As New York struggles with competing interests for three Las Vegas-style casinos downstate, with proposals running the gamut from Times Square to Coney Island, Bally’s has nearly crossed the finish line for the first-ever true casino in America’s third-largest city,

According to Bally’s Corp. Chairman Soo Kim, the success of the company’s Chicago casino project – a historical milestone itself – is paramount to the future success of the iconic brand’s current strategic goals.

Kim’s hedge fund, Standard General, acquired a 22% stake in Rhode Island lottery terminal and table gaming casino concern Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. prior to buying the Bally name from Caesars in 2020.

According to Bloomberg reports, Kim says that a successful launch of the only true casino in the history of America’s third-largest city will be the most important thing the nascent company with a storied brand name will do to date, bar none.

Iconic Brand to Become Household Name

“[This] will be our most important, period,” Kim said regarding the success of the company’s overall strategy. “It’s really an opportunity to re-announce and reintroduce the Bally’s brand name nationally and what better place than Chicago.”

The Bally brand dates back to the late 1930s. The “juice” in the name has assisted the once unheard-of “Twin Rivers” company in a quest that so far has seen it become an operator of gambling properties in 20% of all American states with over a dozen operations across the country.

The Chicago casino has knocked down domino after domino and now only needs approval from state regulators to ready a temporary casino and soon open a historical landmark in gambling history. Steve Wynn couldn’t do it – Sheldon Adelson couldn’t do it, and certainly, Donald Trump couldn’t have done it even if it were on his radar when he controlled three casinos in Atlantic City.

Timing is everything

The American commercial gambling industry has simply exploded online and on land as pent-up consumer energy is released after too much time at home, and sports betting has become commonplace and officially legal and regulated in most states. America has gambling fever as the economy defies traditional logic and players bet like there is no economic downturn in their real worlds.

Land-based gambling is no longer relegated to the meccas of Las Vegas and Atlantic City or the Gulf coast, let alone riverboat casinos or backroom gambling halls. The gates have opened for better or worse and, as Kim said, “The next great frontier are large cities,” according to a story seen on Crain’s Chicago Business.

Not all observers have absolute confidence in the smart business acumen of Kim translating into the wherewithal needed to accomplish what other well-experienced titans of the industry had the opportunity to do but chose not to attempt – Bally’s Corp has simply never executed a project of this magnitude in the physical world. Kim has, however, done far more impressive things with money in another realm – and sometimes, with the right actors who know how to leverage power and delegate authority to competent cohorts, anything is possible.

Almost anyone can imagine a nearly one million square foot casino floor with exhibit space along the Chicago River, an entertainment center worthy of its environs, restaurants to please all visitors, and a hotel with all the amenities needed to serve welcome guests – or could they?

Whether timing is everything or not might be open to interpretation, but striking while the iron is hot after negotiating a perfect position to hold the blacksmith hammer is not as contentious a proposition.

Too Hard to Handle

Mega Casino operators such as Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts chose not to bid on the tender out of concerns over market sustainability and tax rates. As they shifted their focus to other markets like Atlanta and NYC, the Illinois General Assembly dropped the preposterous anticipated tax rate of 70% to a much more manageable 40% after Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested the move to keep the possible tender alive.

Still, the potential for failure is real with over 17,000 video gambling terminals beckoning to gamblers in the region and nearly a dozen other venues in the state and nearby Indiana.

The state gambling commission notes that gambling revenues in the state have not recovered from pandemic lows and a trend toward less gambling has existed for nearly a decade in the state. Observers also log the increased interest in sports betting and online casinos as threats to the venue’s potential success.

Overall, most of the gambling revenue in the state comes from the state lottery.

Kim doesn’t seem too worried about the competition and he’s not a businessman accustomed to failure.

“It would absolutely be our most complex challenge,” Kim said. “We feel more than confident.”

More than 30 million tourists visited Chicago in 2021 and the city is home to nearly 3 million residents placing it just behind Los Angeles and New York City for the size of the population in the city proper.

Bally’s revenues are expected to provide $200 million a year for first responder pensions which are currently underfunded.

The casino will be built on land that formerly held the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center. Final approval by the Illinois Gaming Board is pending. The permanent casino could open in 2026 with a temporary site opening as soon as during the next calendar year.

Source: Chicago’s first casino will relaunch the storied Bally’s name, Crain’s Chicago Business, December 21, 2022

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After a grueling regular season, the men get separated from the boys, and it’s time to get down to the real business. That’s right, we’re talking about the NFL Playoffs.

It’s the goal of every NFL franchise, but only a select few make it to the Playoffs each year, where they fight it out for the right to play in the greatest show in US sports, the Super Bowl.

But how exactly does it all work?

Here we’ll cover everything you need to know about the NFL Playoffs, from the schedule and how it works to reseeding and wild cards.

How Does The NFL Season Work?

The NFL is split into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

Each conference has 16 teams, making a total of 32 teams in the whole NFL.

Each team plays 17 times across an 18-week period, typically starting in early September and ending in late December or early January.

After each team has played all their regular season matches, the 14 best teams battle it out to try and win the Super Bowl, the NFL’s overall championship game.

Divisions and Scheduling

The two NFL conferences are also split into divisions of four teams. These divisions are based on geography and historical rivalry from the pre-NFL era.

The AFC is made up of the following divisions:

North: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers.

South: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans.

East: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets.

West: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFC is made up of the following divisions:

North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings.

South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

East: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders.

West: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks.

The NFL scheduling formula means that teams have a slightly different set of fixtures every year. They always play their divisional rivals twice, but the rest of their schedule is changeable.

The formula is as follows:

• Each NFL team has to play the other three teams in its division twice, once at home and once on the road.
• Each team plays one game against the four teams in another predetermined division within its own conference (which is rotated every three years). Two games at home and two on the road.
• Each team plays one game against every team from the remaining two divisions in its conference that finished in a similar position in their divisional standings in the previous season. One game at home, one on the road.
• Each team plays one game against all four teams from a predetermined division (which is rotated every four years) in the other conference. Two games at home and two on the road.
• Each team also plays one game against another team from a predetermined division (which is rotated every four years) in the other conference that finished in a similar position in the final divisional standings in the previous season.

How The NFL Playoffs work

Played since 1932, the NFL Playoffs are a knockout tournament.

So, if you lose, you go home and it’s back to the drawing board again next season. If you win, you’re one step closer to glory.

Seven teams from each conference fight it out in the Playoffs, with one team from the AFC and one from the NFC competing in the Super Bowl.

The Playoffs only feature the best teams (and usually the best players) in each season, so those golden weeks in the dead of winter provide white-hot entertainment for NFL fans across the globe.

The Playoffs can create unique matchups where even the biggest underdog has a chance.

When Do The NFL Regular Season And Playoffs Take Place?

The NFL regular season begins the weekend after the first Monday of September (Labor Day) and ends in early January.

The Playoffs take place across four weekends from January into February every season. The Super Bowl traditionally always took place on the first Sunday in February.

However, 2020 was the final Super Bowl played on the first Sunday in February for the foreseeable future due to the NFL’s new 17-game schedule.

Super Bowl LVI (2021) was played on the second Sunday in February, and Super Bowl LVII (2022) will follow suit.

Qualification And Seeding

14 teams qualify for the NFL Playoffs. This includes the four divisional champions and three wild cards from each conference.

The four teams with the best record in each conference (NFC and AFC) are seeded one through four. The team with the best record is seeded one, the second-best record is seeded two, and so on.

The two teams with the best record in each conference are then given a bye week (they don’t have to play) in the first round of the Playoffs, which is also known as ‘wild card weekend.’

Teams qualify for the Playoffs as ‘wild cards’ if they have one of the three best overall records (number of wins, losses, and ties) of all remaining teams in their conference.

The wild card teams are seeded numbers five, six, and seven based on their records.

Wild Cards Explained

‘Wild card’ Playoff teams were first introduced to the NFL in 1970, when the modern league was founded, following a merger of the National Football League and the American Football League.

Wild card teams are the three teams with the best records in each conference who do not win their division.

These teams always play on wild card weekend, the week before the divisional Playoffs.

The four division winners in each conference are seeded one to four based on their record, with the #1 seed getting a bye in the first round.

Each wild card team plays one of the divisional winners based on their rankings going into the Playoffs.

Each conference is split as follows:

Division Winner #1 – BYE

Division Winner #2 vs Wild Card #7

Division Winner #3 vs Wild Card #6

Division Winner #4 vs Wild Card #5

So, the better your regular season record, the more favorable your draw is in the Playoffs.

Reseeding In The NFL Playoffs

Throughout the Playoffs, the lowest-seeded team always plays against the highest-seeded team in each round.

The higher-seeded team always plays at home too. So, who you play against and where is always subject to change. This is known as reseeding. 

Reseeding is designed to give a significant advantage to the teams with the best regular-season records.

It also makes it difficult, but not impossible, for wild card teams to make it to the Super Bowl.

Reseeding often impacts the Playoffs and changes the picture for all the teams involved.

For example, both number one ranked teams in the 2022 Playoffs lost in the divisional round.

This meant the number two ranked teams now became number one and had the massive advantage of playing at home in all the rounds before the Super Bowl.

NFL Playoff Bracket

The Playoff ‘bracket’ is the Playoff schedule as it stands at the present time.

The bracket is subject to change depending on the regular season and Playoff results.

Eager fans start thinking about the Playoff bracket and what it might mean for their team’s ambitions as the season nears a close.

2023 Playoff Schedule

Key dates for the 2022 NFL Playoffs are:

First round: January 14-16

Divisional round: January 22-22

Conference round: January 29

Super Bowl LVI: February 12

The Super Bowl will be played at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals.

Lead image: Adrian Curiel/Unsplash

Following the money

A Pennsylvania treasurer has been charged with stealing over $100,000 of public funding which then went to cover vacations and gambling expenses.

“The defendant is a public official entrusted to oversee city funds with integrity and accountability,” said Attorney General and Governor-elect Josh Shapiro in a press release. “My Office will investigate and prosecute anyone who abuses their position of power for their own financial gain.”

thieved $106,000 from 2020-21 while serving in office

The accused is Uniontown’s Antoinette Hodge, who is believed to have thieved $106,000 from 2020-2021 while serving in office. The money was illegally diverted from school and city tax revenues, among other sources.

Pennsylvania treasurer spent tax funds gambling

The City Council launched an investigation in 2021 after more than a dozen taxpayers were informed they were behind despite having already submitted their payments. That tracked back to Hodge and helped lead to the recent accusations.

Hodge created a system that allowed her to commit the offenses by restructuring the flow of responsibility, giving her total control over a variety of important tasks.

“Staff at the City’s Treasurer’s Office testified that various changes were made under Hodge’s leadership, including Hodge taking over filling out deposit slips, taking over as the sole person reviewing the tax account information, and eliminating other checks and balances within the Treasurer’s Office,” said the press release.

The investigation also found that the ex-treasurer spent the money on expensive trips to Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Disney World. She had also planned a trip to Paris.

$500-600 per day on lottery tickets and $500-$1,000 on a gambling machine

When she wasn’t traveling, money was spent funding gambling habits and living a high-roller lifestyle. A Uniontown convenience store manager said that Hodge spent $500-600 per day on lottery tickets and $500-$1,000 on a gambling machine. 

It was also determined that Hodge was a regular at casinos, where she spent over $67,000 in 2022 and $14,000 in 2021. 

What’s happening now

Officials attempted to step in once it became clear that Hodge was not performing her duties as intended, only for her to respond that she was “in charge.” 

“Sometimes weeks would pass before Hodge would actually make a bank deposit,” a process that occurred daily before Hodge restructured the system, read an affidavit. 

eliminating any sort of oversight from the deputy treasurer

The accused also reviewed bank statements for tax accounts each month on her own, eliminating any sort of oversight from the deputy treasurer.

Hodge has been charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds Received, Misapplication of Entrusted Property, Obstructing Administration of Law or other Governmental Function, and Perjury. She awaits trial and sentencing.

Hodge was elected treasurer of Uniontown in 2019. Her illegal exploits are a dangerous reminder of the harms of potential gambling addiction and overall abuse of power.

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Double-checking my itinerary would have been wise

I have a bit of a history of travel mishaps on my way to Vegas. On one of my earliest WSOP trips over ten years ago, I booked (or thought I had booked) an itinerary that required me to spend a few hours overnight in Heathrow. After idling in terminal one for a while after my arrival and typing up a blog entry, I headed for terminal three, which I was assured was the Virgin Atlantic terminal. Long walk, but sure – didn’t I have all night? I was greeted at terminal three by the sight of VA logos everywhere, which was encouraging. Less encouraging was the absence of any sign of my flight to Vegas on the screens. Hmmmm. Better check the old itinerary. A quick glance at the aforementioned itinerary revealed the source of the problem here: my flight to Vegas from Heathrow was actually from Gatwick.

 just in time to see every shop, food outlet, and tube station in the joint slam its shutters shut

Having no notion of the most economical way of getting from Heathrow to Gatwick but harboring a strong suspicion that the answer wasn’t “TAXI!”, I decided to catch the last train to Paddington. That got me into Paddington around 1am, just in time to see every shop, food outlet, and tube station in the joint slam its shutters shut. Hmmmm. After ascertaining that the best plan of action now was to tube it to Victoria and then catch the Gatwick Express, I was left with the minor problem of what to do for the next four hours until the tube station reopened.

The answer I came up with, and I acknowledge it right here right now to be laughably sub-optimal, was to spend the night in Paddington shivering on a bench like a homeless person, surrounded by actual homeless people. And let me dispel any illusions you might have: spending a night shivering in London’s draftiest and least attractive train station with no food and no toilet and just your overheating and dying laptop battery as your only heat source is not as much fun as you might think.

A few hours into this, I noticed one of my homeless compadres had skulked off somewhere. A little investigation revealed the destination of the skulk to be an inexplicably open, but empty ticket office which afforded considerably more shelter and heat than the concourse benches. Better yet, it boasted a power outlet. As I reveled in the plush surroundings of the floor of the ticket office recharging my laptop and my spirits, I got all philosophical about how even the smallest things can become huge luxuries in the right light.

My reveling and revelation didn’t last long though: a station security guy materialized to chase us back out onto the concourse with shouts of “get out or you’ll have me sacked.” I wouldn’t have thought his job security was a pressing concern to the homeless fraternity, but nobody argued. He shot me a particularly quizzical look: I guess he’d never seen a homeless man in a white Miami Vice jacket clutching a laptop before.

Finally, on my way

My partially regenerated battery got me through ’til 5am, opening time for everything. Hurray! The Circle Line tube ride to Victoria was rendered all the more surreal by the fact that I was the only human in the carriage, and my companion the only bird. Yes, an actual bird of the flying feathery variety was sitting on the seat next to me, looking up at me like he’d never seen a homeless man in a white Miami Vice jacket with a laptop before. I took a picture of him with my phone to prove I wasn’t hallucinating. I also think it’s just as well the ticket conductor didn’t come until after the bird got off at Notting Hill to tell the other birds his “hey, you’ll never guess what I saw on the tube this morning” story, as I’m reasonably certain that the bird was not in possession of a valid ticket.

The Gatwick Express entertainment was provided by the panicky American old lady determined to drive her silent and sullen husband round the twist with very public fretting over them missing their plane. “We have only six hours before takeoff! Are you sure that’s enough time? How long does this train take to get to Gatwick?”

I was tempted to up the ante by telling her “Ah, you’ll be grand, it rarely takes more than five hours,” but the husband looked like it wouldn’t take much for him to snap, so I left it. Instead, I focused on the positives of my frigid night. It probably surprises nobody that knows me that I used to run for 24 hours non-stop for no good reason other than to see how much it could mess me up, that I like to put myself through some sort of pointless ordeal every so often in the view that it “builds character” and “puts things in perspective.” Anyway, when you’ve endured a night like I just had for no good reason other than your own stupidity and lack of attention to detail, you kinda need to find some sort of silver lining.

I tweeted quite a bit about my connection woes this time on the way to the WPT World Championship at the Wynn, and bleated about them on a recent episode of “The Lock In”, so I’ll spare you the threepeat. The cliffs are I missed my connection in Heathrow and after several hours of being shunted from queue to queue, I ended up trying to book an airport hotel only to find them all booked out. My friend Alex O’Brien came to the rescue, and I ended up spending the night in much more salubrious surroundings than that night in Paddington. Alex is the perfect hostess, and had champagne on ice served in gold glasses ready on my arrival.

Didn’t cash, but heard Phil Hellmuth sing

David Lappin and I were staying at the Wynn Encore for the trip, easily my favorite hotel on the strip. I was also blown away by just how well run the entire festival was. I associate playing in Vegas with all the worst of the WSOP: endless registration queues, incompetent staff, dreadful dealers, poor food options. None of these were problems here – it was one of the smoothest-run festivals I’ve ever attended.

Come on, I want to hear you sing.”

I had a tough Day 1 struggling with card death and dropped very low at one point, but managed to bag up a bit more than starting stack. My Day 2 table featured the one and only Phil Hellmuth, who is always fun to play with. We had some good banter when he read a tweet by my co-author Barry Carter suggesting I was a 90s reggae singer. When I declined Phil’s cajoling to sing, he treated us to his own rendition of Drake. My neighbor turned to me and said: “Come on, I want to hear you sing.”

“Trust me, you really don’t. It’s really bad.”

“It can’t be worse than Phil’s Drake.”

Having started the day relatively short, I was teased by doubling my stack in the first session, knocking out a shorty in a flip and winning a few other decent sized pots. Just after the first break, I got in AKs against Jacks for well above average, but couldn’t win this flip.

Side events: two heads are better than one

I fired three bullets at the mystery bounty without making Day 2, coming very close with the second bullet. I had built a big stack, but my Kings lost to QJo near the end of the day.

I also fired two bullets at the 1k on the final day. The first didn’t last long (my Kings got outdrawn by J9 in a three-bet pot), but the second one brought me not far from the bubble. This time my AKs lost to QQ.

By now, I was already technically in the tag team event. After he busted his second bullet, Lappin went and regged us both, happy to play all the hands until I busted in the 1k.

It’s a game of being whittled away, hoping to get a big infusion before you ante out.

This was a tag team event with a difference. While it was technically Hold’em, every pot was a bomb pot. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the dealer deals a hand to everyone and then a flop (so there’s no pre-flop) after everyone antes. This sounds like a lot of fun in theory, and bomb pots are apparently used to enliven cash games. As a tournament format, though, it doesn’t really work. It’s a game of being whittled away, hoping to get a big infusion before you ante out. Every pot is big, but your chances of winning it small (1 in 8 or however many players there are at your table). You need a strong hand to bet into that many players and a strong one to continue facing a bet.

Entire hours went by without a single elimination and a sort of gallows humor engulfed those of us (most of the remaining field) who were kind of regretting our decision to sign up. One guy said it reminded him of the early days when “My friends and I would all play. None of us had a clue so we’d limp every pot, check it down to the river, and then find out who won.”

Team Chip Race was hanging on grimly near the bubble, then got some heat and actually hit the chip lead briefly with six left. Lappin recorded the whole thing for the latest episode of “The Lock In”, which he assures me is his masterpiece as a director. We ended up busting in 4th for just under 5k, a partial trip saver.

Guess who read my book?

In between tournaments I signed a few books for a few folks and was particularly heartened by the number of people taking the trouble to tell me how much they appreciate them. One, in particular, stuck in my memory because of the beautiful way it was worded. As I strolled back to fire my second bullet at the 1k, a tall handsome young guy asked: “Are you Dara O’Kearney?”

“Yes.”

“I just want to say I don’t admire many poker players, but I really admire you for your books and work. I just read GTO Poker Simplified and it made a huge difference to my game.”

He sounded Francophone so I asked his name and where he was from.

“Eliot. From Montreal.”

When I passed on this encounter to my co-author Barry Carter two days later, he said: “You mean the Main Event winner?”

For the first time, I made the connection. The day after stopping to chat with me in the corridor, Eliot Hudon from Montreal had closed out the WPT World Championship for over $4m, defeating Benny Glaser heads up.

Final table changed in a hurry

I’d stopped paying close attention to the Main Event after I busted out, but was aware that Benny Glaser went in as massive chip leader and favorite to win. The general consensus was that with almost half the chips and the most experience, he’d be able to put all the others in an ICM coffin. Everyone else except Eliot was short (sub-20 big blinds) and Eliot had only half his stack. This put everyone but Benny in a horrible ICM spot waiting for others to bust.

It all changed a few hands in. Picking up AJ under the gun, Benny just open shoved. This is a shove that’ll get through most of the time, and Eliot, in particular, needs a very strong hand to call (specifically Kings or Aces). Unfortunately for Benny, Eliot had one of those hands, Kings, and held, flipping not just the stacks but the whole complexion of the game.

the play was profitable, but not optimal

To put it in layman’s terms, it’s similar to betting 35 of the 36 numbers on the roulette wheel, a bet that will usually result in a small profit but occasionally a catastrophic loss. ICM specialist Bungakat (who kindly allowed us to reference some of his sims in our “Endgame Poker Strategy: The ICM Book” posted the results of an HRC sim he ran that indicated the play was profitable, but not optimal.

Let the debate commence

Debate raged through the poker community and the Benny rail over the play. My own view was as follows. Even if the play was optimal (and I don’t believe it is based on the sims I’ve seen) I personally wouldn’t recommend it in this spot. When you’re the most experienced player at the table with a commanding chiplead, you can railroad your way to victory the vast majority of the time with small bets and raises. Preflop solvers don’t account for this kind of future equity and just consider each hand in a vacuum. Before the final table started, I asked several top-class players how often they thought Benny would win from here and they all estimated his chances at 90% or higher, and reckoned that he came second the rest of the time.

it was a 1% risk he didn’t need to take

When he ran into Eliot’s kings and didn’t get there, the stacks flipped, and he was now in the same horrible ICM situation Eliot was at the start (only worse, because the was out of position to him). The fact that Eliot cruised to victory from there underlined this point even further. Yes, Benny was very unlucky to run into the 1% of hands that can call, but it was a 1% risk he didn’t need to take. If the pro assessment that Benny was 90%-plus to win at the start is accurate, this shove ended up costing Benny well over a million dollars in equity.

I ran my own sim for a video with Barry Carter where we discuss the shove, the call, and all relevant factors. That sim also indicates that the shove is profitable but not optimal, and that the optimal play is a min-raise. We shared a cab to the airport with Jack Hardcastle, who concurred. He said he’d have no shoves in this spot, preferring the small ball approach. We both agreed it would be different if it was a super high roller final table with Michael Addamo, Stephen Chidwick, and three other players much better than us. In that instance we’d happily shove and hope.

Eliot’s win was extremely impressive. He handled himself with tremendous poise and grace, giving a very gracious winner’s interview. The delight of his small close-knit rail of actual friends would warm the most withered of hearts. His execution on the day and over the whole tournament suggests this is the start, not the end, for the soft-spoken lad from Montreal.

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Hard Rock International (HRI) began operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip early Monday morning after Nevada gaming regulators gave final approval of the purchase from MGM Resorts International on Friday.

About 3,500 workers went to bed over the weekend working for MGM and woke up or finished their shifts officially employed by HRI, joining about 45,000 other employees of the iconic international hospitality and entertainment brand.

Aside from in-house transitions invisible to the visiting public and a fresh vibe, nothing is expected to change in the immediate future with the transfer of operations, a new lease agreement, and a cash payment of $1.075b from HRI to MGM.

The transition from The Mirage Hotel & Casino brand created by Steve Wynn in the 1980s with its nightly volcanic eruption attraction to the Hard Rock brand with a guitar-shaped hotel will take place in phases before the name change to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is accomplished.

Will Remain as Mirage for Some Time

While no firm timetable for the complete transition has been announced, as part of the terms MGM will retain the Mirage brand name and license it to HRI for three years. However, Hard Rock is not obligated to use the Mirage name for any period of time.

In addition to assuming operational assets from MGM, HRI also entered into a long-term lease with property owner VICI Properties at the same rate MGM was paying the real estate investment trust with multiple gambling properties acquired specifically for reconveyance as leaseholds to gambling operators.

Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International welcomed the new family members to the company and thanked Nevada gaming officials for accepting Hard Rock to become the first tribal gaming entity to operate on the Las Vegas Strip.

Allen said: “Today, we’d like to officially welcome the 3,500 team members at The Mirage to the 45,000 global Hard Rock family and express our gratitude to the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission for approving the gaming license for us to operate The Mirage Hotel & Casino.” He added, “We are excited to create an integrated resort on The Strip that will make this legendary entertainment community proud.”

The visiting public and commercial clients won’t need to make any adjustments with reservations and group bookings transferring over to the new operators behind the scenes. Residencies and shows such as those by Cirque Du Soleil will continue without interruptions. Hard Rock has not announced any plans for a complete closure of the property while the brand transitions in phases.

Complete Refurbishment Over Time

While the legendary property won’t experience a complete death and rebirth cycle and no implosion is slated for the hotel, nearly every structural element will eventually be stripped to the bones or bare concrete walls in a sort of slow-motion, time-lapse archetypal hero journey of ontogenesis.

MGM chief executive and president Bill Hornbuckle nearly waxed poetic as he lauded three decades of Mirage employee dedication and welcomed Hard Rock to The Strip. He said: “Mirage employees have delivered unparalleled service and experiences over the past three decades, and we are forever thankful for their work to make The Mirage such an iconic, world-class destination.

“I’m excited for the opportunities that lay ahead for the property, its people and the entire Las Vegas Strip with this prime location now under Hard Rock’s leadership. We’re thrilled to welcome Hard Rock to the neighborhood and wish them all the very best.”

Source: MGM Resorts International Announces Completion of the Sale of the Operations of the Mirage, MGM Press, December 20, 2022

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These days, a lot is happening in the Brazilian gambling market. The newest information is about the agreement signed between Rei do Pitaco and Kambi technology.   

Rei do Pitaco will leverage its newest partner, so sports betting Kambi offers will be available in Rei do Pitaco’s fast-growing customer database. The app has about 13.6 million downloads, and this partnership will surely help the company gain even more fans.   

Leading companies on the market:  

Kambi Group plc is one of the leading sports betting partners in the world. When it comes to the Brazilian market, the largest daily fantasy sports operator is Rei do Pitaco. So, it’s not unexpected that two giants decided to join forces and deliver a fantastic sports betting experience.   

This multi-year partnership will help Rei do Pitaco leverage the technologies and services Kambi offers. Brazil is currently in the middle of the process of regulating sports betting, and the market will indeed become one of the largest regulated markets worldwide.   

Rei do Pitaco’s focus is on soccer, which is the most popular sport in the country. The operator’s app was launched in 2019, and it has become very popular since then. The database continues its growth, and sports betting is a fantastic addition to the company’s portfolio.  

Through this deal, Rei do Pitaco will deliver highly localized products to loyal customers. In it, Kambi’s highly customizable technologies and wide range of APIs and differentiation tools will be of great help. Kambi’s award-winning products, such as the Kambi Bet Builder, will also be included in the Rei do Pitaco’s offer.   

Investments that make everything better:  

A huge investment recently came to the Rei do Pitaco. The company has been using it to grow further and enhance its sports betting offer. One of the investors is Nigel Eccles, a technology entrepreneur, and FanDuel co-founder. He became the Chair of Rei does Pitaco last year. 

Kristian Nylén, Kambi CEO and Co-founder, said: “Brazil has the potential to become one of the world’s largest regulated sports betting markets so I am delighted Kambi has partnered with Rei do Pitaco, a company which I believe is uniquely positioned to gain a strong position in the country.  

“The talented people behind Rei do Pitaco have exciting and ambitious plans, so this agreement is a testament to the strength and flexibility of our sportsbook technology to be able to support those aims and enhances our position as the leading sportsbook partner in Latin America and across the world.”  

Mateus Dantas, CEO and Co-Founder of Rei do Pitaco, said: “We are pleased to have agreed this exciting sports betting partnership with Kambi. Through this new operation, we are confident of delivering a market-leading online sportsbook to our fast-growing customer database which will have access to an excellent and safe user experience on our platform.” 

Part one of the grand launch

In another victory for the Massachusetts gaming scene, retail sports betting will be unveiled on January 31, nearly two weeks ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

able to accept bets for the first time at the end of next month

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) announced Thursday that the state’s three licensed sports betting casinos—Plainridge Park Casino, Encore Boston Harbor, and MGM Springfield—will be able to accept bets for the first time at the end of next month.

The launch of online sports betting still does not have a firm date. Regulators are targeting a day in March to capitalize on the popularity of March Madness betting, but that is still nothing more than hope.

Massachusetts retail sports betting

The MGC has been busier than ever lately. Over the past few weeks, it has granted Category 1 licenses to the three aforementioned casinos and has also reviewed several sports betting odds providers. So far, WynnBet, BetMGM, and Caesars have been approved to supply local casinos with fixed-odds markets.

Testing of software at betting stations and tellers’ desks will begin on January 16. If the technology “passes muster, it will be paired with the hardware, then the retail setup will have to be verified.”

each legal sportsbook will have a soft launch on January 30.

The commission will then have a certificate of operations vote on January 27 in what will be the final hurdle for operators to clear. Assuming there are no issues, each legal sportsbook will have a soft launch on January 30. Staff and VIP guests will be able to visit local establishments to place their first bets before the full market goes into effect the day after.

MGC officials will attend each soft launch on their own and then make visits to all three casinos on the day of the true grand opening.

Commissioner Jordan Maynard will be at Plainridge Park Casino’s soft launch, Commissioner Brad Hill will go to MGM Springfield, and Commissioner Eileen O’Brien will visit Encore Boston Harbor. Commissioner Nakisha Skinner was supposed to be at Encore Boston Harbor but could not attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Online bettors patiently waiting

While the arrival of online sports betting in Massachusetts is still unknown, operators can take solace in the commission meeting its pre-Super Bowl target for retail wagering. The three online sportsbooks that have already been approved do not include powerhouses FanDuel and DraftKings or others such as PointsBet, Barstool, and BetFanatics.

Both FanDuel and DraftKings are instead waiting to hear about their applications for Category 3 standalone licenses, which will allow them to operate freely without being tethered to a local casino (unlike WynnBet, BetMGM, and Caesars). Betway, BallyBet, Betr, and PointsBet are also seeking Category 3 standalone licenses.

The MGC is still reviewing license applications in various categories and does not have an estimate of when it will launch the online market. However, it has been very organized up to this point and is in a nice spot to meet the pre-March Madness target.

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