This Week in Gambling

The times they are a-changin’… yes, even for Las Vegas. In fact, the Chairman of Hard Rock International recently said he believes the entire Vegas business model will need to be altered post-Coronavirus. During his interview with Fox Business, Jim Allen said that he believes visitors will come back to Las Vegas in the long term. And by “long term he means when there is some type of cure or vaccine. Then, he said, “people will slowly graduate back into wanting to come out.” Mr. Allen believes “that the business model of the casino floor in Las Vegas is going…

The latest property in the Caesars Entertainment family has reopened it’s rooms to guests again. The Linq Hotel starts welcoming people back today… although the casino floor has been open since June 12th. Amenities within the complex will have differing hours of operation and some attractions have modified their hours. While The Linq Hotel’s gaming floor is open around the clock, the O’Sheas Casino will only be open Friday through Sunday, noon to midnight and the bar is closed. Caesars will now have all of its properties at least partially opened except the Cromwell, Planet Hollywood and the off-Strip Rio….

Approximately 13 percent of American adults plan to bet on the NFL this year despite lower enthusiasm from fans in general about the 2020-21 season, according to a new survey from the American Gaming Association (AGA). Of the estimated 33.2 million adults who plan to bet on this NFL season: 20 percent (6.6 million) will wager at physical, legal sportsbooks, up from 18 percent last year. 34 percent (11.3 million) will place a bet through legal and illegal online platforms, up from 29 percent. 18 percent (6 million) will wager with a bookie, either in person or via a mobile…

Many people thought it was a sad inevitability. Not long ago, poker professional Mike Sexton announced a diagnoses of prostate cancer. Today he passed in peace at his home, surrounded by those he loved most. Sexton, 72, was a living poker legend, a World Poker Tour commentator, and one of the game’s all-time best ambassadors. He hosted the WPT alongside Vince Van Patten for 15 years. The Indiana-born poker pro also achieved great success on the felt, having cashed for $6.7 million in live tournaments and far more in cash games. Countless members of the poker community are grieving over…

SiGMA Group is excited to reveal the newly-released agenda for the Americas Digital Conference. The inaugural event is running from 22-24 September, the summit brings well-known faces from the Latin American gaming and tech sector to a series of in-depth debate panels, with content offered in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Following the success of SiGMA-AIBC Asia Focus this June, circa 40 keynotes and panels will focus on two leading themes: SiGMA Americas for the gaming industry and AIBC Americas for the emerging tech industry. eman 1“SiGMA Americas offers a unique platform, bringing fresh content and new ideas to a sector…

Following the recent deal that will bring six new William Hill sports betting locations to the Vegas Strip, William Hill now seems to be setting their sights on the US online gambling market. The company is reportedly looking to merge its its American business with the online casino operations of longtime partner Caesars Entertainment. William Hill’s U.S. Chief Executive Joe Asher recently told Bloomberg that the company is in talks with Caesars about combining their sports-betting and online-gaming businesses. “There’s a lot of opportunity in there, and we think that we’ve got some really powerful assets in this space, so…