Atlantic City Information

Atlantic City International Airport adds non-stop flights to Miami, Cancun and San Juan, Puerto Rico - According to a July 22 press release from Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), carrier Spirit Airlines will add nonstop flights to three destinations, Miami (MIA), Cancun, Mexico (CUN), and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) for a total ten destinations. This summer Spirit's operations at ACY grew 35% over 2019.  

Atlantic City needle exchange - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City and NJ.com, the Atlantic City Council voted on July 21 in favor of an ordinace that would repeal the state's oldest needle exchange program. The Atlantic City needle exchange, "Oasis,"  run by the South Jersey Aids Alliance (SJAA) opened in 2007 and serves 1,200 clients by providing clean syringes, testing services and recovery support. Against the recommendation of city health director Dr. Wilson Washington and several advocacy organizations, the council voted 7-2 to close the exchange. Council members considered the exchange a blight on the city which makes residents and tourists uncomfortable. They acknowledged the need for such services but felt the exchange's current location in the tourism district was not desirable. As per the 2016 state takeover, all decisions made by the Atlantic City Council must be approved by the state. New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy has expressed 'disappointment' in the Council's decision. 

Atlantic City water park bond sale taken over by Citigroup- As reported by The Press of Atlantic City and Bloomberg, Citigroup Inc. will take over as underwriter of the $95 million municipal bond sale that will finance construction of the water park planned for space adjacent to the Showboat hotel. The Atlantic County Improvement Authority, which approved plans for the water park in March, met on July 29th to approve Citigroup's appointment as underwriter, replacing the previous underwriter Janney Montgomery Scott. Developer, Bart Blatstein told the press that the project would break ground "around this fall."

New Jersey Gaming News

Esports betting bill passes both houses of the New Jersey Legislature - According to  records of the New Jersey state legislature, bill A637, regarding esports, passed both the Assembly and Senate as of June 21, 2021. As reported by Esports Insider and the Philadelphia Inquirer, the bill revises and expands the definition of sporting events in the context of sports betting regulations. Operators are now permitted to accept wagers up to $100 and paying out up to $500 on any skill-based attraction, including esports, awards competitions, and competitive eating contests. If sanctioned by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), wager and payout limits could be increased. Previous legislation permitted wagering on such events only if they received prior state regulatory approval. Wagering on sports events where the majority of the competitors are under 18 years of age, or wagering on collegiate events occuring in New Jersey or involving a New Jersey based team is still prohibited. As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, legislators in Pennsylvania have joined legislators in New Jersey in introducing legislation which would permit wagering on esports events. 

New Jersey legislature considers creation of gambling treatment diversion courts - According to Online Poker Report and Casino.org, New Jersey legislators have introduced two bills, A5604 and S3976, which aim to create a gambling treatment diversion court program. The pilot program would provide supervision and treatment as an alternative to incarceration for individuals found guilty of non-violent crimes while influenced by a gambling addiction. New Jersey would be the third state after New York (operating 2001-2013) and Nevada (operating 2018 - present) to introduce this type of program. Both bills are currently under consideration by the Assembly and Senate Judiciary Commitees. 

Playtech and Scientific Games enter into distribution partnership - According to a July 19 press release from Scientific Games, two of the industries largest gambling technology companies, Scientific Games and Playtech, have signed a mutual distribution agreement. Playtech's software, including a portfolio of online slots, table and live casino games, will now be available via Scinetific Games' Open Gaming System (OGS), one of the world's largest  iGaming aggregation platforms. Playtechs content will be rolled out alongside Scientific Games' features and promotions set initially in New Jersey with more states to follow. The deal expands both companies' reach accross the U.S., European and Latin American markets.

PointsBet launches proprietary iGaming Platform in New Jersey - According to a July 23 press release provided via PR Newswire, PointsBet expanded its business into a second jurisdiction with the launch of their proprietary iGaming platform in New Jersey. The company initially launched its iGaming/online casino operations in Michigan in May 2021. With this online casino product launch, the company expands its 'proprietary wagering product suite' which also includes sports betting. 

US Open Pool Championship to be held at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City - According to a July 20 press release from the Atlantic City Sports Commission, Matchroom Pool, promoters of the US Open Pool Championship, has chosen Harrah's Resort Atlantic City as the venue for the 2021 tournament, which will take place on September 13-18. The professional pool contest boasts 256 international players, a $300,000 prize fund and global TV coverage. 

National Gaming News

Caesars Entertainment partners with New Orleans Saints, stadium rebranded as Caesars Superdome - According to a July 26 press release from the New Orleans Saints, the NFL team and Caesars Entertainment have entered into a 20-year exclusive naming-rights partnership. The team's home stadium will now be known as the Caesars Superdome. In addition to New Orleans Saints' home games, the venue will host Super Bowl LIX in 2025, the NCAA Men's Final Four tournament in 2022, the annual Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff contests, a variety of concerts and hundreds of other annual events including Essence Festival, the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling State and Southern University, the New Orleans Bowl and the Louisiana State High School Athletic Association Football Championships. Quoted in the release, Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. said "The Superdome contributes close to $600 million in annual economic impact to the state of Louisiana, and Caesars is the largest gaming company in America. Together, they will ensure that our iconic stadium drives even more jobs, tax revenue, and global brand awareness for New Orleans and Louisiana."

Evolution becomes first company to launch live online casino games in Michigan - According to a July 22 press release provided via PR Newswire, Evolution has opened its third U.S. live casino studio, its eleventh studio nationwide, in Michigan. The company's other U.S. studios are located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Florida sports betting law challenged - As reported by Casino.org and SportsHandle.com, Florida's latest sports betting law faces legal challenges. The amended gaming compact aproved by Florida legislators in May, would give the Seminole tribe of Florida exclusive statewide rights to offer sportsbetting including mobile sportsbooks. Two gaming companies, West Flagler Associates, Ltd and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., have filed a lawsuit claiming that the current version of the compact violates the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) which restricts tribal gaming to tribal lands. The companies, which run a casino and poker room, want the court to prevent the "off-reservation sports betting provisions" in the legislaton from being enacted. 

Massachusetts House of Representatives passes sports betting bill - As reported by The Boston Globe, and Casino.org, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed House Bill 3993 on July 22. The current version of the sports betting bill would permit online sportsbook operators to get a license without needing a partnership with a state-licensed casino or racetrack. Under the bill, retail sportsbooks would pay a 12.5% tax on Adjusted Gross Receipts (AGR) and online sportsbooks would pay 15% on AGR. The bill also calls on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to conduct a feasability study on automatically including professional sports areas as license holders and the possibility of placing betting kiosks in bars and restaurants.The MGC's report is due December 2022. The bill was refered to the state's Senate Ways and Means committee on July 26. 

New York State Gaming Commission releases request for applications for mobile sports betting - According to Legal Sports Report, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) released a request for applications for mobile sports betting platform provider and sportsbook licenses. The NYSGC is expected to select the winner by January 6, 2022. A launch date for mobile sports betting in the state has yet to be announced. 

Pennsylvania sets new annual gambling revenue record - As reported by the Associated Press, Pennsylvania's 14 casinos, fantasy sports operators and truck stops generated $3.9 billion in gaming revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. This passed the previous record set in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 by 17%. In its second year of operation, online casino gambling in the state grew to nearly $900 million. Sports betting, in its third year of operation, generated $309 million. 

Hospitality & Tourism News

Cape May County officials fear second year of lost tourism from Canadian visitors - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, Cape May County officials are concerned that a delay in reopening the U.S.-Canadian border could result in another lost year of Canadian tourism. The border has been closed to non-essential travelers since March 21, 2020 and was scheduled to reopen July 28, 2021 before the U.S. government extended the closure to at least August 21, 2021. Canadian visitors represent a significant segment of travelers to the Cape May County region contributing an estimated $2 million in visitor spending. Most Canadian visitors travel to Cape May County in the last two weeks of July - coinciding with a nationwide construction holiday. In that two-week period,  visitors from Canada typically represent 15-25% of guests at Cape May County campgrounds. The average Canadian visitor spends $1,411 and stays an average 11 nights.

Egg Harbor Township Commitee adopts rules to govern recreational cannabis businesses - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, on July 28, the Egg Harbor Township committee unanimously approved rules to govern the establishment and operation of recreational cannabis businesses within their jurisdiction. Cannabis buisinesses will only be permited within four land-use zones - highway business, special highway development, light industrial and general commercial. Cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers will pay an initial application and annual fee of $10,000. Cannabis delivery services will pay an intitial application and annual fee of $2,500.

Hilton Garden Inn Camden Waterfront first new hotel to be built in Camden in more than 50 years - As reported by NJ Business Magazine, the Hilton Garden Inn Camden Waterfront is the first hotel in more than 50 years to be built in Camden. Located on the Delaware River waterfront, the 122,00-square-foot facility includes 180 guestrooms, a 90-seat restaurant and lounge, multi-purpose meeting rooms and a 3,300-square-foot event room. The hotel is part of Camden's 2016 Waterfront Master Plan. The property, which opened with 20 employees, expects to employ between 35 and 45 in the future. 

Midyear state of the hotel industry report predicts $44 billion loss in national room revenue in 2021 compared to 2019- According to a July 20 press release from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), a new Midyear State of the Hotel Industry Report predicts a $44 billion decline in room revenue nationwide compared to 2019. Hotel occupancy has dropped 10 percentage points on average since 2019 and one in five hotel jobs won't return before the end of 2021. A state-by-state job loss report estimates approximatly 23% of expected hotel jobs in New Jersey (12,392 jobs) will be lost as of year-end 2021. Direct hotel employment in New Jersey declined from 54,498 in 2019, to 34,543 in 2020, and recovered slightly in 2021 rising to 42,106. Further reporting by Travel Weekly. 

U.S. hotel weekly occupancy highest since October 2019 - According to a July 22 report released by Smith Travel Research (STR), in the week ended July 17, 2021 U.S. average hotel ocupancy reached 71%, the highest level since the week ended October 19, 2019 (Columbus Day holiday week). More than 76% of hotels reported occupancy above 60%.