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 The American Gaming Association is in favor of having the sports betting ban repealed.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

Gaming News from Atlantic City

This week ,Atlantic City scored a 3 point shot with the announcement that Revel would be sold to Glenn Straub, the developer from Miami Florida.  Straub said after the hearing he has reached a deal to buy several casinos or former casinos in Atlantic City as part of a $500 million, multi-faceted deal. He said details would be revealed on Saturday, but added, "I've already bought them."
As part of his plans to purchase Revel, Mr. Straub intends to cancel all existing leases and contracts tied to the property, including those with the former tenants and with the operator of the property’s custom-built power plant, its only source of electricity and hot water.
“They have to understand, we can’t have them control our lives,” Mr. Straub told The Wall Street Journal Thursday. Straub's plan is said to include reopening the casino in Revel but on a smaller scale.

Now

A $50 million makeover of The Pier Shops will turn the underperforming beachside mall into an all-American party palace called The Playground, and make it “the music capital of the East Coast,” Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein announced at a long-awaited press conference Wednesday. This will heighten the interest in Atlantic City will additional music and entertainment venues in the center of the Boardwalk. One way, he said, is that his plans call for providing far more views of the beach, ocean and Boardwalk than currently exist. He added that more restaurants and "high-end shops" are planned in addition to the 14 music venues.

 IN THE FUTURE

The target market will be millennials that are single and under 40.  Blatstein has a proven track record based on his success with Northern Liberties in Philadelphia. Night life similar to the Piazza.

The Stars come out at night

Straub and Blatstein share a view that a renaissance is in order for the struggling resort. The revitalization will have less emphasis on gaming and more on food, beverage and retail. Sounds like a mini Las Vegas East. They still need more hotel rooms and a direct route that consist of rail or air travel.  I would like to see another gaming operator enter the market with a boutique casino style. One that has 200 to 500 rooms with no more  than 1000 slots and 70 tables games, including poker. That operator would also engage an online partner to have an I Gaming presence.

 

  

 

 

 

                                                        Anyone interested?

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March Madness is Crazy!!

 

I love this time of year. College basketball on television all day long into the late evening. Great match ups between teams that would never play against each other ordinarily. A one seed vs. a 16 is like David against Goliath. David can only win with divine intervention. The domination of a 2 vs. a 15 is not as prevalent. The 15 has pulled off an upset in the past. Ask Duke.

 

What I don't care for is the speculation of the last 4 in, last 4 out. The selection committee has to explain why certain teams were not selected. So to spend energy wondering who will get in and who will be left out a month before is a waste to me. No disrespect to ESPN and Joe Lunardi.

LAS VEGAS in the NIGHT

The best place to watch the tournament is in Las Vegas. If you can get a seat at the sports book. you are in a gambler paradise all day. The games start at 9:00am their time. You have to be up early but it's worth it. Some books let you reserve an area for your group for a fee.

 

 

MGM GRAND

I 'm not thrilled that some novice may be in line in front of me and not know how to bet. This is why they have parlay cards dude. Make your wagers the night before. You can do me a favor and be in line after me.

 

I am enamoured with the parity that the tournament has. Any game that is a match up from 4-12 thru 7-8 has a chance to win. This is straight up. If you are in Vegas, you may want to look at a money line bet if you like the underdog. Look at teams that have upper classmen and go seven or eight deep. The experience will prevail if the game is close.

What really makes me mad is I 'm not going to Las Vegas this year. 1st time in last 6 years, I 'm missing round one. If they had sports betting in New Jersey, this would be a mute point. I could ride down to Atlantic City or use a sports betting mobile app to pick my winners. But since I can't, I must resort to picking against other people. I'll be in a bracket pool that I won't win because someone will pick a 13 seed that will go to the elite eight. I will have that same team exiting in the 1st round. Then the block pool for the championship game will be won by someone who doesn't even follow college basketball. Another 20 bucks donated to someone I hardly know.

    Have you notice the range of emotions I have displayed writing this?  I'll close with a video.

                                         That why March Madness is CRAZY!!!


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Online Gaming and Poker

New York has expressed interest in the online gaming market. Poker is gaining support from legislators and casino lobbyists. This is not surprising. The state of New York sees the opportunity to capitalize on a growing appetite for gaming.

Poker is an established community where skill out weighs luck. Unlike slots or other casino games, Poker players can largely determine their fate. The game is socially acceptable with conservatives and is extremely popular.

 

If  New York is successful, poker could be part of the online landscape by 2015-16. This would allow

more quantified data of how things are working in the states that current offer an online experience.

New Jersey,Nevada and Delaware are the three states where you can game online. When you factor states like California and Pennsylvania into the mix of possible online gaming jurisdictions, instant

liquidity is obtain. The compact agreement between Delaware and Nevada could be modeled and include other interested parties. This would be no different than playing a national lottery game like Mega Millions where wagers are taken all over. You can play Mega Millions in 44 states plus the District of Columbia and the U. S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning are just more favorable.

 

The online experience is the future of gaming. Poker is just the easy lift to get things started. When gaming first expanded into Pennsylvania, the intention was to only allow slot play. Delaware and West Virginia  did the same thing. When West Virginia offered table games, Delaware and Pennsylvania followed suit. Once Poker is introduced, the landscape will open up to other casino offerings.

A winning hand!

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