Foxwoods’ operator, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, has announced plans to construct a casino resort in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Foxwoods Mississippi rising: although devastated by Hurricane Katrina eleven years ago, Biloxi, Mississippi’s gambling enterprises have now made a comeback, plus the Mashantucket Pequot plan to go in by 2019.
Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Rodney Butler said this week that the proposed $265 million casino resort, and to be called Foxwoods, will host a 500-room hotel, and 71,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space.
It’s going to be built 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 an expansion that is costly its Connecticut resort at the start of the economic downturn, has saddled the Pequot with $1.7 billion in debt.
And now a new threat 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.
Brand New England Border Wars
In reaction, Foxwoods and its own Connecticut rival Mohegan Sun have partnered on a project that is proposed create a ‘satellite casino’ on the other 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 plan to introduce a legal challenge against the state of Connecticut, decrying the proposed satellite casino as unconstitutional. The Mohegans and the Pequot will be the only entities lawfully allowed to operate casinos within the state, and until now, only from of their own lands that are tribal.
MGM is crying foul, noting that the satellite that is new would be built outside the tribes’ sovereign regions.
In the middle of brand New England’s casino border wars, Foxwoods clearly sees expansion as its only path out of crippling debt, and so it is looking south. But also for all of the talk of saturation in the Northeast, Biloxi is hardly bereft of casinos itself. The city 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 were damaged or damaged. But there are indications that Biloxi’s rebuilt casino industry is beginning to enjoy development, and its own 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 video gaming income and $758 million in non-gaming revenue in 2015, with Gulf Coast casinos accounting for $1.15 billion. And now, 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 Casino Expansion? Maybe Not So Fast, Say Ny Lawmakers
New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-89th), says he’s damned if he’s likely to stay back and allow New Jersey build casinos right across the water from new york. (Image:assembly.state.ny.us)
A push that is recent New Jersey casino expansion has triggered a boatload of controversy, and among those pushing back are neighboring New York City lawmakers.
Big Apple legislators are now considering cutting short the ban that is seven-year licensing casinos in the New York metropolitan area, to be able to counteract New Jersey’s proposed expansion in the north, or at minimum they are pretending they will.
Confused? Enable New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-89th), Chairman of the New York Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, to clear things up.
‘We’re not telling them [New Jersey] what to do,’ Pretlow told Bloodhorse.com this week. ‘We’re telling them when they do whatever they wish to accomplish then we are going to do what we want to do.’
Ok, many thanks, Gary.
To convert, New York is aghast that nj is considering licensing two casinos in the north, in the middle of its casino expansion that is own upstate. They also had the chutzpah to take into account one on the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, home to the gambling and brand New York Jets, of all places. And one on the waterfront in Jersey City, directly across from Lower Manhattan.
Fool’s Gold
New York, when it licensed three new casinos upstate this year, did so under the proviso that no gambling enterprises could be built downstate for seven years. This was written into the bill that authorized its expansion, that was passed in 2013.
However now, facing a border that is potential in the south, ny pols are mulling the theory of tearing that agreement up, or at least making loud noises about doing so to be able to warn New Jersey off.
New Jersey, of course, has problems of unique. Atlantic City’s casino industry is through tough times, largely due to oversaturation of this 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 gold that could spell curtains for Atlantic City.
November Referendum
New Jersey residents will determine 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 may be able to put New Jersey voters off, and scare investors that are away potential North Jersey casino projects.
‘I’m not thinking about creating a border war with New Jersey, but New York has a vested interest in gaming and we’re perhaps not going to permit one of our neighbors to take away from that,’ Pretlow said this week.
As well as opening up casino gaming to New York City and its suburbs, the state is considering the idea of giving AqueductRacetrack and Yonkers Raceway casino that is full-blown. Or at the least they will loudly be talking very about any of it whenever New Jerseyans are within earshot.
Pennsylvania Casinos Obtain Choice To Dispense Alcohol 24/7, Las Vegas-Style
Enter a Pennsylvania casino within the coming months, and you’ll likely have the choice to consume alcohol night and day. On June 8, Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed House Bill 1690 into legislation in order to modernize the state’s rather liquor that is antiquated.
Drinks, anyone? When bars in downtown Pittsburgh close at 2 am, the streams, Parx, and Sands Bethlehem properties will likely continue pouring, now that Governor Tom Wolf has signed a legislation to enable Pennsylvania casinos to provide alcohol all almost all the time. (Image: businesspundit.com)
Ahead of the historic passage, convenience stores and filling stations had been barred from selling six packages of beer, and residents in the Keystone State couldn’t purchase wine in food markets or have wine shipped right to their houses. Casinos were also forced to adhere to liquor laws governing taverns and bars and stop selling spirits at 2 am.
Pennsylvania will stay running the continuing state liquor stores, but the bill is being celebrated by Wolf and alcohol expansion proponents.
‘As I have always said, my goal is to modernize the sale of liquor and beer in Pennsylvania and also this reform package finally brings Pennsylvania’s wine and spirits system to the 21st century,’ the governor stated.
Spirited Business
Before HB 1690, Pennsylvania’s 13 casinos were forbidden from serving alcohol after 2 am. Casinos will now have the choice to rid by themselves of the hourly restrictions, however they will come at a cost that is steep.
The new casino liquor 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 casinos will jump during the chance to serve booze 24 / 7, and in doing so, the continuing state should benefit from the certification revenue.
Republicans control the state legislature, plus the General that is conservative Assembly looking for ways to fund Wolf’s proposed expanded budget that is anticipated to produce a $1 billion shortfall. In addition to easing liquor rules, the state is looking at on the web gambling as another new income source.
Sands Bethlehem, Parx Casino, and Rivers Casino, the top three grossing facilities in the state, have stayed quiet on the liquor news. However, all three are required to make use of the new measure.
While Sands and Parx aren’t located within walking distance of urban downtowns where nightlife is forced to disperse at 2 am, the Rivers Casino could become the new go-to after party spot once town bars close in Pittsburgh.
Alcohol Laws Differ By State
As gambling has expanded in the congested northeast, states are seeking means to offer their venues an advantage. Enabling alcohol that is perennial should do just that.
Nevada Regulators Give US Fantasy Thumbs Up, and DFS Has Returned Up To Speed, Type Of
An organization named US Fantasy might conjure up all sorts of images, but this one proposes to offer fantasy activities betting to clients at Nevada gambling enterprises based on a parimutuel wagering system. Owner Vic Salerno, known being an innovator in the race and sports book companies, believes that daily fantasy sports (DFS) could possibly be back on the menu in Nevada quickly, at least in a format that is slightly tweaked.
That’s because this week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) recommended certification for the business newly formed by Salerno in US Fantasy.
Nevada recreations innovator that is betting Salerno, right, (shown with American Wagering’s Senior Vice President of Business Development & Public Affairs John English in 2011) is preparing to unfurl his US Fantasy in Nevada. (Image: reviewjournal.com)
‘It’s so simple, I can’t realize why anyone didn’t think of this before,’ Salerno formerly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. ‘ We understand fantasy sports has proven to be an offering that is attractive a broader market. It’s a unique possibility for the industry.’
Now, he’s giving it a brand new twist, telling Gaming Today this week that ‘all we’re doing is replacing horses with human athletes.’
On Wednesday, the Gaming Control Board unanimously suggested the issue of an off-track, parimutuel sports system operator’s license. The application will now be passed to the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) where it is anticipated to receive approval that is final.
Pointless Licensing
Nevadans have been without daily fantasy recreations (DFS) since late year that is last when operators pulled the plug adhering to 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 backed up Burnett’s decision.
‘Because DFS involves wagering on the collective performance of people taking part in sports, under current law, regulation and approvals, in order to lawfully expose DFS for play within hawaii of Nevada, a person must possess a license to work an activities pool issued by the Nevada Gaming Commission,’ wrote Burnett at that time.
While operators like DraftKings and FanDuel were told to cease and desist with immediate effect, regulators emphasized they applied for a sports betting license that they would be welcomed back in Nevada provided. But since the state does maybe not sanction online sports betting, limiting offsite betting to remote apps in the state that are certified by land-based casinos, the pursuit of online licensing will not be a priority for the market-leading DFS internet sites.
Fantasy Fulfilled
US Fantasy, meanwhile, will provide competitions in Nevada through brick-and-mortar casinos, but will even seek to work alongside regulators in other states, so as to link up with racetracks, off-track-betting parlors, gambling enterprises, and lotteries around the united states. The target will be to help build prize that is networked for the contests. It may also offer online contests in states where DFS has recently been regulated, and is not considered to be sports gambling.
Salerno had been a co-founder of Leroy’s House and Sports spot, which exposed in downtown nevada in the late seventies and grew into American Wagering, the company that operates nearly all Vegas sports books today.
American Wagering was acquired by British bookmaker William Hill in 2012, and Salerno was retained as chairman of this newly formed William Hill United States. He could be credited with introducing several innovations into the industry, including the self-service wagering kiosk and their state’s first mobile sports betting app.