Spin Cycle: Rebellion In Boston Highlights Week In Gambling
Plus: Bally’s on wobbly legs, NFL + Fanatics, New Hampshire scandal, Stutz gets his gold watch
Welcome to “Spin Cycle,” Casino Reports’ weekly Friday roundup of all things impactful, intriguing, impressive, or idiotic in the gambling industry. Pull up a chair, grab a stack of chips and a glass of your beverage of choice, and take a spin with us through this week’s news cycle …
Mass exodus
It’s probably not going to go into the annals of defiance history alongside dumping 340 chests of tea over the edge of a boat, but some 250 years later, protest has returned to the waters of Boston.
Workers at Encore Boston Harbor, the Wynn-owned casino that opened in 2019 along the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts, voted Thursday to authorize a strike primarily over compensation and health benefits, ahead of the union contracts with Wynn Resorts expiring on Aug. 31.
“We’re not asking for anything unreasonable. We’re asking to be respected and fairly compensated for the work we do,” said warehouse worker Sem Avdic, according to the Boston Herald. “That’s why we voted the way we did. Nobody wants to strike. But nobody is going to keep making Wynn rich while our own families fall behind.”
Avdic is one of about 1,350 workers in either UNITE HERE Local 26 or Teamsters Local 25 preparing to strike at an undisclosed date. A representative of the Teamsters told the Herald the union has about $365 million in a strike defense fund so workers can continue to receive pay while they picket.
“When workers earn livable wages and have good health insurance, that money goes back into our families, our neighborhoods, local businesses, and our community,” said slot attendant Janese Perez, as reported by WHDH.com. “This fight is about more than a paycheck. It’s about our families, our future, and the future of Everett.”
Encore Boston Harbor did not respond immediately to requests for comment from any of the local news outlets.
More news to know …
- A few updates on the three major Bally’s brick-and-mortar projects since our report Tuesday on the company’s troubling financial situation and stock decline: As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, Bally’s is speaking openly about considering selling its project adjacent to the under-construction baseball stadium on the Strip; per The Real Deal, the company insists its $1.7 billion Chicago casino is moving forward despite assorted concerns; and Truist analyst Barry Jonas opined that the Bally’s Bronx project’s ability to secure the $4 billion it needs will be the critical step in reversing investor fears. (For a little background reading from last year that foresaw most of these difficulties, we recommend David McKee’s “Bally’s Catches The Car.”)
- While Fanatics Sportsbook becoming an official sports betting partner of the NFL this week garnered most of the headlines, here at Casino Reports we also take notice of the detail that Fanatics Casino is now an official online casino partner of the league.
- RIP, Brent Carter. The two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and third-place finisher in the 1995 WSOP Main Event died this week at the age of 77. Carter posted just over $3 million in career tournament earnings from 1986 through his last recorded cash in 2015. His bracelet wins came in 1991 and ’94, in no-limit hold’em and limit Omaha, respectively.
- Happy trails, Howard Stutz. The Nevada Independent shared the news last Friday that the veteran gaming industry reporter “will soon be retiring.” As Jon Ralston wrote Monday, “He is retiring from four decades in journalism as a Nevada Press Association Hall of Famer with widespread respect, having produced his best work in the twilight of his career. Most amazingly: Everyone likes him.”
- An in-depth investigation by the Concord Monitor found that George B. Roberts Jr., a retired former speaker of the New Hampshire House, received nearly $275,000 from the state’s charitable casinos between 2019 and 2026 for his inactive nonprofit organization, the Concord Coach Society. Wrote the Monitor: “The nonprofit is registered to his home address in Gilmanton, where no visible sign or marker indicates the existence of the organization.” Roberts, a Republican, served in the state’s House of Representatives from 1966-80.
- Jackpot alert: Hard Rock Bet Casino in New Jersey handed out its largest-ever payout last Friday when “Rose M.” of Linden, New Jersey, turned a $2 Long Xing Da Da slot spin into $2,949,857 on a progressive jackpot. The previous site record was a $2,097,043 win on July 4.
House Rules: Insights from around our network
Florida AG Sues Sweepstakes Casino Operators, Payment Processors in Escalating Crackdown
Michigan Online Casinos Top $300M For Fifth Straight Month In July
HBO to Adapt Gina Fiore’s Memoir ‘Advantage Player’ Into Series
In July In New Jersey, Rising Tide Of Online Gaming Lifts All Boats
That Scary Gen Z Sports Betting And Investing Study Is Trash
Underdog Brings Crash Games To Daily Fantasy Sports
California 2028: Tribes Will Ask Voters To ‘Trust Us’ — And They Will
Pennsylvania Online Casino Revenue Climbs On Annual And Monthly Basis
Small stakes and hot takes
This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, presented in partnership with DraftKings Casino, I welcomed investigative reporter Brian Joseph, the author of our exceptional "Compliance Confidential" series, for a conversation spanning Las Vegas casino industry secrecy, MGM boss Scott Sibella taking the fall for the AML violations, and the difficult balance between compliance and commerce. Plus, we talked, from one low roller to another and from one journalist to another, about the challenges of getting our gamble on with a limited bankroll.
Full episode:
The Shuffle: Other news and views
Professor, Bettor Charged With Accessing Private Horse Info [ESPN]
Penn Entertainment Invests $195 Million In New Orleans Casino Relocation [CDC Gaming]
Buyer Lined Up For Downtown Las Vegas Casino; Court Approval Needed [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
OYO Hotel Off Vegas Strip Admits To Taking Bookings For Fake Rooms [SF Gate]
Caesars Proxy Filing Details Months-Long Bidding War Between Icahn, Fertitta [iGaming Business]
Florida: Gaming Regulator Seizes 60 Machines At Illegal Bingo Establishment [CDC Gaming]
Future Of Moorhead Casino Project In Jeopardy Amid Growing Speculation And Paused Plans [WDAY Radio Now]
Downtown Las Vegas Casino Debuts New Hotel Rooms, Suites From Previously Unfinished Floors [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
GALLERY: $750M Norfolk Resort Casino Construction ‘On Time And On Budget,’ GM Says [WAVY.com]
The Bonus Round
Completing the Spin Cycle with a few of our favorite social media posts of the week:
Eric has been a professional editor and writer for more than 25 years, including nearly 20 years of experience covering the gambling industry. He was editor-in-chief of the poker magazine All In from 2005-2015 and manag…
