Author Archives: The Daily Payoff

New Jersey’s January iGaming revenue tops $100m for the first time

New Jersey’s online gambling market posted its first ever monthly revenue total over $100m in January, while basketball and the NFL playoffs pushed sports betting revenue to yet another record. 

Figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) show the state’s licensed online casino and poker operators generated combined revenue of just under $103.8m in January, an 88.4% rise from the same month last year and nearly $4m better than the state’s previous iGaming record set in December 2020. 

January’s records were (as always) primarily due to the online casino vertical, which shot up 89.7% year-on-year to $101m all on their own. Online poker contributed $2.75m, up by nearly one-half from January 2020. Both verticals undoubtedly benefited from cross-selling to sports bettors who enjoyed a full slate of marquee matchups last month. 

Golden Nugget Online Gaming led January’s iGaming revenue pack with $31.2m (+47%) but the Borgata casino’s family of sites – which includes the BetMGM brand – wasn’t far back with $28.7m, which represented a stellar 176.8% year-on-year improvement. Around $926k of the Borg’s January total came via poker. 

Europa League sportsbetting preview

There’s something about the Europa League attracting British teams and in particular the English. Manchester United won the trophy just three years go for the first time in their history, before a 2019 final featured both Arsenal and Chelsea, The Blues eventually running away with it by winning 4-1 on the night.  

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewEC1YOS2uo?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]

This week, four English sides are in action, but who’ll emerge from Thursday night’s ties victorious and which sides will have a mountain to climb in the second leg?  

Real Sociedad vs. Manchester United (5.55pm GMT kick-off) 

NBA Thursday betting: Lakers host the Nets

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

There are only three games on the NBA schedule this Thursday. Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET) and Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET) are solid enough matchups. The Bucks are legitimate title contenders but struggling right now, while the Raptors and Heat could make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs, presuming they get there.

The Kings have the longest playoff drought in the NBA, last playing extra basketball in 2006. They might sneak in this year but it will be tough in the much-deeper Western Conference.

However, the clear matchup of the night is Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers with a 10 p.m. ET tipoff and nationally televised by TNT. That’s a potential NBA Finals preview and the odds-on favorite to be the exact matchup. The Lakers are favored to repeat as NBA champions, while the Nets are second-favorites to win their first championship and also favored to come out of the East.

Atlantic City Gambler Hits Tropicana’s $1.1 Million Poker Jackpot

Long-time Atlantic City gambler Frank Nagy won a $1.1 million progressive poker jackpot at The Tropicana on February 13.

Long-time gambler Frank Nagy has won a record-setting progressive jackpot worth $1.1 million. (Image: Twitter/Tropicana AC)

Nagy made the necessary $5 side bet in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot which broke the $1 million mark earlier this month.

With his bet locked in at the four card poker table, he was duly dealt a royal flush. Within a matter of seconds, he’d won Caesars Entertainment’s biggest ever poker jackpot.

Digital bank Monzo doubles down on gambling safeguards

Monzo made a name for itself as a pioneer in mobile-only banking in the U.K. It also has made a splash with its anti-gambling controls, becoming one of the first financial institutions to allow its customers to prevent their accounts from being used for gambling activity. Now, the bank is doubling down on its gambling stance, pushing for changes on the part of the U.K. government to take gambling safeguards to a new level. It wants the government to require gaming operators to give up their banking details and to implement a single solution that would give individuals a streamlined process to stop themselves from spending money on gambling.

SBC News explains that Monzo’s CEO, TS Anil (Tummalapalli Sai Anil), is behind the initiative, authoring an open letter to the U.K. government to request additional consumer safeguards. Responding to the ever-changing gambling environment in the U.K., and the continued rewrite of the 2005 Gambling Act, Anil singled out Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage and Tourism Nigel Huddleston to place an emphasis on “self-exclusion increasingly seamless and efficient covering all gambling operators and businesses that transact with the sector.” Huddleston is also behind the review of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is expected to provide major changes to U.K.’s gambling laws.

Amil believes that gambling companies should provide their banking details in order to create a “universal blocking of transactions” for those individuals who want to be excluded from gambling. This would essentially enable a one-click stop for those who feel they may have a gambling problem, and Amil adds, “We believe the government should take the opportunity afforded by the Gambling Act review to make sure every consumer in the U.K. can access these blocks, regardless of who they bank with. These tools are simple to build, proven to work, and will help protect hundreds of thousands of people.”

Banks across the U.K., as well as in other parts of the world, provide mechanisms that allow their customers to block their accounts from being used for gambling spend. However, Amil thinks the country can raise the bar on safeguards and wants to have the government provide the control. He’s already getting support from some within the industry, including the Betting and Gaming Council, which told The Guardian, “We support all forms of blocking capabilities and are encouraged by the continued uptake by banks of these functions.”

Digital bank Monzo doubles down on gambling safeguards

Monzo made a name for itself as a pioneer in mobile-only banking in the U.K. It also has made a splash with its anti-gambling controls, becoming one of the first financial institutions to allow its customers to prevent their accounts from being used for gambling activity. Now, the bank is doubling down on its gambling stance, pushing for changes on the part of the U.K. government to take gambling safeguards to a new level. It wants the government to require gaming operators to give up their banking details and to implement a single solution that would give individuals a streamlined process to stop themselves from spending money on gambling.

SBC News explains that Monzo’s CEO, TS Anil (Tummalapalli Sai Anil), is behind the initiative, authoring an open letter to the U.K. government to request additional consumer safeguards. Responding to the ever-changing gambling environment in the U.K., and the continued rewrite of the 2005 Gambling Act, Anil singled out Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage and Tourism Nigel Huddleston to place an emphasis on “self-exclusion increasingly seamless and efficient covering all gambling operators and businesses that transact with the sector.” Huddleston is also behind the review of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is expected to provide major changes to U.K.’s gambling laws.

Amil believes that gambling companies should provide their banking details in order to create a “universal blocking of transactions” for those individuals who want to be excluded from gambling. This would essentially enable a one-click stop for those who feel they may have a gambling problem, and Amil adds, “We believe the government should take the opportunity afforded by the Gambling Act review to make sure every consumer in the U.K. can access these blocks, regardless of who they bank with. These tools are simple to build, proven to work, and will help protect hundreds of thousands of people.”

Banks across the U.K., as well as in other parts of the world, provide mechanisms that allow their customers to block their accounts from being used for gambling spend. However, Amil thinks the country can raise the bar on safeguards and wants to have the government provide the control. He’s already getting support from some within the industry, including the Betting and Gaming Council, which told The Guardian, “We support all forms of blocking capabilities and are encouraged by the continued uptake by banks of these functions.”

Crown faces scrutiny in Western Australia; region’s casino boss exits

It’s official. Crown Resorts is no longer the jewel of gaming in Australia. The Bergin inquiry launched in New South Wales (NSW) to determine whether the casino operator was worthy of holding a license determined that it was, in fact, not as reputable an organization as it wanted everyone to believe. Victoria, while not launching a full-scale inquiry, has begun to scrutinize the company, which might now be looking at strike three. Western Australia has announced that it is now investigating Crown through a royal commission. 

The inquiry in Western Australia comes not only because Crown has been found inept at preventing money laundering through its casinos and letting warlords gamble at its properties, but also because of a questionable relationship between the brass and a government official in the region. Specifically, with the man who was charged with overseeing the gaming industry in Western Australia. Michael Connolly, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and chief casino officer, admitted to having social relationships with some Crown employees, and even took some from Crown Perth on a fishing trip.

As a result, the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC) in Western Australia will explore “the suitability of close associates” and “the appropriateness of Crown Perth’s responses to the GWC prior to and during the Bergin inquiry.” It will also look at its own ability to properly manage its duties “in the discharge of its regulatory responsibilities inclusive of any perceived conflicts of interest.” 

The fallout from the NSW inquiry has been far-reaching, with several key executives, including CEO Ken Barton, already stepping down. However, that might not be enough to put Crown back in a positive light, and the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), which spearheaded the investigation, wants to see more extricate themselves from the company. The ILGA believes that crown director Harold Mitchell, and possibly John Poynton, need to go. 

Boyd Gaming expands cashless effort to Nevada

Cashless gaming is quickly becoming the norm across North American casinos. Boyd Gaming have announced the BoydPay Digital Wallet, which was previously available at Indiana and Ohio locations, will now be starting a test run at the Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new cashless wallet is technically only entering a field trial for the moment, with regulators monitoring it’s use. If everything goes well, Boyd expects they could roll it out to all of their Nevada locations by the summer of 2021.

BoydPay is linked to a player’s B Connected card, the operator’s loyalty program, and can be used to play or cash out on slots. The initiative began when Boyd partnered with Aristocrat in October, 2020.

If Nevada approves its use, Boyd is also hopeful that the technology could then be spread to all of their 28 gaming properties in 10 states.

Osaka, Nagasaki and Yokohama all consider new partners for Japan IR

With a lot of time between now and whenever the first Japanese integrated resort (IR) is expected to open, there’s plenty of changes happening in Osaka, Nagasaki and Yokohama, three of the leading cities to gain licenses. Each made news recently, opening up new possibilities for Japan’s casino future.

In Osaka, a bid previously though to be a lock for MGM might now be competitive again. With news that Osaka’s IR likely won’t open until the late 2020s, the city and prefecture have announced that the application process has now been reopened. “Following this policy change, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City have ensured fairness and fairness,” the governments announced, as per NHK news “Therefore, we will accept applications from other businesses as well.”

The news must come as a shock to MGM, who’ve been the only potential partner for an Osaka IR since February 2020. With a tough year passed, and knowing there’s no longer a rush to meet a 2025 opening date, Osaka is willing to take more time and consider other options.

Nagasaki, which has come on strong as an IR contender in recent weeks, have revealed their 5 potential partners for an IR license. Casinos Austria Japan, Current Group, Niki Chau Fwu (Parkview), One Kyushu (TTL Resorts), and the Oshidori consortium were listed by the prefecture. With their own plans citing a late 2020’s opening, the prefecture added: “The prefecture is aiming to attract IR by utilizing the site of the large resort facility “Huis Ten Bosch” in Sasebo City.”

CNY visitation in Macau fails to meet expectation

Everyone expected the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday to not bring a lot of action to Macau, especially since the city, as well as China, recommended locals forego their travel plans. The constant threat of COVID-19 has forced the old playbooks to be tossed into the fire as a “just wing it” approach is necessary. Still, Macau had hoped to see at least 100,000 tourists descend on the city during the CNY period, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, the actual figures are well below even the already-reduced expectations.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) had hoped to see around 16,000 to 20,000 visitors each day as the CNY got going. So far, as of yesterday, total visitation was just 62,894 since February 11, the start of the annual holiday, and is well below what everyone would have liked to have seen. On February 11 and 12, less than 10,000 people arrived in the city on each of the two days, much to the disappointment of tourism officials. The best day was this past Monday, when 17,357 visitors were recorded. That was 52% fewer than what had crossed into Macau last year on the same day.

As would have been expected, most of the arrivals came from mainland China, with 57,226 travelers crossing over into Macau from the country. They preferred land-based transportation, as only 4,844 of the total visitation numbers came via air. That virtually nonexistent air travel segment might soon see some improvements, though, even if CNY was essentially a bust.

According to Macau International Airport (MFM), which shared its predictions with GGRAsia, flights into Macau could be on the rise for what’s left of this month. It explained that the airport might handle a total of 1,128 commercial flights before February ends, which would represent about 40 a day. This is much better than what was recorded last month, when an average of just 28 a day – 870 in total – was recorded. If the numbers hold up, February’s MFM movement will have increased by 29.7% since the start of the year, which was down 12.6% from last December’s figures.