10 as president. He was second from the top at Station behind CEO Frank Fertitta III. In a… Read more »
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Romanian online gambling operator SuperBet has acquired a majority stake in online casino outfit Lucky7 Ventures as part of its international expansion push.
On Monday, SuperBet announced that it had reached a deal to acquire 60% of Lucky7, an online casino business founded by Olor Örn, Magnus Petersson and Karl Ahlberg. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but SuperBet did reveal that it previously provided startup capital to Lucky7, which began life in early 2019.
Lucky7 operates several online casino brands across Europe and the Americas, and claims to be awaiting approval to launch in “at least three new markets” over the next 12 months. Co-founder Örn claims the company hit its stride during the COVID-19 shutdown of online sports betting, resulting in turnover of €17m during the second quarter.
SuperBet is Romania’s dominant sports betting operator and recently expanded into Poland’s regulated online wagering market (after missing a few deadlines). The company has made a mission to expand its operations on an international basis following a major cash infusion from the Blackstone Group hedge fund last year.
Australian casino operator The Star Entertainment Group is limiting access to its flagship Sydney casino due to a sudden surge in COVID-19 infections in a neighbouring state.
Last Friday, The Star announced new rules for guests seeking to enter The Star Sydney casino. The announcement came after the New South Wales government issued a health order putting a 300-person ceiling on all indoor hospitality venues – restaurants, clubs, pubs, casinos, etc. – effective Friday at 12:01am.
As a result, The Star said its Sydney venue would impose the 300-person limit on each separate area within the casino. The company said it was implementing operating procedures to comply with the new rules, including ways of chopping up its 20k-square-meter casino floor into defined spaces that will observe the state’s required four-square-meters of space per patron.
However, The Star said the changes would require it to prioritize visitation by its “highest value patrons.” The company attempted to reassure investors by noting that, during the 12 days ending June 30 when it was limited to 900 patrons at a time, average daily gaming revenue was comparable to VIP gaming levels during the first half of its fiscal year (pre-COVID). The casino will also reduce staffing “to reflect the new environment.”
Four-time grade 1 winner McKinzie will be asked to run the shortest distance of his racing career to date Aug. 1 when he tries to add a fifth top-level score to his resume in the $250,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.
by Jesse Liptzin, special to The Daily Payoff
For the first time in 2020, a Men’s Professional Sports League in North America has added a new team. The National Lacrosse League is going to be expanding into Fort Worth Texas with the announcement coming this past Wednesday by Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz and the DFW region-based ownership group in Greg Bibb and Bill Cameron, two people very experienced in owning a sports franchise.
“We welcome Fort Worth as our 14th team and are excited to be working with a first-class organization led by Bill Cameron, Greg Bibb, and the leadership at Dickies Arena, one of the premier state-of-the-art facilities in the United States,” Sakiewicz said in a media teleconference announcing the addition of the franchise.
Bibb and Cameron also are part owners in the highly successful WNBA team, the Dallas Wings. The two businessmen have yet to release a name or team colors, but say it will have something to do with Fort Worth and the area.
“We are committed to an identity that has a Forth Worth bent, but also something that is a little untraditional,” Bibb said.
This is the NLL’s second team in the Southern part of America joining the Georgia Swarm. The team won’t officially start play for another 18 months (2021-22 season), but this isn’t unusual as the NLL has a rule, new teams need at least 12 months before actual play can begin.
The new team will be playing at Dickies Arena which recently opened in 2019.
“Dickies Arena is excited to add the NLL to its event list,” said TDMC’s Matt Homan, President and General Manager of Dickies Arena. “We believe there is a solid ownership team along with the strength of the NLL. We are looking forward to working with Bill and Greg’s team locally to make sure that the Fort Worth community has a long term franchise.”
This was interesting because even though the NLL has never had a team in Texas many lacrosse teams in other leagues have failed in the area. However, Forth Worth is the 13th largest city in America and hosts plenty of sporting events between NASCAR, Gymnastics, and more.
“Fort Worth is a world-class sports destination and we are excited to welcome the National Lacrosse League franchise to our community and our spectacular new Dickies Arena,” said Jason Sands, Director, Fort Worth Sports Commission.
The NLL is the largest and longest-running professional lacrosse league so expanding the number of teams is nothing new to them. Just after the last team was added two conferences were formed. With the new addition, the 14 teams may transition into three conferences.
“In all likelihood Fort Worth will be the only expansion team headed into the following season, although you never know with us,” Sakiewicz said. “Sometimes we have been known to add two teams at a time.”
News on the 2020 NLL draft and other important information having to do with the 35th NLL season will be announced later this year.
Colonial Downs will kick off its 2020 meet July 28 after a one-day delay due to dangerous heat conditions in the forecast. Last summer’s return to live racing marked the first time in nearly six years that Thoroughbreds raced at the Virginia track.
Renowned American artist Jamie Wyeth has transformed the Pennsylvania farm he shared with his late wife and accomplished horsewoman Phyllis Mills Wyeth into a Thoroughbred sanctuary that is now home to 10 retired racehorses.
Greece’s online gambling market suffered a 40% revenue decline over the first five months of 2020 as sports halted due to COVID-19.
Figures released by the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) show the local online gambling market generated revenue of nearly €150m in the first five months of 2020, a 40% decline from the same period last year.
The year started out well enough with revenue of €49.3m in January, but this slipped to €45m in February, by which time the race to the bottom was well and truly on as the pandemic forced the suspension of most major sports. Revenue slipped to €36.1m in March then hit bottom in April with €29.5m before rebounding slightly to €30m in May.
The Stoiximan betting brand was the unchallenged market leader with a nearly 49% share of the overall pie. Stoiximan started the year off right with revenue of €24.3m in January but this sunk to €14.8m by May.
Russia’s far east gaming zone will welcome its second functioning casino this summer, although the precise date remains something of a moving target.
On Monday, the government in the Primorsky Territory on Russia’s eastern shore announced that Shambala Casino will open in the Primorye gaming zone outside Vladivostok “this summer.” The casino is backed by Shambala CJSC, which predates all Russian rivals, having opened its first Russian casino in Krasnodar back in 2004.
Government reps previously claimed that the Shambala venue would open this month, although they cautioned at the time that the precise timing would be the company’s call. The delays may have more to do with the infrastructure leading to the casino, but the government insists road works “are being completed” as we speak.
Maxim Smolentsev, general director of Shambala CJSC, was careful to praise the local authorities for supporting his project “in every possible way.” Smolentsev singled out deputy chairman Konstantin Shestakov for stopping by the facility “almost every week … to quickly resolve current issues.”
Sunlight, a star on the track who was instrumental in launching her sire Zoustar and been a life-changer for many of her all-female syndicate, set a new Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale record.
Racing’s record breakers will roll into Goodwood July 28 in an attempt to secure another slice of history with star stayer Stradivarius.
Two-time grade 1 winner Code of Honor breezed a half-mile in :49.04 at 5:30 a.m. ET July 27 over the Oklahoma training track in his final work for the Aug. 1 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.