Tag: Casino

Casinos Rove into Virtual Reality in a Bid to Excite Players

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Casinos are always looking for new and innovative ways to attract new customers and to get their existing customers excited about gaming. Online gaming was just the beginning and a lot of fresh ideas have sprung up since then, some successful and others entirely bizarre. Still, more and more innovations are being pursued in a bid to revolutionize casino gaming in the same way that online gaming did.

One of the newest innovations in casino technology that is currently being tested is virtual reality (VR). This admittedly exciting new concept will allow players to “compete against each other for cash prizes in spirited VR tournaments.” This was through the efforts of both International Gaming Technology (IGT), a game developer and HTC Vive, a renowned virtual reality hardware developer. The two hardware developers collaborated to launch the new Virtual Reality product referred to as “Virtual Zone” at Boyd Gaming’s, The Orleans in Las Vegas which makes the casino the first and only operator with such an offering.

The pairing is a rather strong selling point for this new idea – HTC delivers the amazingly-engineered immersive virtual reality headgear that takes players into IGT’s Virtual Zone, the virtual reality competition arena that pits the players against each other in a series of skill-based gaming tournaments. Obviously, the winner gets to walk away with a prize.

Is This the Future of Gambling?

While it is certainly too early to tell which direction this will take, it is quite clear that casino gaming is diverging from the traditional casino floors and virtual reality might be a fresh extension of that trend. This is especially because of the fact that the casino industry has been trying to engage with the millennial generation that is not very fond of traditional casino gaming.

Esports is a great reference – casinos are slowly catching on to the reality that gladiatorial nature of competitive video gaming is far more appealing to younger markets as when compared to the one-dimensional and strategy-devoid slot machines.

With virtual reality, it is safe to say that virtual reality might end up redefining gambling games and make them work as spectator sports. Most casino games have been perfected for decades, and even centuries, which makes them ripe for a bit of innovation. The ultimate goal is to keep the players excited about a casino’s offerings. In the unlikely case that this goes south, there are a number of great alternatives, some of which have not even been thought of yet.

Sands Exits Pennsylvania Casino Market as Online Poker Nears

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Last fall, Pennsylvania legalized online casino despite strong opposition from billionaire casino boss Sheldon Adelson who owns and operates Las Vegas Sands Corp. The company has been operating a casino-resort, Sands Bethlehem, for years now but the establishment is being sold off before the United States Supreme Court delivers a ruling that will bring legal online gambling in the state.

Sands officially announced on Friday that the company had entered into an agreement to sell the Sands Bethlehem casino-resort for a whopping $1.3 billion to a group known as Wind Creek Hospitality which is an affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama. The $1.3 billion itself is not a bad return for Las Vegas Sands Corp., per se, since the property was built for $743 million before it was launched in 2009. Since then, Sands Bethlehem was among the most successful casino businesses in Pennsylvania’s $3 billion-a-year casino gambling market.

As mentioned earlier, since Sheldon’s the company is not really pro-online gambling, the sale is sort of a reaction to the legalization of online poker to Pennsylvania even though it came months after the state made the ruling. However, Sands Bethlehem is not the only gambling establishment that has felt the pinch – a good number of the other Pennsylvanian casinos have been forced to go back to the drawing board and find out how they can compete in the online space.

“Sands Bethlehem has become one of the leading regional entertainment and gaming destinations in the United States and we are extremely proud of the positive contributions the property has made for Bethlehem and eastern Pennsylvania,” Sheldon Adelson said in a statement about the sale.

Sands Bethlehem has maintained a great track record of success in Pennsylvania especially due to its 36-table poker room that is considered to be among the best places in the state. Fortunately for the casino’s customers, the casino’s management has assured players that the sale will not affect its operations and they can continue enjoying everything that the casino-resort has to offer.

The Drew Las Vegas Casino Resort Set to Open in 2020

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Global development firm Witkoff and Marriott International have partnered in a bid to open a new integrated resort and casino on the site of a project that was previously known as the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The large casino-resort whose construction on the Las Vegas Strip has been left unfinished since 2009 is now scheduled to launch towards the end of 2020 under a new moniker – The Drew Las Vegas.

The site initially hosted the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino that opened in 1948, after which it was later renamed to Silverbird then El Rancho before it was finally closed in 1992. Eight years later in 2000, Fountainbleau Resorts purchased the property but after imploding El ranch bought additional acreage and began a construction project that was halted in 2009 before it was sold to Icahn Enterprises’ L.P.’s majority shareholder Carl Icahn for $600 million.

In addition to featuring a casino and about 4,000 rooms and suites, the new luxury entertainment project will also be hosting the Las Vegas strip’s first JW Marriot. Also, once open, Marriot International will be responsible for managing the hotels.

“It is going to be a design-forward building, and when we bring it all together, people are going to say, ‘I really want to come back,’” said Steven Witkoff, chairman, and CEO of Witkoff. “The structure here is so well conceived, even from nine years ago, that there are a lot of possibilities for us to put our imprint from a design standpoint on that property.”

What to Expect

The resort is expected to include 50,000 square feet of convention and meeting space alongside a variety of nightlife, entertainment, retail and over 20 dining options. Witkoff further mentioned that while the building’s design is yet to be finalized, the existing eight-and-a-half acre pool deck will be redesigned to make it stand out among all other in Las Vegas.

Another project that is also in the works and has an anticipated 2020 launch date is the multibillion-dollar Resorts World Las Vegas that is going to lean more towards Chinese and Chinese-American tourists. In total, the two projects will be offering 7,000 rooms to the area and this will also be at about the same time that a mega expansion of the Las Vegas Conventions Centre will be completed. Looks like Sin City is about to get even more exciting.

Resorts World Catskills Opens New Casino in Sullivan County

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After decades of waiting, the New York’s newest casino, a $1.2 billion project in the Catskills finally began operating. The Resort World Catskills casino is a 100,000-square-foot behemoth that sits on a site that is approximately 1,700 acres – which was previously owned by the former Concord Resort Hotel. This particular Resorts World Catskill project was spearheaded by Empire Resorts which also happens to be operating the Monticello Casino & Raceway in Sullivan County.

Resorts World Casino & Resorts becomes the fourth state-approved casino to open since December 2016. The state currently hosts three other commercial, non-Indian casinos – the Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols, Tioga County; del Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, Seneca County; and the Rivers Casino in Schenectady.

What To Expect

Already, there are huge expectations being mounted on the new casinos. For instance, the Resorts World officials are projecting that the complex will draw about 4 million visitors every year. Also, the operator’s management held job fairs in Orange and Sullivan Counties this winter in order to fill around 1,400 vacancies the casino would have when it finally launched. As it stands, this has been handled quite well and the state officials have confirmed that about three-quarters of the 1,300 permanent employees that the casino hired were either women or minorities. The number will eventually be bumped up by adding 600 more permanent employees next year when a planned indoor water park, entertainment village and the Concord’s redesigned Monster golf course open.

Resorts World Catskills’ Sullivan County complex boasts of a 100,000-square-foot floor comprising of a whopping 2,151 slot machines, 150 exciting table games as well as a poker room. Also available at the venue is a meeting space and 27,000 square feet of entertainment.

Customers will also be treated to some dining options including the Cellaio – restaurant operated by celebrity chef Scott Conant – which will be offering an Italian-style steakhouse menu. The casino will further host Good Friends Market and Lotus, both of which are outstanding Asian restaurants.

 “Resorts World Casino will be a destination with a variety of gaming, entertainment and dining options for tourists near and far that will boost the region and the entire state,” said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who attended Resorts World Catskills’ grand opening ceremony on Thursday.

The casino has a hotel that has 336 premium all-suite rooms and another with 324 rooms even though the latter will not be opened until next year.

Ex-Revel Casino Customers Tell What They Want In New Casino

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Atlantic City’s former Revel Casino failed due to a number of reasons after being in operation for just a little over two years – these included huge debts, a relatively over-saturated casino market in the northeastern United States as well as what can only be defined as a fundamental misreading of their main clientele base.

However, the casino is set to be reopened with a different name under the leadership of Colorado developer Bruce Deifik who purchased it from Glenn Straub for over $100 million more than Straub got it for. With Deifik at the helm of this new project, there are a lot of exciting prospects for the Atlantic City casino market especially because there are a lot of expectations pertaining to the new casino. Former Revel casino customers have been quite vocal about what they expect from the new casino, all of which revolved around five key factors:

The Casino’s Accessibility Needs To  Improve

Revel casino’s layout seemed to be quite an issue for the customers. For instance, the giant escalator that ran from the ground floor to the casino level that was expected to be an eye-catching feature turned out to be rather annoying to the customers. Similarly, navigating through the casino itself was a rather daunting task thanks to the interior layout of the casino floor which ebbed and flowed in several different directions.

The Ban on Smoking

While this would normally seem to be a marketing advantage to the general population where smoking is getting less and less prevalent every year, the gambling population does not really reflect the dynamics of the general population. In fact, it is more likely for gamblers to be smokers than it is for the non-gambling population – as such, many of them smoking gamblers felt that the casino which they were patronizing could at least allow them some room to enjoy a smoke or two. However, there is no official word from the new owners in regards to lifting this ban or at least changing it.

The Food in the Restaurants

Revel casino owned a decent number of celebrity restaurants that would draw legions of loyal high profile customers as well as great reviews from the clientele. The buffet, a casino staple, was however not present and customers were quick to point this out hoping that the matter will be handled before the casino reopens.

The customers want more affordable dining options which may even get better if they bring back some of the customer-favorite eateries.

Initially, Revel casino opted not to have a buffet so as to set itself apart from all the other casinos in its attempt to appeal to the luxurious market of high rollers, financial professionals, and luxury tourists. The management soon came to a realization that that particular market was not large enough to sustain the casino resort.

Entertainment

Revel was already a pretty a popular name among concertgoers who were drawn to it by some of its outstanding features such as the layout and acoustics as well as its marquee events which raised the price bars for the market. Many of former Revel casino’s customers hope to see the return of HQ, the outdoor pool, and day-club.

HQ was one of Atlantic City’s most popular entertainment offerings.

Shopping and Rewards

While a considerably large number of customer revealed that they were happy with Revel casino’s retail outlets, an even more significant number of its former customers want to see more generous offers for all player levels.

MGM Outspends Its Competitors in Connecticut Casino Bid

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The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribal nations are preparing to begin work on the Windsor casino in a few weeks. Meanwhile, the renowned MGM Resorts International is raising its bet for the state’s lucrative gambling opportunities.

At the moment, up to $20 million worth of monthly revenue is at stake in Connecticut and this can be attributed to the offer for a Bridgeport casino as well as the fierce opposition to the East Windsor site that is within 17 miles of the $900 million MGM casino which is almost complete in Springfield, Mass.

According to a Hearst Connecticut Media review of the Office of State Ethics’ public records, MGM Resorts International upped its ante in 2017 and ended up spending over $3.8 million in ads for both TV and radio as well as in lobbying the state’s lawmakers and agencies who included Attorney General George Jepsen and Governor Dannel P. Malloy. On the other hand, even after going at it as a joint venture, the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes spent less than $1.2 million, which would obviously give their competitors with deeper pockets an upper hand. MGM Resorts International went further and paid Ballard Partners $270,000 to be its Washington lobbyist to focus on the Department of the Interior and the White House.

While the tribes are not too happy about MGM’s progress citing the casino operator’s disregard for the protection of jobs and revenue in the state, the company’s management are of a totally different opinion;

“It has taken a concerted effort just to be part of the conversation in Connecticut,” said Bernard Kavaler, MGM’s spokesperson. “We continue to believe that an open, competitive process would be best for the state and its taxpayers, and we continue to believe that Bridgeport is the best location — in terms of jobs and economic development — for a commercial casino in Connecticut.”

MGM’s efforts are also gaining a lot of support from various lawmakers since according to Av Harris, director of legislative affairs and public policy in Bridgeport, MGM has been “very consistent and very serious the whole time about their interest in developing a major casino/entertainment facility” in the city.

Revel Casino Finally Sold, Could Be Reopened in the Summer

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Revel Casino, Atlantic City’s biggest casino flop is getting back in the game under new ownership and a new name. In an official statement on Monday, Colorado developer Bruce Deifik announced that he had purchased the former Revel Casino hotel from Glenn Straub for 200 million. Deifik plans to reopen the casino this summer which also happens to be around the same time that the nearby former Trump Taj Mahal casino will be reopened under Hard Rock ownership.

The casino will be reopened with a new name, Ocean Resorts Casino, and it is anticipating to create over 3,000 local jobs. Deifik and group are also planning to bring back restaurants that were successfully operating in the casino before it closed down while at the same time offering some new venues like a top Asian noodle bar and a high-end players club.

“We are incredibly excited that we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire this tremendous property at a time when Atlantic City is seeing great economic strides,” Deifik said. “Now the city has a number of exciting new projects with our property and the Hard Rock, as well as Stockton University’s new campus and the expansion of the medical center.”

For months, Floridian businessman Glenn Straub denied that there was any deal in the works for the sale of the property. He had acquired the $2.4 billion property for $82 million in bankruptcy court back in August 2015 and it was even rumored that he was planning to reopen it himself. Straub confirmed that a deal with Bruce Deifik and Moody’s Investors Service had been closed on January 4th.

The developers will, of course, face a number of significant challenges in their attempt to revive the casino. Moody’s mentioned in the statement that the project may struggle to attract a big enough slice of Atlantic City’s diminished number of casino lovers since it will be repaying debts amid tight competition from other properties – at least at the first stages. This report was based on Deifik’s plan to borrow about $255 million for acquisition and renovation costs.

Analysts Raise Concerns

There has been a lot of chatter among analysts who are mixed on whether the seven already operational Atlantic City casinos can handle competition from the two more operators, that is the former Revel Casino and the former Taj Mahal. Some analysts think that the two may heart smaller casinos and even lead to their closure. Others are quite optimistic about the new offerings, pointing out that they have the potential of attracting off-state visitors and gamblers.

Metal Casino Signs Ozzy Osbourne as Brand Ambassador

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Metal rock superstar Ozzy Osbourne has signed a new deal with the renowned Metal Casino to be its brand casino – he will also be a part owner of the casino.  Metal Casino’s major focus is on metal fans and thus most, if not all, of their offerings give players a harder rush with prizes that will definitely appeal to rock lovers.

Speaking on his new venture into the casino world, Ozzy who is considered the “Godfather of Metal” said, “The guys at Metal Casino told me that their brand was all about being true, relevant and dedicated to the customer and that really resonated with me. To me, that translated as keeping it real, keeping it original, and doing it all for your fans, and that’s all I’ve been trying to do my whole life.”

The crew at Metal Casino are also just as excited about the partnership as Ozzy is especially because it is perhaps the biggest casino sponsorship deal in the world right now. While the casino is already considered to be the world’s biggest, boldest and most hardcore online casino, being backed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will see it soar to even greater heights in the online casino world.

About Metal Casino

Metal Casino was launched in August last year with the mission to be more than just a regular online casino – the founders envisioned it as a platform that would unite the global community of metal lovers and casino enthusiasts. Their partnerships with some of the biggest names in hard rock like Megadeath’s David Ellefson, Guns N Roses’ Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ and Anthrax’s Scott Ian has elevated their status in both metal music and casino circles. The casino kicked off with all the right notes including having a catalog filled with heavy metal themed promotions and games such as Motorhead and Guns N Roses slot games. It further housed a very tempting Merchandise room where players can find concert tickets and other Metal Casino apparel – at the moment there are tickets for Guns N Roses and Iron Maiden.

Among the apparel that fans and players can find on the site’s Merchandise Room is David Ellefson’s signed Jackson bass guitar. While Ozzy Osbourne does not have any official merchandise on the site, there is a likelihood that tickets, as well as signed apparel from his farewell tour, will be added to the Merchandise room soon. Some diehard fans are even speculating the appearance of toy bats signed by Ozzy in the Merchandise room soon. We will just have to wait and see.

Great Year Ahead for Atlantic City

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2018 begins on a rather high note with a lot of events and activities taking place – the remaining traces of Donald Trump’s erstwhile casino empire could finally evanesce, the former Revel casino may be finally bought and reopened and sports betting could be legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court thus allowing for radical expansion of the gambling industry. At the same time, as a much-execrated state acquisition of power is expected to come to an end, internet gambling continues to thrive.

Atlantic City, a southern New Jersey city, on the other hand, has a hopeful future in 2018 despite being years overdue for a big win.

“I’m extremely optimistic about Atlantic City and the industry in 2018,” said Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts, which is the first U.S. casino to open outside Nevada and is celebrating its 40th anniversary in May this year. “We’re very excited about the renaissance of Atlantic City; we think it’s for real.”

Perhaps one of the biggest developments in the city will be the summer reopening of the former Trump Taj Mahal as a Hard Rock casino resort. According to Jim Allen, the Hard Rock chairman, the casino resort will be all about music and 24/7 entertainment. To this effect, Hard Rock has even enlisted the services of renowned guitar whiz and ‘Sopranos’ actor Steven Van Zandt. The entertainer will be part of advertising ventures that will include big-name concerts, small indoor performances as well as beach concerts.

Hard Rock acquired the Trump Taj Mahal from billionaire investor Carl Icahn in March 2017 after it had been shut down back in October 2016 because of a strike with Atlantic City’s main casino workers’ union. Icahn also has his sights set on an economic development project that is yet to be named and this will involve the demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino located on the boardwalk below the Atlantic City Expressway.

Also, former Revel casino could also finally be reopened in 2018. Already a group led by Colorado developer Bruce Deifik is seeking to purchase the property for $200 million then reopen it. While the sale seems to be on the verge of being closed, Glenn Straub, Revel’s current owner has denied the existence of any such deal. He insists that he intends to reopen the casino himself after the state appeals courts rules on whether or not he needs a casino license to do so.

2017’s Biggest Casino Mergers and Acquisitions

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This year was a memorable one for the casino industry with various parts of the industry being affected by one thing or the other. Mergers and acquisitions were some of the major highlights for the multi-billion-dollar industry. While we got to see some of the most notable conglomerates from Las Vegas sell off properties and restructure their portfolios, some other renowned gaming operators joined forces with manufacturers with one of the amalgamations falling short of the expectations when a key stockholder thwarted the union. Obviously, 2018 will begin on quite a different note from what we experienced at the beginning of 2017.

Caesars Entertainment’s Big Year

Nevada-based gaming corporation faired on very well this year thanks to the stakes it had in all the entities that were part of 2017’s biggest merger. In October, Caesars which owns and operates more than 50 casinos and hotels in the US and other parts of the globe announced that it was finally out the woods in regards to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – this had been dubbed the ‘largest and most complex bankruptcy in a generation.’ The gaming power-house merged two of its operating entities and then it formed a real estate investment fund (REIT).

The agreement allows Caesars Entertainment to keep operating the gaming floors as well as maintaining ownership of most of the company’s resorts. The real estate investment fund (REIT) will, however, take ownership of 18 properties that including Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The REIT is expected to lease gaming the gaming floors back to Caesars and pay creditors who were not paid during Caesar’s bankruptcy.

Other Headliners

Another merger that made the headlines this year was between Connecticut’s Native American gaming operators, the Mohegan Sun and Mashantucket tribes who joined forces to build a satellite facility in a bid to outcompete MGM Springfield, a satellite casino expected to launch in 2018.

June saw yet another key transaction for the casino industry when Tavern, slot route, and renowned casino operator Golden Entertainment jointly acquired American Casino and Entertainment. The $850 million deal is widely praised for the great things that came after it including putting two Arizona Charlie’s casinos and the Stratosphere under the Golden banner.