New Mexico’s Isleta Resort & Casino will be taking bets on collegiate football and basketball games involving local teams, local media outlets report.

The casino debuted a temporary sportsbook at its gaming floor earlier this week. The facility will handle wager while a larger permanent sportsbook is under development.

Isleta has become the fourth New Mexico casino to go live with sports betting since the US Supreme Court struck down last May a long-standing federal ban on the practice. Last month, The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino cut the ribbon on a William Hill US-operated sports betting facility to tap into the market.

Isleta’s decision to accept bets on collegiate sports means that bettors will be able to gamble on games involving the University of New Mexico Lobos and New Mexico State University Aggies starting from this coming season. The property will be the state’s first to handle such bets all year round.

Commenting on their decision to accept bets on collegiate games involving in-state teams, Isleta Resort & Casino CEO Harold Baugus told local media that “there is a huge Lobo and Aggie following in this market” and that they “feel there is enough training and measures in place that taking bets on UNM and NMSU games won’t be a problem.”

Isleta Taps Into Betting Market

News about Isleta planning to go live with sports betting first emerged this past April. The property announced that it intended to bring Las Vegas-style sports gambling to its casino floor and that it had found a betting partner to power its new offering.

Isleta had teamed up with betting technology firm USBookmaking to launch sports betting at its gaming floor. As mentioned above, the property went live with wagering this week. Bettors will be able to place their wagers at a temporary sportsbook that will remain operational until a permanent facility, currently under development, is completed. The permanent sportsbook is expected to open doors later this year.

Aside from the permanent location that will feature a bar, as well, Isleta will also launch its brand new food court toward the end of the year.

In addition to college football and basketball games, Isleta patrons are now also able to bet on professional baseball, professional football, English Premier League, NASCAR, PGA Golf, and UFC, among other popular sports.

Commenting on this week’s launch, Isleta’s CEO said that they are confident that their “dedicated and exceptional sportsbook team” will provide bettors with the very best betting experience.

Prior to the opening of Isleta’s sportsbook, USBookmaking President Vic Salerno has said that they are proud to be the resort’s sports betting partner and being selected to provide their product “validates the tremendous value” that his company contributes.

Isleta is not the only New Mexico casino USBookmaking is providing betting technology to. Last fall, the betting the firm opened a sportsbook at Santa Ana Star Casino, which became the state’s first sports betting facility after the May 2018 landmark SCOTUS ruling.

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The CEO of MGM Resorts International, one of the runners for a license for an integrated resort in Osaka, believes that the 2025 deadline for opening the property might be tough but still a doable one.

In a recent interview with the Japan Times, Jim Murren, MGM’s top executive, shared his thoughts on how his company plans to win the race for a casino resort license in Osaka and whether it would be able to meet the 2025 deadline set by city and prefecture officials.

The Japanese government is expected to start discussing the structure of a regulatory committee that will be tasked with overseeing the nation’s integrated resort/casino industry over the course of the next few months. Lawmakers are also set to draft a basic policy that would set out the criteria for the selection of the preferred locations and the operators of the future integrated resorts.

Osaka has long been considered a frontrunner location for the first integrated resort. Hopes are that once the Diet is formally done with drafting the selection principles, the actual selection process and the construction of the properties would progress smoothly and in the quickest possible manner.

Osaka officials said that they want an integrated resort to be built and ready to open on the artificial Yumeshima Island by March 2025, or just a few months before the start of the Osaka World Expo.

Mr. Murren said in his recent interview that while that goal is quite an ambitious one, it is till possible to be achieved. The executive went on to say that he has no “doubts about the abilities of the architects we have on board, or those of the civil planners and general contractors.” According to Mr. Murren, the real challenge “will be getting through the permit process.”

Strong Support from Local Officials

It is believed that if the Japanese government selects Osaka as one of the preferred locations for an integrated resort, the local government would pick the winning bidder for the casino license by August or September 2020.

The city’s bid to host one of the three integrated resorts has seen strong political support from city and prefecture officials over the past several years. Osaka’s Mayor Ichiro Matsui has been one of the most active advocates of the development of a property of this kind on Yumeshima.

Mr. Murren noted that the level of “clarity, passion, and support” for an integrated resort in Osaka is much bigger than in other parts of Japan. If the city wins the right to host a property of this kind, it would look to attract visitors from different economic backgrounds, including high roller gamblers, who would feel tempted to spend big not only at the casino’s tables but also at the resort’s hotels, restaurant and bar, and shops, as well as more budget-conscious visitors.

Mr. Murren said that Osaka will probably be the host of Japan’s first integrated resort with a casino, and that if this turns out to be the case, there will be no room for mistakes. The project will have to be “flawlessly executed” and the finished resort will have to be flawlessly operated, according to the gambling executive.

Aside from MGM, at least three more major gaming and hospitality companies will be bidding for the right to operate an integrated resort in Osaka, with those being Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Genting Singapore, and Las Vegas Sands. According to a previous Morgan Stanley report, an Osaka-based property of this kind could generate $4 billion in annual revenue.

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Red Tiger’s Daily Drop Jackpot Network paid out more than £2.5 million during its first four months of existence, the online casino provider said earlier this week.

Red Tiger rolled out its jackpot network in April, and it quickly became its fastest growing jackpot product.

With a guaranteed jackpot payout every single day, the supplier’s jackpot product has awarded £2.5 million to players of a number of online gaming brands. Since its launch, some of the world’s major gambling operators, including Betsson, Gaming Innovation Group, and Flutter (previously Paddy Power Betfari) have opted for Red Tiger’s Daily Drop Jackpot Network.

The product is available across Red Tiger’s range of online slots and has proved to be popular among players of all types and operators of different size.

Last month, the Daily Drop Jackpot Network awarded its biggest daily prize ever. A Betsafe player (a brand managed by Swedish gambling giant Betsson Group) from the UK hit a £61,500 jackpot after placing a £2 stake on the Dragon’s Luck classic hit slot.

Commenting on Red Tiger’s jackpot product and the recent win scored by a Betsafe player, Ciara Nic Liam, Director of Product, Gaming at Betsson said that they are thrilled with how the Daily Drop Jackpot Network has been performing since they joined it in July.

The official added that players’ response has been great and has shown how “excited players are when offered big jackpots guaranteed to pay out every day.”

Truly Caught the Imagination of Players

Hailing the initial success demonstrated by their product, Red Tiger Business Development Director Carl Ejlertsson said that “the Daily Drop Jackpot Network has truly caught the imagination of the players and we’re absolutely delighted with its performance.”

Mr. Ejlertsson added that their new jackpot product was an exciting addition to their offering and expressed confidence that it would keep growing into “a must-have product.”

Aside from its Daily Drop Jackpot Network, Red Tiger also develops and supplies HTML5 slots and table games, and also offers a progressive jackpot system, the Smart Spins bonus management application, and a Tournaments gamification feature. The company was established in late 2014, which makes it a young but very dynamic games and related products studio.

Late last month, Red Tiger announced to major content supply deals that would boost its presence across markets. The company’s slots went live with British bookmaker Betfred. Under the terms of their deal, the gambling operator was also able to utilize Red Tiger’s Smart Spins product and Tournaments gamification feature to enhance player experience.

It was in late July again when it emerged that Red Tiger has integrated its casino content, including slots and table games, into ORYX Gaming’s content aggregation platform ORYX Hub. Red Tiger has seen its entire casino games range go live on the content aggregator. As a result a number of online gambling operators working with ORYX would be able to gain access to Red Tiger’s titles.

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Las Vegas casino giant Wynn Resorts says it has been discussing various ideas for a 12-acre site across the street from its Encore Boston Harbor casino resort in Everett, Massachusetts.

The ideas include the development of an events arena, a boutique outdoor arts district, and new hotels.

In a recent quarterly earnings call, Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts, said that they have been talking with a number of potential partners “because I think joint ventures could really work on that 11 acres for additional hotels […] and other entertainment offerings.”

Wynn Resorts launched its $2.6 billion integrated resort Encore Boston Harbor in the lucrative Greater Boston area this past June. The property features Massachusetts’ largest land-based casino with 3,158 slot machines and 143 table games, 671 hotel rooms, and various entertainment, retail, and food and beverage facilities.

Mr. Maddox said that his company is evaluating various proposals for the nearly 12-acre site near the resort Wynn quietly acquired, and that they are in no rush. The executive further pointed out that he thinks a larger entertainment district would boost Encore Boston Harbor’s casino revenues over the long term.

Wynn Resorts’ boss was not specific about the gaming revenue generated by their newest property over its first month and a half of operation, but noted that table games performed well. Of their slot machines performance, Mr. Maddox only said that Encore Boston Harbor is working hard to “understand the highly competitive slot market in the Northeast.”

According to information by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Encore Boston Harbor took in $16.8 million in gaming revenue during its first week of operation. July revenue figures that will include information about the property’s performance during its first full month are set to be released mid-August.

Boutique Arts District

Mr. Maddox’s recent comments re-establish Wynn Resorts’ intention to convert the undeveloped portion of land near its Everett resort into more hotels or an entertainment district. In previous comments, the Las Vegas casino giant’s boss has said that they plan to “continue to redevelop this area so that it’s known as the entertainment district in the Northeast.”

Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria previously said that he, too, had vision for the area. Mayor DeMaria told the Boston Globe that he hoped Wynn Resorts’ next stage of expansion in Everett would include the addition of more hotel rooms, outdoor spaces, cafes and breweries, and displays from artists, among other things.

During the company’s earnings call, Mr. Maddox said that they have been approached by investors who proposed outdoor districts with “lots of various entertainment aspects, but on a more boutique level.” Wynn Resorts has also received proposals for the development of an arena for various events on the 12-acre site, it became known.

However, Mr. Maddox pointed out that it would be a lengthy process to materialize any of the proposals, as “the planning and permitting process does take quite a long time in Massachusetts.” For instance, the state legalized casino gambling in 2011, but it took more than seven years for its first full-scale casino resort to open doors.

That happened last August when MGM Resorts International cut the ribbon on its $960 million MGM Springfield hotel and casino resort in downtown Springfield.

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At least two major casino and hospitality companies have lost interest in the long-stalled Hellinikon integrated resort project, according to Greek media.

Stepping in as the new Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised that he has made it his priority to finally set into motion the €8 billion project for the redevelopment of former Ellinikon International Airport into a luxury resort.

However, it has recently become known that the deadline for the casino tender has been extended for a fourth time this year and the project is not likely to make any significant progress until late in 2019.

Las Vegas casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp., which is in the middle of a $17.3 billion merger with rival Eldorado Resorts, and Malaysian gaming and hospitality powerhouse Genting Group were among the companies to express interest in developing a casino complex as part of the larger integrated resort at the former airport. However, due to the multiple delays of the project, dubbed Hellinikon, the two companies are reportedly losing interest in participating in the mega-scheme.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission launched the tender for the casino this past February. The tender is an important step that needs to be completed before the Hellinikon plan can move any further.

Bureaucracy Hampers the Project

Hellinikon has hit a number of roadblocks in the past four and a half years and unstated bureaucratic issues have always been cited as the reason for the multiple delays hampering the actual start of the project.

Unstated bureaucratic issues are also said to have prevented Prime Minister Mitsotakis from delivering on his promise to get the project going during his first week in office.

According to reports by local news outlets, the Greek Ministry of Development and Investment is currently discussing a series of joint ministerial decisions regarding the special requirements for the integrated resort as well as development zones and spatial planning requirements.

Greek Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that they are on track with completing the necessary procedures.

After the latest extension of the casino tender, interested developers now have up to September 30 to submit their bids. Minister Georgiadis said that September 30 would be the closing date of the competition and that there would not be any more extensions of the deadline.

Hard Rock and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment Still In the Race

While Caesars and Genting might be losing interest in developing a €1 billion casino as part of the €8 billion Hellinikon resort, other two major companies are believed to still be interested in the opportunity to expand to Greece.

Greek media outlets report that representatives from Hard Rock International and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment were in Athens last week where they met with Minister Georgiadis to confirm their intention to bid for the casino license.

Mohegan partnered last month with Greek construction giant GEK Terna to jointly participate in the bidding process, while Hard Rock is understood to have joined forces with Intrakat and that the latter would tend to the construction needs of the gaming and hospitality giant if it wins the casino tender.

This is not the first time Hard Rock has expressed interest in building a casino in the region. Back in 2016, the company’s joint bid with Hong Kong-listed resort operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment won the race for the development of the first integrated casino resort in the Republic of Cyprus. However, Hard Rock quit the project the following year, citing its intention to pursue other investment opportunities as the reason for its decision.

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