The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) and Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) committed $120,000 to the National Museum of the American Indian’s new National Native American Veterans Memorial. The donation is part of the AGEM/GLI Lasting Impact Philanthropic Initiative, through which they collaborate to create a “lasting impact” inside the gaming industry and beyond. The… Read more »
International Game Technology PLC announced that Bao Son International Hotel Versaces Club in Hanoi City, Vietnam is replacing its existing casino management system with the IGT Advantage CMS to operate its loyalty program, monitor and optimize its casino floor, and perform a range of other essential functions. In addition, Versaces Club has implemented the IGT… Read more »
Southern California’s San Manuel Casino has announced the hiring of Afsi Bird as vice president of hotel operations for the resort expansion. Bird has been in the hotel industry, including luxury hotels and five-diamond resorts, for more than three decades. San Manuel Casino General Manager Peter Arceo praised the incoming Bird. “We are thrilled to… Read more »
Penn National Gaming, Inc. announced that Carl Sottosanti, the company’s executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, retired effective December 31. As his successor, the company has named 20-year gaming industry legal executive Harper Ko, who will serve as executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary, effective January 1, subject to customary regulatory approvals.… Read more »
CEO Graeme Stephens (l.) and two other senior executives are leaving SkyCity Entertainment Group. Analysts expressed surprise at Stephens’ departure, which came with no advance notice from the New Zealand-based gaming operator. It was announced simultaneously with the planned resignations of CFO Rob Hamilton and Chief Marketing Officer Liza McNally, and appears to point to… Read more »
Company She Co-Founded; Ex-Husband Steve Wynn Cleared For the first time in its history, Wynn Resorts will not have someone named Wynn on its board. Last month, Elaine Wynn withdrew a request to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for a waiver that would have allowed her to continue on the board. Wynn Resorts has an… Read more »
Brin Gibson, a Las Vegas attorney, has been named chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. He was previously chief of the gaming division for the state attorney general. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak appointed Gibson to serve out the remaining two years left in the term of former Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan, who left to… Read more »
For Soccer Ventures (FSV), an organization focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer, today announced the official launch of “Orange Slices,” a new podcast hosted by former US Men’s National Team player and Major League Soccer All-Star Heath Pearce and twenty one year old emerging U.S. international Mark McKenzie of the Philadelphia Union. The podcast celebrates the past, present, and future of American soccer through generational storytelling and unprecedented access to rising U.S. stars around the world. “Orange Slices” is FSV’s second podcast, joining “Best Soccer Show” hosted by Jason Davis and Jared Dubois.
The first two episodes feature 2020 Bayern Munich defender and current UEFA Champions League player Chris Richards, and former U.S. National Team and Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu. Both will discuss their experiences playing abroad, representing American soccer to global audiences, their personal and professional challenges, and the effort to rebuild the fan base and trust of the National Team after the tumultuous 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign. The two shows will debut on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and iTunes on December 9th.
“Our goal with ‘Orange Slices’ is to dive deeper into the challenges and opportunities facing the current generation of players as both elite athletes and outspoken personalities in a time of global cultural change,” Pearce, who is also FSV’s Chief Creative Officer, said. “My role is to provide Mark and our guests with a bit of perspective on where we’ve come from as a soccer nation, and to help guide a lively conversation that takes fans beyond the on-field discussion. Our athletes have a lot to say, and this podcast provides a megaphone to connect with the diverse soccer community in this country.”
“It’s exceedingly rare for an up-and-coming player like me to have the platform not only to share my experiences with the Union and the USMNT, but also those of my peers, who may actually have a very different experience themselves,” McKenzie added. “’These episodes aren’t just for fans, but also a younger audience seeking great storytelling. In many ways these are universal stories of the struggles and successes and lives of athletes, many of whom I admire and work with, and continue to learn from as well. We think it will be a unique narrative journey many will enjoy and share.”
Through rotating segments, the show will explore the unique culture of American soccer, from the muddy fields and halftime orange slices of youth soccer to the biggest games won and lost on the world’s stage. Each episode will incorporate classic stories and learning examples with a fresh perspective from the younger generation reshaping the game in America.
November marked the seventh anniversary of iGaming in New Jersey, the first state of any significance to introduce the industry, with no major issues to report.
The overwhelming gaming win in the November elections spread sports betting to three more states while three other states expanded gaming that included more casinos and looser regulations. Sports betting was legalized in Louisiana, Maryland and South Dakota and expanded casino gaming in Colorado, Nebraska and Virginia. Most parishes in Louisiana approved sports betting, Maryland… Read more »
When casinos were closed for months, slot machines were also shut down, obviously. And when the casinos started to reopen, there were concessions to social distancing and most casinos turned off every other slot machine. While this is certainly not the business model casinos use when setting up their casino floors, no one expected slot… Read more »
