Hotels at some of Atlantic City’s casino resorts are taking room reservations as early as next week, even though New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is yet to allow the reopening of gaming floors along the city’s Boardwalk.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, which actually never really stopped taking reservations, is allowing these as early as May 28, followed by the Tropicana, Caesars, and Resorts Casino Hotel, which are taking reservations starting June 7.

Atlantic City’s casino resorts have been closed for over two months. Gov. Murphy ordered indefinite shutdown of the properties in mid-March in the face of the global coronavirus crisis, but as states are gradually easing restrictions aiming to help curb the pandemic, New Jersey’s casinos could probably be allowed to resume operations in the not so distant future.

Ocean Casino Resort has canceled all previous reservations through June 14, and is now taking reservations starting June 15.

The Borgata, Atlantic City’s highest grossing casino, does not allow room reservations until July 1 in somewhat stark contrast to its competitors who are clearly hoping that they would be allowed to reopen their properties by the end of May or in early June.

Atlantic City’s hotels were technically never ordered to close under the restrictions leveled by Gov. Murphy two months ago. However, most of the city’s casino operators chose to close their properties completely.

No Insight into Actual Reopening Date

Caesars spokesman Richard Broome said that they will resume operations whenever Gov. Murphy allows it and that the fact that they are taking room reservations is part of their plan “to ensure [they] have business when [they] are allowed to reopen.”

Mr. Broome went on to say that the date they are taking reservations from “does not indicate that we have any insight into the actual reopening date.”

A Hard Rock spokeswoman told local news outlets that they never stopped taking room reservations and that they simply reevaluate every week if they can honor the reservations taken or not based on whether the Governor has lifted the restrictions or not.

Hard Rock does not plan to reopen the hotel portion of its Atlantic City resort before casinos are allowed to fully reopen.

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission Chairman, James Plousis, commented that the state’s gambling venues will be prepared to welcome employees and patrons back “at the appropriate time with the health and safety of all foremost in their plan.”

Gov. Murphy permitted the reopening of beaches and boardwalks starting this coming Friday, the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend. However, people will be required to practice social distancing by staying six feet apart and not gather with people that are not part of their immediate household or their significant others.

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Despite the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus, Star Entertainment Group isn’t deterred in its goal of building the massive Queen’s Wharf (QWB) casino resort in Brisbane. Expected to cost as much as $2.3 billion, the casino operator started looking for financing well before the current pandemic. If there was a chance that the funding would be lost as a result of the impact from the coronavirus, it can now be dismissed, as Star has confirmed that it has picked up AUD$1.6 billion ($1.3 billion) to keep the project moving forward.

The money had already been arranged prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak, and it would not have been surprising if the deal had died as the global casino industry is set to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. However, Star confirmed in a filing (in pdf) with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) last Friday that the funding is still intact, and that it has successfully executed the facility agreements related to the transactions. It explains, “The Star and its joint venture partners in the Destination Brisbane Consortium have now executed facility agreements for the QWB Funding on terms consistent with the commitments received. Thee terms were agreed prior to the COVID 19 pandemic and therefore reflect terms available in the market at that time. Conditions precedent for the QWB Funding are expected to be completed in June 2020, including relevant final approvals from the Queensland Government.”

The first installment of funds is expected to be handed over sometime next month, with a larger chunk to be provided early next year. The loan has a period of 5.5 years, which, according to Star, will give it three years of operating history before refinancing may be required. The money is “in proportion to the partners’ equity interests,” which is broken down into three parts – 50% held by Star and 25% held each by Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium out of Hong Kong.

Star isn’t the only Australian-based gaming-focused company to receive some positive financial news recently. Aristocrat Leisure Limited, the gaming equipment manufacturer and supplier, has picked up a new $500-million Term Loan B (TLB) product that it hopes will help it counter the losses incurred by the coronavirus. The loan will mature in 2024, and is expected to be formalized by the middle of this week.

Company CFO Julie Cameron-Doe adds in a filing (in pdf) with the ASX, “We are very pleased with the outcome of this debt raising which was significantly oversubscribed. The TLB market continues to provide Aristocrat with flexibility and competitively priced debt on a covenant light basis and we are grateful for the ongoing support of this important debt market. The transaction is part of our ongoing strategy to further enhance our liquidity, continue to invest for growth and position the Group to emerge strongly from the current COVID-19 related challenges.”

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Norway’s Lottery Board, Lotterinemnda, has upheld a ban imposed on online gambling operator Kindred Group to target Norwegian gamblers.

Lotterinemnda is an independent agency under Norway’s Ministry of Culture that is tasked with ruling on various gambling-related complaints.

The body recently rejected Kindred’s appeal against a ruling issued by the Norwegian gambling regulator, Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet, in the spring of 2019. Last year, the regulator ordered Kindred to cease servicing Norwegian customers as it was not authorized to provide gambling services on the territory of the country.

Under Norway’s current gambling law, the state-run operators Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the only entities licensed to operate in the country.

Unlike its neighbor Sweden which reorganized its market last year and opened it to international operators, Norway has been clinging to the monopoly model, with lawmakers maintaining that it is the only regulatory regime that can effectively protect gamblers from addiction and other gambling-related problems.

However, despite the rules, international operators have long been targeting Norwegian players and it could be said that the country has a very profitable unregulated market.

Kindred’s Ban

In a ruling from last year, Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet ordered Kindred to stop providing gambling services to Norwegian customers. The regulator found that the Malta-based operator was servicing players through multiple brands, including Unibet, Maria Casino, Storspiller, and BingoLottstift.

It also noted in its ruling that Kindred’s websites could be viewed in Norwegian language, offered deposits and bonuses in Norwegian currency, and featured Norwegian-language customer support.

The gambling operator was further slammed for advertising its products on Norwegian TV channels that aired in the country but were broadcast from other countries as well as for using local brand ambassadors, local press release services, and Norwegian social media channels.

Kindred’s ban was issued after Norway’s gambling regulator rolled out payment-blocking orders on the company’s sites and on sites managed by five other gambling operators.

Kindred said last year that it would appeal Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet’s ruling to the Ministry of Culture and Lotterinemnda.

Ministry, Board Uphold Ban

Norway’s Ministry of Culture rejected the operator’s appeal this past January. On Thursday, Lotterinemnda also upheld the Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet-issued ban.

Trude Felde, Senior Adviser of Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet, commented that the decision represented “an important confirmation that we interpret regulations correctly” and that it reaffirmed that action should always be taken against offshore gambling operators that have created offering that explicitly targets players and bettors in Norway.

The operator has not commented on the latest ruling. Kindred previously argued that Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet’s authority did not extend to making decisions against services that are offered from outside Norway and that by trying to ban its operations, the regulator was interfering with Malta’s sovereignty.

The operator also pointed out that Norsk Tipping’s monopoly over online gaming and lotteries violated rules for the free movement of services.

Ms. Felde said Thursday that they are now going to ask Kindred whether it would comply with the Lotterinemnda ruling. The company was previously told that Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet could eventually order local Internet service providers to block all its Norway-facing domains.

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Hard Rock Hotel & Casino might reappear on the Las Vegas gaming and hospitality scene after Florida-based casino and hotel operator Hard Rock International announced that it has purchased all rights to the Hard Rock brand in Las Vegas.

The original Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas closed doors this past February to be transformed into a Virgin Hotels property.

Hard Rock said in a statement Wednesday that it has acquired all rights related to the Hard Rock brand and associated trademarks in Las Vegas from Houston-based private equity firm Juniper Capital.

Juniper purchased Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas from Brookfield Asset Management in the spring of 2018.

Hard Rock’s recent transaction provides the company with full rights to “memorabilia, signage, and merchandise, along with intellectual property rights for affiliated restaurants and entertainment trademarks and website domain names.”

This basically means that Hard Rock is no longer restricted from developing, owning, operating, and licensing a Hard Rock-branded hotel and casino resort in Clark County, Nevada.

Chairman Hints at Vegas Comeback

The purchase of intellectual property rights could mean that Hard Rock might be seriously considering to return to the Las Vegas scene.

The company’s Chairman, Jim Allen, said on Wednesday that the agreement with Juniper marks “an exciting chapter for Hard Rock, in Las Vegas and beyond.”

He went on to say that they look forward to the opportunity “of enhancing our presence in Las Vegas, which will always be one of the most iconic entertainment markets in the world.”

After the sale of the original Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas resort, Hard Rock now only operates a Hard Rock Cafe on Las Vegas Boulevard in Sin City.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas opened doors in the spring of 1995 with a 28,000-square-foot casino and an 11-story hotel tower with 339 rooms. The property was small compared to the behemoth integrated resorts that had just begun springing up along the Las Vegas Strip.

However, since many disliked the new megaresorts trend at the time, Hard Rock quickly found a spot in the hearts of Las Vegas regulars.

The property closed doors for good on February 3, 2020, or nearly 25 years after it welcomed its first visitors.

Transformation

The former Hard Rock Las Vegas is now being transformed into a Virgin Hotels property. The resort closed doors for an eight-month renovation and transformation process, during which it would be stripped of its Hard Rock features to become an entirely different hotel and casino complex.

Virgin Hotels is the hospitality brand of British billionaire businessman Richard Branson.

The transformation includes renovation of the property’s 1,500 hotel rooms, a new 60,000-square-foot casino with slots and table games, the addition of five acres of pool space, 130,000-square-feet of meeting and event space, and multiple food and beverage outlets.

The resort’s casino portion will be managed by Connecticut-based gaming and hospitality company Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.

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Sweden’s gambling operators have weighed in on the government’s proposal to severely limit online casino deposits, losses and bonuses for the rest of the year to minimize pandemic-related excess.

Last month, Social Security Minister Ardalan Shekarabi unveiled a plan to impose a weekly gambling deposit limit of SEK5k (US$500), along with loss limits for online casino play and a cap on bonus offers of just SEK100. Stakeholders were invited to submit any comments by this Thursday.

With that window now closed, some operators have begun sharing their views with the public. Patrik Hofbauer, CEO of state-run operator Svenska Spel, who claimed not to have seen “any direct increase in risk gambling since COVID-19 hit the world,” said his group “do not see that further regulations are justified at present.”

However, Hofbauer offered an alternative three-step plan to achieve Shekarabi’s aims of protecting Swedish gamblers from potential harm. If online casinos are the problem, apply the new limits only to online casino products and leave other verticals alone. Hofbauer urged Shekarabi to follow the lead of gambling addiction researchers, who view loss limits as more effective than deposit limits.

Hofbauer also wants Shekarabi to venture outside the gaming world and force financial firms offering “fast loans” to verify a customer’s total debt before granting any further credit. In Hofbauer’s view, “no fast loans – no fast games.”

Finally, Hofbauer wants Shekarabi to more efficiently target internationally licensed gambling sites through payment-blocking, warning messages and criminalizing promotion of unauthorized sites. Hofbauer would like to see Sweden set up a B2B licensing regime so that game developers can’t supply both international operators and those holding Swedish licenses.

ONLINE LICENSEES AIN’T HAVING IT
Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), which represents Sweden’s licensed online operators, has been publicly deriding Shekarabi’s proposals since they were made public. The group’s formal response also didn’t mince words, saying “the proposed measures risk destroying an already failing re-regulation.”

BOS says its members have had “a hard time seeing the dramatic increase” in online casino play Shekarabi cited as justifying the new limits, and accuse Shekarabi of failing to present evidence to support his claims.

BOS argues that, prior to the January 2019 launch of Sweden’s regulated online market, most of the companies that served Swedish punters did so with a license issued in another European Union member state. At present, most of the unauthorized online casinos targeting Swedish customers are licensed in Curaçao and other non-EU jurisdictions, “where consumer protection is very deficient.”

BOS scoffs at Shekarabi’s vow to get tough with international sites, noting that “the state has essentially already had these tools at their disposal ever since the re-regulation of the Swedish gaming market, and that their effect has so far been absent.”

BOS notes that Shekarabi wants to apply the new limits to the online casino vertical, which BOS studies have shown has the lowest ‘channeling’ rate, aka steering customers to Swedish-licensed sites. Yet Shekarabi has talked about exempting horserace betting from the new limits, despite race betting having the highest channeling rate of all verticals.

As for Shekarabi’s plan to limit time spent on gambling sites, BOS wants to know if this applies to total time on site or time spent actually gambling. And what about online sportsbooks that stream live events — does viewing time count even if no betting is involved? Will online poker players be automatically logged off if the tournament they’re playing runs long?

BOS warned that it believes Shekarabi’s proposals will result in “a channel level so low” that it calls into question Sweden’s licensing regime and will lead to an increase in problem gambling prevalence. Oh, and BOS also believes the proposals will violate EU law, so a legal challenge appears to be a given.

MATCH-FIXING BEGONE!
BOS filed a separate response regarding plans by Sweden’s Spelinspektionen regulatory body to minimize match-fixing by restricting the types of wagers its licensees can offer. It’s similarly dismissive, suggesting that the regulator’s “actions on this issue are upsetting and incomprehensible from any perspective based on facts.”

BOS notes that “almost all suspected bets are made on betting which the Gaming Inspectorate intends not to ban.” (Emphasis in the original.) Should these rules take effect, BOS suggests that the current betting channelization rate of 80-85% will fall by a further 5.9 percentage points.

SPER US THE GRIEF
The response from Sper, Sweden’s overall gambling industry association, says the group’s members share the government’s aim of protecting consumers during the pandemic but “express strong concern over the impact of proposed temporary measures on their operations.”

Sper members have yet to see “a change in risk behavior or increased problem gambling” during the pandemic. Sper claims that Swedish Tax Agency statistics showing a 20-30% rise in online casino revenue in the first quarter of 2020 are misleading, because “turnover in early 2019 was affected by many players distributed bonuses to new customers, which reduced real sales.”

Sper also challenged the proposed bonus limit, saying there is “no evidence that the bonuses now offered have caused any problems.” Finally, Sper believes the government’s proposed June 1 implementation for the new limits is too little time for operators to rejig their systems and expect it to work without any hitches.

Bottom line; Sper members are “deeply concerned that the government is now taking drastic measures without sufficient impact assessment and that the effects will be other than what the government intends.”

LEOVEGAS TAKES THE HIGH ROAD
Online casino operator LeoVegas, one of the original signatories to the BOS letter to Shekarabi, has taken a different approach to the Minister’s concerns. The company just rolled out a new Swedish marketing campaign with a focus on responsible gambling, including the tagline: “A royal gaming company must take royal responsibility.”

The campaign, which features hockey great and LeoVegas brand ambassador Tommy Söderström, was intended to counter the “great ignorance and misunderstanding of the business and its industry logic,” according to LeoVegas communications director Hans Uhrus.

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