With the homeless crisis always a hotly discussed topic across the Western U.S., lawmakers and residents are looking for ways to find the financial resources to help reduce the crisis. In Oregon, the Mayor of Wood Village is pushing for the idea of opening a casino in the city. He proposes would provide additional tax revenue that could be used to help fight the problem.
The city has twice tried to get a referendum passed to approve the Wood Village Casino project. That happened in both 2010 and 2012 when two businessmen sought to open gain approval for the facility but residents voted it down each time. However, Mayor T. Scott Harden believes that things will be different this time:
“The new major beneficiary of the dollars will be our homelessness efforts. I think in a lot of people’s minds this would get them to think. It might be the tipping point for a lot of voters.”
Bruce Studer and Matt Rossman are leading the initiative. They filed a pair of ballot proposals on January 30 with the Oregon Secretary of State. This would open the door for the design and construction of a casino and entertainment center that would be located in Wood Village. The city is located just east of Portland.
Super Bowl Sunday will be a huge time of celebration for people across America but, for one casino, it will be the end of an era. This Sunday, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will host one last gala event before turning over the establishment to a Virgin Hotel Las Vegas.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has been a part of Las Vegas for 25 years and has been an integral part of the city’s landscape. However, its time has come to an end, and the hotel and casino plans to go out with a bang.
Starting on Thursday night, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will begin a four-day party that will run until the doors close on February 3. That will occur at 3 AM. At that point, the doors will close and be locked and the property will not open again until late this year when it is rebranded as the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas.
For staff and guests, the final bash will be a bittersweet moment. “We are looking to having a great party to honor this great resort,” lamented Hard Rock CEO Richard Bosworth. “The musicians that we are going to have here for a marathon party starting Thursday are all local, rolling back menu prices and printing out items we had in 1995, celebrating the famous Center Bar here.”
Barstool Sports was designed to offer a take on the sports gambling industry that would be, at times, edgy and controversial. The online media platform has covered all things sports since 2003 and, if the adage “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” is to be believed, Barstool’s outspoken nature has paid off in a big way. The rumors of a potential sale of the company to Penn National have now been confirmed, and the amount of money exchanging hands makes this one of the most lucrative media deals in recent history.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Penn National is prepared to hand over $163 million to buy 36% of the company. The amount includes $136 million in cash and another $28 million in stock, and, if everything goes according to plan, Penn National will have the ability to increase its stake to 50% within three years. It will also have first rights to buy the company outright at that time.
As a result of the deal, Barstool’s value now sits at about $450 million. This is proving to be very lucrative for The Chernin Group, an investment firm that injected $10 million into the company in 2016 and another $25 million two years later. Not a bad return on investment.
It should also prove beneficial for Penn National as legalized sports gambling continues to roll out across the US. According to its available financial data, Barstool picked up between $90 million and $100 million in revenue last year from merchandising, contests and advertising. This gives the gambling operator a relatively short period to see the positive side of its investment. Not that Penn National is too concerned – its third-quarter turnover last year was around $1.35 billion.
Legal online and retail sportsbooks across the country will take in $400 million in total bets for Super Bowl LIV, analysts for PlayUSA.com project. Even if less money comes in, the matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, set for Sunday, Feb. 2, will almost certainly bring in more money via legal sportsbooks than ever before.
“With the proliferation of legal sports betting across the U.S., there is no doubt that this will be a record year for legal bets on the Super Bowl,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayUSA.com. “An interesting matchup that is nearly a pick ’em will help spur action, too. As a result, records in states such as Nevada and New Jersey, where both online and retail sports betting were legal for last year’s game, are also in jeopardy.”
The Super Bowl is easily the most bet-on sporting event in the U.S., drawing an estimated $6 billion in legal and illegal bets in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. That number will reach almost $7 billion in 2020, the AGA estimates.
For this year’s game, consider:
Thirteen states — Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Oregon, Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New York — representing a combined population of 70 million, will offer a means to place a legal bet on this year’s Super Bowl.
Eight states — Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Oregon — offer both online and retail sports betting.
Seven states, representing a combined population of 30 million, accepted legal bets for last year’s game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. In addition, some states had yet to launch online sportsbooks, leaving retail sportsbooks as the only vehicle to place a bet in states such as Pennsylvania.
The country’s two largest sports betting markets, Nevada and New Jersey, combined to generate more than $180 million in bets for the 2019 game.
New Jersey sportsbooks, which offered legal wagering on the Super Bowl for the first time in 2019, attracted $34.9 million in bets but lost $4.6 million.
Nevada’s $145.9 million handle was the state’s second-best all-time, but down from the record $158.6 million in 2018.
“Not only has the number of legal sports jurisdictions doubled from last year’s game, states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania have boomed,” Gouker said. “That all adds up to a historic weekend ahead for sports betting.”
Kansas City is currently a consensus 1.5-point favorite over the 49ers. And with the Chiefs’ top-ranked passing attack matched up against the 49ers’ second-ranked pass defense, the over/under is now set at 54 points.
Prop bets should once again bring added attention from bettors to the game. Books will offer odds on aspects of the game that range from what player will score the first touchdown to the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach.
“Online and mobile sportsbooks are a key tool in driving in-game and prop betting, giving states with a robust digital presence a significant advantage,” Gouker said. “In New Jersey, nearly 88% of all bets were made online in December. And that allows operators to attract bettors with prop bets and keep them engaged with in-game betting.”
The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the premier professional lacrosse league in the world, will be holding its first-ever team business summit this week atMGM’s Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three days of meetings and seminars will culminate with Saturday’s historic matchup between the San Diego Seals and the Colorado Mammoth at Orleans Arena, the first-ever professional lacrosse game in Las Vegas.
“We are excited to be with all our Clubs and new marketing partner, MGM to bring our team and league leadership together for a unique opportunity to review best practices and discuss the strategic growth of our league and the sport of lacrosse,” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “The NLL is in the midst of historic business growth with so many new partners that convening all of our stakeholders in one place to capitalize on the momentum will add value for our teams and ultimately our fans.”
In addition to hearing from the teams on their best successes and strategies, executives will hear and learn from executives from the UFC, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, as well as league partners Turner Sports, Two Circles, Greenfly and others, on best practices, evolving business strategies and new partnership and revenue generating activities. Over seventy league and team executives and partners are expected to participate.
The NLL is the premier professional lacrosse league, ranking third in average attendance for pro indoor sports, with 13 teams in key markets across North America. The NLL experienced substantial growth last season with nearly a million total ticket sales, a 28-percent increase from 2017-18, and 74 percent of ticket sales were from people who never played lacrosse. Digital viewership also rose significantly through B/R Live, showing substantial increases in total unit sales (up 151 percent from last year), average unique viewers (+27 percent), and average minute audiences (+14 percent). Sponsorship revenues are projected at a 29 percent increase year over year as well.
For the most up to date information and breaking news, sign up for the NLL newsletter at NLL.com. Also follow Deputy Commissioner Jessica Berman and Commissioner Sakiewicz on Twitter @JessicaBerman1 and @NLLcommish, respectively.
Basketball fans, and the entire world, were shocked yesterday after learning that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game when the chopper went down over Calabasas, California, killing the star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The death of Bryant, affectionately called The Black Mamba, impacts the game of basketball on a number of levels, as well as the sports community overall, and also hits home to Calvin Ayre.
Bryant first entered the NBA in 1996 when he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Almost immediately, he was traded to the LA Lakers, where he spent the entirety of his long and successful 20-season career – five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, 18 NBA All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA First Team selections and more. When he retired in 2016, he was the third-highest regular-season scoring player in league history.
However, he was much more than a basketball phenom. Off the court, he founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which worked in conjunction with the Chinese government-backed Soong Ching Ling Foundation to bring education and health programs to China. He was also behind the Mamba Sports Academy in California, a center designed to provide a multi-sport training facility to young athletes. He was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that develops after-school programs for children across the US.
Bryant was also involved with the LA Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF), which supports non-profit organizations. Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation sponsored the LALYF twice, and Ayre has contributed directly to the organization, having worked directly with Bryant, Magic Johnson and others to help improve the quality of life of local children.
The second legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals take place this midweek as Leicester City and Aston Villa do battle at Villa Park on Tuesday night before the Manchester Derby lights up Wednesday evening at The Etihad Stadium.
While one team already have one foot in their EFL Cup Final three-piece suit, the other tie is poised on a knife-edge in a game that truly could go either way.
Aston Villa vs. Leicester City – Tuesday Jan 28th, 7:45 pm GMT kick-off
There can be no question that Aston Villa go into this game the happier of the two sides after the 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium three weeks ago. With many having expected Leicester’s attack, led by Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, to blow their Midlands rivals out of the water, The Villains will be encouraged to have escaped with a draw that could even have been a victory.
Swintt, the innovative and forward-thinking game provider, announcing their new partnership with online operator Twin and continuing their strong start to 2020.
The agreement covers distribution of over 50 games from Swintt’s portfolio, covering proprietary content such as top perfomers ‘Panda Warrior’ and ‘Wild Wild Tiger’, land-based classics from major European markets including ‘Master of Books’ and ‘Heart of Earth’ and the upcoming ‘Bollywood Billions’ game inspired by Indian themes.
Players on Twin will also be able to enjoy features from the SwinttGamify promotional product, as well as help raise money for good causes via SwinttPlay-it-Back, the CSR-focused product.
David Flynn, CEO of Swintt commented: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Twin. Their player base aligns perfectly with our product suite, and we are sure that we can help each other grow in our respective target markets in a long and prosperous partnership.”
Supplier agrees slot content deal with prestigious casino
Malta, 28th January 2020 – Casino software developer Playson has signed an agreement with Casumo to supply its suite of games to the popular online casino, in a move that further strengthens its presence in Sweden and across Europe.
Founded in 2012, Casumo has grown to become one of the leading operators in Swedish regulated market, while also holding a strong position in the UK and other markets across Europe.
The supplier’s latest operator partnership will see its slots made available to Casumo’s customer base for the first time.
Uni was large in accomplishment in 2019, winning the First Lady Stakes Presented by UK Healthcare (G1T) and defeating males in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T) to secure a championship as the Eclipse Award-winning female turf horse of 2019.
Betfred, the world’s largest privately-owned retail bookmaker, and Saratoga Casino Black Hawk have signed an agreement to offer Sports Wagering throughout the state of Colorado.
Subject to regulatory approval, Betfred and Saratoga Casino will be opening a full sports book at the casinos Black Hawk, Colorado property, as well as offering mobile and internet betting for customers within the state of Colorado.
“We are delighted to partner with Saratoga Casino Black Hawk,” stated Mark Stebbings, Betfred Group Chief Operating Officer. “This is an exciting opportunity for both companies and we look forward to sharing our joint expertise to provide excellent service and value for sports bettors both on premise in Black Hawk and online to the people within the state of Colorado.”
Betfred has been established since 1967 and is one of the biggest sports betting brands in the United Kingdom with over 1500 retail outlets and a leading online platform. Betfred will also provide compliance, support, marketing and trading as part of the business partnership.
“We are excited to have Betfred as our sports wagering partner,” said Daniel Gerrity, President of Saratoga Casino Black Hawk. “With over 50 years of international experience in the industry, it’s a great opportunity to leverage their expertise along with the Saratoga brand to become the market leader in sports wagering in Colorado.”
The latest Super High Roller took place at the Crown Casino in Melbourne as the Aussie Millions ANTON Championship ring went to Michael Addamo, who beat Poker Central’s Cary Katz heads-up.
With a massive AUS$1,073,790 top prize, Addamo’s result propels him up the charts for cashes this year, with a massive seven-figure win under his belt already. It also marked the first time that Addamo had won an Aussie Millions event, having previously reached four final table appearances without sealing the deal.
With 82 players taking part, it was Michael Soyza who would be the last player not to cash, with other luminaries such as previous 2020 Aussie Millions event winner Jorryt van Hoof, Dan Smith, Stephen Chidwick, George Wolff, Kahle Burns, Matthias Eibinger, Mikita Badziakouski and Elio Fox also failing to cash. Kristen Bicknell from Canada made the first profit of the event, finishing 10th for A$119,130 and once everyone was at the final table Erik Seidel busted Yong Wang in 9th place for A$159,080. Seidel had put himself back into contention, but no sooner had he done that was his tournament over. Cary Katz took out Seidel and was threatening to take over, grabbing the chip lead, but Sam Greenwood had other ideas.
Greenwood went on a double elimination burst when he busted both the German high roller Rainer Kempe and the similarly highly-respected player Timothy Adams in the same hand. Adams had pocket jacks, while Kempe had king-queen, but Greenwood sent them both to the rail as he found a set on the turn, then held to reduce the field still further. When Addamo busted Ben Lamb, just four players remained as some serious dust had to settle.
I hope you’re reading this, Dominic Cummings. You recently came out with a blog post looking for assorted weirdos to help out with a complete overhaul of Downing Street. I applied under the “weirdo” title just for the hell of it. I’m writing to you now because you seem to have a brain and can listen. I’ve been waiting for someone like you to take the reins behind the scenes for years – someone with a deep mistrust of the political establishment and the strategic strength of mind of to take it on with courage. Your goal to flip the U.K. government on its head and gut Downing Street is exciting, and I’m watching your moves with much interest. Please don’t mess this up, Cummings.
I’m pretty lousy at a lot of things, but one thing I’m exceptionally good at is spotting dishonesty and policy sleight-of-hand. Here I’m talking about a new directive by the Gambling Commission to ban gambling with credit cards by April. Let’s talk about that in the broader context of the casino that nearly all capital markets have become over the last 12 years. Admittedly, the issue of whether punters can use their credit cards for gaming is a relatively minor one, but nevertheless it epitomizes what you and your team need to be on the lookout for in a broader sense in the years to come, if you are to have even a slim chance of success.
If gutting and cutting dangerous bureaucracies is your modus operandi, and I sincerely hope that it is, I recommend that you get rid of the Gambling Commission entirely. If you can’t do that outright because of the political repercussions to your boss, then at least defang the thing, let them write their reports and recommendations, let them keep their paychecks so they don’t whine too loudly, tell them reassuringly that you’re considering everything they say, and then feed all of it through a paper shredder.
Let’s go over this little announcement of theirs with a blunt-tooth comb. We need not even waste a fine-tooth comb on it. Or better yet, a rusty fork out of a dumpster will suffice. The key justification for this credit card ban is the following paragraph:
Four-time champion and three-time Breeders’ Cup winner Beholder delivered a dark bay filly by War Front the night of Jan. 15 at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, the farm announced Jan. 16.
Vardy, whose victory in last weekend’s L’Ormarins Queens Plate (G1) coincided with the birthday of his Leicester City footballer namesake, has a half brother to be offered at the Jan. 16 Cape Premier Yearling Sale in South Africa.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced a landmark partnership with Roar Digital – a joint venture between global gaming industry leaders MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – making Roar’s sports betting brand, BetMGM, the official and exclusive gaming partner of the NLL. It is the first-ever gaming partnership for the sport of lacrosse in the United States.
“We
are so proud to welcome BetMGM as yet another world-class brand to
our family of national partners,” said NLL Commissioner Nick
Sakiewicz. “The growth of our league as a sports and entertainment
property and the amount of engagement we will be able to generate
through this innovative partnership with MGM Resorts and Roar Digital
will be very exciting and add tremendous value to avid, casual and
new fans. The like-minded vision both our organizations share will
continue to increase the relevance of the NLL and draw a wider
audience of fans as we continue the momentum we enjoyed over the last
four seasons.”
“Lacrosse
is a fast-paced, high-scoring, growing sport that presents exciting
sports betting opportunities. We are greatly impressed by the
management and operations of the NLL as evidenced by its strong
roster of team owners,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive
Gaming for MGM Resorts. “The NLL is an ideal partner for BetMGM in
accessing a fast-growing Lacrosse fan base.”
BetMGM
will have commercial visibility and other promotional opportunities
throughout the NLL regular season and playoffs. In addition, will
create weekly betting lines distributed across all NLL platforms and
channels.
Accessible
via desktop and mobile, BetMGM features GVC’s state-of-the-art
betting engine and technology platform. Not only can users play the
traditional casino and poker games they’ve come to love, but sports
fans can place an expanded range of pre-match and in-play bets with
more than 100 leagues, as well as individual sports, tours and
events.
The
NLL is the premier professional lacrosse league, ranking third in
average attendance for pro indoor sports, with 13 teams in key
markets across North America. The NLL experienced substantial growth
last season with nearly a million total ticket sales, a 28 percent
increase from 2017-18. Digital viewership also rose significantly
through B/R Live the NLL’s streaming rights partner, showing
substantial increases in total unit sales (+151 percent from last
year), average unique viewers (+27 percent), and average minute
audiences (+14 percent). Sponsorship revenues are projected at a 29
percent increase from 2018 into 2019.
New Jersey’s sportsbooks and online casinos performed in December in much the same way they spent the rest of 2019: With new records and more growth. Retail and online sportsbooks combined with online casinos and poker to generate nearly $800 million in revenue in 2019, sending New Jersey into 2020 with plenty of momentum, according to PlayNJ.com analysts.
“Online sports betting and casino gambling should continue on or near its current growth trajectory in 2020,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayNJ.com. “Online growth will continue to be a net win for New Jersey’s gaming industry.”
New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $557.8 million in bets in December, short of the record $562.2 million handle set in November, according to official reporting. December 2019’s handle was up 74.7% from $319.2 million in December 2018.
Revenue from sportsbooks reached $29.4 million, down from $32.9 million in November and up 41.4% from $20.8 million won in December 2018. December’s revenue yielded $3.7 million in tax revenue for the state.
For 2019, New Jersey’s sportsbooks combined to generate:
$4.6 billion in bets. Of that $3.8 billion, or 83.7%, was generated online.
Revenue of $299.4 million, including $244.5 million online.
State tax revenue of $36.5 million.
New Jersey will fall short of Nevada, which has generated $4.7 billion in bets through November, in the race to be the country’s largest legal sports betting jurisdiction.
“2019 could very well go down as the last year that New Jersey was eclipsed by Nevada,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for PlayNJ.com said. “From its proximity to the New York market to its pioneering online sports betting infrastructure, New Jersey’s positives as a sports betting market will continue to fuel its growth.”
In December, online betting generated $488.9 million, or 87.6% of the state’s handle, up from 86.5% in November. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet continues to pace the online market, tallying $12.1 million in gross revenue, down from $12.2 million in November.
FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands lead the retail market with $2.4 million in November gross revenue.
“In addition to constant growth, one of the constants in New Jersey’s sports betting market has been FanDuel’s dominance,” Gouker said. “The brands under Resorts Digital have made it a relatively close second in the online market, but it has proven difficult to overcome FanDuel’s advantages, despite the brand recognition that comes from DraftKings and Fox Bet.”
As much as the Juddmonte Farms duo of Tacitus and Hidden Scroll are both on the comeback trail for trainer Bill Mott, they could not have more diverse targets.
Indiana retail and online sportsbooks capped their inaugural year in the state by surpassing $160 million in bets in a month for the first time. Indiana’s record handle in December pushed the state to more than $430 million in bets since the first wager was accepted in September, a staggering pace that has set the stage for a momentous 2020, according to analysts from PlayIndiana.
“Indiana’s ascent to one of the largest sports betting markets in the country has been impressive by most any measure,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIndiana. “The question for 2020 is whether Indiana can sustain its rate of expansion, especially as neighboring states become more likely to legalize sports betting. That has already happened in Michigan, which could take a bite out of the handle at some of northern Indiana’s retail sportsbooks.”
In December, the state’s retail and online sportsbooks generated $161.8 million in bets, up 10% from $147.3 million in November, according to official reporting. December produced $12 million in adjusted gross revenue, up 29% from $9.3 million in November. The “win” yielded $1.1 million in taxes for the state.
Indiana sportsbooks have now generated $433.4 million in bets and $42.7 million in revenue since launch, and is easily the fourth-largest sports betting marketing in the country. January should bring more growth. Football betting has accounted for $178.6 million since launch and $59.1 million in bets in December, and that will likely surge with the NFL Playoffs. Basketball, which has tallied $82.2 million since launch and $42.3 million in December, should grow as college basketball enters conference season and the NBA season heats up.
“With the NFL Playoffs at hand and college basketball in full swing, it is possible that Indiana will surpass $1 billion in bets by March, making Indiana one of the quickest legal U.S. jurisdictions to reach that mark,” Gouker said.
The relatively rapid growth of Indiana can be attributed to the adoption of online sports betting earlier than states such as Pennsylvania. In Indiana, $110.6 million of December’s bets were made online representing 69.5% of the state’s total handle, up from 65% of the November handle.
BetAmerica, operating under the Rising Star Casino license, became Indiana’s fourth online sportsbook when it launched in late December. Still, DraftKings, which operates under the Ameristar Casino license, led the online market once again in December. DraftKings attracted $66.7 million in bets, up from $64.1 million in November, and generated $5 million in gross receipts, up from $4.3 million. DraftKings was followed by FanDuel/Blue Chip Casino, which generated a $36 million handle in December, up from $23.7 million, and a $2.2 million win.
Once again, the top retail sportsbooks were those closest to large out-of-state markets. The top retail sportsbook in Indiana continues to be Horseshoe Hammond, near Chicago. The market leader generated $13.4 million in December, up from $13 million in November. Those bets generated $1.1 million in gross receipts, up from $800,208.
“Indiana’s strong start is unquestionably tied to the state’s relatively early launch of online sports betting,” Gouker said. “Online sports betting should make up an increasing share of the state’s handle, too. That will help steady Indiana’s sports betting industry, even as increasing competition from neighboring states affect retail sportsbooks, which is inevitable.”
