William Hill has received the formal approval of Nevada regulators to acquire CG Technology. The move allows the company to assume control over four additional casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and specifically their sports betting product.
The four sportsbooks are available at The Venetian, The Palazzo, The Cosmopolitan and Silverton. William Hill first announced its intentions to acquire CG Technology back in November 2019 with Joe Asher, William Hill chief executive, reaffirming his company’s willingness to cement its position in the Nevada sports betting segment. In an official statement, Asher had this to say:
“This acquisition further expands our footprint, giving us a bigger presence on the Las Vegas Strip at several world-renowned resorts. It’s a very exciting time for our company as we continue to grow and introduce our offerings to new customers.”
It’s worth noting that CG Technology filed a lawsuit against Joe Asher for allegedly breaking the terms of his non-disclosure agreement. The company lost the lawsuit and was forced to pay. However, an important detail to this story is that CG Technology was known as Cantor Gaming back then.
In other News:
Churchill Downs Incorporated Restarts Calder Casino in Miami
Florida was one of the states to be the most heavily affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. No more, says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who has vowed to never again introduce a lockdown on his watch and seek alternative solutions.
Emboldened by the governor’s promise, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has decided to restart its Calder Casino property in Miami. The company will roll out its ‘CDI 360 Degree Approach to Safety’ which features comprehensive measures to simplify social distancing, enhance cleaning protocols and boost personal protection.
The property has already updated the frequency of cleaning and sanitization of high-touch surfaces as well as installed dividers in highly-frequented areas.
Wynn Resorts Expands Scientific Games Partnership to More States
Wynn Resorts continues to focus on expanding in the online gaming and sports betting segment. After securing a successful partnership with Scientific Games back in July, the casino giant is now looking to carry on with its success formula in other states, including Colorado and Indiana.
These two states are the focus of the company’s further expansion. As part of that move, Wynn will be deploying SG Digital’s OpenSports solution for online betting. The company was able to strike a mutually-beneficial partnership with Full House Resorts for both Indiana and Colorado.
Commenting on these developments, Scientific Games Digital chief executive, Jordan Levin, said that his company was excited to partner up with Wynn Resorts once again and in new markets at that.
Michael Jordan Joins DraftKings’ as Special Advisor
So far as big news in the gaming and sports betting segment go, the recent partnership between DraftKings and basketball legend Michael Jordan is quite unique. Companies such as DraftKings have been looking to poach top talent from the world of sports to give themselves a higher profile in the US betting landscape.
The addition of Jordan as a special advisor to the brand is definitely a step in that direction. The former Chicago Bulls ace will now provide guidance and strategic advice to DraftKings’ board on key business initiatives.
Jordan will also advise DraftKings on company strategy, diversity, equity and belonging, product development, and successful marketing opportunities. His profile alone makes Jordan one of DraftKings’ most valuable assets.
The player was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player on six occasions and he is a National Basketball Association Hall of Fame inductee. Jordan also took up equity interest in DraftKings, but the amount was not disclosed at the time of the announcement.
According to DraftKings co-founder and CEO, Jason Robins, Jordan is among the most important figures in sports and culture. His strategic counsel and business acumen would allow DraftKings to push its offer forward.
Not surprisingly, the company’s market price jumped to $43.37 from $37.05 on the news that Michael Jordan is taking a personal interest in the sports betting agency.
New York Casinos to Reopen on September 9 at Limited Capacity
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally given the go-ahead for New York casinos to reopen doors on September 9, following weeks of appeals from casino workers to be allowed to return back to work. New York is one of the states where the lockdown extended from mid-March all through August, depriving the state from gaming revenue and seeing thousands of employees furloughed by gaming brands.
However, the governor is finally giving the go-ahead to the move that will see all casinos in the state return to operation at a limited capacity nevertheless. Properties will be allowed to restart operations at 25% of their capacity.
Guests and members of the staff will have to comply with all measures, including wearing masks and switching off alternating slot machines to ensure social distancing protocols. Similar to elsewhere in the United States, the governor has not approved the restart of table games.
The reopening order will be viable for all racetrack casinos as well as the four privately operated casinos in the state, including Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County, del Lago in Seneca County, Rivers Casino in Schenectady and Tioga Downs in Tioga County.
While the decision has given some workers hope, operating at 25% capacity is still very limiting. In other words, only a fraction of workers would be able to return back to work, not quite solving the problems that furloughed or laid off workers are facing.
Hard Rock International’s Chairman Confident of Casinos Recovery
In an interview for Mornings with Maria, Hard Rock International (HRI) chairman Jim Allen said that casinos in Las Vegas will most certainly recover from the pandemic.
He assured that while difficult decisions had been necessary in the past, interest in air travel and enforcing safety protocols would sooner or later give gamers enough confidence to start visiting Las Vegas again.
Even though HRI’s MGM Resorts had to lay off 18,000 people on August 31, Jim Allen remains optimistic about the future prospects of the company. He acknowledged that it had been a difficult decision to let so many people go, fully aware of the economic impact on them and their families.
However, should HRI weathers the storm, as Allen expect, the company would be able to begin rehiring people.
Kevin was raised on sports since a young teen and following a (fortunate) injury pursued new hobbies in table games such as Blackjack and Poker. Since 2009 Kevin has been writing for casino sites for various big names in the industry and CasinoSites.us is but one of his latest passion projects.