Spin Cycle: Run-Good Governor, Ocean State On The Offensive Highlight Week In Gambling

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 …

The rich get richer

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is not a man who particularly needs more money (even if the state he runs apparently does), but the gambling gods are not always equitable when it comes to distribution of wealth.

Pritzker, a billionaire before he entered politics, released his partial tax records Wednesday, and the income he reported on his latest return included a whopping $1.4 million in gambling winnings, the Chicago Tribune reported.

He detailed the next day at a press conference that “I like to play cards” and he enjoyed a little run-good on a trip to Las Vegas with his wife and some friends.

Pritzker does not take a salary as governor, and a spokesperson said the potential 2028 presidential candidate plans to donate his gambling winnings to charity. (May I suggest, Mr. Governor, donating them to the Pennsylvania Gamblers Running Bad This Week Playing Online Casino Fund?)

Rules of the Rhode

Add the smallest state in the nation, Rhode Island, to the list of jurisdictions where the gaming regulators are taking aim at unlicensed operators. As The Providence Journal reported, the Rhode Island Lottery recently sent cease-and-desist notices to six companies allegedly allowing residents to gamble on their sites: BetOnline, BetUS, Bovada, MyBookie, WildCasino, and YouWager.

“Based on the information collected by the [State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit],” Rhode Island Revenue Director Thomas Verdi said, “several companies were identified as engaging in the business of operating unauthorized and unlicensed casino gaming products in the state. These identified gambling companies continue to operate in this jurisdiction, offering and allowing gambling activity to players in Rhode Island despite the cease and desist notices.”

The Ocean State is one of seven jurisdictions hosting regulated online casino play — meaning residents of and visitors to Rhode Island do have legal alternatives to the offshore sites. Legal options are limited, however, as Bally’s has an iCasino monopoly in the state.

We know where Sands stands

It doesn’t take a master detective to figure out which of the two leading candidates for a Texas state Senate seat up for grabs in a special election in November is the pro-gambling candidate.

John Huffman and Leigh Wambsganss are conservatives, but only one is openly opposed to allowing casinos to come to the state. The Texas Sands PAC — Sands, as in Las Vegas Sands — has reportedly made a $500,000 contribution to the campaign of Huffman, a former Southlake mayor who is apparently amenable to voting for gambling expansion.

As much financial influence as Sands may hold, conventional wisdom says Texas gaming expansion is an uphill battle as long as Dan Patrick is the state’s lieutenant governor.

Huffman has stated that he believes citizens should be able to vote on whether to expand gambling, whereas Wambsganss (whose name really has me missing Succession) has clearly stated her opposition.

RIP, Rossi Ralenkotter

The name Rossi Ralenkotter may or may not resonate, but surely these seven words do: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Ralenkotter, the former Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) president and CEO who was in charge when “What Happens Here Stays Here” was adopted as the city’s advertising slogan, died last week at age 78 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Ralenkotter spent 45 years working for the LVCVA before retiring in 2018 and presided over the agency when Vegas experienced its high-water visitation numbers in 2016.

House Rules: Insights from around our network

SWEPT ASIDE: Gov. Newsom signs anti-sweeps bill into law in California [by Chris Altruda]

TAKING STOCK: Analyst still rates DraftKings, FanDuel positive but lowers price targets [by Jill R. Dorson]

ALLWYN, ALL IN: Allwyn, OPAP merge to become second largest listed global gaming operator [by Eric Raskin]

HALF A WORLD AWAY: Regulating gaming in the United Arab Emirates [by Richard Schuetz]

CASH IS KING: Second Powerball jackpot co-winner claims prize, takes $410M cash option [by Eric Raskin]

GO BIG OR GO HOME: In New York, Resorts World proposes $100 million above baseline license fee [by Chris Altruda]

BIT BY BITCOIN: BetHog CEO Eccles: ‘Crypto is the opposite of what a lot of people think’ [by Eric Raskin]

WATCH YOUR STEP: Nevada Gaming Control Board warns licensees against prediction market involvement [by Jill R. Dorson]

TALE OF THE TAREK: Criticism, compliments, Kalshi — Mansour embraces it all [by Ella Gorodetzky]

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, I welcome Thomas Smallwood and Daniela Lanzolla, the co-founders of a new company called OpenSlots that plans to use AI to allow customers to design their own online casino games. We discussed the product they’re developing, the feedback they got about it at G2E, and general thoughts about the threats and benefits of AI in the gaming space. Here’s a taste:

I also discuss the out-of-nowhere news of MGM Resorts withdrawing its New York casino bid and whether conspiracy theories are warranted, plus I praise my former podcast partner Jeff Edelstein’s takedown of Rolling Stone’s messy swipe at online gambling and explore how we should all react when Harry Levant’s name pops up in any piece of so-called journalism. Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

STICK YOUR NECK OUT: Hard Rock’s guitar hotel begins to transform Las Vegas Strip skyline [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

OHIO OFFLOADING: MGM sells Northfield Park racino [CDC Gaming]

STREAM INTERPRETATION: Why people are watching livestreams of influencers gambling — and how it could be fueling addiction [The Conversation]

SLOT ’EM IN: Live slot streaming company Awager acquired by Aristocrat [SBC Americas]

IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF: MGM’s top boss says ‘Fabulous Las Vegas’ five-day sale was a success [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

CHUNK PLAY: Ho-Chunk Nation secures $610M financing for Beloit casino resort [Tribal Business News]

V-L-TEASE: Following law change, New Hampshire casino unveils new games for video lottery terminals [CDC Gaming]

GET IN THE ZONE: Slot tournament trend inspires New England casino to open new dedicated zone [MassLive]

The Bonus Round

Completing the Spin Cycle with some odds and ends and our favorite social media posts of the week.

• Who is America’s top casino dealer? (That sounds like an idea for a reality show.) G2E did its best to answer that question last week, crowning Ellie Hoffman of Graton Resort & Casino in California as the winner of a three-day Dealer Championship tournament. Hoffman emerged from a field of 34 competitors, excelling in various blackjack and roulette dealing competitions to win the $5,000 top prize.

• Here’s a wild watch when you have 23 minutes to spare (if you never want to trust an auto-shuffle casino poker game again):

• So, you’re never going to believe this, but a survey commissioned by the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) found that a majority of voters in Maryland don’t want online gaming in their state, the NAAiG announced Thursday. Well, ya can’t argue with numbers and science, I guess.