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U.S. Northeast casinos rattled by online bets
U.S. Northeast casinos rattled by online bets, smoking and looming New York rivalry concerns
Currently, casinos in the northeastern United States are facing many problems as they prepare for the emergence of new competitors in New York City. Among those problems are operating losses from illegal online operations, an ongoing debate over whether internet gambling harms or helps actual casinos' profits, and a potential smoking ban in Atlantic City. Also, these issues were acknowledged at a major casino conference in Atlantic City on Apr. 17.
How New York's Rival Affects Atlantic Casino's Business Flow:
Earlier, at a casino conference called East Coast Gaming Congress at Hard Rock Casino, the panel spoke about the turbulence in the industry, especially as they prepare for the influx of three casinos that are expected to reshape the gambling market in the region in Downtown New York State.
In New York, we are currently preparing to answer hundreds of questions from casino operators, and we are working on selecting casino locations before we even consider compensating for the licenses available.
In this regard, New Jersey Casino Association and Atlantic City's resort casino president, Mark Giannantonio, noted that Atlantic City has two years of preparation to prepare for new competitors coming from New York.
In this regard, he said, opting to gamble and anticipating stronger competition for customers in other states and the region who will visit New York: "We're clearly seeing the New York game as a threat in general." In addition, he added that the New York casino will also affect competitors in Connecticut and eastern Pennsylvania.
Atlantic City needs to improve to meet new challenges:
Atlantic City needs to take public safety, infrastructure and cleanliness to new heights to face the challenges that new competitors will bring to prepare themselves to face.
Speaking on the topic, Giannantonio said: "Casinos can only do so much. We provide jobs, water supply. Let's match the beautiful aspects of the streets and the ocean. Let's take care of our homeless population forever. We need investments and programs to take the homeless from under the streets or boardwalks and give them the help they need."
Furthermore, on the afternoon of April 17, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
New York Game Association President Stacey Rowland commented that fresh casinos in the future want to get gambling money that other states now have access to. In response, she commented: "Competition is a good thing. Competition from New York City will be a motivation for (the competitors) to step up."
Atlantic City Casino Employees Want To Quit Smoking At Gambling Venues:
In addition to the aforementioned issues, Atlantic City is now under pressure from casino workers who want to ban smoking on floors reserved for gambling sites. They have called on lawmakers to enact a no-smoking law, and recently filed a legal action to revoke a New Jersey law that would free Atlantic City's casinos from the state's indoor air law.
In response, Giannantonio noted that the smoking ban is "one of the biggest threats to our business right now." He also anticipated that smoking would result in millions of lost state tax revenues and around 2,500 casino jobs.
He supports a compromise. The compromise means allowing workers to smoke away from table games and in rooms where they do not have to work. Nevertheless, casino employees dismissed these claims and said casinos would be better off financially by attracting non-smokers who currently avoid casinos.
On the subject, Ramon White, a Borgata dealer and leader of the employee smoking cessation movement, said: "Casino executives continue to make unreliable claims and are fomenting false compromises that will force us, solely our own employees, to breathe toxic air in our workplaces every day. They can't care less about cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD, and countless other illnesses that come from this unacceptable work environment that every worker in other New Jersey doesn't have to face."
Discussion of online gambling:
Some states are once again considering internet gambling as a way to generate new revenue. It is also now legal in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey.
According to Giannantonio, online gambling has been proven to benefit Atlantic City's offline casinos. For example, the resort has a popular online department that is linked to DraftKings' bookmakers.
However, there are those who disagree, such as Florida, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and Rob Norton. He said, "It's cannibalism," noting that online casino gambling is negatively affecting actual casinos. Also, commenting on the industry as a whole, he added, "The approach we're taking right now is to compete with ourselves."
But others in the industry have said that online gambling only complements their physical casino operations, so his opinion is isolated.
Speaking about it, Giannantonio said, "For New Jersey, it was an added bonus." The resort successfully integrated its customer loyalty program across its online and physical sectors. 무료슬롯사이트
Online sports betting is "a cash cow for iGames" and physical athletes," he added. "We have a lot of people who are betting on sports online coming to our physical locations to make bets."
In addition, every panel cited land, unlicensed, unregulated slot machines and illegal offshore gambling sites as additional threats to the industry.
Interblock Gaming And Boomtown Casino Reveal New Smart Fit
Interblock Gaming, a developer and supplier of high-end electronic table games (ETGs), is pleased to announce the first local installation of the award-winning Smart Fit at Boomtown Casino Biloxi, a PEN Entertainment, Inc. property. This state-of-the-art gaming setup, which is prominently located at the entrance to the casino, launched on Tuesday, June 11.
To celebrate the innovative addition, Boomtown Casino Biloxi will host the Grand Opening event on Thursday, June 27, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will include delicious words, exciting giveaways, and a variety of activities for guests to enjoy. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. to celebrate the official launch of Smart Fit. The public can participate in the festival, which promises an energetic, joyful atmosphere filled with joy and fun.
"We are excited to partner with Boomtown Casino - Biloxi for the launch of Smart Pit technology. This installation marks an important milestone in our mission to revolutionize the gaming experience by combining cutting-edge technology with traditional gaming elements to improve both player engagement and operational efficiency," said John Connelly, Interblock's CEO.
Boomtown Casino Biloxi's Smart Fit provides players with an unrivalled gaming experience featuring live crab, dual roulette, and two blackjack tables. This state-of-the-art setup combines the interest of traditional table games with the benefits of sophisticated technology. Chip-free technology ensures seamless play and accurate payments. Players can expect immersive gameplay with interactive dealer experiences, different side bets, and the thrill of participating in multiple games simultaneously. The Smart Fit is designed to ensure an engaging and enjoyable gaming experience for both seasoned players and newcomers.
Barry Regula, Vice President and GM of Boomtown Casino Biloxi, says, "We are excited to launch Boomtown's EZ Play Zone, which is based on Interblock's Smart Pit solution. EZ Play Zone provides guests the convenience and flexibility to bet electronically on Blackjack, Roulette, and Crabs, while maintaining the fun and camaraderie of interacting with real dealers and other guests."
Interblock's Live Craps transform traditional games by allowing players to intervene in the shooter's role, adding to the excitement of live dice awareness for a truly immersive experience. Dual Rulelet boosts the action with two wheels coded with synchronized colors, offering up to 120 rotations per hour for fast and engaging gaming. For Blackjack enthusiasts, the Smart Fit table includes a variety of thrilling side bets, making each hand more excited and interactive than ever before. This innovative setup redefines the casino experience by allowing players to enjoy more gaming time, faster rounds, and smarter gameplay.
"Once again, PEN Entertainment's properties on the Gulf Coast are proud to be the first properties to offer state-of-the-art gaming technology with the first local installation of an integrated smart pit suite," said Tosha Tousant, Vice President of Casino Operations at Boomtown. "In addition to being the first properties in the connected multi-real estate table game backcarat progressive jackpot and Mississippi to offer cashless gaming on the Hollywood Gulf Coast, it is now the first properties outside of Las Vegas to offer smart pit blackjacks, roulette, and crab."
Jeff Kowalchuk, Interblock's vice president of innovation, added, "The launch of Boomtown Casino Biloxi demonstrates our commitment to transforming the gaming landscape. By integrating advanced technology with classical table games, we are setting new industry standards. This innovation is a game-changer that both players and dealers can enjoy." 안전 슬롯사이트
Smart Fit also improves the dealer experience, making operations more intuitive and streamlined. The system's dealer console provides clear guidance to reduce the need for extensive training and gain extensive employment. Dealers can manage multiple games simultaneously, increasing efficiency and player interaction. This user-friendly approach ensures that new dealers can quickly adapt and succeed in dynamic casino environments.
Mandy Radner, vice president of human resources at Boomtown Casino Biloxi, says, "Smart Fit opens the door to new potential team members who may have been daunted by the handling of cash, chips and the requirement to perform real-time calculations as 'live' dealers. Now, if you're interested in the fun, fast, and social environment of the casino, you don't have to break in with dealer schools and practices for months, just a great personality and desire to entertain and delight your guests."
Strengthens Seminole Tribe Sports Bet Monopoly in Florida
In a significant legal victory for the Seminole Tribe and Hard Rock Bet, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear West Flagler's petition regarding online sports betting in Florida. The decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle over sports betting in the state.
The decision was announced Monday after justices held a meeting last week to deliberate on the matter. According to the Sports Betting Dime, Justice Brett Kavanaugh objected, suggesting that he would have granted the petition, not unanimous consent. The ruling is expected to end West Flagler's efforts to open Florida's online sports betting market to competitors beyond the seminol tribe.
At the heart of the case is a 30-year gaming agreement between the Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida that includes exclusive rights to face-to-face and online sports betting and provisions that provide crab and roulette at tribal casinos. The Seminole Tribe promises an annual payment of at least $500 million in exchange for these exclusive rights.
Seminole's dominance of the game
With the Supreme Court's decision, the Seminole Tribe is poised to dominate Florida's gaming sector for decades. The compact, set to last until 2051, potentially paves the way for the tribe to expand into iGaming by following the same regulatory procedures as online sports betting.
The Seminole Tribe welcomed the court's decision. Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the tribe, said, "The Seminole Tribe in Florida, along with the state of Florida, applauds today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to consider a case involving the tribe's Gaming Compact. This means that members of the Seminole Tribe and all Floridians can rely on a bright future made possible by the compact."
The result has forced other sports betting operators to close in one of the country's largest sports betting markets. The seminol shortage has previously hinted at a possible revenue-sharing deal with other operators, but no specific plans have been disclosed.
Implications for Tribal Games Nationwide
The Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case could affect other states with significant shortages of gaming businesses to consider similar online sports betting contracts under the Indian Gaming Regulation Act (IGRA) convention. States like California, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin could explore this approach to maintain exclusive control over online sports betting. Such a move would require states to modify existing gaming contracts.
For example, California tribes that have spent millions on failed 2022 ballot initiatives to legalize online sports betting could seek to negotiate new contracts to introduce this form of gaming in the state.
a long legal battle
The legal dispute between West Flagler and the Department of the Interior (DOI) dates back to approving a gaming contract between the Seminole Tribe and Florida in 2021. West Flagler filed the certificate with the Supreme Court in December, challenging the contract to allow online sports betting on tribal lands.
This follows a decision by the Florida Supreme Court to dismiss West Flagler's request for review of the case. The Florida court argued that the request for relief was beyond the consideration we could provide.
West Flagler's case focused on allegations that the compact violated the principle of equal protection by granting gaming activities outside tribal lands and granting exclusivity to the Seminole tribe, contrary to provisions of the Illegal Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The DOI defended Minister Deb Haaland's approval while maintaining that the compact was consistent with IGRA regulations.
DOI lawyers argued that the D.C. Circuit Court's interpretation that it was the only agreement that authorized online sports betting on tribal lands was correct and consistent with the IGRA. They argued that the tribal-state agreement under the IGRA could include provisions for tribal-state gaming activities if negotiations were made between tribes and countries.
As the legal dust settles, the Seminole Tribe is cementing its dominance in the Florida gaming market, setting a precedent that could affect tribal games across the United States.
Illinois sportsbook poised to overtake New Jersey in national rankings by earning $92 million
Illinois Sportsbook raised nearly $92 million in total sports betting revenue adjusted in April 2024, according to data released on Thursday by the Illinois Gaming Commission. This month, the state's betting processing exceeded $1 billion for the eighth consecutive time.
The operator's revenue in April this year was $1.1 billion, up 2.7% from April 2023, despite a significant 22.8% increase in the handle. Last year's holding was just under 10% compared to the 8.3% return this year. The handle was down 12.7% from $1.26 billion in March, while revenue was down 7.5%.
Illinois is the fourth state to top $35 billion in handling since the start of the post-PASPA era, after New Jersey, New York and Nevada, according to SportsHandle. April was the 13th state to top $1 billion in monthly pay in Prairie, the third after New York (26) and New Jersey (19).
With only Kentucky and Arizona yet to release April numbers, Illinois is poised to overtake New Jersey for the first time this year to become No. 2 in the country.
Tax rate change to be planned
In the month of April, Illinois' tax collection totaled $13.8 million, or $61.5 million compared to the previous year, $8.9 million ahead of last year's pace. However, there will be changes in tax policy this year. The current 15 percent rate will only apply until June. Starting July 1, Illinois will implement a progressive tax system that starts at 20 percent and caps businesses that generate more than $200 million in annual revenue at 40 percent.
Using 2024 mobile operator revenue data to illustrate the effectiveness of progressive tax rates, FanDuel and DraftKings account for more than 90% of the state's nearly $49 million additional tax revenue.
Both operators quickly entered the 35% tax rate range, mainly due to Farrellay income. FanDuel's Farrellay income alone rose to $133.1 million, rising to the 35% range, while DraftKings was in the 30% range at $86.0 million.
Given Illinois bettors' strong preference for Farrellay, which reached $374.4 million in April, both VanDuel and DraftKings are likely to trigger up to 40% tax rates relatively soon.
The increase could come sooner than expected, especially as betting volumes are expected to increase in August with the start of Week 0 of the NFL preseason and college football season.
Another notable feature is that BetRiver is benefiting from amendments that separate revenue from sports betting apps and real places for tax purposes. Rivers Casino, which owns the BetRiver license, has earned $3.5 million from Deathplanes, approaching the 25% tax rate threshold of $30 million.
Based on the revenue figures for the first four months, Rivers would likely reach at least the 30% bracket if both revenue sources were combined, as it remains the top brick-and-mortar sportsbook in the state.
Other entities, such as Hollywood Casino in Aurora (license-holder for ESPN BET) and Par-A-Dice Casino (tied to BetMGM), would similarly likely ascend to higher tax brackets over a fiscal year.
Despite projections indicating an increase of $147 million in tax revenue — falling short of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s initial $200 million target set in February when proposing a tax hike to 35% — FanDuel and DraftKings are expected to generate enough revenue at the highest tiers to approach, if not surpass, the governor’s target. Year-to-date, the total handle has increased by 20.6% compared to 2023, with revenue up by 16.8%, reaching $410.1 million.
FanDuel Still In The Lead
In 2023, Illinois narrowly exceeded $1 billion in adjusted revenue, with its top two operators currently outperforming last year’s figures. DraftKings’ revenue has surged by 43.2% compared to the first four months of last year, while FanDuel’s winnings have seen an 11.1% rise.
FanDuel led the state’s eight sports betting apps in April revenue, recording $43.8 million with an 11.3% hold from $386.9 million in handle. Notably, nearly 80% of this revenue — $34.2 million — came from parlays, achieving an impressive 25.4% hold on $134.8 million in such wagers.
DraftKings topped in handle with $400.3 million, collecting $27.9 million in winnings with close to a 7% hold. Parlays contributed almost two-thirds of this total at $17.7 million, reflecting an 18.1% win rate.
BetRivers secured the third spot in both revenue and handle, achieving a 7.6% hold, with $5.4 million from $71.5 million.
ESPN BET, BetMGM, and Fanatics Sportsbook followed closely, with ESPN BET leading at $3.7 million in revenue with a 7% hold rate. BetMGM posted nearly $3.7 million, edging out ESPN BET in handle with $55.1 million to ESPN BET’s $53.1 million.
Caesars reported $2.2 million with a 4.6% hold on $47.8 million in wagers, while Circa Sports narrowly gained $22,842 on $17.2 million in handle, resulting in a 0.1% hold.
Losses on Boxing, Great Revenue on Basketball and Baseball
Parlays generated $62.2 million in revenue for Illinois sportsbooks in April with an overall 20.3% hold. However, they faced losses in boxing and MMA, paying out nearly $4.9 million over $12.2 million in accepted bets.
Ryan Garcia’s upset of Devin Haney in a super lightweight boxing bout on April 20 resulted in significant losses for both FanDuel and DraftKings, with FanDuel losing $2.6 million and DraftKings nearly $1.9 million.
Basketball, the second-largest revenue source, brought in $13.7 million, though this was offset by a $768,800 loss at Argosy Casino Alton. The hold on basketball wagers was 4.3% against $319 million in handle. 슬롯사이트
Baseball, in its first full month, generated $6.5 million in winnings with a 3.2% hold from $204.5 million in bets. Tennis rounded out the top four sports for revenue, contributing $5.2 million with a 6.9% win rate from $80.3 million in handle.
No other sport reached $2 million in revenue, although hockey and soccer came close, falling short by $24,300 and $61,600 respectively.
Dutch gaming authority opens talks on updated responsible gaming policy rules
The Dutch gaming authority has submitted updated responsible gaming policy rules to various stakeholders for consultation. Above all, the new policy rules add extra content to the duty of care and pay attention to the revised advertising rules.
In September, the KSA released a report on its interpretation of the duty of care and its implementation among 10 providers. The study showed that providers do not always shape the duty of care in the right way, for example, because they do not intervene in time if there is a possibility of excessive play or addiction. At the time of the study's publication, the KSA announced that it would revise responsible game policy rules to clarify, among other things, several standards disclosed in the law so that providers can better fulfill their duty of care. These revised policies are currently being written and presented to various stakeholders, such as addiction experts and providers. Through this consultation, we ask them to respond to the feasibility of policy rules. 프라그마틱 슬롯 사이트
The new policy rules, among other things, stipulate that providers must be able to recognize signs of excessive gambling within an hour. This is in line with the study's observation that players can suffer huge losses in a short period of time because many providers do not monitor "real-time" and sometimes perceive the signal too late. If a player deposits more than 700 euros (300 euros for young adults aged 18 to 24) per month in the calendar, the provider must contact that player to ask for proof of their profits so that the player can deposit more. At that moment, only the money already in the account can be played.
In addition, the new policy rules note a ban on role models and a ban on non-targeted advertising. For example, more substance will be given to advertising targeting vulnerable groups, such as minors and young adults, and to the use of role models for advertising activities.
