The stake limits on online slots will be tiered by age, with under-25-year-olds limited to £2 ($2.53) per spin and over-25-year-olds limited to £5 ($6.31).
Elsewhere, the government also confirmed that 50% of all funding received from the 1% GGR levy will be directed to the NHS, which represents a shift away from the GambleAware charity, which receives most donations from operators under the current voluntary system.
we are absolutely committed to implementing strengthened measures for those at risk”
Speaking about the new legislation, UK Gambling Minister Baroness said: “Gambling harm can ruin people’s finances, relationships, and ultimately lives. We are absolutely committed to implementing strengthened measures for those at risk, as well as providing effective support for those affected.
“The introduction of the first legally mandated levy will be instrumental in supporting research, raising awareness and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm. We are also helping to protect those at risk, with a particular focus on young adults, by introducing stake limits for online slots.”
The family of a man who died in an accident at the Excalibur hotel and casino have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the property.
Paul Nakashima, 60, died a day after slipping and hitting his head on the side of the hotel pool on June 15, 2023, where he was celebrating his birthday with his family.
His family members have filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court, claiming negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and supervision, and wrongful death.
lifeguards are alleged to have responded to the incident without following emergency protocols
According to the lawsuit, the pool area was not properly maintained to minimize accidents, with conditions such as slippery steps increasing the risk of danger. In addition, members of Excalibur staff such as lifeguards are alleged to have responded to the incident without following emergency protocols or providing appropriate medical care due to a lack of training.
The family also claims that key medical equipment, such as an automated external defibrillator, was unavailable and had to be retrieved from other locations, increasing vital response time.
Lastly, the family has also filed for negligent infliction of emotional stress due to the trauma of witnessing the tragic incident, as well as wrongful death over the impact of Nakashima’s loss. The family seeks $15,000 in compensation, plus legal fees and other costs.
Neither Excalibur nor its parent company, MGM Resorts International, has so far commented on the case.
The CEO of Chicago-based sportsbook and online casino company Rush Street Interactive (RSI) has hailed the reelection of Donald Trump as a catalyst for US iGaming expansion.
Trump will back moves for “new gaming avenues”
According to Covers.com, RSI’s Richard Schwartz stated Monday that he expects President Trump to back moves for “new gaming avenues, particularly around online casinos.”
The CEO of Rush Street Gaming’s interactive arm made the statement during the 4th Annual Needham Consumer Tech/Ecommerce Virtual Conference.
Schwartz stated the Trump administration will largely avoid federal gaming policy and instead support the iGaming industry. The CEO deemed it “always helpful to have a president who is not opposed to gaming expansion, which is the case with President-Elect Trump.”
Case for iCasino
Legal in only seven states as opposed to sports betting’s 38, iGaming has lagged behind the online vertical despite making $2bn in operator revenue over Q3 2023 compared to $3.2bn for sports betting.
The bottom line, backed up by the RSI CEO, is that iGaming is “far more lucrative for gaming operators – and state tax coffers.”
Schwartz is optimistic 2025 will be a turning point for the vertical, given that state legislatures appear to have unregulated social and sweepstakes casinos in their crosshairs. The RSI exec believes the unregulated operators give state lawmakers the clarity and impetus to push real money casino legalization through next year.
great reason to jump-start even more efforts on iCasino”
“Plus, the fact we know that when an iCasino is added to a state with legal sports betting, about three-quarters of the taxes comes from iCasino verses sportsbooks, so it’s a very profitable way to raise taxes.”
Republicans now hold power in both houses of Congress and the White House. Ex-Trump advisor Sam Nunberg summed up the mood last week, stating “there will never be a federal ban.”
“The states are getting too much revenue from it.”
President Joe Biden’s days in office are numbered, but the leader of the free world says he remains committed to freeing the travel and hospitality industries of junk and resort fees.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport workers vote to go on strike on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. President Joe Biden says he still wants to eliminate junk fees from the travel industry before he departs The White House in January 2025. (Image: WSOC)
Biden refers to junk and resort fees as those pesky add-on charges that come toward the end of the online booking process. Such add-ons allow an airline or casino hotel to advertise a cheaper rate on a booking search engine than the actual true price of the flight or stay.
Biden has routinely spoken out against the charging process that he believes is deceptive to consumers. With Thanksgiving week here — the busiest travel holiday in the United States — Biden says his administration continues to work to eradicate junk fees from the travel industry.
Travel to your loved ones this Thanksgiving with the peace of mind that my Administration is fighting to ban airline junk fees, requiring automatic refunds, and ensuring that airlines cover hotels and meals for cancelations and delays,” Biden tweeted.
Earlier this year, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) updated its pricing regulations to require commercial airlines to disclose all costs and possible add-on fees upfront at the beginning of the consumer’s booking process. The US airline industry continues to challenge the pricing change in federal court.
Hotel Comps
Biden’s support of requiring airlines to cover a ticketed passenger’s hotel and meal costs when a flight is canceled or delayed comes as concerns emerge out of Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport. Airport workers there went on strike on Monday as the Thanksgiving holiday travel week takes off.
Employees at the Charlotte airport — one of the nation’s busiest — who clean airplanes, remove trash, and assist with wheelchairs, walked off the job Monday morning. Officials with the Service Employees International Union say the strike is expected to last only 24 hours, but the labor stoppage will likely still impact travel today and on Tuesday. With CLT being a hub for American Airlines, that airline is to be most impacted.
Most airlines charge for bags, seats, and some on-board amenities. Biden thinks the airlines should be charged when they inconvenience passengers.
(Image: X)
Biden’s support of ridding junk fees from the airline industry and forcing them to cover hotel stays for interrupted itineraries is presumably popular with the general public and could be a rare piece of bipartisan legislation in Congress. But the powerful airline lobby has so far kept Congress grounded in passing a law to force such changes.
The airline lobby is also investing considerable resources in defending the industry’s pricing in the wake of the DOT’s proposed rule change.
Airlines for America says requiring airlines to include all possible add-on fees up front would “greatly confuse consumers” who might think they’ll need to spend more than they actually would if they have airline status, don’t check a bag, or don’t need to change a reservation after booking.
Casino Resort Fees
Like the airlines, most casino resorts add a charge to a guestroom toward or at the end of an online booking. On the Las Vegas Strip, the nightly charges are as high as $50 a night before tax.
For a Friday to Sunday stay this weekend at Caesars Palace, the Caesars.com website advertises an average nightly rate of $259. After clicking through, however, that nightly rate balloons to $350.29 after a total resort fee of $99.90 and taxes of $82.68 are tallied.
The $49.95 daily resort fee at Caesars Palace includes high-speed Wi-Fi for two devices per room, fitness center access, and local calling.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh in the city suburb of Westmoreland celebrated four years last week by introducing new amenities and opening a high-limit gaming lounge.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh has opened a new high-limit table gaming room. The space for high rollers comes as the Pennsylvania satellite casino celebrates four years in business. (Image: Casino.org)
One of four so-called “mini-casinos” in Pennsylvania, Live! Pittsburgh was the first Category 4 satellite gaming property to open. After Baltimore-based Cordish Companies invested $150 million to transform a former Bon-Ton department store at the Westmoreland Mall into a casino, the first bets were wagered in October 2020 as concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic raged on.
Four years later, Cordish officials say the company’s big bet on Pennsylvania, highlighted by its $700 million investment to open Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, a full-scale casino that allowed Cordish to pursue a satellite gaming venue in Pittsburgh, is paying off. Live! Pittsburgh is the top-performing mini-casino in the commonwealth, with its 2023 gross gaming revenue (GGR) totaling $131.6 million.
To celebrate, Live! Casino Pittsburgh has upgraded the casino after fielding customer feedback this summer.
Casino Upgrades
In July, Live! Casino Pittsburgh announced it would reconfigure its gaming floor to better satisfy patrons. Casino reps said the upstairs poker room would be relocated to the main first level where the casino’s slot machines and other table games are.
The former upstairs poker room, measuring 1,600 square feet, has since been converted into an events space called the Social Club. The room has a rustic lodge décor and is ideal for groups between 20 and 100 people. The space features a versatile layout with a full bar, fireplace, leather couches, and bucket chairs.
Downstairs, gamblers will find a new high-limit lounge and the relocated poker room. The space reserved for high rollers has three table games and a dedicated bar.
It’s incredible to think that we’ve been part of this community for four years and it just keeps getting better. I don’t think there could be a more appropriate way to celebrate than with these three exciting additions to our beautiful property,” said Sean Sullivan, general manager at Live! Casino Pittsburgh.
“These investments underscore our commitment to being a good community partner and world-class gaming and entertainment destination,” Sullivan added.
Sullivan said the property changes cost about $7.5 million.
Live! Pittsburgh Restrictions
Being a Cat. 4 casino, Live! Pittsburgh is limited to 750 slots, including other electronic gaming machines, and 40 table games. The three high-limit tables count against that number.
Pennsylvania’s 2017 gaming expansion package included regulations that limit mini-casinos to an initial allotment of 750 electronic gaming positions and 30 tables. After a year in operation, Cat. 4 properties can pay an additional $2.5 million fee to add 10 tables.
Live! Pittsburgh is the only Cat. 4 casino to have paid the $2.5 million add-on to increase its table privileges to 40.
Despite having only 27 table games, Hollywood Casino York edged Live! Pittsburgh last year for the top-grossing satellite table property. Hollywood York won $16.6 million on its felt, compared to $16.3 million at Live! Pittsburgh.
Wynn Resorts’ Wynn Al Marjan Island integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to open in early 2027, perhaps several months sooner, and when it does, the casino hotel will enjoy a potentially length monopoly in the emirates.
General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) Chairman Jim Murren. He said it will be awhile before the UAE adds more casinos. (Image: Bloomberg)
The reason for that advantage is because the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) — the UAE’s first gaming regulator — isn’t rushing the approval of additional casino licenses over the near-term.
The process is moving very deliberately here. The government has been very clear it wants a state-of-the-art, very compliant, very rigorous regulatory regime. Nothing we’re doing will rush that,” said GCGRA Chairman Jim Murren at the Skift Global Forum East 2024 earlier this week.
The GCGRA was formed in September 2023. It’s been about less than two months since the regulatory body approved a gaming license for Wynn Al Marjan Island, which is located in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, marking the first such approval in the history of the Arab world.
Pragmatic Approach in UAE Could Benefit Wynn
At the conference, Murren emphasized that a pragmatic approach to issuance of casino licenses is “incredibly important” to the UAE government, adding that the GCGRA is focused on the operators to which it’s granted permits.
That’s Wynn and a lottery operator in Abh Dhabi, indicating that while Wynn won’t have a permanent monopoly in the emirates, it will enjoy a significant head start over any competitors looking to enter the market. Those include MGM Resorts International, the company Murren previously led.
“We’ll see other integrated resorts in the UAE over the next five to 10 years, but Wynn has the head start,” said Murren.
He didn’t get into specifics, but it appears will Wynn’s UAE monopoly will span at least several years.
Earlier this year, MGM confirmed it would like to pursue a UAE gaming license and that there is space for a casino set aside at its hotel in Dubai, which is currently structured as a non-gaming venue. Owing to its status as the region’s prime tourist destination and the vast petroleum wealth possessed by some locals, the UAE is compelling market for gaming operators, implying new licenses are worth waiting several years for.
Long-Term UAE Casino Outlook
Though he drew comparisons between the UAE today and Las Vegas 30 years ago, Murren didn’t get into the exact amount of gaming venues that could eventually call the emirates the home. What is clear is that the number will never be comparable to that of Las Vegas or Macau and that analysts and executives largely view UAE as a four casino market, including Wynn Al Marjan Island.
Four integrated resorts could be enough to make the emirates a $3 billion to $5 billion market in terms of annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) and potentially rank it fourth in the world behind only Macau, Nevada, and Singapore.
Some analysts estimate UAE’s total addressable gaming market could be as high as $8.5 billion, but that figure implies going beyond four casino resorts and more liberalized views toward gaming in the countries closest to the emirates.
“Protect the High Line,” the group opposing the plan by Related Cos. and Wynn Resorts to build a casino hotel on Manhattan’s West Side, said its ranks have swelled to over 5,000.
Part of the High Line area of New York City. “Protect the High Line,” a casino opposition group, says it has more than 5,000 members. (Image: NPR)
The group, which is named for the iconic park it’s seeking to protect, is about five months old, indicating it’s quickly cobbled together support to protect the High Line. That fortification also amounts to opposition to the proposed $12 billion investment in the Western Rail Yards that Related is pitching. Wynn New York would be the centerpiece of that development, assuming it procures one of three downstate casino licenses that have yet to be awarded.
The overwhelming support of 5,000 voices reflects the deep and broad community resistance to this plan,” said Alan van Capelle, executive director of Friends of the High Line, in a statement. “People from all walks of life are united in rejecting proposals that threaten the High Line’s unique character and fail to uphold the values of community input in how our neighborhood grows.”
Van Capelle added that support for the group’s efforts has grown and backers hail from all over New York City — not just the High Line area.
Heart of Opposition to Wynn NYC Casino
Protect the High Line’s opposition to the Related/Wynn casino project largely boils down to two issues. First, the group is concerned that the proposed towers, including one that would bear the Wynn name, would block views of the High Line.
Second, the group argues that Related isn’t following through on a 2009 agreement the developer struck with the city. Under the terms of that accord, the real estate firm would have built 3,454 to 5,700 housing units on the site, but the proposal featuring the casino plan calls for just 1,500 units. Some critics of the casino plan believe the 2009 agreement was a best-of-both-worlds proposal because it allotted for more housing without threatening the High Line’s iconic views.
“The Protect the High Line campaign advocates for development that respects the 2009 rezoning agreement, preserves the park’s integrity, and prioritizes public benefit, including commitments to affordable housing,” said the group in the Thursday press release. “Moving forward, the campaign will continue to engage stakeholders, amplify community voices, and push for a planning process that centers the needs of the public.”
Protect the High Line recently commissioned polling on the issue and the results indicate that a majority of West Side residents don’t want a casino in the neighborhood.
Wynn NYC Casino Has Supporters, Too
As is the case with nearly all of the New York City-area casino proposals, the Related/Wynn project has detractors and supporters.
While community groups and local politicians are firmly against the gaming venue, some supporters believe it would be an important revenue generator in terms of helping the homeless in the area. Additionally, labor groups see an opportunity for substantial job creation.
Earlier this year, Related cautioned that if the casino component is removed, it’s unlikely to move forward with a major development at the Western Rail Yards.
Local officials in Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County continue to speak out against efforts to bring a Las Vegas-style casino, resort, and convention center to Tysons.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is asking area residents for input regarding the possibility of Tysons being designated for a casino resort and convention facility. Much of the public is opposed. (Image: ABC7)
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday night and welcomed public input on the casino matter. Much of the feedback from area residents and township leaders expressed strong hostility to slot machines and table games.
Join us in saying no. There are too many negatives [associated with a casino],” Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said.
Vienna borders Tysons, where state Sen. David Marsden (D-Fairfax) wants to put a casino resort and convention complex.
“We do not want a casino,” added William Comerfield, a 46-year resident of Vienna, as reported by FFXNow, the definitive local news source for Fairfax County.
We already have enough problems in Tyson. We don’t need a casino,” said William Doolittle, president of The Rotonda Homeowners’ Association in McClean, another border town to Tysons.
Even if Marsden’s casino bill passes next year and is signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), a casino would only be allowed after voters approve the project through a local referendum.
Casino Bill Expected
Marsden is expected to file another casino bill, as he did this year before the statute died in committee, seeking to amend Virginia’s casino law to include Fairfax County — specifically, Tysons — as a qualified host for a casino establishment. Currently, only Norfolk, Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Petersburg are allowed to host slot machines, table games, and sportsbooks.
Marsden says Fairfax residents will see their property taxes further increase in the coming years as the many corporations that call the county home rework their office building leases. Though several of the Fortune 500 companies that are based in, or have a large presence in Fairfax’s McClean, Tysons, Reston, and Vienna — including Capital One, Hilton Worldwide, Freddie Mac, and Booz Allen Hamilton — have forced employees to return to the office, many continue to allow for flex workweeks and some work-from-home opportunities.
Companies are leasing less space than they did before the pandemic, and that will likely lead to office buildings fielding lower assessed valuations, which in turn lessen their property tax liability.
Commercial real estate advisory Newmark wrote in its third quarter report for Northern Virginia that net absorption for the region totaled negative 714K square feet during the three months. The negative absorption was spread out across the region’s cities.
Fewer landlords have capital for concessions, which have been a major driver in attracting tenants over the past several years,” the Newmark note on Northern Virginia’s Q3 read. “The pool of landlords that can pay for tenant improvements is shrinking. There are fewer owners offering trophy office space, fostering an unusual landlord-favorable environment for the highest quality space. Meanwhile, conditions continue to soften in Class B and C assets.”
Marsden says a casino resort and convention center is an option Fairfax residents should consider as a solution to help offset presumptive tax increases in the future.
Some in Support
Though most residents have opposed Marsden’s casino push, many unions in the region have come out in support of the undertaking. Union leaders and members say a resort casino and convention hall would create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, providing opportunities for blue-collar workers to earn a sustainable living wage in the affluent area.
“Union jobs give higher pay, pensions, and dignity,” said Epaminondas Mouhanis, a board member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 26. “Please stand with the working class.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article listed former Gov. Ralph Northam as the current governor. The article has been updated to reflect the error.
Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) announced Thursday that as measured on the basis of structural concrete, its Al Marjan Island casino resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is 55% complete.
A rendering of Wynn’s UAE casino hotel. Construction there is more than half complete. (Image: 11 Prop/YouTube)
Wynn Al Marjan Island is located in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. While concrete construction is complete up to the venue’s 26th floor, walls extend up to the 29th. Construction crews are finishing one floor per week and in just the past 100 days, the hotel tower has grown in height by 100 meters. The goal is to have that tower topped off by December 2025.
The resort will offer 1,542 rooms and well-appointed suites. To date, the tower structure has been completed for 1,121 guest rooms, or 73% of the total,” according to a statement issued by the gaming company. “Fit out is underway in approximately 820 rooms — including walls, floors, and ceilings, as well as all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services. The elevator and escalator installation also began this month.”
There are 9,100 construction workers on site daily, and more than 100 concrete trucks delivering payloads to the property.
Wynn UAE Casino Headlines Recently Positive
News that construction on Wynn Al Marjan Island is progressing rapidly arrived just weeks after the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) granted the gaming license for the Wynn venue.
That marked the first such approval in the history of the Arab world, signaling that the UAE could be the beacon of gaming liberalization in the region. Specific to Wynn, while analysts widely expect the UAE will eventually be a multicasino market, it’s also clear that Wynn Al Marjan Island will be the only gaming property there for several years, giving it the advantages of a temporary monopoly.
One of the primary reasons Wynn and UAE are a good match is because regulators there don’t want the casino to be the focal point of the integrated resort. Wynn operates its venues so that dining, entertainment, and other amenities take precedence over gaming, and the casino space at the UAE venue is expected to command just 4% of the total square footage.
“The resort will also include a 15,000-square-meter shopping promenade filled with the world’s top luxury boutiques, a five-star spa, and a salon. The 7,500-square-meter meetings and events center, along with a theater, will offer exciting parties, events, and bespoke entertainment experiences,” according to the statement.
Wynn Could Usher in New Era in the UAE
Countries in the Middle East have long opposed wagering in nearly all its forms, but the UAE is showing signs of leading liberalization on that front. Before approving Wynn’s casino license, regulators there signed off on a lottery permit for a company looking to operate in Abu Dhabi.
By some estimates, when the casino market in the UAE fully matures, it could be the fourth-largest in the world, and that would be with contributions from no more than four venues producing as much as $5 billion in annual gross gaming revenue (GGR).
The UAE’s location could also help bolster its ascent in the global casino ranks. Specific to the Wynn property, it’s located within an eight-hour flight of 96% of the world’s population.
Commercial gaming revenue during the third quarter of the year reached $17.71 billion, as the sports betting and iGaming segments continue to expand.
The US commercial gaming industry, led by Nevada and the Las Vegas strip (pictured), continues to increase overall revenue. The improvement in the third quarter was fueled by iGaming and sports betting. (Image: Getty)
The American Gaming Association (AGA) reported Thursday that gamblers lost more money than ever before during the July through September stretch. The $17.71 billion represented an 8.1% year-over-year increase. Q3 also marked the commercial gaming industry’s 15th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.
That’s the good. Now, the bad.
While total gaming revenue continued to swell, things weren’t so great for legacy gaming interests or brick-and-mortar gaming. The AGA report revealed that casino revenue from in-person gamblers was down almost 1% to $12.38 billion.
“Traditional brick-and-mortar casino gaming revenue contracted annually by less than 1% in the third quarter, with slot machines and table games generating $12.38 billion in revenue. Brick-and-mortar revenue decreased year over year in two of the three months in Q3, only rising in August,” the AGA summary read.
Table games were responsible for the legacy decline, as slot win was up 1.3% to $9.1 billion. Table hold nationwide was just 20%, the fourth straight quarterly decline. Felt GGR dropped 8.3% during the quarter to $2.42 billion.
The remaining $860 million in legacy revenue came from retail sportsbooks, poker rooms, and other casino gaming like bingo.
(Image: American Gaming Association)
iGaming, Online Sports Betting Growth
Retail casino losses at the tables were easily offset online, where internet casinos and mobile sportsbooks continued to see revenue blossom.
During the three months, regulated online casino gaming in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia soared 30% to $2.08 billion. Sportsbook revenue totaled $3.24 billion, up 42% from Q3 last year.
Through three quarters, iGaming revenue in just seven states totaled more than $6 billion, up 27.2%. That’s 16.2% of the $37.2 billion that physical casinos won in 27 commercial casino gaming states. Rhode Island became the seventh iGaming state when its Bally’s Casino online platform went live in March.
Each of the six iGaming states with 2023 comparisons grew year over year in the third quarter, led by 393% growth in Delaware powered by the Delaware Lottery’s new iGaming partner Rush Street Interactive. Each of the other five pre-existing iGaming markets posted annualized quarterly growth of 25-68%,” the AGA said.
Sports bettors through nine months lost $9.96 billion, 33.6% more than they did at this point last year. The $9.96 billion marks a new sports betting revenue record for the third quarter, as the market begins to settle after no new states launched sports betting this year.
Missouri is expected to become the 39th legal sports gambling state next year after state voters approved sports betting through a statewide ballot referendum during the November 5 election.
Market Outlook
With nine months in the bag for 2024, all commercial gaming segments are positive, as traditional casino GGR remains up 0.4% despite a difficult third quarter. Though some Americans are pulling back their leisure spending as inflation has continued to keep the costs of everyday goods elevated, the gaming industry continues to experience growth.
“Through the first nine months of the year, nationwide commercial gaming revenue stands at $53.24 billion, pacing 8.0 percent ahead of 2023 and putting the industry on track for a fourth straight record revenue year,” the AGA concluded.
