Nevada Legislature to Consider Election Betting

Ever wanna try election betting? Well, Nevada is thinking about it, too. What are the odds of Hillary Clinton being elected as the next president? Folks in Nevada may just get a chance to place a wager on who will win federal elections under a plan that has resurfaced. A legislative committee will decide Tuesday whether to recommend if Nevada should allow election betting on federal races, making available here bets that can already be placed overseas. State Senator Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill in the 2013 Legislature to permit wagering on federal elections. Senate Bill 418 passed…

William Hill seals new banking deal

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker William Hill announced today (Friday) that it has signed a new five-year loan agreement with a syndicate of banks. The £540 million (€667 million/$927 million) committed multi-currency revolving credit facility will expire in May 2019. It replaces the group’s existing revolving credit facility, which was due to expire in November 2015. “We are pleased to have completed this deal both with the support of our relationship banks and with two new lenders to the group,” William Hill group finance director Neil Cooper said. “This transaction extends the group’s debt maturities, strengthening the group’s balance sheet…

Ladbrokes poster campaign condemned for glamorising gambling

Marketing Magazine – The advertising watchdog has received 67 complaints that the latest Ladbrokes outdoor ad campaign glamorises gambling and links it to sexual success. Complainants to the Advertising Standards Authority believe the ads are harmful and irresponsible because they glamorise gambling, link it with social and sexual success, and exploit the credulity of young and vulnerable people. The Ladbrokes outdoor campaign features red stylised posters of the characters in its wider campaign, but use taglines such as “once is lucky, twice is talent” and “when you win it’s skill, when you lose it’s bad luck”. The criticism of the…

Las Vegas amenities are attracting visitors

Las Vegas Review Journal – Just as the recession began to grip Las Vegas in 2008, gaming executive Terry Lanni made a prediction. During an interview at his offices in the Bellagio, Lanni said a Las Vegas market recovery was not going to be like any other time tourism and gaming businesses experienced a downturn. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it took 18 to 24 months for tourists to get comfortable with domestic travel. The recession of the 1980s took a bite out of the tour and travel trade nationwide. An aggressive marketing campaign by the Las…

Social casino market shrinks, operators shift strategy

Venture Beat – Social and mobile casino game operators are facing a shrinking market, as the number of monthly players has shrunk to 85 million from 109 million a year ago, according to market researcher SuperData Research. In response, those companies are shifting away from acquiring more players and instead are focused on making money from those that they already have. Joost van Dreunen, the chief executive of SuperData, said that the sector is entering its next stage and that casino-style game operators are positioning themselves for a mature market. Building a long-term relationship with consumers now makes more sense for…

Casinos should focus on younger demographic

Mississippi Business Journal – Forbes says Tilman Fertitta is worth $2.4 billion. He became a wealthy businessman by making smart decisions, being opportunistic and having a business-is-business attitude. But even when the owner and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment walks into one of his three Golden Nugget casinos, one thing scares him — the changing landscape of the customers. “One of my scariest things that is young people do not play slot machines,” said Fertitta, who was the keynote speaker kicking off last week’s Southern Gaming Summit in Biloxi. “I go to all these places, it’s not young people playing slot…