The Fire Joker has returned, his blazing grin wider than ever. He’s back in control of the reels, where classic fruits and symbols light up under his fiery touch. But this time, there’s more than just mischief in the air. The heat has intensified, the stakes are higher, and this scorching slot is cranked up to a full 100.
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The Fire Joker has returned, his blazing grin wider than ever. He’s back in control of the reels, where classic fruits and symbols light up under his fiery touch. But this time, there’s more than just mischief in the air. The heat has intensified, the stakes are higher, and this scorching slot is cranked up to a full 100.

Gambling in the USA

VICI Properties Inc. to Acquire JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino in Sale Leaseback Transaction With JACK Entertainment

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VICI Properties Inc., an experiential real estate investment trust, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of JACK Entertainment LLC to acquire 100% of the membership interests of its affiliates that own casino-entitled land and real estate and related assets associated with JACK Cleveland Casino, located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and JACK Thistledown Racino, located approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Cleveland in the city of North Randall, Ohio, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $843.3 million in cash.

Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction, the Company will enter into a master triple-net lease agreement with JACK Entertainment related to the assets. The master lease will have an initial total annual rent of $65.9 million, for an implied capitalization rate of 7.8%, and an initial term of 15 years with four 5-year tenant renewal options. The rent coverage ratio at closing is expected to be approximately 1.72x and the tenant’s obligations under the lease will be guaranteed by Rock Ohio Ventures LLC. Additionally, the Company will provide a $50 million loan secured by certain non-gaming real estate assets of Rock Ohio Ventures LLC, which will bear interest at 9.0% for a period of five years with two 1-year extension options.

John Payne, President and Chief Operating Officer of VICI Properties said, “We are excited to partner with the team at JACK Entertainment as they focus on investing and operating in the Cleveland market. Ohio continues to be one of the healthiest and fastest growing regional gaming markets and we are thrilled to add high-quality, urban real estate to our portfolio at an attractive capitalization rate. This transaction represents another great example of VICI’s ability to creatively source and execute accretive deals that bring value to our shareholders, while furthering our strategic goal to diversify our roster of best-in-class gaming operators.”

“JACK Entertainment looks forward to continuing to operate JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino,” said Mark Dunkeson, Chief Executive Officer of JACK Entertainment. “The combined efforts of our gaming properties together with the other Cleveland assets operated by our sister companies including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Avenue Shops at Tower City and the May Company Building, have created a strong connection to the city and allows us to remain heavily committed to the Cleveland area. We have invested more than $700 million into JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino since the properties opened in 2012 and we will continue to invest significant capital into these properties which will have a lasting positive impact on the city and Cuyahoga County.”

David Kieske, EVP, Chief Financial Officer of VICI Properties, also commented, “The acquisition of JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino will add an additional $65.9 million of rent to our portfolio upon closing. Importantly, we will not issue additional equity to finance the transaction as we prudently secured our equity funding requirements through our successful June 2019 equity offering. Accordingly, we anticipate closing our remaining pending transactions, including our previously announced transactions with Century Casinos, Inc. and Eldorado Resorts, Inc., on a leverage-neutral basis.”

JACK Cleveland Casino opened in May 2012 in the historic Higbee Building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The property features approximately 96,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,300 gaming machines, over 120 table games and eight food and beverage outlets. The property is connected to the 205-key Ritz-Carlton and 440-key Renaissance hotels in downtown Cleveland. JACK Thistledown Racino opened in April 2013 in North Randall, Ohio and is the leading thoroughbred racino in the Cleveland MSA. The property is situated on 129 acres and features approximately 57,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,459 gaming machines and six food and beverage outlets.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in early 2020. The acquisition is expected to be accretive immediately upon closing.

In addition to this release, the Company has furnished a Transaction Overview presentation, which is available on our website in the “Investors” section, under the menu heading “Events & Presentations.”

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP is acting as legal advisor to VICI Properties for the transaction described herein.

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About VICI Properties

VICI Properties is an experiential real estate investment trust that owns one of the largest portfolios of market-leading gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations, including the world-renowned Caesars Palace. VICI Properties’ national, geographically diverse portfolio consists of 24 gaming facilities comprising over 40 million square feet and features approximately 15,200 hotel rooms and more than 150 restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Its properties are leased to industry leading gaming and hospitality operators, including Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Penn National Gaming and Hard Rock International. VICI Properties also owns four championship golf courses and 34 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. VICI Properties’ strategy is to create the nation’s highest quality and most productive experiential real estate portfolio. For additional information, please visit www.viciproperties.com.

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Gambling in the USA

Scientific Games Introduces GlowMark, All-New Fluorescent Marking System for Lottery Extended Play Scratch Games

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Vibrant Neon Marking System Enhances the Play Experience for Popular Crossword and Bingo Games 

Scientific Games has created an all-new fluorescent marking system for lottery extended play scratch games such as crossword and bingo, adding a vibrant neon glow to the play experience. Recognizing the expanding popularity of extended play games, which have seen significant growth in recent years, the company’s metro Atlanta-based scratch game designers, game programmers, chemists and production experts developed GlowMark to give players a bright fluorescent surprise when they scratch the game. The innovation is available to U.S. and international lotteries.

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Scientific Games, the world’s largest creator, producer and manager of lottery games, offers more than 100 strategic product enhancements for its world-leading lottery instant products. The new GlowMark marking system reveals a contrasting neon fluorescent color when the player scratches the play area, a vibrant departure from the typical white reveal area found in most games.

SG Analytics indicate extended play lottery games have grown by 32% in the past five years (2019-2024). Today, they represent 18.3% of U.S. lottery retail sales. What was once a niche product is now offered by 44 U.S. lotteries, with retail sales topping $11.5 billion last year.

Scratch games featuring fluorescent inks also grew in popularity, representing more than 12% of games in the market by fiscal year 2025. Additionally, $10 scratch games with fluorescent inks outperformed other $10 games by nearly 9% in fiscal year 2025.

“Our Innovation and Discovery teams developed this innovation by using fluorescents to enhance the scratch game experience and are now thrilled to debut GlowMark, our newest advancement in extended play marking systems,” said Danielle Hodges, Senior Director, Global Product Innovation & Development for Scientific Games. “GlowMark gives games a strong, visually appealing contrast between the marked and unmarked areas of the game, adding excitement with glowing neon colors.”

Extended play scratch games produced at Scientific Games’ metro Atlanta global headquarters, as well as production facilities in Canada and the UK, can feature GlowMark. The company’s products represent 70% of lottery instant game global retail sales.

Innovating products and solutions that move the global lottery industry forward since 1973, Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries worldwide.

GlowMarkℱ is a trademark of Scientific Games, LLC. © 2025 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Gambling in the USA

Resorts World Las Vegas Appoints Respected Industry Leaders Lou Dorn as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary; Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel

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Resorts World Las Vegas announces the appointments of Lou Dorn as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, and Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel. Together, they bring proven leadership across the gaming and hospitality industries and will oversee legal, regulatory, governance, and risk-related functions for the resort, helping to drive operational excellence and support long-term growth.

“Lou brings an exceptional depth of experience in gaming law and regulatory compliance that will be instrumental as we continue to grow and evolve,” said Jim Murren, Chairman of Resorts World Las Vegas. “His leadership will help ensure our operations remain forward-thinking, responsible and built on a strong legal foundation.”

Dorn’s distinguished career spans both public service and private-sector leadership. He comes to Resorts World from Bally’s Corporation, where he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel – North America and oversaw legal operations for 19 casino and resort properties across the U.S., including online gaming and sports wagering platforms. Prior to that, he held executive legal roles at Monarch Casino & Resort, SLS Las Vegas, Aliante Casino and Hotel and the Las Vegas Hilton, where he led legal strategy, compliance programs and regulatory affairs.

Earlier in his career, Dorn served as Chief of the Corporate Securities Division for the Nevada Gaming Control Board and as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Nevada. In these roles, he helped shape and enforce gaming regulations and compliance for the state, gaining a comprehensive understanding of both Nevada gaming law and federal securities law.

“Joining Resorts World Las Vegas at such a dynamic time in its growth is an exciting opportunity,” said Dorn. “Having spent my career navigating the complexities of gaming law and regulatory compliance, I look forward to supporting the resort’s continued success by ensuring we operate with the highest standards of legal integrity and strategic governance.”

Resorts World Las Vegas also welcomes Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel. A seasoned legal counsel with more than 20 years of legal and regulatory compliance experience in the gaming and hospitality industry, Tranchina began her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Gaming Division for the Louisiana Department of Justice. She most recently served as General Counsel for Investar Bank, headquartered in Louisiana, overseeing the legal operations for more than 20 branch locations across Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. Prior to that, she was General Counsel at Rio Hotel & Casino where she managed the legal, regulatory compliance and risk functions for the property. Tranchina has held senior leadership roles at publicly traded gaming, sports betting, and iGaming companies, overseeing legal and compliance matters across multiple jurisdictions.

“Elizabeth brings a steady, solutions-oriented mindset to complex legal challenges. Her experience across gaming and financial services adds valuable perspective to our leadership team, and her contributions will be instrumental as we continue to grow,” said Carlos Castro, President and Chief Financial Officer for Resorts World Las Vegas.

For more information about Resorts World Las Vegas, please visit rwlasvegas.com.

 

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Gambling in the USA

IGT Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin Electronic Table Game Makes Global Debut in Las Vegas

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IGT announced that its much-anticipated Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin electronic table game (ETG) recently made its world debut at Downtown Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The vibrant standalone ETG game includes many of the attributes that have propelled the success of the Wheel of Fortune slots franchise for nearly three decades including word puzzles, wheel spins and exciting jackpot rewards. The game is accompanied by an attention-grabbing, 9-plus-feet upright video wheel that stands independent of the ETG terminals and entertains casino guests with the famous “WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!” chant.

“Downtown Grand was delighted to have the world premiere of IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin ETG solution on our gaming floor. Our guests instantly connected with the Wheel of Fortune brand and are eager to try their favorite slots brand in a new format. The stature and appeal of game’s accompanying ‘Big Wheel’ is inspiring a wide range of players to give the new game a try,” said Paul Phillips, Director of Casino Operations at Downtown Grand Las Vegas.

“Building on the continued success of IGT’s GameAce Roulette and Mesa4K terminals across North America, we are thrilled to introduce Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin to ETG players. The successful launch of Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin at Downtown Grand Casino speaks to the excitement that we can bring to a gaming floor, the universal appeal of the Wheel of Fortune brand, and IGT’s commitment to delivering game-changing innovation,” said Nick Khin, CEO of Gaming at IGT.

IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Big Money Spin game is enjoyed on the Company’s GameAce ETG offering and features an intuitive gameplay design. To make a wager, players select a color-coded bet amount that corresponds with the colored wedges on the game’s digital Wheel of Fortune wheel. Players win when their wager matches the digital spin outcome, filling in letters in the game’s iconic puzzle board. The game’s Fortune Spin Bonus and Jackpot Bonus activate the solution’s large physical wheel, delivering a highly visible and recognizable win celebration on the gaming floor.

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