Public Gaming International March/April 2021

48 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 Conversations Streaming Series What do the gaming industry’s top in uencers and thought-leaders believe lies ahead? Get the inside view as Gaming Laboratories Interna- tional (GLI®) puts trailblazers in the spotlight in its new streaming series, Illuminating Conversa- tions. Hosted by GLI President/CEO James Maida, Il- luminating Conversations is a monthly series of thought-provoking dialogs available on-demand at www.gaminglabs.com/illuminatingconversa- tions. “ is is a time of signi cant change in the gaming industry and the world at large. We created the Illuminating Conversations series to bring gaming’s most innovative, ingenious and prescient leaders together for a discussion of what’s working now, what lies ahead in the near and distant future, and how we can work to- gether to make the industry even better,” Maida said. “ e series is meant to be informative and thought-provoking; we’ve been working hard to dig for deeper insights and fresh perspectives that we think will really be helpful to those in the industry.” Las Vegas Sands Corp, founded by late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, will sell its Vegas properties for $6.25 billion, exiting the U.S. gam- bling hot spot after three decades to focus on Asia, home to the world’s largest gambling hub, Macau. The Massachusetts State Lottery increases its net profit projection for the 2021 fiscal year from $940 million to $985 million. The Virginia Lottery raked in $436 million from online lottery games between their July 1, 2020, launch and the end of February, making up 21.8% of the state lottery’s total $2 billion revenue during that period. Arkansas Scholarship Lottery is launching Szrek2Solutions’ Auto- mated Trusted Draw Solution e Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) is launching Szrek’s Trusted Draw 360 Elec- tronic Draw Solution. Trusted Draw 360 will provide automated random number generation for ASL’s main lottery games, including Cash3, Cash4, and the Natural State Jackpot lotto game. e Lottery has selected an automated draw solution from Szrek, due to its reliability and security. Lottery Director Eric Hagler says, “ e Arkansas Scholarship Lottery executive team saw a distinct bene t in moving to an automated draw system. We selected Szrek2So- lutions as our vendor due to their signi cant experience with such systems.” Inspired Entertainment launches Gimme Gold Megaways™, a clas- sic, prospector-themed Mega- ways™ title that gives players up to 117,649 ways to win. Dover Downs owner Bally’s agrees to buy UK online gaming company for $2.7 billion Dover Downs owner Bally’s Corporation and UK- based Gamesys Group plc announced that they had reached an agreement in principle calling for Bally’s to aquire the online gaming company. Caesars names 60 insurers it says are rejecting its claims to recoup losses under about $3.4 billion in insurance policies Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Inc. is putting its losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 at more than $2 billion, and is suing a long list of insurance carriers it accuses of balking at paying its business interruption costs. SPORTS BETTING IN THE U.S. Sports gambling has soared dur- ing the pandemic and continues to climb Gamblers placed $4.3 billion in bets on Super Bowl LV, marking "the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history," the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimated. In sports betting, a "handle" refers to the total amount of money wagered by bettors. About 7.6 million people placed bets on the game through platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings, a 63% increase from 2020. MMeanwhile, more than 47 million Americans have placed bets on March Madness, the association said. e number of online bets on the tournament has tripled since 2019. Two trends are driving this growth, experts say. First, more states are legalizing sports betting. Second, online sportsbooks have become more popular during the coronavirus pandemic which has forced hundreds of millions of people to remain at home. National Council on Problem Gam- bling (NCPG) issues report called “Recommendations on Partner- ships Between Higher Education Academic Institutions and Sports Betting Operators.” The Plan to Bring Sports Gambling to the Futures Market Canada: Single-Event Sports Bet- ting Bill Could Make Way for More Global Markets Sports fans across the nation in Canada rang out with joy at the announcement of the House of Commons passing of Bill C-218, potentially putting an end to a decades-long prohibition on single-event sports betting. Wynn to add podcast studio in Las Vegas e new deal will seek to prove Wynn Resort’s sports betting business on Blue Wire podcasts and a new branded podcast called WynnBet. ey began promoting the podcast studio during NCAA's March Madness with an o cial opening expected this summer. Wynn Resorts is making a $3.5 million investment in the sports podcast- ing network Blue Wire in a deal that will see a podcast recording studio added to the Wynn Las Vegas lobby. e new partnership will also look to prove Wynn Resort’s sports betting business on Blue Wire podcasts and a new branded pod- cast called WynnBet, e Verge reports. Connecticut Authorizes Sports Bet- ting and iGaming at Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods in Legislation Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced today that the Mohegan Tribe’s Class III gam- ing compact has been amended to include reve- nue-sharing details for online gambling and retail and mobile sports betting. Gross gaming revenue online generated by the tribe will be subject to a 20 percent tax, while 13.75 percent of sports betting wins will be directed to the state. e amendment is e ective for 10 years and includes an optional ve-year extension. UK Gambling Commission Suspen- sion of licence - BetIndex Limited e UK Gambling Commission, the public body which regulates the country's gambling industry, has suspended the licence of Football Index, a "virtual stockmarket" which has come under increasing re after a week of chaos. e company had become ubiquitous in the world of football with adverts on podcasts, TV and even on QPR and Nottingham Forest shirts. It o ers trading on “shares” in virtual footballers, with the prospect of making money if players rise in value or earn “dividends”. Last week the com- pany announced big changes which meant the share price crashed, meaning users lost big sums of money, some in the tens of thousands. It is now in administration and its operating licence is suspended. e Athletic published a lengthy ac- count this week on the struggles of the company likened to a ‘Ponzi scheme’. Debate over new Maryland sports gambling industry enters final stages P U L S E