
Foxwoods’ operator, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, has announced plans to build a casino resort in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Foxwoods Mississippi rising: although devastated by Hurricane Katrina eleven years ago, Biloxi, Mississippi’s casinos have now produced comeback, as well as the Mashantucket Pequot plan to go in by 2019.
Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Rodney Butler stated this week that the proposed $265 million casino resort, and also to be called Foxwoods, will host a 500-room hotel, and 71,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space.
It’ll be constructed on the website of a former heinz pet food factory on Biloxi’s Ebony Bay, in partnership with Biloxi Boardwalk Ventures and The Hartmann Group.
The tribe is desperate to expand its casino operations, as the market in the Northeast is in peril of becoming saturated. Increased competition in nearby states, plus a expensive expansion to its Connecticut resort during the beginning of the economic downturn, has saddled the Pequot with $1.7 billion in debt.
And now a new hazard to the once-thriving Foxwoods looms simply across the state line in Connecticut in the MGM Springfield, a $950 million resort, scheduled to open in 2018.
New England Border Wars
In reaction, Foxwoods and its Connecticut rival Mohegan Sun have actually partnered on a project that is proposed develop a ‘satellite casino’ on the reverse side of the border. The task that has been scornfully dismissed by MGM Chairman Jim Murren as a ‘box of slots.’
But MGM is sufficiently concerned about the program to launch a challenge that is legal the state of Connecticut, decrying the proposed satellite casino as unconstitutional. The Mohegans and the Pequot are the only entities lawfully allowed to use casinos in the state, and until now, only from of their very own lands that are tribal.
MGM is crying foul, noting that the brand new satellite casino would be built outside the tribes’ sovereign territories.
In the middle of brand New England’s casino border wars, Foxwoods clearly sees expansion as its only path out of crippling financial obligation, and therefore it is looking south. But for all of the talk of saturation in the Northeast, Biloxi is hardly bereft of casinos itself. The town has 11, with a total of 15 in the Gulf Coast.
Biloxi’s Slow Recovery
It has taken a decade for the location to begin its recovery that is economic following devastation of Hurricane Katrina, during which several of Biloxi’s casinos had been damaged or destroyed. But there are signs that Biloxi’s rebuilt casino industry is starting to enjoy development, and its particular tourism industry is recovering.
In accordance with a recent report by the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association, Mississippi gambling enterprises reported $2.12 billion in gaming revenue and $758 million in non-gaming revenue in 2015, with Gulf Coast casinos accounting for $1.15 billion. And today, a decade after Katrina, Foxwoods is gambling on a bounce back in to health that is full.
The tribe has said that it hopes to start Foxwoods Mississippi in spring of 2019.
Nj-new Jersey Casino Expansion? Maybe Not So Fast, Say Nyc Lawmakers
Brand New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-89th), says he’s damned bondibet casino free spins if he is likely to sit back and allow New Jersey build casinos right across the water from nyc. (Image:assembly.state.ny.us)
A recent push for New Jersey casino expansion has caused a boatload of controversy, and among those pushing back are neighboring New York City lawmakers.
Big Apple legislators are now considering cutting quick the seven-year ban on licensing casinos in the New York metropolitan area, to be able to counteract New Jersey’s proposed expansion in the north, or at least they are pretending they will.
Confused? Allow brand New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-89th), Chairman of the New York Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, to clear things up.
‘we are not telling them [New Jersey] what to do,’ Pretlow told Bloodhorse.com this week. ‘we are telling them if they do what they wish to accomplish then we are going to do what we want to do.’
Ok, thanks, Gary.
To translate, New York is aghast that nj is considering licensing two casinos in the north, in the midst of its casino expansion that is own upstate. They also had the chutzpah to think about one on the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, home to the New York Giants and brand New York Jets, of all places. And one in the waterfront in Jersey City, directly across from Lower Manhattan.
Fool’s Gold
New York, when it licensed three brand new casinos upstate this present year, did so beneath the proviso that no gambling enterprises could be built downstate for seven years. This ended up being written in to the bill that authorized its expansion, which was passed in 2013.
Nevertheless now, dealing with a border that is potential in the south, ny pols are mulling the theory of tearing that contract up, or at least making loud noises about doing this to be able to warn New Jersey off.
New Jersey, of program, has problems of unique. Atlantic City’s casino industry happens to be through tough times, largely due to oversaturation of the market and increased competition from the casino expansion of neighboring states, chiefly Pennsylvania.
Some see north casinos, which it’s hoped would lure gamblers across the Hudson, as the answer to all their problems, while others see them being a fool’s silver which could spell curtains for Atlantic City.
November Referendum
New Jersey residents will decide the concern of expansion in a referendum in and polls suggest they are almost equally divided on the issue november. Nyc is hoping that by flexing its muscles it might be able to put New Jersey voters off, and frighten investors that are away potential North Jersey casino projects.
‘I’m not interested in creating a border war with nj-new jersey, but New York has a interest that is vested gaming and we are not going allowing one of our neighbors to simply take far from that,’ Pretlow said this week.
As well as starting up casino gaming to nyc City and its suburbs, the state is considering the notion of offering AqueductRacetrack and Yonkers Raceway casino that is full-blown. Or at least they will be speaking extremely loudly about it whenever New Jerseyans are within earshot.
Pennsylvania Casinos Obtain Choice To Dispense Alcohol 24/7, Las Vegas-Style
Enter a Pennsylvania casino into the months that are coming and you also’ll likely have the choice to consume alcohol around the clock. On June 8, Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed House Bill 1690 into law in an effort to modernize the state’s rather antiquated liquor statutes.
Drinks, anyone? When bars in downtown Pittsburgh close at 2 am, the Rivers, Parx, and Sands Bethlehem properties will likely continue pouring, now that Governor Tom Wolf has signed a law to enable Pennsylvania casinos to serve alcohol all and night day. (Image: businesspundit.com)
Ahead of the historic passage, convenience stores and filling stations were barred from selling six packs of beer, and residents in the Keystone State couldn’t purchase wine in grocery stores or have wine shipped directly to their domiciles. Casinos were also forced to adhere to liquor laws taverns that are governing pubs and stop selling spirits at 2 am.
Pennsylvania will continue operating the state liquor stores, but the bill is being celebrated by Wolf and alcohol expansion proponents.
‘As i’ve always said, my goal is to modernize the sale of liquor and alcohol in Pennsylvania and this reform package finally brings Pennsylvania’s wine and spirits system in to the century that is 21st’ the governor stated.
Spirited Business
Before HB 1690, Pennsylvania’s 13 casinos were forbidden from serving alcohol after 2 am. Casinos will are in possession of the possibility to rid themselves among these hourly limitations, however they will come at a cost that is steep.
The new casino alcohol category allows companies invested in gambling to purchase 24/7 booze licenses for $1 million for a year that is initial. Renewals for the permits will surely cost $1 million for the following 36 months before dropping to $250,000 annually.
Lawmakers in Harrisburg are optimistic gambling enterprises will leap at the possiblity to serve booze 24 / 7, plus in doing so, the state should take advantage of the licensing revenue.
Republicans control the state legislature, as well as the conservative General Assembly is looking for ways to fund Wolf’s proposed expanded spending plan that is expected to generate a $1 billion shortfall. The state is looking at online gambling as another new source of income in addition to easing liquor laws.
Sands Bethlehem, Parx Casino, and Rivers Casino, the top three grossing facilities in hawaii, have actually stayed quiet on the alcohol news. However, all three are expected to take advantage of the measure that is new.
While Sands and Parx are not located within walking distance of urban downtowns where nightlife is forced to disperse at 2 am, the Rivers Casino could become the newest go-to after celebration spot once city bars close in Pittsburgh.
Alcohol Laws Differ By State
An edge as gambling has expanded in the congested northeast, states are looking for ways to give their venues. Allowing alcohol that is perennial should do just that.
Nevada Regulators Give US Fantasy Thumbs Up, and DFS Has Returned On Board, Type Of
A company named United States Fantasy might conjure up all kinds of images, but this one proposes to provide fantasy sports wagering to clients at Nevada casinos based on a parimutuel wagering system. Owner Vic Salerno, known being an innovator in the race and sports book industries, believes that daily fantasy activities (DFS) might be right back regarding the menu in Nevada soon, at the very least in a slightly tweaked format.
That’s because this week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) recommended certification for the company newly formed by Salerno in US Fantasy.
Vegas sports betting innovator Vic Salerno, right, (shown with American Wagering’s Senior Vice President of Business Development & Public Affairs John English in 2011) is preparing to unfurl his United States Fantasy in Nevada. (Image: reviewjournal.com)
‘It’s so simple, I can’t realize why anyone didn’t contemplate this before,’ Salerno previously told the Las Las Vegas Review-Journal. ‘ We realize fantasy sports has proven become an attractive offering for a broader market. It’s really a unique possibility for the industry.’
Now, he’s giving it a twist that is new telling Gaming Today this week that ‘all we’re doing is replacing horses with individual athletes.’
On the Gaming Control Board unanimously recommended the issue of an off-track, parimutuel sports system operator’s license wednesday. The application will now be passed to the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) where its expected to receive approval that is final.
Pointless Licensing
Nevadans have been without daily fantasy sports (DFS) since late year that is last when operators pulled the plug following a ruling by Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett that DFS constituted gambling under Nevada law. And that ruling was subsequently supported by the state’s Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who copied Burnett’s choice.
‘Because DFS involves wagering on the collective performance of people participating in sports, under current law, legislation and approvals, in order to lawfully expose DFS for play within hawaii of Nevada, someone must have a permit to use a sports pool issued by the Nevada Gaming Commission,’ wrote Burnett at the time.
While operators like DraftKings and FanDuel were told to cease and desist with immediate impact, regulators emphasized they applied for a sports betting license that they would be welcomed back in Nevada provided. But since hawaii does not sanction online activities betting, limiting offsite betting to remote apps inside the state being certified by land-based casinos, the pursuit of online certification has not been a priority for the market-leading DFS web sites.
Fantasy Fulfilled
US Fantasy, meanwhile, will offer competitions in Nevada through brick-and-mortar casinos, but will also seek to do business with regulators in other states, in an effort to connect up with racetracks, off-track-betting parlors, gambling enterprises, and lotteries around the US. The target will be to help build prize that is networked for the contests. It may also offer contests that are online states where DFS has already been regulated, and is perhaps not regarded as being recreations betting.
Salerno was a co-founder of Leroy’s House and Sports Put, which opened in downtown Las Vegas in the late seventies and grew into American Wagering, the organization that operates the majority of Vegas sports books today.
American Wagering had been acquired by British bookmaker William Hill in 2012, and Salerno was retained as chairman of this newly formed William Hill United States. He is credited with presenting several innovations into the industry, including the self-service betting kiosk and the state’s first mobile sports app that is betting.