Trends, News & Interesting Reads

Things were a little shaky in 2016 when Macau implemented new cash withdrawal regulations which, observers believed, would negatively impact on the casino industry. Sheldon Adelson, the Vegas casino king, had faith that the downturn was only a blip on an otherwise upward Macau gambling trajectory. His instincts turned out to be spot on and he celebrated with a $1.7 billion bonus that brings his net worth up to $34.9 billion.

It was only a few years ago that Adelson's Las Vegas Sands invested more than $10 billion to build a string of casinos in Macau. Today shares of Adelson’s casino empire, Las Vegas Sands, are shooting up following a report that showed a 23.7% increase in Macau gaming revenue.

There are many venues in Las Vegas where cybercurrencies are an accepted form of payment but in many of the casinos, bitcoins and other forms of cybercurrency payments are not yet accepted.

Observers note that cryptocurrency promises benefits for the regulated Nevada industries including land-based casinos and for online games, as well. It also might become more widely used in the other major Nevada industry – marijuana. Yet in the casinos, bitcoins can be wagered at the slot machines or at the tables only after the gamer converts it into cash at a special ATM that is located on the casino floor.

Two hundred members of the Pamunkey Tribe have voted to search for a site where they can build a Vegas Casino type of resort. The tribe, which is known as a group of Native Americans who keep to tribal customs and traditions, has decided to add casino gambling to the list of activities that take place on their ancestral lands along with fishing, trapping, hunting, and farming.

The tribe is prepared to spend approximately $700 million on the resort-casino. Plans include a gaming floor, hotel rooms, a spa and entertainments space. Tribe members are checking out locations in or near the 1,200-acre King William County Pamunkey reservation. The  reservation is located approximately 30 miles east of the city of Richmond.

Imperial Pacific International was looking forward to a banner year in 2017. The company, owned by Chinese multi-millionaire Cui Lijie, moved out of its shopping mall digs and set up its Vegas games in a new beachfront tower that's located in the heart of Saipan’s central tourist district. The venue attracts Chinese high rollers who find that they prefer the convenience of a Saipai location over other Asian casino venues such as Australia, Macau and South Korea.

Yet since the first months of 2017 Imperial Pacific’s shares have declined 33%.  Cui, who owns 63% of the company, has seen her net worth decline (although she’s still a billionaire).

SLS Las Vegas Hotel and Casino will be sold to the Meruelo Group, a privately-held management company that has big plans to add Vegas games and new facilities and features.

The Nevada Gaming Commission approved the sale late last week and the sale, which was originally announced in late 2017, is expected to be completed within a week. SLS Las Vegas has been struggling for a number of years but Alex Meruelo believes that his plans will stem the losses and turn SLS around.

The Westgate Vegas Casino and Resort has always been regarded as a top Vegas venue for gambling entertainment and other forms of gaming activity. Westgate is known as a trendsetter in Vegas. The latest innovation, a drink monitoring system, is being touted as an amenity that will help casino-goers enjoy an easier drinking experience. Other casinos are bound to follow suit which isn't the best news for casino-goers. 

The newest innovation at Westgate involves a drink monitoring system that, from the casino's point of view, makes it easier and more convenient for guests to enjoy their complimentary drinks. The system, which is expected to be copied by other Vegas casinos, monitors the guests' drink orders so that guests don't need to place new orders every time that they want to freshen their drink.

Wynn Resorts, which was recently rocked by the resignation of its CEO due to allegations of sexual misconduct, is now facing more troubles that may lead to a takeover. 

Court Proceedings

A senior court in Macau has ruled that Wynn Macau Limited violated Macau's personal data protection rules. The brick-and-mortar and online games company surreptitiously revealed the identity of a Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation former employee. Wynn Macau believed that the former employee, a regulator, was tied to allegations of corruption.

iOS mobile users will now be able to open and play the popular Fortnight games on their tablet or smartphone device. The company sent out the first wave of invitations this week with additional invitations set to go out in the coming days and weeks. Fortnight can't be found at the online casino but may only be downloaded through an invitation.

The iOS version was released first with an Android version coming soon. The game is downloaded via invite from the Apple Store and is still being tested – users are asked to report problems to the developer. The new mobile version is compatible with the 3.3 Fortnight that features remote explosive weapons and supply llamas

Steve Wynn and his ex-wife Elaine Wynn have settled their fight over an estimated $4 billion stock fortune. Now, the question is whether the King of Las Vegas will sell out and retire.

On March 15^th the District Court in Clark County, Nevada, ordered that the shareholding agreement between Wynn and the former Mrs. Wynn be terminated. This followed a joint submission from the lawyers of both parties. The court's ruling rendered the agreement "invalid and unenforceable as a matter of law and that neither party shall have any further rights or obligations thereunder.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is promoting the idea that Europe should become the “bitcoin continent" and his country will help to facilitate that economic revolution.

Muscat spoke at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) Ideas Lab conference which took place in Brussels in February 2017. After encouraging European countries to do more to promote the use of cybercurrency, Muscat promoted Malta as a "sandbox" where crypto-currencies and blockahsins would be tested.