Steve Cohen’s $8bn NYC Casino on Track to Overcome Zoning Issue With Senate Bill Progress

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Steve Cohen has faced stiff opposition to his $8bn Citi Field casino project, with local Senator Jessica Ramos blocking his attempts to rezone parkland for commercial usage due to concerns about the impact on the local community.

The billionaire is now bypassing this major hurdle by getting Senator John Liu, whose jurisdiction contains just a small fraction of the proposed casino, to introduce a rezoning bill.

state Senate committee voted 4-3 on Tuesday in favor of approving the bill

A state Senate committee voted 4-3 on Tuesday in favor of approving the bill. The full Senate and Assembly still need to approve the measure, and then Governor Kathy Hochul needs to sign it into law.

The 50-acre site is currently a parking lot for the New York Mets’ ballpark and the Flushing Meadow Corona Park.

Cohen will still need to fight off some strong competition for one of three available downstate New York casino licenses, including a Times Square casino involving Caesars Entertainment and two existing slot parlors run by MGM Resorts International and Genting.

Some operators have waved the white flag in recent weeks, with Saks Fifth Avenue and Las Vegas Sands deciding to no longer pursue one of the permits.

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Entain Installs Stella David as Permanent CEO

The post Entain Installs Stella David as Permanent CEO appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

Ladbrokes owner Entain has struggled in recent years with an underperforming stock price, poor acquisition decisions, and a historic bribery case that led to a £585m ($784m) fine. Things seem to finally be turning a corner after the company posted solid results for Q1, with group net gaming revenue jumping 9% year-on-year.

Entain announced on Tuesday that Stella David will become the permanent CEO of the company after serving in an interim role since the departure of Gavin Isaacs in February after only five months as CEO.

company’s share price jumped almost 3% on the back of the news

The company’s share price jumped almost 3% on the back of the news. Ivor Jones, an analyst at Peel Hunt, said that the appointment means that Entain has a “safe pair of hands.”

David is the company’s fourth chief executive in the past five years. New interim chairperson Pierre Bouchut said that her appointment will bring “consistency and stability” to the firm.

Talking to the Financial Times, David remarked that Entain “still have some big rocks to move” and that David is now personally invested in the business.

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Court Rules Gambler Who Lost $25m Online Can’t Sue MGM Resorts

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A gambler who lost almost $25m through the BetMGM and Borgata online casinos has failed in his attempt to sue MGM Resorts. Sam Antar claimed that the company was responsible for letting someone exhibiting signs of problematic behavior spend so much money and incentivized him to keep playing through VIP perks.

courts nationwide have consistently rejected that casinos have a duty of care for compulsive gamblers

A federal judge dismissed the original 2020 case before Antar appealed the decision. The judge panel on Monday concluded that courts nationwide have consistently rejected that casinos have a duty of care for compulsive gamblers. Senior US Circuit Judge Jane Richards Roth remarked that casinos get extensive protection from private litigation in New Jersey.

Antar’s attorney had argued that the role of a VIP host is similar to that of any other type of salesperson and that the host’s knowledge of his client’s gambling issue meant that a harmful product was willingly sold, something which is illegal in the state.

Two hosts sent more than 1,800 text messages from June 2019 to January 2020, by which point Antar had lost more than $24m on the BetMGM and Borgata Online casinos. The judges concluded that the plaintiff failed to prove that any of the communications were misleading.

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Stake Launches New Tool to Create Casino Games and Earn 10% Revenue

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While the world of online casino game development has always been dominated by traditional studios, Stake is now allowing people to contribute their own creations.

The crypto gambling site announced on Tuesday the rollout of its Stake Engine remote gaming server (RGS) system, which allows for the quick creation and deployment of new titles. The developer will earn 10% royalties on the monthly gross gaming revenue. Stake claims it is the most developer-friendly iGaming commercial model, with most slot providers usually getting half that amount.

Stake Engine-created games generated turnover totaling $3.3bn over the past year

It remarked how Stake Engine-created games generated turnover totaling $3.3bn over the past year, with three custom titles making it into the site’s 50 most popular games in Q1.

Stake isn’t restricting the types of games people can make, whether it’s slots, wheel-based action, card-based logic, or something completely original. Once it passes the standard requirements, you’re good to go.

Stake Co-Founder Bijan Tehrani remarked on X that while the announcement might fly under the radar, it “will someday be seen as one of the biggest disruptions to gambling” ever:

There’s currently a waiting list for anyone who’s interested in getting started with Stake Engine. You can send your name and email address to apply, with people also encouraged to include their GitHub link and provide some comments on what types of games they’re planning to build.

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Man Wins $800,000 Sports Betting at Caesars Casinos, Caesars Refuses to Pay

The post Man Wins $800,000 Sports Betting at Caesars Casinos, Caesars Refuses to Pay appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

A parlay strategy that actually worked

A 24-year-old Chicago man is fighting to get $800,000 in sports betting winnings that he believes two Caesars-owned casinos owe him. So far, though, he has not had the luck he had when he made his bets.

he was convinced that he could beat the sportsbook

Thomas McPeek did his homework. He read a shelf-full of books on gambling and sports betting and developed a personal system for picking winners, keeping meticulous notes and charts in a good, old spiral notebook. He was convinced that he could beat the sportsbook playing NFL and college football parlays. And while most people who think that are usually very wrong, he was right.

“It was a calculated attack where I thought I had an edge,” McPeek told CBS Chicago.

Avoided detection

McPeek started with Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, in August 2024. Over the course of a week, he bet $30,000 and won $350,000. In September, he moved on to Isle Casino in Bettendorf, Iowa, where he bet $20,000 and won $450,000.

He is well aware that playing parlays is risky (as is all betting, for that matter), even showing CBS Chicago giant stacks of losing betting slips. But he was committed and it worked.

only bet at kiosks to lower the risk of a human rejecting his wagers

Casinos don’t like winning players, so McPeek said he disguised himself to avoid detection and only bet at kiosks to lower the risk of a human rejecting his wagers. He also switched casinos to try to stay under the radar. He wasn’t doing anything illegal, but he did not want to be tagged as a winning player.

Talking about his experience at Isle Casino, McPeek said: “I sat at the kiosk for four hours just punching in my bets — bet after bet after bet after bet after bet.”

Caesars said he broke the rules

Over half a year later, though, neither casino has paid him, saying that he violated house rules. Specifically, Caesars cited its “Structuring/AML Standards” policy, which reads: “The structuring of wagers to circumvent federal currency transaction reporting thresholds is strictly prohibited. Additionally, all wagers are subject to the federal AML reporting requirements, including the filing of currency transaction reports and suspicious activity reports.”

Caesars also pointed out its “Repeat Wagers” rule, which says the company “reserves the right to investigate repetitive wagers made from a single account, or syndicate accounts, with the same outcome” and can void or withhold payment if permitted by state regulators.

It’s horrible what they’re doing to me.”

McPeek has filed complaints with both the Indiana and Iowa gaming regulators, telling CBS Chicago: “There’s no rules against staying under the radar. It’s horrible what they’re doing to me.”

The Indiana Gaming Commission has sided with Caesars; the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is still reviewing the case. McPeek said he could end up suing Caesars if he doesn’t get his desired result.

McPeek also won $127,000 at the FanDuel Casino at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. While Blue Chip ended up banning him, it still paid out in full. Caesars has offered to refund his wagers, even the losing ones, but will not pay McPeek his winnings.

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