Commercial Gaming – See the Reality

Louisiana’s Chief Gaming Regulator Ronnie Johns Retiring

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:57 +0000

Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) Chairman Ronnie Johns is retiring after nearly four decades of public service.

Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns (far right) participates in what was his final groundbreaking ceremony of a casino project on Dec. 13, 2022. Johns has announced his retirement from public service effective June 30. (Image: Shreveport Times)

Johns’ retirement will become effective June 30. Before then, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) is expected to name his successor.

Johns was appointed to the top gaming regulatory position in July 2021 by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D). Johns said he was not asked to step down by Landry, who assumed the governor’s office in January, but is simply ready to spend more time with his wife Michelle.

I’m about to be 75 years old and Michelle and I have things we want to do,” Johns told USA Today. “This is a full-time job.”

Johns’ political career began in 1978 when he became a member of the Sulphur City Council. He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1996 and became a state Senator in 2012. He served in the legislature’s upper chamber until being nominated to the LGCB.

Johns’ tenure in Baton Rouge wasn’t without controversy. The day before Edwards appointed him to the LGCB, Johns missed a vote to override the governor’s veto of a bill that sought to remove a state law that required Louisiana gun owners to undergo training before obtaining a concealed-carry permit.

Johns said he had a “bum leg” and could not attend the session. The override was three votes shy in the Senate.

Louisiana lawmakers passed a similar permit-less concealed carry bill this year that Landry signed.

First Gaming Expansion in Decades

During his tenure running the agency that governs one of the country’s richest gaming states, Johns oversaw considerable change.

Johns’ LGCB reign included the first major expansion of gaming in Louisiana since the lottery, casino riverboats, and video poker were authorized in the early 1990s. The expansion came by way of the introduction of retail and online sports betting.

Casino sportsbooks began taking bets in October 2021, just months after he was sworn in, and online sports gambling platforms went live the following January.

Johns’ time at the LGCB also included overseeing more than $1 billion in investments in the state’s riverboats, some of which have become land-based properties.

Louisiana lawmakers in 2018 passed legislation allowing riverboats to move inland, so long as the new brick-and-mortar casinos remain within 1,200 feet of their original barges. The law came after several devasting hurricanes destroyed or greatly damaged the floating gaming vessels.

Johns’ LGCB supervised Caesars Entertainment’s more than $200 million investment to overhaul the Isle of Capri Lake Charles riverboat that was damaged by Hurricane Laura into a rebranded brick-and-mortar casino. The all-new Horseshoe Lake Charles Hotel & Casino, a 60,000-square-foot property, opened in late 2022.

Live! Coming to Bossier City

More recently, Johns helped ensure that the state wouldn’t lose a casino after the future of the shuttered DiamondJacks riverboat was in peril. The Cordish Companies, a Baltimore developer of mixed-use developments and casino resorts, last fall agreed to take on the deteriorating property.

Cordish is investing $270 million to develop Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana. The integrated resort property will feature a 550-room hotel and a casino floor with over 1,000 slot machines, 40 table games, and a sportsbook.

Johns said during a groundbreaking ceremony in December that the Cordish project ensures that the “Shreveport-Bossier gaming market has a bright future.”

Hopefully, Johns’ future after almost 40 years of elected office and public service is bright, too.

Airlines Sue Feds Over Requirement to Disclose Fees Up Front

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:56 +0000

Several major airlines in the United States have filed a lawsuit against the federal government and President Joe Biden’s administration after the Transportation Department altered requirements for how airfare prices are advertised online.

The Biden administration and the US Department of Transportation want to make sure that airline passengers aren’t surprised about additional costs when they reach the ticket counter at the airport. Several airlines have sued the federal government on the new pricing rule. (Image: Getty)

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) last month issued new pricing requirements for commercial airlines and online ticketing websites. The updated rules require that all costs and possible add-on fees be clearly displayed at the beginning of the consumer’s booking process.

The regulatory overhaul is part of the president’s mission to rid the marketplace of so-called “junk fees” — costs that are tacked on toward the end of the reservation’s completion. Junk fees extend to the US gaming industry, as casino resorts have faced criticism for adding on resort fees and other charges after a customer inputs their credit card or payment information.

A lobbying group representing the airline interests of American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Hawaiian, and Alaska is challenging the newly implemented USDOT rule in a Louisiana federal court.

Lawsuit Claims Government Overreach

The lawsuit brought by Airlines for America against the federal government says the pricing rules are “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise contrary to law.”

The USDOT now requires that all baggage fees and cancelation and change fees be disclosed up front on the first webpage the consumer lands on with a quoted price. Airlines for America says the rule will confuse consumers and result in fewer sales as displayed prices could be much higher than what the traveler would actually pay if they have status, don’t check a bag, or don’t need to change a reservation.

Airlines go to great lengths to make their customers knowledgeable about these fees,” Airlines for America said. “The ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process.”

The Transportation Department said in a statement it “will vigorously defend” the new rule to protect “people from hidden junk fees.” The federal government believes the refreshed regulation could save consumers over a half-billion dollars annually.

Casino Industry Impact

Biden has also repeatedly issued his disdain for casino resort fees. On the Las Vegas Strip, nightly resort fees are as high as $50 a night plus tax.

Resort fees cover daily amenities like fitness center access, news services, boarding pass printing, Wi-Fi, and local room calling. Many consumers say there’s little value received and the resort fees are simply a way for casinos to get more for the room while advertising a reduced rate upfront.

MGM Resorts, the largest casino operator on the Strip, has taken a proactive approach in clearly displaying the resort fee at the start of the booking progression.

For a two-night stay this weekend at the Bellagio, the MGM website shows a nightly rate of $599. Just below that rate is the disclosure of a $50 daily resort fee that takes the nightly cost to $649 before taxes.

Caesars Entertainment hasn’t followed suit.

A room at Caesars Palace for the same two nights this weekend is advertised at $699 a night. Though there is an asterisk with fine print reading, “Excludes fees and taxes,” the casino’s nightly $49.95 resort fee isn’t displayed until further clicking through the reservation website.

LET’S GET RAIL: Will High-Speed Vegas Train Happen? Can It Succeed at $400 a Seat?

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:55 +0000

Brightline West, which broke ground last month, promises to travel at speeds of up to 200 mph along the I-15 median from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. It’s expected to open in 2028.

A rendering of a Brightline West train, which will advertise itself for free by zooming past I-15 motorists who seek a faster trip to Las Vegas next time. (Image: Brightline)

“I am firmly convinced that once the first customer buys that first ticket to ride a high-speed rail on American soil, there will be no going back,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said last month, after hammering a fake spike into a fake track to fake the project’s groundbreaking.

But will Brightline ever make it out of the station and into reality when half of its $12 billion budget is yet to be accounted for? And how can it possibly succeed when its passengers must still travel another 45 minutes to Los Angeles and if — as Brightline founder and chair Wes Edens estimated in March — the round-trip fare will be $400 per person?

Casino.org put these and other tough questions to Harry Teng, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UNLV and one of five commissioners of the independent Nevada High Speed Rail Authority.

Harry Teng is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UNLV and one of five commissioners of the independent Nevada High Speed Rail Authority. (Image: Harry Teng)

Q: Talk of a Vegas-to-LA bullet train goes back to 2005, when Tony Marnell II, founder of the Rio, proposed XpressWest train to Victorville, Calif. Why did we have to wait more than 20 years to finally get it?

A: Before, we didn’t have the money. Now, we have this infrastructure bill passed two or three years ago. Also, Victorville is kind of nowhere. Now, they’re doing it the right way.

Q: President Biden’s infrastructure bill provides $3 billion in taxpayer dollars, along with access to $3.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds, for the project. But where is the other half of its $12 billion budget coming from?

A: They will raise private funds. Wes Edens is a multi-billionaire who co-owns the Milwaukee Bucks and Aston Villa Football Club, and he wants to bring a Major League Soccer team to Las Vegas. I don’t see this as a major issue.

Q: Are there any engineering issues with construction?

A: This is one thing that I’m really, really worried about. There are many challenges with running a train in the median of a freeway. The freeway has curves that are much sharper than is safe for high-speed trains. Cars can take them going 80, 90, or 100 mph. But the standard speed for high-speed rail is 180 mph. So they have to lower the speed as they approach those curves.

But I think the most dangerous thing will be strong wind — particularly if they run two trains linked together. That will require a stronger track to counter the wind force. We have a desert wind that sometimes comes from nowhere and is very unpredictable.

But in the summer, it’s really hot and that makes the rail softer and more vulnerable. All of that coming together is very challenging.

Q: So how can they solve that?

A: I think they’ll have to put sensors along the track so that they can monitor the wind and temperature, and those sensors will tell the train when it has to slow down. They cannot rely upon weather stations because they are usually far away from the track.

This is really critical if they are to avoid crashes.

Q: The maximum gradient for trains is 1.8%, or mountain grade. But the Cajon Pass has a gradient of 6% for 4 miles. Isn’t that a big problem, too?

A: No. Power is not a problem going at high speed. The train will be strong enough, with its momentum, to get up that hill.

Q: Is there anything that can stop this project at this point?

A: No, probably not.

Q: What about low demand once it opens? A ton of social-media commenters have already balked at paying more than the average airfare to arrive in Vegas without the convenience of a car. Brightline will cost about $1 per mile, yet the cost of driving a car is currently around 60 cents per mile, or $260 roundtrip. And, if you pile five people into your vehicle, the roundtrip cost plummets to $52 per person. That’s versus $400 on Brightline West!

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, left, and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto drive pretend rail spikes into a pretend rail at a press conference announcing the groundbreaking on April 22. (Image: eenews.net)

A: I think that price could be a little high, but it’s all about how they play the game. If there are no people to ride on the train, they automatically have to lower the price. The market controls everything. They cannot play with the market.

But I think they can differentiate prices. Veterans can be free and seniors can pay less. They can offer four luxury cars for $400 a seat and then 16 cars of coach for $250. I also think they can charge more on Fridays and Sundays, when people will pay much more to get to and from Las Vegas in 2 hours when it could take 6-10 hours in traffic.

And they can run party trains, where people from Hollywood can drink wine and socialize for $1,000 round-trip.

It’s doable because this is a private train. They have the liberty to determine the price.

Q: The passengers still have 45 minutes longer to travel to get to LA from Rancho Cucamonga. Doesn’t this factor against it, too?

A: Not really. Metrolink is a good system that can get you to a lot of places in Southern California. But Brightline and Metrolink will need to coordinate with each other so that the transfer is smooth, with no waiting for trains. The coordination is really critical. Brightline will probably have to pay Metrolink, somehow, to ensure that.

Q: Bottom line, do you think this train service will succeed?

A: Oh definitely, yes. I think they will attract a lot of riders.

Evel Knievel Museum Jumping to Las Vegas

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:51 +0000

The Evel Knievel Museum, which opened in the late daredevil’s hometown of Topeka, Kansas in 2017, is motorcycle-jumping to downtown Las Vegas.

Evel Knievel famously attempts to jump the Caesars Palace fountains in 1967. (Image: Associated Press)

The museum will be the main attraction of the brand new Mission Linen building, at 1001 South 1st St. Its groundbreaking was announced by Las Vegas developer J Dapper on Tuesday.

No opening date has been set, although the Topeka location will close in October to prepare for the transition.

Evel Las Vegas

Las Vegas was the site of Knievel’s most famous stunt. On Dec. 31, 1967, he attempted to jump his motorcycle 141 feet over the fountains of Caesars Palace. It would have been Knievel’s longest jump at the time, if it hadn’t ended in his launching over his handlebars and skidding into the Dunes parking lot next door.

The crash resulted in a crushed pelvis and femur, multiple hip fractures, two broken ankles, a concussion, and a lengthy hospital stay. It also made him a legend. (Evel died in 2007 at age 69 — but of pulmonary disease, not his many serious injuries.)

“I can’t think of a better place to display the legacy of Evel Knievel than Las Vegas,” said Evel’s son and family brand owner, Kelly Knievel, in a statement. “With guts, charisma and showmanship, he built himself a legacy that’s still going strong 50 years after that crash at Caesars Palace. We’ve got all of my dad’s memorabilia, plus the latest and greatest razzmatazz.”

Well, Not All of his Dad’s Memorabilia

Though the museum’s collection features most of the other bikes that survived to tell the tale — as well as Knievel’s original leathers and helmets — it does not include the Triumph Bonneville T12 that Knievel used in his Caesars stunt. That bike disappeared decades ago and is believed to be somewhere in the American northwest.

The Las Vegas museum will also feature a virtual reality experience, a display of Evel’s nastiest X-rays, and a room dedicated to Knievel’s second most famous jump. That was over the Snake River Canyon in 1974, and it also failed. The room, called the Snake River Experience, will feature Knievel’s actual Skycycle X-2.

“We are thrilled for the opportunity to relocate the Evel Knievel Museum from Topeka, Kansas to Las Vegas,” said Mike Patterson, who co-founded the museum with Lathan McKay, and James Caplinger

In addition to the Evel Knievel Museum, the property will also house a Mothership Coffee Roasters, and confusingly, a heavy metal-themed pizza parlor.

It’s confusing because, a little more than a mile away sits a pizzeria opened in 2016 by Las Vegas hospitality entrepreneur Branden Powers. Evel Pie is also dedicated to Evel Knievel and features memorabilia donated by Evel’s other son, Robbie, who died last year of pancreatic cancer at age 60.

Fanatics Signs Justin Thomas Ahead of PGA Championship

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:58:24 +0000

Fanatics Sportsbook is the most rapidly expanding sportsbook operator in the United States. Ahead of golf’s second major of the year, the apparel giant that has ventured into iGaming and sports betting has announced its signing of one of the game’s biggest stars.

Justin Thomas celebrates with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Thomas this week signed with Fanatics Sportsbook to promote the book’s sports betting business. (Image: Getty)

Fanatics Sportsbook on Tuesday told Casino.org that Justin Thomas, currently No. 31 in the controversial Official World Golf Ranking, has signed on as an “Official Sports Betting Partner.” In the role, JT, as Thomas is affectionately known, will hype product enhancements to the Fanatics Sportsbook, help create social media content, and engage with the Fanatics community.

The announcement comes before the 2024 PGA Championship tees off tomorrow at Valhalla Golf Club in Thomas’ home city of Louisville. The Kentucky native’s two major victories both came at the PGA Championship (2017, 2022).

Thomas is among the frontrunners this week. At +4000, only 10 players have shorter lines.

If JT hoists the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time come Sunday evening, he would join an esteemed list of three-time or more PGA champions that includes five World Golf Hall of Famers — Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen at five PGA titles, Tiger Woods with four, and Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead with three.

Can Anyone Beat Scottie?

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has unquestionably been the hottest golfer on the planet this year. He’s won four of the 10 events he played, including the Masters in April, and has finished in the top 10 in nine of those tournaments.

However, Scheffler would likely say his biggest prize this year was the recent birth of his first son. Scottie has been away from the game since winning the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town on April 22.

How will being a father impact his performance this week? Bettors aren’t concerned there will be some rust.

Scheffler is dominating the PGA betting action, with BetMGM telling Casino.org that he’s on about 20% of the book’s tickets and responsible for more than a quarter of the overall money on the tournament.

Scheffler is at +450 to win his first PGA, a line that implies a winning chance of over 18%. That’s an exceptionally high implied offering in a competitive major field consisting of 156 golfers.

After Scheffler, last week’s Wells Fargo winner Rory McIlroy has the shortest odds at +750. McIlroy is also fresh off some major family news, though his news surrounds his recent filing for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll.

Brooks Koepka, whose game is seemingly built for majors, is next at +1400 with Xander Schauffele. Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg round at the top five at +1800.

LIV, Tour Breakdown

In other golf news this week, talks about a potential merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have seemingly stalled or worse. The revelation came with Jimmy Dunne’s resignation, the architect of the Tour-LIV tentative agreement announced last summer.

Dunne said in his resignation that there’s been “no meaningful progress” towards a financial agreement with Saudi Arabi’s Private Investment Fund (PIF), which is bankrolling LIV.

Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction,” Dunne said.

More Women Accuse Vegas Magician David Copperfield of Sexual Misconduct — Report

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:58:22 +0000

One thing David Copperfield can’t make disappear are the charges of sexual misconduct hounding him since 2007. A new investigation by The Guardian adds several new names to the Las Vegas magician’s list of accusers. More than half said they were 15 to 17 years old at the time.

David Copperfield poses for a photo in 2015. (Image: CBS News)

The British tabloid said its investigation was based on interviews with over 100 people and court and police records.

New accuser Fallon Thornton, 38, told the Guardian that Copperfield squeezed one of her breasts after calling her on stage during a 2014 performance at the MGM Grand, where the 67-year-old magician has headlined since 1983. Records confirmed a complaint filed by Thornton with Las Vegas police, which told the Guardian that it closed the case due to “insufficient evidence.”

New David Copperfield accuser Fallon Thornton conceals her appearance from the camera. (Image: The Guardian)

Four other complaints uncovered by the new investigation paint a similar picture, charging Copperfield with either groping women or making them touch him in a sexual way during live performances. Family members of one 15-year-old who were seated in the audience claim they witnessed him grope her breasts, according to the Guardian.

Another new complainant, who gave her name as “Gillian*,” alleged that she and a friend were drugged before having sex with Copperfield following one of his shows in 1993, denying them their ability to consent.

Copperfield promised several of the newly identified complainants that he would assist with their careers in modeling or the entertainment industry, according to the Guardian.

One woman, “Carla*,” claimed that after meeting Copperfield at one of his shows in 1991, when she was 15, he began “grooming” her via late-night phone calls. After she turned 18, she claims, they had consensual sex. She said it was her first time.

According to the Guardian, 16 women in total have come forward against Copperfield. However, the newspaper didn’t clarify how many were new complaints uncovered by their investigation and how many women had previously gone public with allegations.

Copperfield’s alleged sexually inappropriate behavior dates from the late 1980s through 2014.

Previous Complaints

Britney Lewis accused Copperfield of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. (Image: The Guardian)

In 2018, Copperfield was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old model named Brittney Lewis in 1988.

Copperfield denied the allegations, which were published by the website The Wrap, and no charges were ever brought.

In 2007, Copperfield was accused of rape by another woman, Lacey Carroll. A federal jury in Seattle closed the investigation in January 2010, also without any charges being brought. Carroll was later charged in Washington state with prostitution and falsely claiming to have been sexually assaulted in another case.

According to court filings unsealed In January, Copperfield’s name also appeared on a list of people connected to late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Copperfield Responds

A PR representative for Copperfield emailed Casino.org the following response to the new allegations, asking that the statement be published in its entirety…

Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is. In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators. Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then. David requested the ‘evidence’ upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided.”

The statement continued: “By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer. The Guardian’s characterization is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination.

“The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish,” the statement concluded. “David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations.”

Copperfield’s show remains a huge draw at the MGM Grand, where people crowd in nightly to see the billionaire at work.

Mirage on Las Vegas Strip Announces Official Closing Date

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:58:21 +0000

The Mirage now has an official closing date, and it’s coming up fast.

The Mirage almost single-handedly transitioned Las Vegas from its shlocky past to its five-star present. Now, the iconic casino resort is about to undergo its own transition. (Image: travelnevada.com)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida, which operates the Las Vegas Strip casino resort, announced on Tuesday that will shut it down on July 17. That’s so it can be transformed into the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas. (The first Hard Rock Las Vegas, located off the Strip, was sold to billionaire Richard Branson and has operated as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas since 2021.)

The 36-story Hard Rock guitar tower will dominate the Las Vegas Strip when it debuts. (Image: Hard Rock International via Nevada Gaming Control Board)

The Guitar Hotel will be a 700-foot-tall structure shaped like a guitar. Clark County commissioners unanimously approved of its construction last March.

All rooms and show reservations purchased for after July 14 will be canceled and refunded, according to a press release from the Seminole Tribe, which also notes that it will pay $80 million in severance packages to all employees who remain during the transition.

The press release did not estimate how long the transition would take.

Astute observers could have estimated The Mirage’s closing date with reasonable accuracy, since an internal memo from Cirque du Soleil revealed last month that “The Beatles LOVE” would permanently close on July 7, due to a renovation process that, according to the memo, “is about to start.”

The Mirage will be completed gutted and remade by the Seminole Tribe, which purchased the operating rights to the iconic Strip casino resort from MGM Resorts in December 2022 for $1.1 billion.

It was initially reported that the property would remain open during the transition.

Steve Wynn poses in front of The Mirage during its construction. (Image: livzey.com)

The Other Mirage Transformation

The Mirage was opened by casino mogul Steve Wynn in 1989 and is credited with transforming Las Vegas from a hub for schlocky entertainment and bargain buffets into a destination for superstar residencies and world-class dining — along with prices to match.

The Mirage became known as the first resort with a $100-per-ticket headliner, Siegfried & Roy, who also leant their brand (and animals) to an on-property zoo.

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat permanently closed last year. According to an internal memo announcing the closure, all its dolphins, white tigers, white lions, and leopards would be placed in the care of “well-trained, highly respected animal care professionals and veterinary experts.”

However, the specific details of many of the animal relocations were never revealed.

Historic Karma

This rendering shows the current Mirage in white and the Hard Rock’s proposed guitar hotel in blue. It outlines some of the many renovations the Hard Rock is about to make. (Image: Hard Rock International via Nevada Gaming Control Board)

The Guitar Hotel will replace The Mirage’s beloved volcano — one of only two remaining major free shows on the Las Vegas Strip. (The other is the Bellagio fountains, also created by Steve Wynn.)

Though many view the volcano’s demolition as an affront to Las Vegas history, the attraction was part of a long line of historic indignities perpetrated on the same site.

To build the volcano, the last remaining Las Vegas Strip residence — a house owned by former vaudevillian actress Grace Hayes — had to be demolished in 1987, along with a Mobil station built on the site of the Red Rooster, which in 1931 became the very first licensed casino to operate on what eventually became the Las Vegas Strip.

In other words, the guitar tower will rise from the ashes of the exact site where the Las Vegas Strip was founded.

Las Vegas Sands Owner Dr. Miriam Adelson Returns to Politics

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:58:20 +0000

Dr. Miriam Adelson, the largest individual shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire she inherited from her late husband, has made her first political donation in nearly two years. But the cash didn’t go directly to Donald Trump, the former president whose 2016 and 2020 White House campaigns she and her husband, Sheldon Adelson, dumped more than $200 million into.

Dr. Miriam Adelson remains the largest shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the casino empire founded by her late husband. Adelson hasn’t yet donated to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, though she resumed her political spending in March after nearly two years. (Image: Haaretz)

Adelson controls 46% of the Sands organization following her $2 billion stock sell-off last year to acquire a controlling ownership position in the NBA Dallas Mavericks. Adelson, a stalwart Republican and perhaps the strongest pro-Israel voice in the United States, remained politically active in 2022 after the January 2021 death of her husband.

Adelson gave $1 million to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) reelection in 2022, a contribution many saw as an effort to win political favor for the state welcoming in commercial casinos. She also gave $20 million to GOP congressional committees that year.

Adelson’s political spending went quiet throughout 2023. But federal campaign finance records show that Adelson, who’s worth more than $30 billion, might be returning to the political arena ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

PAC Money

Before 2024, Adelson’s last political donation was an $8,100 contribution in November 2022 to a California Republican’s Attorney General campaign. Records from the Federal Election Commission reveal that Adelson reopened her political treasure chest in March with a $5,000 donation to the Las Vegas Sands Political Action Committee (Sands PAC).

The Sands PAC predominantly supports Republican candidates both on the federal and state level. The PAC limits its contributions to a maximum of $5,000 per candidate.

Adelson pitching in $5,000 is rather uneventful, but it could hint that the billionaire is readying to ramp up her political spending. Adelson said during the 2024 GOP primary that she wouldn’t endorse or financially support a candidate in favor of allowing the Republican electorate to decide who should challenge President Joe Biden.

The primary is long over, yet Adelson hasn’t contributed to Trump’s 2024 campaign. He needs cash, as the costly lawsuits against him play out.

Adelson and her husband poured more than $524 million into Republican campaigns and PACs between 2011 and 2022.

Biden Outpacing Trump

According to the FEC, Biden has significantly more cash on hand than Trump. The incumbent has around $130.8 million in funds to spend on his 2024 campaign, while Trump is said to have around $66.7 million.

Adelson, of course, can singlehandedly push Trump above Biden, assuming the Democrats’ largest donors, including George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, don’t do the same with hefty donations to the president.

Trump will be without the support of Americans for Prosperity, the super PAC controlled by the Koch network. The group backed Nikki Haley during the 2024 GOP presidential primary. The Koch network is controlled by Charles Koch, one of the world’s richest individuals who has long been a Republican supporter, but a Trump foe.

VIDEO: Vegas Airport Passenger Joneses for Slot Spin

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:57:49 +0000

In the past year, two gamblers have hit million-dollar slot jackpots at the airport in Las Vegas. Judging from the urgency displayed by one airline passenger in a social media video, he thought he would be the third.

A still from a viral video showing a man rushing toward a slot machine at Harry Reid International Airport. (Image: Twitter/X)

In the video, which went viral on Snapchat and X/Twitter on Tuesday, the unidentified man is shown rushing toward a machine at the end of a bank of slots, then dropping his bag, plopping himself onto a stool, and feverishly retrieving cash or a voucher from his wallet.

The video provides no context as to whether the man has just landed in Las Vegas, or if he had been waiting to depart it when an airline delay suddenly afforded him some extra machine time.

Hundreds of comments flooded the video, posted to X/Twitter by @weirddalle. They were pretty much evenly split between praising the man for his “dedication” and concern over what they perceived as an obvious gambling addiction.

“I can win it back!! I have a system!!!” commented @mfwic76.

“Must be a good set up for an advantage play,” wrote @pkrprncss.

“Never seen someone so eager to throw away their money,” added @DonYee46945786.

“Not addicted to gambling or anything,” noted @TheShowOnX.

“He dreamt about this moment for months. Let him have his fun,” interjected @theminigad.

By far, this was the most entertaining comment…

“He ran to that slot machine like I run to the toilet after Chipotle,” @Yaboy_hardmike wrote.

Check out the video yourself.

As to whether the man got to realize his dream of winning big, which a few commenters wondered, the answer is a guaranteed no. All extremely rare million-dollar jackpots are announced by press releases from Las Vegas gaming operators.

Such was the case in July 2023, when Harry Reid announced that one of its visitors won $1,286,325 on a Wheel of Fortune Triple Hot 777 slot in Terminal 3, and a month earlier, when another won more than $1.3 million on a Wheel of Fortune Triple Double Emeralds machine in the Terminal 1 Esplanade.

Slot machines at Harry Reid International. (Image: iStock Photo)

$1B In Revenue

Over 36 years, the slots at Harry Reid (previously named McCarran International Airport) have generated more than $1 billion in revenue, according to Michael Gaughan’s Airport Slot Concession. The Las Vegas-based firm operates the slots at the busy airport.

The airport slots generate about $39.8 million in gross revenue each year. That leads to about $34.4 million in average revenue for the airport.

In total, there are 1,430 slot machines at Harry Reid Airport. The slot play helps to offset airport costs.

Cherokee Nation Campaigns Against Pope Casino Referendum

Seethereality — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:57:48 +0000

The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma is the odds-on favorite to secure the lone remaining casino license in neighboring Arkansas. Through its commercial unit, Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB), the tribe is expected to be the only qualified bidder for the gaming concession earmarked for Pope County.

Campaign materials from a new political action committee funded by the Cherokee Nation encourage Arkansas voters to reject a 2024 casino referendum initiative. The Cherokee tribe is the betting frontrunner for the casino license in Pope County. (Image: Investing in Arkansas)

The Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC) is fielding bids for the Pope casino opportunity. Bidding rules require that only applications accompanied by a letter of support from the sitting Pope County judge or current Pope County quorum court qualify.

The Cherokees’ proposal, called Legends Resort & Casino in Russellville, reportedly has the endorsement of both Pope County Judge Ben Cross and the Pope County Quorum Court, meaning all other bids would presumably be dismissed. However, a separate legal effort to repeal the license altogether threatens the Legends development.

To ensure it doesn’t, the Cherokees have initiated a campaign against the ballot referendum effort called “Investing in Arkansas.”

PAC Formed

In March, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) approved ballot language submitted by a group called “Local Voters in Charge.” The campaign seeks to repeal the Pope County casino license that statewide voters authorized through a 2018 ballot referendum.

The 2018 initiative found widespread support among state voters for four commercial casinos, with one each in the counties of Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope. But Pope County was one of only 11 counties of the 75 in Arkansas that voted against the casino question.

Local Voters in Charge seeks to call another gaming referendum asking statewide voters to rescind the Pope license.

Investing in Arkansas is spending millions of dollars to convince the public not to sign documents presented by canvassers with Local Voters in Charge. A minimum of 90,704 registered voters must lend their support to the Local Voters in Charge campaign for it to reach the November ballot.

Don’t be fooled. Refuse to sign the casino repeal,” the Investing in Arkansas campaign website reads. “The proposed constitutional amendment would undo the will of the voters and cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.”

Legends Resort & Casino, a $300 million development, would be expected to create over 1,000 direct permanent jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in the River Valley. The Cherokees believe the destination would generate a 10-year economic impact in excess of $5 billion.

Local Voters in Charge says Pope residents never wanted the casino in the first place. And following a yearslong legal battle over the license, it’s time to reconsider its merits.

Out-of-State Interests

Local Voters in Charge is being bankrolled by the Choctaw Nation, another Oklahoma-based tribe. The Choctaws are funding the campaign to repeal the Pope casino license because a casino in the county would presumably threaten operations at the tribe’s casino resort in Pocola just across the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.

Choctaw Casino & Resort Pocola features over 100 hotel guestrooms and a casino floor with more than 1,700 slot machines and 15 live dealer table games.

The Arkansas casino license reserved for Jefferson was awarded to the Quapaw Nation, yet another tribe headquartered in Oklahoma. The tribe opened Saracen Casino Resort, a $350 million undertaking, in October 2020.

The two other casinos Arkansans authorized through the 2018 referendum allowed racino racetracks in Crittenden and Garland, respectively Southland and Oaklawn, to become full-scale casinos with slots, live dealer table games, and sports betting.