As the U.S. warms to the idea of online sports betting, the NCAA has taken steps to protect its athletes. Deputy General Counsel of the NCAA, Naima Stevenson Starks sat down with Calvinayre.com’s Becky Liggero Fontana to explain her organisation’s stance towards betting involving student athletes and maintaining the integrity of those competitions. 

Stevenson Starks shared those concerns that the NCAA has towards online sports betting in the U.S.:

“The two [concerns] are the integrity of athletic competition, and how that could potentially be impacted by a proliferation of legalized sports wagering. And then the second is really the health and well-being of student athletes.“

Stevenson added that the NCAA is determined to keep local student organisations informed of key regulations. 

“Even though we are seeing legalization of sports wagering, it is still a violation of NCAA rules. I do think people and member institutions really need to make sure that their student athletes are aware, so that they don’t walk themselves into any kind of issues,” she said.

In the full interview, Stevenson explains the NCAA’s approach to integrity and elaborates further on the concerns the organisation has towards U.S. sports betting. And if you haven’t yet, watch all of our videos as they go up by subscribing to the CalvinAyre.com YouTube channel.

The post Naima Stevenson Starks talks NCAA stance on sports betting appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

The old Nevada silver mining town of Virginia City has been bereft of gaming for the past six years because the owner of its two historic saloons was denied a license. And it looks like it’s going to remain that way for a while at least.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that on Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board denied a request from Vincent “Doc” Malfitano to have his name scrubbed off its “gray list” of previously denied applicants. Instead, the board batted the application back to staff for further review.

Malfitano is a former dentist and the sole shareholder of Virginia City Gaming LLC.

He bought the Delta Saloon and the Bonanza Saloon on Virginia City’s main drag in 2015.

But he was refused a gaming license because he neglected to mention on his application that he had once received a citation for obstructing a police officer. He also conveniently left off past lawsuits and tax liens that had been filed against him.

America’s Richest City

Virginia City was a nineteenth century boomtown that grew rapidly after the discovery of the Comstock Lode of silver ore in 1859, ten years after the California Gold Rush. The find sparked a silver rush of prospectors to the area, generating immense fortunes for some.

Just fourteen years later, Virginia City had a population of 25,000 and was dubbed, “America’s richest city.”

The Delta Saloon was first built in 1863, and the current building bears the year 1875 above its door. Both the Delta and the Bonanza Saloon across the street draw on the city’s gambling past.

But what’s an old Nevada Wild West boomtown without its gambling machines?

Collectively, the Delta and the Bonanza used to have around 130 slots, and the proprietor wants to bring them back. And since rejected applicants must wait at least five years before they can ask to be removed from the gray list, Maltifano was hoping it was time for the regulator to let bygones be bygones.

Don’t Mess Up

But the board’s denial of licensing means he will have to reapply from scratch, a process that will take months.

Board member Terry Johnson urged Maltifano to get it right next time, which suggests licensing is at least within his grasp.

Mr. Malfitano, this is your second at-bat,” Johnson explained, as quoted by LVRJ. “If you strike out on that third time at the plate, I think it’s game over.

“You’ve been given more than ample opportunity to make a showing of your suitability and you have a robust record that you can go back and rely upon to see where the deficiencies were in the application, your participation in the application process, and the investigation,” he said.

“That third at-bat, you just really can’t do anything less than hit it out of the park. You can’t afford anything less. That third at-bat is your final opportunity.”

The post Nevada’s Historic Virginia City Must Wait to Get Gaming Back, Says Regulator appeared first on Casino.org.

Rhode Island-based casino operator Bally’s Corporation this week closed the acquisition of MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in the Lake Tahoe area in Nevada from its larger rival Caesars Entertainment, Inc.

The finalization of the deal marks Bally’s debut in the Silver State. Nevada thus became the eighth state the company owns and operates properties in. It should also be noted that MontBleu is its 12th casino in the US.

It is expected that the 400-room hotel and casino resort will be renamed under the Bally’s brand as part of the operator’s ongoing nationwide rebranding strategy.

The company acquired the Bally’s brand from Caesars last fall in a $20 million deal. Formerly Twin River, it took the Bally’s name in November and announced plans to rebrand its properties across the nation, as well.

MontBleu is located in Stateline, Nevada, just minutes from Lake Tahoe. It features 438 hotel rooms, a casino with 418 slot machines and 17 tables, and 14,000 square feet of flexible convention, meeting, and exhibition space, among other amenities.

The acquisition of the Lake Tahoe property is the latest in a series of similar moves undertaken by Bally’s in the past several months. The company is also currently in the process of buying Tropicana Evansville in Indiana and Jumer’s Casino in Rock Island, Illinois to further expand its footprint across the nation.

Caesars Sold MontBleu to Satisfy Antitrust Enforcers

Caesars and former Eldorado Resorts had to divest a number of assets in several states in order to satisfy federal antitrust enforcers and get their green light to complete their $17.3 billion merger. The deal closed last July.

MontBleu and Eldorado Shreveport were among the properties that the two companies sold. Bally’s emerged as an interested buyer for both and it was announced last April that the Rhode Island company would purchase them for a combined $155 million.

When it closed the transaction for the Louisiana property in December, Bally’s said it paid $140 million for it, meaning that MontBleu was valued at $15 million.

Commenting on finalizing the sale of the Lake Tahoe casino, Caesars CEO Tom Reeg extended his gratitude to the “Team Members of MontBleu for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the years with the Caesars organization, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic” and wished them continued success under the new ownership.

Bally’s President and CEO George Papanier added that MontBleu is a “premier entertainment asset that is commensurate with the iconic Bally’s brand, and advances our ongoing portfolio diversification strategy.” He further noted that with the close of the transaction, the company now looks forward to integrating it into its fast-expanding family and “utilizing it as an attractive destination for our loyal Bally’s customers to drive visitation to Lake Tahoe.”

Eldorado originally announced that it would sell the two Nevada and Louisiana properties to regional casino operator Maverick Gaming but that earlier this fell apart.

Source: Caesars Entertainment, Inc. Completes Previously Announced Sale of MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa to Bally’s Corporation, PR Newswire, April 7, 2021

The post Caesars Completes Sale of Lake Tahoe Casino to Bally’s appeared first on Casino News Daily.

Online casino software provider ORYX Gaming has further expanded its reach in the Spanish iGaming market after taking content from its exclusive studio partners live with locally licensed operator Casumo.

Casumo is the second Spain-facing online casino to go live with ORYX’s exclusive RGS content. Titles from multiple studios that work with the provider, including GAMOMAT, are now available to the popular iGaming brand’s Spanish players.

GAMOMAT is a familiar name in the local gaming space as its products are among the most popular content across Spain’s land-based gambling establishments. As part of this recent deal between Casumo and ORYX, the online casino’s registered users can now play GAMOMAT player favorites such as Red Hot Firepot, La Dolce Vita, and Books & Bulls, among a number of other gaming titles.

Spain is one of Europe’s fastest growing regulated online gambling markets. iGaming was legalized in the country in 2011, but the activity really took off a few years later when online slots were permitted. Thanks to that major boost as well as the overall surge of online casino in the past year, the vertical now accounts for nearly 40% of Spain’s gross gaming revenue.

ORYX has been able to provide its products in the local market since the summer of 2018 when it was certified by the Spanish gambling regulator, DGOJ.

Expansion into Regulated Markets Forms Big Part of Strategic Plan for Continued Growth

Commenting on their launch with Casumo, ORYX Managing Director Matevz Mazij said that expanding into new markets forms a big part of their strategic plan for continued growth and that they are thrilled to be able to strengthen their Spanish footprint with Casumo.

Mr. Mazij also noted that the online casino operator is the perfect partner for them as it has quickly established itself as a “fun and entertaining” brand following its launch in 2012. According to the ORYX boss, this recent partnership will also pave the way for further deals in the Spanish iGaming market.

Casumo obtained a license to operate in the Spanish gambling space in July 2020 after the local regulator conducted a third tender process. The operator joined a list of nearly 80 betting and gaming companies that are now licensed and operate in the nation.

It should also be noted that Spain is not the only market ORYX has recently expanded its presence in. Last month, the company unveiled two partnerships that secured it with entry and further expansion into the Swiss iGaming space. It first teamed up with Grand Casino Luzern and then secured a similar deal with Grand Casino Baden to provide its content to the two operators’ iGaming units.

Last week, ORYX also revealed a content supply deal with Malta- and UK-licensed online casino operator Dazzletag.

The post ORYX Expands Spanish Footprint with Casumo Partnership appeared first on Casino News Daily.

After pandemic-related delays, construction is underway on a casino at a Northern Nevada shopping center in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area, according to an online news report. 

Las Vegas-based Olympia Gaming announced last week the company has broken ground on Legends Bay Casino in Sparks, a city on Interstate 80, just east of downtown Reno.

The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is near the California border and Sierra Nevada mountains. It is about 450 miles north of Las Vegas.

Upon completion, Legends Bay will be the first casino built from the ground up in the Reno-Sparks area in 26 years, according to KRNV-TV. The casino is expected to open next year.

The gaming property will be constructed at The Outlets at Legends shopping center. It is about six miles north of Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

The company plans to put restaurants, bars, and a sportsbook in the 80,000-square-foot casino, along with slots and table games.

The casino project has been planned for years, but recently was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, company officials said.

DeCourcy Graham, Olympia Gaming’s chief operating officer, said the project is “14 years in the making,” including construction of two nearby hotels.

“We are now in a position to begin the next phase of development,” he said.

No State Income Tax

On the KRNV-TV Facebook page, some people said in the comments section that they are happy the casino is being built.

“Finally,” wrote a Facebook user identified as Kristin Fennell. “And believe it or not, we do still cater to tourism, despite what many of you think.”

Others were less than happy about a new casino coming to town.

Like the traffic around there wasn’t completely jacked already,” wrote Megan Hall. “Let’s just pack some more in there.”

“They do subsidize our taxes,” wrote Chirag Parikh, adding that gaming revenue is the “main reason why Nevada has no state income tax and relatively low property taxes.”

Reno Rebound

The Reno area is recovering more quickly from the pandemic than Las Vegas. Part of the reason for this is that Reno is closer to large California metropolitan areas, making the city less dependent upon airline travel than Las Vegas. Airline travel to and from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has been in a steep slump during the pandemic.

As the economy in Northern Nevada begins a gradual recovery, Circus Circus Reno announced it is reopening its hotel rooms on April 8. The resort’s guest rooms had been closed for more than a year during the COVID-19 lockdown. The gaming floor at Circus Circus opened in June.  

The post Ground Broken on Northern Nevada Casino Project in Sparks appeared first on Casino.org.