Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. Keep reading to find out why there needs to be a change in the behavioural approach to tackling problem gambling, details of a further penalty imposed by the Dutch regulator and finer aspects of US based acquisitions.
$1bn
MGM Resorts International has unveiled further details of its $1.06bn Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park acquisition, as it held a pep rally for employees of the property.
The purchase of the re-branded MGM Northfield Park is expected to close in April, with it stated that the entity needed “a name symbolic of MGM Resorts’ legacy as an entertainment and hospitality leader”.
It’s new purchase offers in excess of 200 live harness races each year, in addition to featuring 2,300 gaming devices, varied dining options, live music and comedy events, and will see its tap sports bar concept, which has a variety of locations such as MGM Grand Las Vegas and MGM National Harbor, replace the Hard Rock Café.
The 1,900 seat concert style music hall is to become Center Stage from its current Hard Rock Live moniker, Club Velvet, which hosts comedy acts to live musical performances, is to become the Neon Room, with all further amenities also set to be rejuvenated and renamed.
€400,000
Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit has imposed a €400,000 fine on Exinvest Limited and 1X Corp NV, two entity’s behind gambling websites 1xbet.com and xbet-1.com.
Relating to illegal activities by the Cyprus based Exinvest and Curaçao’s 1X Corp, research by the authority highlighted that during a certain time-frame both gambling websites could be accessed from the Netherlands.
It was also further highlighted that the Dutch language was used and payment could be made via the Dutch service method iDeal, with many games of chances found to be on offer, including those of live casino games such as roulette and blackjack.
The investigation undertaken by the Ksa revealed that Exinvest Limited and 1X Corp were behind another 83 Dutch gambling websites, which you could log in to utilising the same player account.
25
The Senet Group has called for a change in the behavioural approach to tackling problem gambling, as it publishes an independent research report examining behaviours in the context of personal control.
Conducted by independent agency Revealing Reality, and titled ‘In Control: How to support safer gambling using a behaviour change approach,’ 25 participants were selected to take party after answering a series of questions from the problem gambling severity index.
The research reveals that regardless of their risk profile, all gamblers want to stay in control, and that this control is critical to their enjoyment of gambling.
As a result, people set boundaries to their gambling which they look to maintain through a variety of formal and informal management strategies
The group believes that setting out elements required for behaviour change in the approach to tackling problem gambling, “where an understanding of why and how people behave as they do,” will help identify opportunities to influence and change behaviour for the better.
50.1
Louisville headquartered Churchill Downs is nearing a deal to secure a controlling interest in Illinois’ Rivers Casino Des Plaines, reports Chicago’s Daily Herald.
Intending to acquire a 50.1 per cent stake of Midwest Gaming, the property’s owner, for a fee of at least $326m, it’s the potential introduction of sports betting, and expanding beyond its current Arlington International Racecourse interest within the state, which are thought to be the main drivers of the agreement.
According to the publication Illinois Gaming Board is undergoing routine approval processes regarding the purchase, looking into a variety of issues, including the company’s financial situation and conducting criminal background checks on its executives, to ensure Churchill Downs meets state requirements.
A vote on the deal could commence this week, with a deal for Rivers, which houses 983 slot machines and 58 table games, expected to close in the first half of the year.
