Blogs

Sports betting news is making the rounds this week, as Maine is on-again, off-again when it comes to wagering on sporting events. Plus, Washington, D.C.can’t seem to get regulation working… and it’s costing them money. And sports betting news suddenly appears in Washington state!

Hello friends and welcome to This Week in Gambling! I have returned from my conference in the United Kingdom just in time to bring you this week’s big story:

Several months ago we reported the big sports betting news from Maine, where legislation had passed both the State House and Senate and advanced all the way to the governor’s desk needing only a signature to become law… but then…

Several weeks ago we reported that the governor said ‘not so fast, and vetoed the bill instead of signing it… meaning sports betting for all practical purposes was dead in the state… but then…

Several days ago we reported that the state Senate had decided to override the governor’s veto and send the legislation back to the House for approval, meaning sports betting was once again alive in Maine! Alive! BUT THEN…

The House screwed the pooch, so to speak, failing to muster enough votes to set aside the governor’s veto and pass the measure into law. Meaning, once again, sports betting was dead. This is your tax dollars at work!

Meanwhile, sports betting news on the east coast of America in Washington DC, sports wagering legislation has been passed for quite some time. But fighting over the best way to regulate the activity has kept it in limbo… although for players in DC, it feels more like the Hokey Pokey. And because of the dillying and the dallying and the delays Washington DC missed the biggest sports betting day of the year: the Superbowl! And by some estimates that could have cost the District about half a million bucks! So once again, your tax dollars at work!

And on the west coast of the US, in the other Washington, a sports betting bill has just been passed out of committee and sent to the State House for approval… but don’t get excited just yet. You see even if the bill does pass a House vote it would still have to be approved by the Senate and be signed by the governor all before March 13th… and any good sports bettor can tell you, those are some pretty long odds.

Many of us are waiting for Sin City to reopen, but when they do what Las Vegas Coronavirus changes can we expect? Some things will certainly change, like the way people check-in to hotels, rooms are sanitized and games are cleaned. But what about restaurants and nightclubs? What about big ticket shows? Those Coronavirus casino changes could hit everything from Uber to the hotel swimming pool!

Whether you’re a mother or whether you’re a brother, welcome to This Week in Gambling! And if you’re anything like me this whole shelter and place thing is getting pretty frustrating… even though I know we have to do it.

Last week we discussed WHEN casinos would reopen because eventually these restrictions will end and eventually people will want to travel again. If you’d like to see that video just follow this link. This week’s big story is about WHAT we can expect when the casinos do eventually reopen.

Undoubtedly one of the biggest Las Vegas Coronavirus changes will be that not every casino is going to make it through this down time… and I’m not just talking about Las Vegas. Casinos all across America are losing millions and millions of dollars every day. It’s estimated that Caesars corporation can survive this shutdown for about 8 months… MGM only about 9… Boyd Gaming about 10. The Sands corporation and Wynn can survive about 15 to 20 months…. but what about the peripheral industries affected by the Coronavirus?

Everyone who depends on the gaming industry from taxi drivers to airline workers is basically shut down right now. Think about the Uber drivers… the restaurant workers… and the people who put on all those extravagant shows! Oh, the Vegas show!s Yes, another big change could be an end to big venue attractions. Take for example Cirque de Soleil… just gone! And it’s not just the shows that are in danger. Other amenities at hotels where crowds gather, like nightclubs, buffets and pools.

I realize we’ve spoken almost exclusively about Las Vegas in this video because, after all, they are the biggest gaming destination in the country. But other casinos all across America are hurting as well. Penn National estimates they can survive only about 5 months of casino closures, While Red Rock says about a year.

Two of the biggest tribal casinos in America, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun ,both shut down last month and furloughed their employees… some of which have not been paid. But what about the hundreds and hundreds of other tribal gaming sites that might not be able to withstand a closure of several months? Hopefully there will be some federal aid money for that. Also El Dorado resorts… although the only thing I hear about them is that they’re still moving forward with their plans to merge with Caesars… and if that’s what they’re trying to do then well I guess that’s some good news!

But you know it’s alright… it’s okay… we’ll live to see another day! Because not all of the potential Las Vegas Coronavirus changes are necessarily bad! In fact, when we come back from the break we’ll discuss some of the tremendous opportunities that may exist for visitors that are brave enough to venture out!

You know, like I was saying before the break, not all of these potential changes coming to Las Vegas are necessarily a bad thing for visitors. In fact, even now we’re already seeing some huge discounts and great deals on hotel rooms and airfare… just remember that buying anything right now could be risky because we don’t know when all this pandemic, lock-down stuff is going to actually come to an end.

However, when things do get back to normal some analysts believe that we may see an end to those stupid hotel “Resort Fees”… You know those fees they use to advertise a lower rate that you’re really not getting, and then they add them on at the end when you go to checkout and jack up the price! Yeah… those! And we may see an end to hotel parking fees as well.

Another change that was taking place before the Coronavirus struck was hotel automation. I’ve actually gone to Las Vegas, checked into a hotel at a kiosk, stayed a week, checked out at the kiosk and never even spoken to anyone at the property! Moving forward I would expect to see even more kiosks and automation.

Also the way they clean your room, the elevators and all the gaming equipment will have to change… and I can say that with some confidence because I know if they don’t change it, ain’t nobody going back to their hotels or their casinos! Not you! Not me! Nobody! I would expect much stricter state regulations, probably in line with the CDC!

At the end of the day, my friends, just remember we’re all in this together. And even if things don’t get back to exactly the way they were, they will eventually get better. And if you’re in Las Vegas and you Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ we’re just stayin’ alive!

We have a week full of online gambling news with headlines about online gambling in Michigan, sports betting in Kentucky, poker in California, and tribal gaming in Oklahoma!

Hello friends and welcome to This Week in Gambling! Our last show before I take a week off to attend the International Casino Expo in London, England. So, I’m filming this early on Saturday, so if something happens… some major big gambling story breaks between now and Tuesday… don’t come yelling at me!

This week’s stories begin in the state of Michigan, where online gambling news was good recently. Legislators had passed an internet gambling bill, but the rules to regulate the activity will not be in place for at least another year! But hey, what do you expect from a state whose motto is literally “Land of Disappointment”?

Next up, its sports betting news from the state of Kentucky. Optimism has turned to pessimism in the Bluegrass State as sports betting regulation was expected to pass, but now rumor has it the legislation will never make it out of the Senate.

Also, poker news from the state of California where “alleged” Poker cheat Mike Postle was finally served papers in the $10 million lawsuit against his sorry ass. He had been hiding in his house for the past several months to avoid this, but he emerged and got served! Then, of course, he saw his shadow and went back inside because, you know… six more weeks of winter.

Also this week, land-based gaming news from the state of Oklahoma, where the governor says that Tribal casinos in his state are now operating illegally because their Tribal Gaming Compact expired on January 1st. Not-so say Tribal gaming leaders… they contend that their compact automatically renewed on January 1st and they’re doing nothing wrong.

I have two new game reviews to share with you this week, and if you like gems in your slots pay attention… these are for you! First up its Grand Gems, a 5 reel, 4 row game with 40 paylines from SYNOT. It comes with wilds, scatters, a bonus round, free spins and multiple with re spins which freeze their winning combinations!

Next up it’s simply Gemmed! from our friends at BetSoft! This 9 real, 9 row game also comes with wilds, scatters and an incredible 40,500 Paylines! You can find both of these reviews on our YouTube channel, along with hundreds more! And while you’re there, do us a favor! Show us some love! Take a moment to click that subscribe button! Don’t forget, no online gambling news next week as I travel.

We say goodbye to long time online

gambling opponent Sheldon Adelson,

as he passed away last week at the age of 87.

We also have New Jersey and Ohio

sports betting news, as well as

Ohio and Michigan online gambling news.

Our final show of 2020 wraps up the year

with online gambling news involving Sheldon Adelson!

There is also sports betting news involving ESPN,

Caesars, and Disney!

Plus, more Coronavirus closures in

Las Vegas and a new game review!

It’s our last show of the year, so we update some of the biggest gambling news stories from 2019. Topics include Pennsylvania online poker, the Department of Justice Wire Act opinion, and the expansion of sports betting!

Hello friends, and welcome to This Week in Gambling! Our last show of the year before I take some much-deserved time off! And hey, what better way to say goodbye to 2019 than to look back at this year’s biggest gambling news stories?

After a long wait, Pennsylvania online poker finally arrived. Now just over a month after the launch, PokerStars has blown away all the expectations! In fact, Pennsylvania has done better than any other regulated poker market in the United States! The site is averaging over 400 cash games running at the same time, and tournament participation has been so strong that Poker Stars had to up their guarantees by 20 percent!

However, it wasn’t all good news this past year. You may remember that the US Department of Justice played Scrooge to online gambling when they suddenly change their opinion on the Federal Wire Act earlier this year… a case they eventually lost but are planning to appeal. As we reported on our show from November 12th, the DOJ’s paperwork to file that appeal was due last month. However, they asked the judge for an extension and he said yeah sure… go ‘head go ‘head go ‘head… The new deadline for the appeal in the DOJ online gambling case is December 20th, so I’ll have to update you on this case when I come back in January.

Threats from the DOJ did not dampen the Christmas spirit of the states when it came to sports betting. Thirteen of them have now regulated the activity, and another six have passed legislation and should go live sometime in 2020. But with mo’ sports betting comes mo’ problems. As we reported in the gambling news last week the very first NFL player has been suspended for betting on the games, prompting a fresh warning from the league about NFL sports betting rules to be issued just a few days ago.

To be fair, the player in question never compromised the integrity of the games. He never played in any of the games. And he never used any inside information when placing his bets on the games. Still, he made the NFL’s naughty list. After all, rules are rules.

Of course some people may use this incident to condemn sports betting expansion and America, but if they do you just remind them that these bets were placed in a Las Vegas casino where sports betting had been regulated for years… not in one of these new jurisdictions with expanded sports betting. So this incident would have happened even without sports betting reform. So they can go stuff that argument straight in their stocking!

Finally! Las Vegas casinos reopen this week! Well, many of them will. But before you go making plans to hit Sin City, you better hear of the hidden danger that few people know about! Plus, learn which Vegas casinos reopened and which will remain closed for now.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

The Governor of Nevada is expected to announce that the state is ready for Phase Two of the reopening process, and to set a June 4th date for Las Vegas casinos reopening and welcoming players and tourists once again! Also, updates on casino openings in California, Connecticut and New Jersey!

More gambling news at This Week in Gambling!