This Week in Gambling

In a massive $1.56 billion deal, DraftKings will acquire Golden Nugget Online Gaming. An agreement was reached with Fertitta Entertainment, the parent company of the Golden Nugget and Landry’s Restaurants. The deal includes the Golden Nugget online gaming product and existing their existing database of more than 5 million gamblers. Additionally, the agreement includes marketing integrations and sponsorship with the NBA’s Houston Rockets. DraftKings will become the exclusive fantasy sports and sports betting partner of the Houston Rockets, even though sports betting has not been legalized in the state of Texas yet. Jason Robins, the CEO of DraftKings, stated “Our…

Smartphones have changed the lives of many people on the planet. And no doubt, mobile gambling has been a boon for the gaming industry. But where will this lead us ten or even twenty years in the future? Right now about 35% of the global population has a cell phone, and that number is expected to grow at a rate of over 11% in the next seven years. Not all of those people will be interested in gambling, but there will still be many new and emerging markets of players. Those that do chose do take advantage of mobile gambling…

A deal has been struck where MGM buys CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip from Infinity World Development for $2.125 billion. Infinity and MGM had each owned 50% of the property. The deal then allows MGM to then sell the real estate of the Aria and Vdara to the Blackstone Group for $3.89 billion. The agreements for both CityCenter and the resort properties should be completed this fall, after which MGM will pay the Blackstone Group $215 million per year for rent as they continue to operate both hotels. Blackstone already owns the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, also located at…

New Jersey online gambling revenue reached new heights last month. According to the Division of Gaming Enforcement, the state raked in over $450 million in the month of July, and of that nearly $120 million was from internet betting. Those numbers are way up from the same time last year when New Jersey had made $1.29 billion by this time. The figures for this year mark an increase of just over 98%, with the year-to-date revenue for the state at $2.56 billion. The new figures for online gaming shatter the prior record from March when revenue reached $113.7 million. But…

The iGathering networking dinners will take place across Europe, the USA, and Asia In the run up to the upcoming SiGMA Europe show during Malta Week, SiGMA is taking its renowned series of iGathering events across three continents. Successful dinners were held this summer in several European locations, including Kiev, Marbella, and most recently, London – and for many guests marked the first iGaming networking events since the health crisis prompted a series of nationwide shutdowns. A dinner in Florida in the beginning of June kicked off the first iGathering to be held in the USA, paving the way for…

This week’s gambling news finds more casino vaccinations becoming mandatory, with proof of a COVID vaccination needed before they allow guests in their doors. This comes a week after Harrah’s New Orleans lead the way by requiring proof of Coronavirus shots, or a negative COVID test, for their guests. Hello friends! Thanks so much for joining me on another edition of This Week in Gambling! Our last show before my happy ass is out the door for a week’s vacation… just as the vaccination situation at casinos across America is getting serious. And that is this week’s big story. On…