Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. In our latest edition we take a look at the cost of lockdown in England, a Colombian launch and a new opening in Vegas.
37 million
GVC Holdings says the UK government’s imminent four-week national lockdown will cost the FTSE100 company an estimated £37m.
England’s retail closure will cost the FTSE betting group a reported £27m, while the closure of its Eurobet Italia and Ladbrokes BE subsidiaries will cost £10m.
However, should the governments of Wales and Scotland replicate lockdown enforcements, a full UK retail closure would cost the company £34m – leading to combined UK and European retail losses of £43m.
66
MGM Resorts International recorded net revenues of $1.1bn in the three months to September 30, a 66 per cent drop against the same period in 2019. The hardest hit properties were in Las Vegas and Macau, where flagship resorts were only partially open during the period and, even then, with footfall significantly down due to social distancing measures.
Net revenues for MGM China were down a whopping 94 per cent year on year, to $47m while Vegas revenues dropped 68 per cent against Q3 2019, to $481m. However, CEO Bill Hornbuckle founds grounds for optimism in both MGM’s resilience during the pandemic and also the ongoing success of the BetMGM joint venture with GVC Holdings.
1.25 million
Las Vegas’ Circa Resort and Casino, the first Vegas resort-casino built from the ground up in four decades, has officially opened.
The 1.25 million square-foot, adults-only property is lauded as paying homage to Vegas’ ‘Golden Era’ through vintage design, ‘old-school hospitality’ and nods to the city’s history while also laying claim to ‘high-tech advancements and cutting-edge amenities’.
Conceived by developer and CEO Derek Stevens, Circa’s opening marks a series of firsts and achievements for Las Vegas:
48
NatWest has introduced a gambling block on debit cards, giving customers the option to trigger a 48-hour cooling off period via their mobile banking app. Any transactions attempted during that time will be declined, with the block remaining in place indefinitely unless a customer chooses to remove it, in which case it can only be disabled after the
48-hour period.
Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, praised the move. “The ability to block gambling transactions through your bank card or app is an important tool for those struggling with their gambling, and is ideally used together with other practical tools such as self-exclusion, blocking software, and specialist support around the issue,” she said.
“GamCare is pleased to see NatWest take this positive step to support their customers and we hope more of the financial sector follows suit.”
52
Zamba.co, the Colombian online gaming brand from Gaming1 is offering players in the country a wide range of games from Evolution Gaming, the first time live casino has been available in Colombia.
Zamba is now able to offer Colombian players 52 games from the Evolution catalogue, including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker, and the studio’s signature gameshows.
“I am incredibly proud of the outstanding agility demonstrated by our world-class teams and am of course delighted that we are the first operator to offer the market live casino,” noted Sylvain Boniver, COO & co-founder of Gaming1.
