Welcome to our latest Casino Cabbie gaming flight across America, as our special correspondent Lauren Harrison brings us key takeaways from New York, Penn state, Vegas and D.C., amongst other hot news.
Aye iCasino
In a move that could prove that perhaps one-size-fits-all, the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) has announced plans to publish model legislation for U.S. territories deciding to legalise online casinos.
If it gains acceptance, the iCasino framework could be one of the most substantive in modern American gambling history, as it will guide states in the safe design and launch of iGaming.
The framework, to be published on August 1, provides guidance on best practice for tax rates, age-gating, revenue generation, responsible gambling, advertising guidelines and licensing rules.
It will also address that perennial question: Do online casinos cannibalise land-based revenue? Or deliver overall growth?
New York’s Rotten Apple
Former New York City big shot Kamal Bherwani has stirred controversy and made recent headlines by denouncing Native American Mohegan Gaming’s bid for one of New York’s three new casino permits.
Bherwani has called on New York State’s first-ever female governor, Kathy Hochul, Democrat, to reject Mohegan’s bid for a licence after his 22-year-old son, Ethan, died of a drug overdose on Mohegan Sun’s property.
Bherwani, who served as NYC’s Chief Information Officer for Health and Human services under former mayor Michael Bloomberg and also worked with ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani, blames the Tribal gambling outfit for Ethan’s death at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Connecticut, on May 18, 2021.
Casino workers took a delayed 11-minutes to respond to the medical emergency, Bherwani told iGamingFuture.
“[Ethan] was poisoned by a dealer who gave him a drug laced with fentanyl. He had no idea what he was taking. You can’t overdose on something you don’t know your taking, alleges Bherwani.
And he asserts that if casino staff had only reacted quicker then Ethan would have survived.
But Ethan was brain-dead by the time he arrived at Hartford Hospital, where his cause of death was listed as a fentanyl overdose.
“If they had gotten to him in three minutes, he’d be completely alive,” Bherwani told the New York Post.
“My son was going to law school. He was cooped up during the pandemic and celebrating his graduation. He made a mistake. But it should not have cost him his life.”
Once Upon A Mirage
After 35-years of history and a sale value of US$1.08 billion (£838m), the storied Mirage casino resort in Las Vegas is set for the bulldozer.
Opened in 1989, The Mirage was the template for a clutch of integrated casino resorts around the world from its own backyard to Macau, Singapore, The Philippines, et al.
Sold by MGM Resorts to the Seminole’s Hard Rock in 2022, The Mirage will be redeveloped into Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas, doubling in size and set to open in Spring 2027.
It will be the Seminole Tribe’s debut on the iconic Vegas Strip.
Pennsylvania iGaming Skyrockets
Reinforcing the might of 360 iGaming for state tax revenue, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has released its FY 2023-2024 gaming revenue records, revealing booming iGaming growth that’s up 27 percent, year-on-year.
But Retail Slots and Tables, and sports betting, all had a rocky year, dropping 0.54 percent, 1.64 percent and 1.10 percent, respectively.
In terms of total revenue, the state recorded highs of $5.89 billion (£4.57bn), with US$2.54 billion (£1.97bn) paid in tax.
For states reluctantly considering iGaming, booming revenue figures like these–coupled with the NCLGS’ upcoming legislative framework–should prove more than motivational.
Making Moves On D.C
DraftKings has announced plans to launch in Washington, D.C. (subject to regulatory approvals), making it the latest battleground for its ongoing contest against Flutter-owned FanDuel to dominate the U.S. market.
The announcement comes just weeks after D.C.’s new budget was approved, moving the District’s sporting betting market away from a monopoly held by FanDuel to a competitive, multi-operator model.
President of DraftKings North America, Matt Kalish, commented: “We would like to thank the D.C. Council for creating a path to bring DraftKings’ top-rated sportsbook to the nation’s capital.
“Together with D.C. United, we look forward to delivering fans a best-in-class experience through our customer-friendly product.”