The Ilani Casino opened its doors on April 24 to a throng of disgruntled patrons. Being the closest casino to Portland, Oregon, The Ilani knew they were going to attract a strong local crowd, but had no idea of the mayhem that would soon unfold. Among the problems, the grand opening drew in thousands of patrons, clogging local roads and the I-5 North for eight miles. On top of that, the casino’s 3,000-space parking lot was completely full, leaving guests circling the lot or looking for parking, even worse, simply leaving. The hysteria reached a frenzied peak when guests assembled…

MGM Resorts will make its first-ever splash into real money internet gaming this year when it becomes the newest entrant into New Jersey’s growing online gaming space. The Las Vegas-based casino operator announced Wednesday morning that it has sealed a partnership with GVC Holdings PLC, a global sports betting and online gaming provider, to launch an online casino and poker platform in the state under the playMGM brand. The platform will be MGM’s first foray into the online casino space and is scheduled to launch later this year. It will offer more than 300 casino games playable on mobile and…

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions are scheduled to meet tomorrow. One item likely to come up in their discussion: Online gambling. What they will talk about is not known. But there are a wide array of topics that the AG’s office would be involved with that would impact state governments in general and Nevada in particular. Sandoval is also the vice-chair of the National Governors Association, and could wear both hats in his meeting with Sessions. Because of recent chatter, it’s fair to guess the topic of online gambling will come up. Rumors have been…

In 2011, the poker world was dismayed to learn that Barney Frank (D-MA) was retiring from Congress. The loss of Frank set federal online gambling legislative efforts back, as he was one of only a few supporters of online gambling legalization in Congress. Frank was also by far the loudest and most fervent. Frank was online poker’s only real champion in Congress during his tenure. No one (sorry Joe Barton) has stepped up to fill his shoes since his departure. In 2017, Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s (R-UT) stunning retirement announcement caught the attention of the poker community and supporters of legal,…

International Game Technology (IGT) has agreed a deal to sell its Double Down Interactive LLC social casino subsidiary to an affiliate of DoubleU Games Co. Under the definitive purchase agreement, social casino operator DoubleU Games, which is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, will purchase the business unit for $825 million (€774.9 million). IGT said the transaction “establishes a new multi-year strategic partnership between IGT and DoubleU Games to provide innovative player experiences in the social casino market worldwide”. The firm added that funds from the acquisition will be used for general corporate purposes, including debt reduction. Upon the closing of…

A powerful group is pushing to set high tax rates to online gambling activities in order to make it non-viable in the state.US.- A group within the Pennsylvania State Senate is attempting to trample down the intent of regulating online gambling in the region. Online Poker Report (OPR) reported that the small but powerful group is demanding ridiculously high tax rates in order to divert the interest in the online gambling activity. The state budget has already included over US$100 million worth of license fees but, in case that said intentions succeed, another US$300 million would be lost in additional…