This Week in Gaming Review

The New York State Gaming Commission on Monday issued temporary permits to five fantasy sports operators, including industry giants DraftKings and FanDuel.  Governor Cuomo signed legislation to legalize Fantasy Sports Betting earlier this month. This is great for New York Football and Basketball fans.

Yahoo, Fantasy Draft and Draft also received temporary permits Monday. The companies were allowed to begin offering paid contests immediately. This is the 1st step toward sports betting. It will not be the last.

Glenn Straub. owner of the Revel Casino, now claims the property will have a soft Oct. 1 opening and be fully functioning by the end of December. The site is awaiting zoning and inspection by Atlantic City's L&I Department. There appears to be uncertainty about this.  Stay tuned for updates.

Governor Christie stated he is in favor of gaming expansion outside of Atlantic City. If this happens, casinos will be in North Jersey. This will not only affect AC but will hit some of  the Pennsylvania Casinos as well.  Mount Airy and Sands come to mind.  The proximity to the New Jersey border and the New York crowd are the respective reasons for both of these operators.

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                                                        27 days until #G2E2016

This Week in Gaming Review

New York has made a major move with authorizing the regulation of Daily Fantasy Sports. New York has 13% of the market of Fantasy Sports Players. This is great news for FanDuel and DraftKings. There was talk of these two merging. They may not have to if other states decide to follow New York.

The news was not as good for New Jersey and the quest for sports betting. The 3rd Circuit Court decided in a vote of 10-2 that the federal ban should be upheld. The next move is taking the challenge to the United States Supreme Court. There is no timetable or guarantee that the top judicial body would hear the case. An act of Congress may be a viable alternative. The American Gaming Association is in favor of having the sports betting ban repealed. Fantasy is clearing the way.

MGM is in Atlantic City doing auditions for dealers. They are mandated to hire a large percentage of their staff from the residents in the DC area where the casino is located. They have a sizable labor pool to choose from. Atlantic City is a great place to start.

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                                                        42 days until #G2E2016

This Week in Gaming Review

The big news in gaming came from Atlantic City with the report that the Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino will close as of October 10. There is a strike at that facility and the owners are blaming it for the decision to shut down. The Taj was not doing well before the strike so that is not totally accurate. If this decision stands, this will drop the number of casinos in AC to 7. Revel was scheduled to re open sometime in August but no definitive date was given. The Taj was once the crown jewel of the Boardwalk. In 2003, the Taj had the highest grossing casino revenue in AC. The lack of property reinvestment and Borgata changed that over the last 10- 14 years.

Penn National purchased a social gaming site that will help with the possibility of online gaming coming to Pennsylvania. A social gaming site give a casino another way to engage with the player when they are not on property. The name of this firm is Rocket Games Inc. and they are based in San Francisco.

Parx Casino was selected by Philadelphia Magazine in the #BestofPhilly  edition. Philadelphia Magazine has been compiling this list for over 42 years. They include everything from restaurants, bars ,cheese steaks and beauty salons. Everything! We commend everyone that was selected and look forward to see who makes the list in 2017.

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                                                        48 days until #G2E2016

AGA Responsible Gaming Week

This week is the American Gaming Association Responsible Gaming Week. It runs from August 1st thru 5th. Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) was created by the AGA in 1998 to increase awareness of problem gambling among gaming industry employees and customers and to promote responsible gaming nationwide.

The AGA and the entire gaming industry realize that education is essential to promoting responsible play and increasing awareness of gambling disorders, and RGEW provides gaming companies with an opportunity to expand on work they do every day educating employees and patrons about the issue.

In preparation for RGEW the AGA and the  (NCRG), released new responsible gaming videos. The video by the NCRG, “What is a Gambling Disorder?” , “explains in simple language the science that informs our understanding of gambling disorders.” The AGA’s video, “What Are the Odds?”, is meant to “illustrate the house advantage inherent in all casino games and demonstrates how America’s favorite game – the slot machine works.

I support this initiative. My app is indicative of my commitment to this endeavor.  The best practices are the preventive ones. Who better to provide this information than the companies and the employees that work in gaming.  They know the warning signs that lead to the onset of problem gambling.   Keep it fun!

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                                                        58 days until #G2E2016

Atlantic City Entertainment: New Edition

If you are looking for something to do in AC this weekend, your best place is Caesars Palace. New Edition is performing on Friday at 8PM. This R&B group that started as boy crooners has been together for three decades. Their latest song is a collaboration with group member Johnny Gill titled "This One for Me and You".  Here is the video. They perform the following night at the Barclays Center in New York. They conclude their area tour at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center sponsored by Sands Casino on July 14 at 7PM.

New Edition

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After the NBA Finals: The Next 7 weeks.

The next 7 weeks is the slow period. Since we don't cover baseball until the latter part of the season,there is a lull.  So here is the agenda. We will do a #HisandHers chat featuring @kesiscuties and myself on Twitter. This feature will appear every Friday at 8PM. We will preview our conversation on Wednesday at the same time.

We will have #GTLivechat every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 until NFL football returns. We will cover OTAs,training camps, rookies and injuries. We will do a Hall of Fame Edition where we discuss the inductees as well as people we think should be in.

There will be Olympics Coverage from Rio De Janeiro on the popular events.

We also have casino news with interviews from the top executives and organizations.

We will have the best photos from Atlantic City and Las Vegas on Facebook & Instagram.

The readers can submit pictures as well via Twitter.

Don't forget to check out the website thegamingguym.com and my Smart Responsible Gaming app.

We are going to have fun this summer.

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This Week in Gaming Review

Atlantic City News dominated the media with the announcements that Revel and Showboat were going to reopen. This would be in time for the summer season. Showboat will have a non gaming
facility with a hotel only. Revel will reopen as a casino hotel. It appears that Revel will offer slots
only for now. The slot gaming experience should return in August. This will be timely since this is
Atlantic City's peak time and hotel occupancy is up.

The International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking was held in Las Vegas and concluded yesterday. Jan Jones Blackhurst was a speaker and address the group about the lack of women and minorities in top gaming positions. Attendees reportedly came from over 250 cities. The next conference sponsored by UNLV will take place in 2019.

No news from Pennsylvania about online gaming. Since the budget talks are heating up, I expect this and a expansion of gaming into Fantasy Sports to be part of the new revenue for the Commonwealth.


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Smart Responsible Gaming

This is the change I have been alluding to. Over the past weeks, I have mentioned that I was going to add a new feature to the website. I totally changed it. That change is Smart Responsible Gaming.

We will promote an intellectual view that will focus on a younger and new gamer. I am excited and passionate about this endeavor. Our posts will provide information about fantasy sports, sports betting and skill base games. There will still be updates about entertainment from the casino world. We will still provide interviews from the top executives,insiders and policy makers periodically.

What we were doing before this change was giving 70% of our attention toward the traditional casino player. A transition had to be made to stay relevant.

So we have invested in a new look for the website. smartresponsiblegamng.com

Gone are the static references to major sports leagues and gaming capitals. Our post will engage you with fresh content that will include this week in gaming review and  the current sporting event that is trending on social media.

You will get an insider perception of what going on. This will come from people that actually work in the professions they are sharing their opinions about. Imagine watching NFL Insiders and you'll visualize what we are doing. We will be data driven with analytics that will support assessments.

The biggest addition is the mobile app that accompanies this transition. Smart Responsible Gaming is available on Android and I phone versions. It is currently in the App Store - Official Site and can be downloaded for free. It will allow you to look at gaming as a social medium that requires planning to minimize risk.

It includes concepts that are novel such as nutritional advice. The app provide access to real time engagement.  The app will also increase your awareness so you'll make sound decisions. Decisions that will improve your gaming experience and allow for a balance quality of life.   If you are interested in online gaming or the aforementioned information targets, you can review it here.

Thanks to all that read any prior post over the past 3 years and are coming with us.

Welcome all the new audience members for joining in.
Enjoy the journey!
.
A new logo will accompany this change. For more details e mail info@smartresponsiblegaming.com

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                                                                  #ECGC20th

This week in Gaming Review

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Director of the Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling, Elizabeth Lanza, has received the “2016 Person of the Year Award” from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania.  Director Lanza received the award last week during the organization’s “2016 CCGPA Statewide Conference East” in Trevose. This is outstanding news and well timed. This is National Problem Gaming Awareness Month. I suggest we take a moment to revisit some of the initiatives the AGA recommends regarding responsible gaming.

New Jersey is strongly exploring the concept of skill based games with regulations that will fast

track new product to the casino floor. I expect more new about this at the IGNA and the ECGC. The I Gaming North America will be held 4/5/16 thru 4/7/16. The East Coast Gaming Congress will take place 5/25/16 thru 5/26/16. I plan to follow attendees and provide commentary during both events.

New Jersey is also looking at Daily Fantasy Sports as a revenue generator. State Senator Jim Whelan proposed a bill that would regulate daily leagues only and tax them at the current casino rate of 9.5%.

More news from PokerStars this week. In a press release, PokerStars parent company Amaya stated:

“Amaya Inc. (NASDAQ: AYA; TSX: AYA) today announced that it expects to initially launch its PokerStars brand in New Jersey on Monday, March 21, 2016.  The launch quickly follows the September 2015 authorization by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (the “DGE”) to operate the PokerStars and Full Tilt brands in the State. Amaya currently expects to conduct an interim testing period with the DGE and a beta period for a limited player base beginning in mid-March.”

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This Week in Gaming Review

 

 

Borgata Casino showed why they are the leader in Atlantic City gaming. This was evident this week with a article from Calvin Ayre that they are looking for another partner in the online gaming sector. They are presently aligned with Bwin Party. This news comes on the heels of proposed $50 million makeover which includes an ambitious outdoor pool complex, gigantic nightclub, an upscale eatery , casual food court and other refurbishments throughout the resort.  While most leaders rest on their laurels, Borgata takes the steps to stay ahead of the pack thru property reinvestment and brand stimulation.

 

 

 

A similar announcement came from Tropicana Atlantic City, which plans to invest $25 million in improvements throughout the property. Planned enhancements include renovations to 500 rooms in the Havana Tower incorporating new carpeting, spa-like bathrooms with walk-in showers, textured wall coverings and modern art.

 

"These renovations are not only attractive upgrades for Tropicana's guests, they are creating new employment opportunities at a crucial time in Atlantic City," said Tony Rodio, president and CEO of Tropicana Entertainment in a statement.

There are also plans to refresh the South Tower casino to match the North Tower's upscale feel and decor. Other casino improvements will be enhancements to the Asian gaming room Jade Palace as well as an new high-limit slot area. If I was going to stay in Atlantic City, I know my first two choices.

 

 

In the breaking news. Serena Williams lost in 3 sets in the Australian Open Women's Finals. She was

gracious in defeat with praise for her opponent. When you are use to winning you learn that a level of humility is part of the terrain.

 

This is the 1st day of the Philadelphia Auto Show. This afternoon is the NBA match between the Sixers and the world champion Golden State Warriors. Here is an NBA Preview of the contest. I will provide live tweets from the game.

 

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This Week in Gaming Review

 

The 3rd week of 2016 featured outstanding news from Atlantic City.  Revel is reportedly going to reopen as a waterpark and a casino. The casino will be a smaller version of the previous model. Since they closed in September 2014,  the amount of rooms available at the shore decreased by 1400. That does not include the rooms lost by the closing of Showboat, Atlantic Club and Trump Plaza. While the occupancy rate has risen, the demand for a room will drive prices up as well. Not good for the consumer. The reopening will alleviate a part of that. No timetable was given.

 

The conversation about Online Gaming in Pennsylvania was revisited by State Rep John Payne. Payne is the current chair of the Gaming Oversight Committee. He predicted that some form of gaming outside of the brick and mortar casinos would be approved by July. This will double the amount of people that are playing currently. Good news for 888 and Caesars Interactive.

A hearing on Tuesday was held to talk about the possibility of sports betting. This would be in concert with a resolution introduced late last year urging the U.S. Congress to repeal a ban on sports betting. Pennsylvania is being proactive with the hearing of the proposal by New Jersey that request that wagering on games be allowed by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. This hearing is scheduled for February 17. ESPN Chalk provided coverage of this hearing and cited the opinions the Commissioners of the NBA and MLB.

 

 

Finally, New York has New York will have another crack at online poker. Legislation that would regulate online poker sites in the Empire State was re-introduced this week. The measure was considered last year but didn’t gain any traction in Albany. The bill is from Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who is pushing legislation along with Sen. Bonacic, who has yet to re-introduce his proposal. Both are at the helm of gaming and racing committees.  The amount of money projected in the 1st year of operation was estimated at 120 million. That is the same amount that Pennsylvania projected for the online gaming market 12 months after launch.

This news regarding Poker is cited from Cardplayer.com.

 

Last week, I went 2-2 with my NFL selections. My best bet was Seattle + 8.5 in a teaser. Today my best play is the over 47.5 in the Panthers and Cardinals game. Enjoy the games.

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My Top Gaming Interviews of 2015

Just in case you missed it, here are my top gaming interviews for 2015. I won't rank them. I'll let you decide that. But these were my favorites based on number of hits and the content. I considered how they resonate with my audience.

 

My post about Marketing and Online Gaming with views provided by Luisa Woods from Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. The interview with ESPN top writer on gaming and sports betting.

The imaginations of Greg Carlin and Wendy Hamilton were on displayed in my post about Gaming in 2025.

Jessica Dawley

 

The combination of Poker and Jessica Dawley captivated readers when SugarHouse Casino hosted Poker Night in America. The interview with Scientific Games CEO Gavin Issacs gave insight on how

to connect with millenials.

 

 

#HappyNewYear

 

 

 

 

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This Week in Gaming Review

This week includes 3 reports that will change gaming landscape in the mid Atlantic area. One is the

order to curtail Daily Fantasy Sports operators from operating in New York immediately. FanDuel and DraftKings plan to appeal this ruling. As this post was being written, this report was received from ESPN. 

Not in New York!

The second is a referendum to expand gaming outside of Atlantic City. This will be on the ballot during the presidential election vote in November 2016. Meadowlands would be a strong possibility if gaming is allowed to extend to north New Jersey.

 

Pennsylvania is in the process of finalizing the budget for 2015-16.  Since they are overdue by 5 months, the legislators are looking for new revenue streams. One strong consideration is online gaming and the expansion of slots to airports.

Pennsylvania Gaming Oversight Committee

DraftKings and FanDuel were granted a temporary injunction and can continue to operate pending appeal.

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Fantasy Sports is not Sports Betting: The Myth that came True

Nevada regulators handed down a ruling that Fantasy Sport sites can not operate in the Silver State

without a license. NBC News reported this. FanDuel and DraftKings can no longer take action in the state where gambling on almost anything is legal. This comes one week after the employee of   DraftKings  hit on the FanDuel site for $350,000. They both have institute a ban that prohibits employees from playing. Does the ban prevent the employees from sharing information with friends? Hmm!

 

FanDuel vs. DraftKings

 

 

                                                                

 

 

 

                                                               

 

                                                                  The Myth

The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy and win the war. After a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse  and hid a select force of men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, decisively ending the war. A "Trojan Horse" has come to mean any trick or stratagem that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place. This passage was provided courtesy of Wikipedia.

 

                                      So how did the myth come true?

 

Daily Sports Fantasy is the millennial Trojan Horse. The American operators pretend that it not gambling under the auspice of the 2006 Internet Gambling Enforcement  Act. 9 years later, the public is swayed by conventional wisdom  that this is the substitute for legal action on a game because it  is  technically not gambling. The selection of players from multiple teams does not constitute a "real" contest. The states are the protected place. We are allowing an unregulated form of wagering.

                                             

                                  Fantasy Sports = Sports Betting?  Hmmm!

 

The advertising dollars spent to entice players are outrageous. It does seem to be working. The incident that happen with the employee did not lower the interest in wagering on either site. It did alert the government to look at regulating Daily Fantasy Sports. I see partnerships that extend beyond licensing agreements and commercials. Casinos and Racetracks could connect with a site like Yahoo and DraftPot to offer Fantasy Sports. They have the facilities and are regulated. The sites have the software. The states could sell licenses for a fee. Everybody Wins. Hmmmm!

 

 

 

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Gaming in 2025

My G2E question for 2015 is "What will Gaming look like in 2025?"  In the words of the late Yogi Berra, "The future ain't what it use to be." I asked several top gaming executives and decided to weigh in myself. My vision is at the end of the post. Share your comments if you choose as you share this post with your friends.

                                                                  Ladies first.

“Gaming in 2025 will likely be an enhanced, high-tech hybrid of what we see today.  The bricks-and-mortar casinos will continue evolving to stay on trend with design and architecture, while the games themselves will seamlessly blend on-property experience with on-demand, online options.   The hybrid model will require even more strategic marketing and operational creativity — yet another reason gaming is such a fast-paced and dynamic industry.  That’s why we love it.” 

                                        Wendy Hamilton - General Manager of SugarHouse Casino



 

“Ten years from now, regional casinos will be part of the entertainment infrastructure of every major metropolitan area. There will likely be robust online complements to nearly every casino brand and even more sophisticated technology driving the overall business forward.  That will create steady opportunities to reach new people and continue growing the industry.”

“We can be certain that gaming in 2025 will include online slots and table games as standard fare for all casinos. We also anticipate that sports betting will become a more common and integrated part of the overall gaming picture. Those changes will introduce a younger demographic to the industry overall, whose increasing importance will reshape all operations.”

 

 

Greg Carlin - CEO of Rush Street Gaming

“Ten years from now, regional casinos will be part of the entertainment infrastructure of every major metropolitan area. There will likely be robust online complements to nearly every casino brand and even more sophisticated technology driving the overall business forward.  That will create steady opportunities to reach new people and continue growing the industry.”

                          Craig Clark - General Manager of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh

 

"That’s an exciting opportunity! Ten years from now I think you’ll continue to see casinos and integrated casino resorts providing great entertainment to players. Casinos are not going away, and they are going to offer more entertainment than ever. The games and experiences will continue to evolve, bringing in interactivity, skill, social and new gesture technology. We have an advanced development team working on a lot of exciting concepts right now. I think you’ll see regulators working in closer partnership with operators and suppliers to bring new technology to market more quickly."

 "If I had a crystal ball, I would say that you’ll see online gaming integrated more closely with bricks-and-mortar casinos; mobile payments will be commonplace; multi-platform content and interstate casino progressives will be prevalent; and the effects of player and technology convergence will be quite evident. The year 2025 will be here before you know, and we have innovation teams across the globe already working on inventions for the next decade and beyond."

                       "And Greg Carlin is hailed as the new Steve Wynn!!!"

 

                                                  Gavin Issacs - CEO of Scientific Games

 

I think Gaming in 2025 is going to be a lot different then what I see now. The patrons will be much younger.They will come in groups and have night for socialization that will include dining, shows and gambling. In that order. Our floor will be reconfigured with more stadium style play.

Mobile device will be the method of choice for all players under 30. Our player then is between 15 and 20 now. They will be a section where you can play on your phone. In this area, players can also play games against each other.The casino floor will consist of the sophisticated and affluent player in secluded areas. That should constitute about 30% of our business. The rest will be the young millennial that wants nightlife in a safe environment. More emphasis on security and responsible gaming.

Gaming will have more transactions that are cashless. The amount of  Table games will increase along with skill base games.Games will have more interactive components than ever. They will be sports and fantasy betting kiosks. Television will have in game wagering for all players that have rooms reserved with a credit card. And when the players come in for nightlife, they'll dress like they are vying for the cover of GQ and Vogue on New Years Eve.        

                                                        Here's a glimpse!



Robert Mims aka The Gaming Guy

 

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