Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Borgata Casino Ready to Offer Sports Betting on First Day It Becomes Legal in New Jersey

Casino News Daily
Borgata Casino Ready to Offer Sports Betting on First Day It Becomes Legal in New Jersey

Atlantic City’s highest grossing casino resort, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, is ready to begin offering sports betting on the very day the provision of that service is legalized by New Jersey lawmakers, officials for the property said Tuesday.

The Borgata already features a facility for betting on horse racing and casino officials revealed plans to rename it as The Race & Sports Book once sports betting becomes legal in New Jersey. The venue will also open a separate sports betting facility, the plans for which are being finalized by owners.

The Borgata is owned by Las Vegas gaming and hospitality giant MGM Resorts International. The hotel and casino resort has long been Atlantic City’s most profitable property. It generated gaming revenue of $803.6 million in 2017. In comparison, Harrah’s, the second highest grossing casino in the city, reported revenue of $363.7 million last year.

Commenting on the recently lifted federal ban on sports betting and his casino’s plans, Borgata President Marcus Glover said Tuesday that the property is uniquely positioned as Atlantic City’s only one to be featuring a race book already. Mr. Glover added that Borgata’s owner, MGM, has years of experience in operating sports betting in Nevada, which will help them launch their sports book in New Jersey.

It was also understood that the Borgata has been readying itself for the decision of the US Supreme Court for quite some time and has been crafting its strategy for operating a sports betting business at the existing resort to make sure it would be launched in due time.

Sports Betting in New Jersey

New Jersey has actually been the state to push most actively for the annulment of the long-standing federal ban on sports betting. The US Supreme Court decided to review the state’s case last year and ruled on it last week.

Under the ruling, it is now up to each individual state to determine whether it should legalize sports betting within its borders. Prior to last week, sports betting was prohibited everywhere across the United States but Nevada and three more states.

With New Jersey being a backer of the legalization of sports betting, the actual introduction and implementation of a regulatory framework is not expected to come upon any major stumbling blocks. It is believed that the state’s sports betting law could be passed by legislators and enacted by early June.

Almost all of Atlantic City’s operational casinos have said that they would offer sports betting once the activity becomes legal in the state. It is also important to note that its two new casinos – Hard Rock Atlantic City and Ocean Resort Casino, both slated to open doors on June 28 – are too planning to feature sports betting.

The post Borgata Casino Ready to Offer Sports Betting on First Day It Becomes Legal in New Jersey appeared first on Casino News Daily.

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Genting, close to Andorra casino licence

Casino News – Focus Gaming News
Genting, close to Andorra casino licence

The first casino licence in Andorra will soon be issued and Genting is among the companies that will most likely score the rights.

The post Genting, close to Andorra casino licence appeared first on Focus Gaming News.

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Video Review: Celestial Sun Riches & Celestial Moon Riches slots from Konami

Casino City Times
Video Review: Celestial Sun Riches & Celestial Moon Riches slots from Konami
We get a first hand look at one of Konami Gaming's newest available progressive series slot machines. The Celestial Sun Riches & Celestial Moon Riches slots.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

GGA Las Vegas 2018 Self nominations close on May 25

Gambling Insider
GGA Las Vegas 2018 Self nominations close on May 25
Self-nominations for the Global Gaming Awards Las Vegas 2018 will close in just a few days’ time
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Nigerian Lawmakers Scold Local Lottery Commission for Regulatory Failures

Casino News Daily
Nigerian Lawmakers Scold Local Lottery Commission for Regulatory Failures

The Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) has faced the criticism of the local House of Representatives, with the latter blaming it for its failure to impose effective regulation of the sector.

According to local lawmakers, it was the Commission that was responsible for the failures in implementing the sector’s regulation efficiently, which on the other hand resulted in Nigeria losing an amount estimated at more than ₦1.493 trillion. The NLRC, on the other hand, has blamed lack of efficient regulation in the industry for the unsatisfactory revenue amount generated by the sector.

As far as the sector’s performance is concerned, Bello Maigari, the acting National Lottery Trust Fund’s Executive Secretary shared that the trend of the sector failing to meet its revenue target has been going on for several years now. According to Mr. Maigari, who spoke before the House Committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs, the revenue target of ₦1.5 trillion could hardly be reached by the sector, which was only able to generate approximately ₦7 billion in 13 years.

Considering the estimated high potential of the local market, the 5-year cumulative returns amounting to a little over ₦7 billion, which was found completely unacceptable for the sector. Mr. Maigari also shared his regret that the Nigerian lottery industry’s revenue growth was hurt by foul practices, conflict of interest, etc.

New Legislation Needed by the Sector

For the time being, there are a total of 21 operators who offer licensed lottery products across the country, after their operating licenses were given the green light by the President Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigerian House of Representatives has already threatened the operators that were found guilty of not paying the amount due to authorities by withdrawing their licenses.

The Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund further noted that the lack of proper regulation in the country has been beneficial for the lottery and gaming operators there. Mr. Maigari further reminded that according to some industry experts, the Nigerian lottery sector is actually the most attractive market on the territory of Africa.

According to estimates, the lottery has made a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) not only of Nigeria but also of other countries in Africa. For the time being, approximately 7.5 million Nigerian citizens were betting on lotteries on a daily basis. The number of Nigerians engaged in sports betting operations every day amounted to approximately 22 million.

Lanre Gbajabiamila, the Director General of the NLRC, also shared his opinion of local lottery legislation, saying that the fact that Nigerian laws on the matter were not up-to-date with the contemporary state of the market, which was also the reason why inadequate legislation has contributed to the slow growth of the sector. Still, Mr. Gbajabiamila explained that the Commission is aimed at helping the sector reach international standard, despite there was a lot of work to be done in terms of renewal of the already existing laws.

The post Nigerian Lawmakers Scold Local Lottery Commission for Regulatory Failures appeared first on Casino News Daily.

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Another senior resignation at Silver Heritage Group Limited

World Casino News
Another senior resignation at Silver Heritage Group Limited

Only two weeks after David Green abruptly stood down as its Chairman, and Asian casino operator Silver Heritage Group Limited has announced that Richard Barker has resigned in a similar sudden fashion as a non-executive director. Sydney-listed Silver Heritage Group Limited is responsible for the Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa integrated casino resort in Nepal and […]
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Chinese Government Unlikely to Allow Casino Gambling in Hainan, Experts Say

Casino News Daily
Chinese Government Unlikely to Allow Casino Gambling in Hainan, Experts Say

Last week, casino industry experts refuted rumors that the island of Hainan, also known as “China’s Hawaii”, is set to become the next casino hub in the country. Still, they confirmed that the island could open doors for several kinds of sports lotteries.

In February 2018 it became clear that the Chinese Government has been mulling the legalization of some gaming options on Hainan Island – a step that could end the gambling monopoly of Macau. Then, in April, the Government revealed that it would officially legalize horse racing and some new types of sports lotteries on the Island as part of its effort to turn Hainan into the largest pilot free-trade port.

However, the South China Morning Post revealed that Su Guojing, the founder of the China Lottery Industry Salon and a gambling sector expert, explained in an interview at the Macau-based Global Gaming Expo Asia 2018 that casino gambling contradicted to the overall ideology and legislation of China. According to Mr. Su, for the time being, it was almost impossible for the Government to permit land-based casinos to be established outside the gambling hub of Macau.

According to Mr. Su, the legalization of horse racing in Hainan could take a very long time to develop. He further explained that the country’s Government should pay much more attention to Sanya and its development to a global home port for cruises.

China to Keep Its Gambling Ban Almost Intact

For the time being, all forms of gambling, except for two types of lotteries, are officially suspended under a gambling ban imposed by the Chinese Government. As mentioned above, horse racing operations are permitted to a limited extent. However, sports betting services are fully banned in the country. Other forms of gambling are currently permitted only in the autonomous region of Macau, which is currently the only place in China where gambling in casinos is allowed.

Recently, rumor has it that the country’s authorities have been considering whether to lift some of the restrictions imposed on gaming operations on land and allow them on boats.

Sanya currently attracts the largest number of tourists in the province of Hainan as a whole. According to a report issued by the online travel booking agency Ctrip, a total of 18 million visitor arrivals were registered in Sanya last year. Up to date, the city offers about 14 cruise routes traveling to various countries and is also a stopping point for some of the largest cruise operators which could help it become a global cruise destination.

As far as opening Hainan to gambling operations is concerned, the Chinese Government has been considering such a step as part of its efforts to help the economy of the ailing southernmost province. For many years, the administrative region of Macau has kept a monopoly on casino gambling operations, with the region having attracted some of the largest casino operators on a global scale.

The post Chinese Government Unlikely to Allow Casino Gambling in Hainan, Experts Say appeared first on Casino News Daily.

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