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Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup – November 10, 2020

In the fast-moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

ORYX Gaming signs multi-jurisdictional distribution deal with Kaizen Gaming

ORYX Gaming, a Bragg Gaming Group company (TSXV: BRAG, OTC:BRGGF), has signed a deal with Kaizen Gaming to supply its RGS content, as well as extensive content available through ORYX Hub in a number of regulated jurisdictions.

Learning the gambling benefits of Bitcoin at iGaming NEXT

The gambling industry has some clear cut advantages from using the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain in it’s tech stack. At iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure of Change, Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen was joined by two men who could show those advantages in action: BitBoss co-founder and CEO Matt Dickson and Hold Gaming Founder and CEO Phillip Runyan.

For the iGaming NEXT audience who weren’t quite sure why Bitcoin SV is the best blockchain solution for enterprises, Nguyen offered up a concise explanation. “It solves a lot of the scaling problems that Bitcoin and blockchains have had for many years, which in my view has inhibited the use of Bitcoin and other blockchains in iGaming and all other industries,” he said. He went on to add:

“Unlike BTC, which has kept transaction capacity very small, leading to higher fees and congestion on the network, Bitcoin SV is comfortably doing 2,800 transactions a second, has an unbounded scaling roadmap to get to 50,000 transactions per second next year, and millions of transactions per second in the future, while keeping fees super low. The median transaction fee on Bitcoin SV now is less than 1 100th of a U.S. cent, and as we’ll talk about, that is a really key part of enabling the iGaming industry to use blockchain technology at greater scale.”

Dickson gave an overview of why BitBoss uses BSV as their exclusive blockchain solution. “Scaling was always a major issue for us, the volume of transactions that online platforms process in a single day is staggering, also the amount of transactions that happen in land-based casinos is equally as large.

Hollywoodbets signs betting sponsorship with Brentford FC

English Football League (EFL) Championship team Brentford FC has signed a two-year deal with South African betting operator Hollywoodbets as the team’s official betting partner.

The South African betting operator’s logo is set to feature on the back of the Brentford jersey for all of Brentford’s senior teams. Brentford Football Club Commercial Director James Parkinson was delighted with the agreement:

“Hollywoodbets plays a significant role in its communities, both in South Africa and abroad. Working with our award-winning community sports trust, the Brentford Football Club has always been at the heart of its local community, so we look forward to a partnership with Hollywoodbets that shows a great deal of community involvement. This partnership will provide both brands with exposure in different markets.”

In the same statement to the local press, Hollywoodbets brand and communications manager Devin Heffer expressed his optimism for the partnership. Heffer is hoping that South Africa’s love affair with soccer will help bolster support for the partnership. “This is Hollywoodbets’ first step into football sponsorship in the United Kingdom, which coincides with the opening of our online operations in the UK and Ireland,” he said.

Super Rugby Unlocked Round 6 Betting Preview & Tips

Super Rugby Unlocked continues to throw up some surprising results as the tournament winds down to the finals. The Autumn International Cup is set to compete with the South African Super Rugby tournament for the first time this weekend. Below our match tips for round six of Super Rugby Unlocked.

Griquas vs Sharks

Griquas will get playing the Sharks for the first time in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition. Griquas continue to struggle, conceding 100 points across their last two matches in Super Rugby. The Sharks have won three of their last four matches, despite only scoring more than 20 points once this season. Sharks back Madosh Tambwe has scored five tries in his last six matches across and should be a threat against a Griquas defence that has struggled this season.

Griquas – 12/11

Watch Calvin Ayre explain why Bitcoin benefits the gambling industry

Calvin Ayre believes in Bitcoin, and specifically the original vision of Bitcoin now found in Bitcoin SV (BSV). Some in the gambling world still don’t understand why, so he used his time at iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure of Change to share his thoughts.

Speaking from Dubai, Ayre explained the origins of Bitcoin, and how it was first explained. “Originally when Bitcoin was first invented, it was designed to be the world’s most powerful data management tool, most powerful that the world has ever seen. Of course, it did payments as well, and the white paper actually focused more on that. That was obviously because that made it easier to understand the platform, to people that didn’t really understand it. But also being able to value data using microtransactions, frictionless microtransactions, actually is one of the superpowers that makes the original protocol the most powerful data management system that the world has ever seen.”

But the protocol war started when others decided Bitcoin was better as an investment asset, and not much use for anything else. “Now unfortunately what’s happened is a lot of other people got involved, they took the technology or the philosophy of the technology in their own directions, and that’s great!” he said. “I wish them all well. But they can’t help the online gaming industry. Digital gold narratives, whatever that even is, it sounds like nonsense to me. Speculative casino exchanges where you’ve got a thousand or two thousand different tokens that all could do exactly the same thing, nothing, that’s not interesting.”

Those superpowers Ayre mentioned are why he’s interested in it, and what makes it valuable to gambling. “Payments using a digital platform, that’s interesting. But what’s really interesting is the ability to use the original protocol, and only the original Bitcoin protocol, which now is only BSV, to actually run your business. An online gaming company can get involved in this platform and start to find pieces that they can put in, and not only make their business run better, not only have value added, but they can also decrease costs and increase security on their platform. And oh yeah, just like it says in the white paper, you can also use it for payments.”

Why Bitcoin’s traits make it perfect for the gambling industry

Digital currency remains one of the most debated topics in recent history. However, despite the initial – and strong – resistance to digital money, more support is being found. Even long-time naysayer Nouriel Roubini, who once said Bitcoin was a “big, fake thing,” now admits that there is some actual monetary benefit to digital currency. If a renowned economist and Bitcoin hater can come around, there’s a good chance greater adoption isn’t far off. It’s because of a number of inherent traits found in Bitcoin, as well as blockchain, that digital currency is finally being recognized for its true value.

Bitcoin, by its nature, allows individuals to interact financially with one another without having to go through an intermediary, such as a bank. Digital currency holders can send money directly to another individual’s wallet, regardless of where that person is in the world. In most cases, the money is available in just a matter of seconds, sometimes minutes, and the transactions are always secure and verified. This makes the currency’s real-world possibilities infinite. 

This verification is important because it allows for the proper tracking of financial movements, which makes both financial regulators and senders happy. Because all transactions are stored on the immutable blockchain, they can never be altered and can be accessed at any time for verification that money was sent. This induces better fraud protection and greater security for users’ funds. 

Through combined verification and protection, gambling operators can benefit substantially from the inclusion of digital currency as a payment option. They allow the entities to ensure they can adhere to regulatory guidelines regarding financial transactions, helping to ensure the risk of money laundering is fully mitigated, and can also give users greater satisfaction and confidence. Previously, trying to deposit or withdraw money from an online gambling operator’s platform was a major ordeal that could sometimes take weeks to complete. However, digital currency transactions – both to and from the operator – can be completed quickly, securely and cheaply, and provide a smooth, non-intrusive environment for gamblers. 

UK bookmakers agree to give the horseracing industry a boost

The horseracing industry in the U.K. is about to enjoy a little early Christmas present. Bookmakers there have agreed to an arrangement that will give tracks a financial injection to help them weather the COVID-19 storm as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the properties, as well as on the entire gambling industry everywhere. With sports gambling shops closing in the U.K. and Ireland once again, extra relief is going to be needed to keep everyone afloat.

Betting locations across both the U.K. and Ireland recently announced that they would be closing in order to comply with government-issued orders implemented to stop a new wave of COVID-19 cases. As the industry waits to see what their respective governments are going to do to help offset the losses, bookmakers are stepping up, providing additional fees to horseracing tracks on existing streaming and data deals. The extra money will be paid through December 2, which is when the renewed closures in the countries are expected to be lifted. Despite the efforts, however, there is still a chance that a number of the betting shops will be forced to close permanently due to a lack of income.

The amounts to be provided haven’t been disclosed, and will most likely vary depending on the type and scope of the arrangements. The CEO of Newbury Racecourse, Julian Thick, appreciates the gesture and believes it will go a long way to helping the tracks survive. He said in a statement, “This additional funding will be much valued by racecourses but it won’t plug the hole left by lost revenues from LBO closures for the next month. Make no mistake, racecourses are really suffering at the moment, and the return of crowds is absolutely critical to us operating but we are grateful for [the] betting industry’s support throughout the difficulties of the Covid-19 crisis.”

One of the largest providers of data to racecourses in the U.K. and Ireland is Racecourse Media Group, which serves 35 British tracks, as well as all 26 located in Ireland. The company has worked with its partners to reach agreements to temporarily bump up the fees paid and, like Newbury, expects the additional monies to allow the tracks to at least stay alive a little longer. RMG Commercial Director Nick Mills also points out how the racing and gambling industries can accomplish a lot when they work together for a common cause. 

Tribal casino sees construction delays thanks to coronavirus

It was not a good week for Tribal casinos, thanks to the continuing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It may have hurt most for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, who’s San Manuel Casino expansion in Highland, California now won’t open until 2022.

The $550 million expansion, which will feature a 17-story hotel and more gaming space, will mostly be ready by the end of 2021 if current plans hold. But the 2,700-seat entertainment center won’t be ready for the general public until the following year, General Manager Peter Arceo revealed.

This is more to do with pandemic safety precautions than any construction delay. Private events will be available when the complex is completed in 2021, but to be safe, it won’t be fully in use until 2022.

The timeline for construction was pushed back due to the pandemic, though. Everything should have been ready by mid-2021, but this new timeline of end of 2021 reflects construction slowdowns forced by everything that’s happened this year.

Svenska Spel and the SSF renew partnership through 2022

The Swedish Sports Federation (SSF), also known as the Riksidrottsförbundet, has had a long-running partnership with Sweden’s gambling regulator, Svenska Spel, that spans more than ten years. This past May, the two announced that they had agreed to extend their relationship through the end of the year, and have now taken things a step forward. Per a new announcement, when the existing deal ends at the end of this December, it will automatically be renewed for another two years, expiring on December 31, 2022, if another agreement isn’t reached at that time.

Svenska Spel gave the SSF around $1.71 million when the two kept their relationship going this past May, and is now ready to pay $4.87 million (SEK 42 million) for the two-year extension. The collaboration will center on exploring ways to find new funding for Sweden’s various sports organizations, as well as increasing efforts to uncover and prevent match-fixing. The latter is driven by a full-time position covered by Svenska Spel at the SSF that, in part, is tasked with receiving anonymous tips related to the possible rigging of sports contests.

SSF General Secretary Stefan Bergh says of the renewed partnership, “It is gratifying that our important cooperation with Svenska Spel continues because it enables efforts to reach more people, counteract match-fixing, gives associations and associations the opportunity to continue to develop their activities in line with Strategy 2025 and last but not least increased opportunities to combine elite sport with studies.”

Strategy 2025 refers to a plan developed by the SSF to expand “lifelong sports activity” options in Sweden. The goal is to get more people involved in sports, starting with those at a very young age, all the way through all age groups. It was first introduced as a structured campaign in the summer of last year.

Macau close to lifting more COVID-19 travel restrictions

Barring any major explosion of new COVID-19 cases, Macau could soon begin to welcome more foreigners. Ongoing travel restrictions have made it difficult for the city’s casinos to recover from the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and they have only been able to try to tread water for the past couple of months. However, new guidance is being prepared by the city’s governments that could see some changes as soon as the beginning of next month.

According to Macau’s Government Information Bureau, the city is ready to begin accepting applications from “eligible foreigners” who wish to visit the city starting December 1. While the initial phases of the expanded visitation capabilities in the city won’t include major tourism segments, the news is still a step in the right direction toward the ultimate full recovery everyone wants to see happen sooner rather than later. 

Initially, only those foreigners “for matters serving [Macau’s] public interest” will be eligible to apply for entry. These include individuals working in disease prevention and control, emergency rescue, public services and others involved in activity that can help the city ensure the smooth operation of day-to-day activities. Following this group, the second round will include those coming from mainland China who have been on the mainland for at least two weeks before heading to Macau. However, those applying as part of this group will initially have to be family of a Macau resident, students at higher-education institutions or a registered non-resident employee or a member of that employee’s family. Additionally, those planning a trip for a business or academic event can apply. 

While those groups most likely won’t include a lot of gamblers, another change approved by Macau’s government could facilitate casino traffic. Previously, anyone from Hong Kong, Taiwan or mainland China who had visited a foreign country within two weeks of a visit to Macau would be denied entry. However, that policy is now going to be relaxed, and residents from those areas can now apply to enter Macau, even if they visited a foreign country ahead of that trip. 

Bodog bettors wouldn’t complain if football were a year-round sport

If the action seen by the Bodog sportsbook is any indication, sports gambling enthusiasts would have no problems accepting football all year.The NFL season runs from the beginning of September to the beginning of February, with NCAA conferences seeing similar schedules (except when there’s a pesky coronavirus in the way), and football has continued to claim the top spot for wagers on Bodog since the NFL season began. That trend continued this past weekend and probably won’t go away until after next February.

NFL and college football games covered 86.8% of the wagers on Bodog this past weekend, with the NFL capturing 45.94% of the action. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) picked up third place, but a far-away 3.24%. The UFC ticket proved to be more interesting than soccer and tennis, with the English Premier League getting 2.2% and the Paris Masters taking 1.92% of bets. After that, the Breeders Cup made an appearance with 1.63%, the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed just over 1% and cricket grabbed a spot for the second week in a row, but only with 0.87% of what was thrown Bodog’s way.

As the turnout would indicate, football games also captured all ten top spots on the sportsbook’s list for the weekend, with the NFL seeing the most. The Sunday game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved to be the most tempting, and probably the most lucrative for Bodog, as 24.36% of the wagers seen by the sportsbook were on this game. With the Saints taking an underdog win of 38-3, and most bets going to the Bucs to win, this was a lopsided game.

The Dallas Cowboys/Pittsburgh Steelers matchup proved to be enticing to sports bettors and pulled in 12.28% of the wagers on Bodog. This game almost didn’t go the way anyone had expected, but the Steelers ultimately pulled off a victory to remain undefeated on the season. The highly-anticipated contest between two undefeated NCAA teams, the Clemson Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was a huge draw and captured 10.4% of the Bodog wagers. Bettors got their money’s worth as the game was forced into overtime to decide the winner, but the Fighting Irish pulled off a 47-40 win and forced the Tigers to 7-1 on the season.

Galaxy reports healthier revenues in Q3 as Macau continues recovery

Things are getting better for the Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG). The casino operator reported a 34% increase in revenue for Q3, rising to HK$1.55 billion ($200 million) from HK$1.15 billion ($148.3 million) in the previous quarter.

The improvement came thanks to a slowly recovering Macau, which has eased border travel with mainland China. That reduced Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) loss from HK$1.37 billion ($176.7 million) in the second quarter to HK$943 million ($121.6 million). Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2019 was HK$4.11 billion ($530.1 million).

While Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) improved 79% quarter over quarter to HK$867 million (US$111.8 million), that’s still a 94% drop from 2019. But the small improvement mostly came from mass GGR, which saw a 160% growth from the previous quarter to HK$359 million ($46.3 million). VIP Also improved from HK$472 million ($60.9 million), a 50% growth, and EGM GGR also went up by 12% to HK$36 million ($4.6 million). Still terrible compared to last year, but one step at a time.

“During this period of low revenue, we have continued to focus on effective cost control versus revenue generation,” said Galaxy Chairman Lui Che Woo. “However, it is important not to cut costs excessively and therefore adversely impact our renowned ‘World Class, Asian Heart’ service standards and customers experience.”

Watch Calvin Ayre at iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure of Change

The first day of iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure for Change is kicking off. This flagship event offers an agenda with topics no other agenda can rival, with three full days of valuable insights and information.

Day 1 features the founder of Ayre Media, Calvin Ayre, who will speak on ‘Using Bitcoin to run your online gambling business.’ You can see him at 11:55 am CEST.

Immediately after that will be a panel moderated by Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen on ‘How can Blockchain entice the iGaming industry?’ He’ll be joined by BitBoss Corporation Co-founder and CEO Matt Dickson and Hold Gaming Founder and CEO Phillip Runyan.

Stick around for the last interview of the day, when our very own Lead reporter Rebecca Liggero Fotnana will interview SpringOwl Asset Management LLC Co-founder and CEO Jason Adder on ‘Pandemic proof investments – Emerging market trends!’

The Jets squeak in a loss to the Patriots to remain undefeated

That was a close one. The New York Jets almost screwed up their perfect record by coming close to beating the New England Patriots in Monday Night Football (MNF). The team is now 0-9 on the season, which is very good news for them as they look to next season. A win would have made it difficult to be able to take the first pick in next year’s NFL Draft and it would have also served no purpose for the current season. Fortunately, the Jets managed to pull off a last-second loss to keep their streak going. 

The Pats were -435 favorites heading into last night’s game – that’s how strongly all the books felt about their chances. However, they didn’t prove they were worth it and got stomped on by the Jets almost for the entire game. It wasn’t until Nick Folk, the Pats’ kicker, put up a 51-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game that New England could claim the victory, winning 30-27. While neither team has been great this season, coming that close to losing to a team that hasn’t won a single game has to be somewhat embarrassing. 

Pats quarterback Cam Newton finally did something he hasn’t done all season – score a first-quarter touchdown. It was also his own, as he ran the ball into the end zone for the score. However, apart from that, he was relatively unsuccessful for most of the game and the Jets would go up 20-10 by the end of the half. The New England defense wasn’t too much better, repeatedly allowing key plays and unable to drop Jets receivers to the turf. 

After the halftime break, the Pats came back and added a touchdown to open the third quarter. However, the Jets, led by quarterback Joe Flacco who was in for the injured Sam Darnold, responded with their own score late in the quarter to make it a 27-17 game. It suddenly looked like the Jets would pull off a win as the teams headed into the last quarter. 

Aspire, an 888-like company with exciting potential

We may finally have some light at the end of this COVID tunnel. Even so, with stocks as ridiculously high they are it’s impossible to know what happens now. The S&P 500 started off strong yesterday, but finished below its pre-vaccine announcement news. The bubbly Nasdaq actually lost 2% as stay-at-home COVID stocks tanked. Everybody is totally confused. Finding a good investment as opposed to a speculation on prevailing Wall Street mood swings is still a daunting task.

In the meantime, real business conditions continue to deteriorate in Europe as the lockdowns have returned. Today we’ll go through one of the newer European players, Aspire Global, one of the few bona fide investments left in the European gaming sector. It’s not riskless, and there are considerable dangers attached to it. But it does have all the characteristics of an ambitious, sprightly, yet conservatively managed company with new and exciting products that just needs a bit to go its way in order for it to reach a new and higher tier. A successful COVID vaccine would certainly help in that direction.

In many ways, Aspire looks a lot like 888, both in its fiscal management and business style. The two companies are already working together actually, through Aspire’s Pariplay casino gaming subsidiary. Aspire is small and nimble, with products that stand out, a 75% focus on B2B over B2C and small, early acquisitions that complement its pipeline and ambitions. Also like 888, Aspire has no net debt, and from what I can see, it is not in the business of humongous moves that grab headlines but put its long term future in doubt. It only joined public markets in 2017, and since then its stock has been more or less stable and the company consistently profitable. The stock tanked during the March panic like everything else, but really not by much relative to its peers.

Where Aspire currently is in its development as well as its inherent business model do help mute the effect of lockdowns so you can’t really see them in its top and bottom lines. Total revenues for the first 9 months of 2020 were 18% higher than for 2019. Net income was down 20%, which is to be expected for a company looking for growth opportunities. The key is, it’s been clearly profitable throughout this tumultuous and crazy year, and that gives Aspire some breathing room to get through the challenges of 2021, which in my view could be quite extreme. Many companies won’t survive 2021 in my opinion, at least not in their present forms. But Aspire has a good shot at making it through if it remains careful. If it does make it through, the opportunities on the other side will be huge.

Where do the pro-athletes fit in? Sports Betting USA keynote will lift the lid on the emerging dynamic between sporting super stars and betting brands

The explosion of commercial opportunities arising from sports betting and their impact on the community of pro-athletes across disciplines will be put under the microscope at a compelling keynote session at the influential Sports Betting USA Digital which is taking place across November 12 & 13. The 2020 edition of Sports Betting USA features a stellar list of 100 thought leaders delivering cutting edge insight, providing a unique platform for marketing teams to engage with the US media channels that will determine where sports fans go to play.

Drawing on the experience and insight of thought leaders including Scott Rochelle, Executive Director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRA), former NBA All Star, Caron Butler, and NBA Veteran Stephen Howard, the keynote, moderated by Angela Ruggiero, CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab, will lift the lid on all of the pertinent issues relating to name, image, branding and licensing rights at the same time as scoping out the possible future relationship between the sports betting industry and professional athletes.

Dan Tyler, Senior Conference Producer at SBUSA organiser Clarion Gaming, said the conversations taking place around name and image rights in relation to sports betting, are at a very early stage and the potential to shape them is significant. He stated: “Representatives of the Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpko have moved extremely quickly to trademark the phrase “Greek Freak” on behalf of their client. Significantly, the trademark is not just for the usual portfolio of fast-moving-consumer goods but it also extends to online gambling sites and includes derivatives of his name such as Greek Fr34K, a reference to his chosen No.34 jersey.

“At the moment we are talking about pioneering and to a certain extent speculative strategies but the opportunity for athletes to cash in on their talent and to build their brand harnessing the power of online betting platforms are there for all to see.”

Delta Corp’s shrinking online ops can’t make up for closed casinos

India’s largest casino operator Delta Corp’s utter lack of land-based gaming revenue resulted in a truly fugly third-quarter financial report card, making a Goa casino bailout all the more important for the company’s short-term future.

On Monday, Delta announced that its total revenue in the three months ending September 30 was Rs460.5m (US$6.2m), a 77.5% fall from the same period last year. The company booked a net loss of Rs549m versus a Rs590m profit in Q3 2019.

Delta’s casinos in the Indian states of Goa and Sikkim were out of commission for the entire third quarter after being ordered to close in mid-March due to COVID-19. That left Delta’s nascent online ‘skill gaming’ division to carry the load with revenue of Rs446m, which was up 8.9% year-on-year but down around one-fifth from Q2 2020.

It’s unclear precisely what factors contributed to the sequential decline in Delta’s online poker and rummy operations, but hopefully things will pick up in the current quarter given Delta’s partnership with the World Poker Tour on a WPT Online series on Delta’s Adda52 site this month.

Seven poker quotes from modern poker legends to inspire you

Monday morning can often feel like the morning after the night before for the highly logical reason that it is often exactly that – the morning after most of the biggest tournaments of the week, the Sunday Majors. 

We’ve cherry-picked seven of the best quotes from the best modern poker players to inspire you to have your best week at the felt so far. 

“Study hard and realise it’s mostly hard work – never blame anything on luck.”

Multiple WSOP bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche’s words on 888poker’s Instagram page say it all – hard work will get you there, so put in the work. 

Mirage cardroom closes as players mourns poker’s past

The closure of the Mirage cardroom represents not only a sign of the COVID-19 times, but a chapter ending in terms of poker industry. This is the venue where some of your favourite poker legends such as Daniel Negreanu cut their teeth. 

It’s also the venue that Mike McDermott is speaking about when he fails to take Teddy KGB to the cleaners in the perfect opening scene of Rounders. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdYQyIJiOyU]

It’s predictable, in a way. Before the pandemic, poker rooms in Las Vegas were doing great business. After the closure of venues, some cardrooms struggled, others simply couldn’t come back. Those that have returned have done so with a limited capacity, with health measures that save lives, but lose seats. 

Maryland, Ohio casinos overcome pandemic restrictions in October

Ohio’s casino market set yet another revenue record in October despite ongoing pandemic restrictions, while Maryland’s similarly restricted casinos kept their annual revenue decline below 1%.

Figures released by the Maryland Lottery & Gaming regulatory body show the state’s six casino operators generated combined revenue of just under $142.7m in October, a modest 0.9% decrease from the same month last year and $1m below September 2020’s total.

The declines are nonetheless impressive given the casinos continue to operate at only 50% of their normal capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, four casinos reported positive year-on-year growth, although that didn’t include the market leader, MGM National Harbor, which dipped 5.5% year-on-year to $56.5m.

One of the more interesting aspects of the US casino market’s post-shutdown rebirth is the number of operators who’ve reported significant rises in profits despite minimal (or even negative) revenue growth. The profit gains have been attributed in part due to the casinos declining to reopen some loss-leading amenities that were once considered essential to generating customer traffic.