Atlantic City Information

Atlantic City Merchants Association, law enforcement and city officials meet, discuss public safety - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, talks between city stakeholders regarding public safety have been renewed following the April 1 death of shop owner Mehmood Ansari. Mr. Ansari, 65, died  after an altercation with two juveniles at his store City Souvenirs. On April 2 about 100 members of the Merchants Association and the community assembled outside the store to mourn Mr. Ansari's death and demand more protection from the city. The association, city officials and law enforcement met on April 8 to discuss safety on the Boardwalk. City police cited tthe Neighborhood Coordination Officer program (established 2019), grant funds received from the Department of Justice to bring in two mental health clinicians, and increases in the police roster (9 officers promoted to full time from Class II status on April 7, 15 part time or Class II officers sworn in April 9, 24 additional special law enforcement officers in the process of being hired) among efforts to address crime in the city.  Merchants calledfor better laws for juveniles, a solution to panhandling. 

Developer Bart Blatstein announces plans for redevelopment of Showboat Resort & Convention Hotel Atlantic City - As reported by the Associated Press, on April 22, developer Bart Blatstein announced his plans to bring family entertainment to the Showboat hotel. In addition to the $100 million indoor waterpark, which has already been announced, Blatstein plans a retractable domed outdoor concert hall for 8,000, an outdoor beer garden, a sun-deck extension to the Boardwalk and New Jersey's largest arcade. The arcade, "Lucky Snake" opens May 15th on the former casino's gaming floor. The dome, beer garden and deck are expected to open by summer 2022. 

Fitch Affirms 'A-' for Stockton University Atlantic City Campus Project - On April 16th, Fitch Ratings annouced a stable outlook for Stockton University's Atlatic City campus (Phase I and II) project bonds. Fitch cited the University's careful budget management during the pandemic (fiscal years 2020 and 2021) and expects Stockton will "return to its pre-pandemic trend of consistent but manageable enrollment growth over time based on a solid regional market position, moderately competitive demand indicators, and strong student retention."

Owners of Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, and Icona Resorts announce partnership - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, two families, the Gillians of Wonderland Pier and the Mitas of Icona Resorts, have announced a partnership to keep the financially struggling Wonderland Pier 'in the family.' The pier, which has been operated by the Gillian family since 1929, almost went up for auction in 2019 when the Cape May County Sheriff's Office claimed it defaulted on $8 million in loans.

Supermarket still in the works for Atlantic City - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, officials are still working toward bringing a supermarket to the city. The effort, begun in October 2018 and delayed by the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, is presently in the "pre-development" phase. Once construction begins, the estimated $13.5 million store will take 13 months to build. 

New Jersey Gaming News

Caesars Entertainment announces $400 million master plan investment in Atlantic City - According  to an April 21 release, Caesars Entertainment, Inc. will invest $400 million in its three Atlantic City casinos (Caesars, Harrah's and Tropicana) over the next three years. Plans include remodeled hotel towers/rooms, enhancements to the gaming floors and new additions to dining and non-gaming ammenities. The first phase, a $170 million renovation of guest rooms at Harrah's and Caesars, is expected to open in summer 2021. 

Casino Association of New Jersey Names Terry Glebocki President - According to an April 14 media release from the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ), Terry Glebocki, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Casino Resort has been chosen to succeed Steve Callender as the next president of CANJ. 

Detroit company to buy half of Ocean Casino Resort - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, Detroit's Ilitch family has made a deal with Ocean Casino Resort owners, Luxor Capital Group LP, to purchase up to half the ownership interest in the property. The Ilitch organization, which owns the Detroit Tigers baseball and Red Wings hockey teams, the Little Caesars pizza chain, and Detroit's MotorCity Casino Hotel, has already applied for regulatory approval of their part ownership of the casino. The amount of the organization's investment has not been disclosed. 

Meadowlands to commit final online sports betting skin to SuperBook - As reported by Casino.org, the Meadowlands Racetrack has announced its intent to have SuperBook, known for its 4,250 square-foot sportsbook at the Westgate Las Vegas, partner on their last of three online mobile sports betting skins. Meadowlands has agreements with FanDuel and PointsBet to operate its other two online mobile sportsbooks. 

Ocean Casino Resort Announces $15 million Reinvestment plan - According to an April 19 release, Ocean Casino Resort plans to reinvest $15 million into "the resort, team members, and surrounding North Beach community." Planned  projects for the gaming floor include a high-limit table games venue, an Asian gaming space, rewards member lounges, 250 new slot machines and the installation of new pathways to aid guest navigation. The resort is also planning expansions for its non-gaming amenities, which have yet to be announced. Community reinvestment plans include more than $1 million in annual wage increases and bonuses for eligible team members and $50,000 in donations to local charities. The casino will support and participate in the AtlantiCare Foundation’s Growing Green Initiative Community Gardens, South Jersey Boardriders Beach Clean Ups, Covenant House of New Jersey Young Adult Shelter and The Boys & Girls Club’s summer camp STEAM Labs.

National Gaming News

Arizona could launch sports betting by year end - According to Legal Sports Report, Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey on April 15 signed a bill (HB2772) and amended tribal compacts to permit sports betting. State regulators are working to set licensing fees, final tax rates and types of permitted wagers as the tribal compacts have been submitted to the Federal Department of the Interior - Office of Indian Gaming for approval. There are several steps left before launch for both tribal and commercial operators, but legislators have set a launch goal of the start of NFL season. The state plans to have 20 sports-betting licences with half allocated to tribal operators and half to the state's professional sports teams. These include retail, online and daily fantasy sports betting. 

British company, Super Group, moves to enter U.S. market - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, Super Group, a sports betting and online gaming company based in the U.K., announced that it would join with Delaware-based, Sports Entertainment Acquisition Corp. and go public in the U.S. stock markets. If approved, a deal to acquire another company, Digital Gaming Corporation, would give Super Group access to as many as 10 U.S. states including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Caesars Entertainment Inc. announces completed acquisition of William Hill PLC - According to an April 22 release, Caesars has officially acquired William Hill for approximatly $4.0 billion. The combined companies currently operate sports books in 18 U.S. jurisdictions and expect to operate in 20 jurisdictions by the end of 2021. Caesars intends to sell the non-U.S. businesses owned by William Hill, including U.K. and international online and retail sports betting operations. 

Connecticut moves closer to legalizing sports betting - According to Legal Sports Report, Connecticut is moving closer to legalized sports betting on an accellerated timeline that could  launch before the start of the NFL season. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamot's office and the state's two tribal gaming partners came to an expanded gaming agreement in March which has yet to be approved by the Connecticut legislature. As part of the agreement, the Connecticut Lottery would receive one of the state's three online sports betting skins as well as up to 15 retail betting locations.The two tribal partners have already chosen sports betting partners (DraftKings and Kambi), which will pay 13.75% tax on sports-betting revenue. The partner for the lottery will negotiate their own revenue-share rate which could be near 50%. The lottery is expected to pick a sports betting partner by May 17. 

Las Vegas-area casinos open at 80% capacity as of May 1 - According to a notice released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on April 23, effective May 1, casinos in the state are to comply with the COVID-19 Local Mitigation and Enforcement Plan of their home county unless the county's plan does not meet the requirements of the state's Emergency Directive (041). Under this guidance, casinos in Clark County Nevada (which includes Las Vegas) will be permitted to open at 80% capacity with a social distancing requirement of 3 feet. The capacity and distancing requirements will be lifted entirely once 60% of the eligible population receives a first vaccine dose. 

Maryland legislators approve framework for sports betting - As reported by Baltimore Business Journal, Maryland's General Assembly voted to approve a fromework for launching sports betting in the state. While full rollout, inclding sports betting at some bingo parlors and professional sports stadiums, may take 12 to 24 months, casinos and racetracks are likely to offer legal sports bets before the end of 2021. The current legislation, not yet signed into law, allows for as many as 60 mobile and online betting licenses. Sports betting licensees would be allowed to keep 85% of their proceeds, and fees collected from issuing licenses will be shared by the Lottery and Gaming Commission (to reimburse costs of issuing licenses), the Blueprint For Maryland's Future Fund (education reform) and the Small, Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Sports Wagering Assistance Fund. 

Mobile sports betting official in New York -According to Legal Sports Report, with the signing of the fiscal 2022 budget, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made moble sports betting "officially official" in New York. The "monopoly model" mobile sports betting that was ultimatly chosen will likely take a while to operationalize. The state will not accept proposals from operators before July 1 and could take up to 180 days to both collect (30 days) and consider (150 days) proposals before making a decision. At least two platform providers will be chosen, each with a minimum of four skins. Platforms would pay $25 million each for a 10-year license and would be expected to share more than 50% of total sports betting revenue. 

New U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion hears testimony from hospitality and tourism industry leaders - As reported by Casino.org, the first hearing of the subcommittee, which was formed in February 2021, focused on the state of travel and tourism during COVID-19. Industry leaders including Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Jorge Pereze regional portfolio president for MGM Resorts Internatonal, testified to the significant impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry in Las Vegas. Hill told senators that the resort expected to receive about $100 million from room taxes levied on visitors this fiscal year, a third of what the resort usually collects. In the next fiscal year he expected there would be some recovery, but only to about 70% of normal room tax revenue. 

NFL signs sports betting deals with three U.S. sportsbooks - According to Legal Sports Report, the National Footbal League (NFL) has signed agreements with Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel to form sports betting partnerships. The tri-exclusive' partners will have the right to integrate sports betting content into NFL media (website and app) and to "ehance their fan experience" by using NFL content (highlights, footage and stats). Each of the partners were also granted exclusive/prominent access to different NFL events and media properties. For example DraftKings will continue to be featured prominently on the NFL RedZone channel, FanDuel will receive integration into seven NFL Network pregame broadcasts and Caesars will be permitted to "create tentpole activations at key NFL events." 

Hospitality & Tourism News

New Jersey governor announces relaxed restrictions on indoor gatherings effective May 10 -  As reported by NJ Biz and The Press of Atlantic City, at an April 26 press conference, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a new executive order,  effective May 10, that relaxed restrictions on indoor catered events, outdoor venues and public gatherings. Outdoor gatherings are permitted to host 500 people (up from 200), and outdoor venues with seating for at least 1,000 people are permitted to operate at 50% capacity (up from 2,500 seat venues at 30% capacity) as long as 6-foot social distancing and mask wearing can be enforced. Outdoor carnivals and fairs may operate at 50% capacity and indoor catered events will be limited to 50% capacity to a maximum 250 persons. Indoor venues are still limited to 15% capacity, and indoor businesses (restaurants, casinos, retail etc.) remain at 50% capacity. 

New York launches $30 million tourism marketing campaign, seeks to lure tourists back - As reported by Travel Weekly, on April 21, destination marketing group NYC & Company and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $30 million campaign to entice tourists to return to the city. The first push, expected to roll out in June, will focus on domestic travelers which make up 80% of visitor volume. NYC & Company predicts the city will see 36.4 million visitors in 2021 compared to the 22.3 million reported for 2020, and 66.6 million reported in 2019. The organization hopes to set a new visitation record with an anticipated 69.3 million visitors by 2024. 

Stockton University launches Cannabis & Hemp Research Initiative (CHRIS) - According to an April 1 Press Release, Stockton University has launched a new research initiative dedicated to the study of "hemp cultivation practices, non-medical cannabis research, lab testing and the creation of hemp and cannabis educational materials." The initial focus will be providing testing services to hemp growers, processors, and finished product manufacturers. Over time, leaders hope to engage with community partners on important innitiatives such as providing education, training, and employment opportunities for the post-prison population.

Stockton University School of Business forms Dean's Executive Advisory Board - According to an April 21 press release, the innaugural meeting of the Dean's Executive Advisory Board was held on April 8. The board, which represents a cross-section of business and industry, will meet quarterly to discuss academic priorities, corporate placement requirements for Stockton graduates and other avenues to drive positive change in Atlantic City and South Jersey. 

Three major Port Authority initiatives announced for New York Stewart International Airport -According to a March 30 release from the office of New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo,  the Port Authority has announced initiatives to "re-energize" New York's Stewart International Airport in Orange County. The initiatives include a new logo, marketing campaign and incentive program to attract carriers to the airport. The initiatives are timed to assist the Mid-Hudson region in preparing for the anticipated return of tourism.