Gambling in the USA

Nevada Gaming Control Board and Wynn Resorts Agree to Settlement

Published

6 years ago

January 28, 2019

Photo Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock - Source: travelweekly.com

Wynn Resorts today issued the following statement in response to the filing of a disciplinary complaint by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) and the accompanying settlement of that complaint:

“The completion of the NGCB’s investigation of the response of certain employees to allegations against our founder and previous CEO Steve Wynn is an important remedial step. We have fully cooperated and been transparent with the Board in this in-depth investigation. We look forward to appearing before the Nevada Gaming Commission to review the settlement and establish the final resolution of the investigation.

“Upon learning of the extent of the allegations, the new leadership of Wynn Resorts took immediate actions to ensure an open and safe work environment for all employees and made dramatic changes at every level of key decision-making in the Company. As an example, any employee mentioned in the NGCB report who was aware of allegations of sexual assault against the company’s former chairman and did not investigate or report it is no longer with the company.

“We have undergone an extensive self-examination over the last 12 months, intended to reinvigorate and implement meaningful change across all levels of the organization, cultivate a safe, healthy and supportive workplace culture, and build on our core values of respecting our employees, corporate responsibility and citizenship, and service to the community.”

Philip G. Satre, Chairman of the Board of Wynn Resorts, issued the following statement:

“In my extensive experience working in the highly-regulated gaming industry I have never seen a company take action that was as swift and comprehensive as the executive team at Wynn Resorts. Much of that occurred before I joined the Board in August 2018, however I believe our board’s follow-up and reaction to the regulatory investigations has been just as thorough and decisive.”

Over the past year, the Company has taken many actions related to its relationship with Steve Wynn, its Board of Directors and Company executives, including the following:

Appointed Matt Maddox as CEO of Wynn Resorts.
Executed a separation agreement with Steve Wynn that paid him no severance and arranged for liquidation of all his Wynn Resorts shares.
Commenced a robust Board refreshment process and, as of today, the median tenure of our eight independent directors is now less than two years. In April 2018, the Board elected three new female directors, resulting in a Board that is now nearly 50% women. In August 2018, the Board elected Philip G. Satre as Vice Chairman and Richard Byrne as a Director. In November 2018, Mr. Satre succeeded D. Boone Wayson as Chairman.
Any employee who was aware of allegations of sexual assault against Steve Wynn and did not investigate or report it is no longer with the company.
Appointed Ellen Whittemore, a recognized expert in gaming regulatory matters, as General Counsel.
Appointed Marilyn Spiegel, an executive with significant hospitality and human resources experience, as President of Wynn Las Vegas.
Appointed Rose Huddleston, a seasoned human resources executive, to the newly created corporate position of Senior Vice President of Human Resources- North America.

Under the leadership of CEO Matt Maddox, the company has taken the following steps to further transform its workplace environment:

Refocused efforts on the company’s workplace culture by making it a priority for the company’s new Human Resources leadership.
Launched enhanced Workplace Compliance and Prevention of Sexual Harassment training for all employees, designed and delivered by a third-party expert.
Launched a Women’s Leadership Council to promote equality within the workplace. The group’s first activity was to produce a speaker series, “Women Who Thrive,” to educate and inspire employees through powerful female role models.
Commissioned pay and promotion equity studies to measure pay equality among men and women in the workforce.
Launched a new Paid Parental Leave program that provides six weeks of paid time off to new parents.
Implemented new Diversity, Inclusion and Unconscious Bias training for all employees taught by third-party experts. Company senior executives completed an eight-hour training program.
Launched the Great Places to Work survey and focus groups which measure employee engagement against the Fortune “100 Best Places to Work.”
Launched a new annual Wynn Employee Foundation scholarship program, which has awarded ten $7,500 college scholarships to employees and their dependents.

Gambling in the USA

Bitline and Everi Announce Crypto Liquidity for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Industry First Development

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

Bitline, the only provider for casino chip access directly from cryptocurrency, has announced its first major collaboration in the U.S. casino market, teaming up with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts through its collaboration with Everi, a premier provider of financial technology and gaming solutions. This collaboration introduces cryptocurrency and digital assets as a new source of liquidity for casino patrons and marks the first time that such a functionality has been enabled within the American gaming industry.

Leveraging Everi’s CashClub’s comprehensive payment infrastructure, Bitline’s solution is able to efficiently board, screen and verify patrons looking to leverage their digital assets whilst also allowing patrons to move screened assets into custody within minutes. Bitline’s integration with Everi Cash Club, the leading financial access services suite for casino payments, will enable the technology for the benefit of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, and is the first time that such a functionality has been possible in the U.S. regulated casino market.

Catering to the growing demand for greater cryptocurrency and digital asset integration within the casino industry, the collaboration between Bitline and Everi’s forms a transferable blueprint that offers casino operators and their patrons an alternative way to manage funds, access liquidity, and leverage the benefits of cryptocurrency and other digital assets.

This milestone reflects a strategic shift in how casino operators view and manage financial interactions with their guests. The introduction of cryptocurrency as a liquidity solution provides additional options for guests and lays the foundation for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts as it looks to the future of gaming sector finance, setting a new standard in financial accessibility and convenience.

“Working with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and Everi to make this a reality is a historical moment for both the casino and blockchain industries. Bitline was conceptualized to advance the gaming sector and offer a wider variety of financial options for the casino industry,” said Richard Jones, CEO at Bitline. “We’re entering an era where digital assets can fundamentally enhance the gaming experience, providing casino operators with a future-ready financial framework that can expand and evolve as the industry does. This collaboration is just the beginning of our vision to modernize casino payment capabilities on a global scale.”

Victor Newsom, SVP Product Management, Payments Solutions at Everi comments “This unique integration combines BitLine’s additional payment accessibility options with Everi’s ability to enable seamless, secure, and regulatory compliant financial transactions for casino patrons. Designed from the ground up to exceed the rigorous compliance demands of the industry as well as the discerning expectations of gaming VIPs around the world, Choctaw’s patrons are now no longer limited to the access, times, amount, and speed constraints of the legacy financial systems. This also significantly reduces risk for our casino customers, such as Choctaw.”

“We are excited to be the first casino in North America to offer our guests another way to play,” said Thomas McDonald, Senior Director of Cage and Credit at Choctaw Casinos & Resorts. “Through our long-term relationship with Everi, a leader in fintech solutions, we will continue to invest in innovative offerings that provide the discerning gaming VIP access to funds in a safe and secure manner.”

The Choctaw Casinos & Resorts integration represents only the first phase of Bitline’s broader mission to bring cryptocurrency solutions to casinos and casino patrons worldwide. As cryptocurrency and digital assets continue to gain traction in the gaming sector, Bitline’s easy to integrate and patented payment model stands poised to become a key player in transforming gaming finance. Future plans include expanding services across other major casinos and gaming markets, both domestically and internationally, establishing cryptocurrency as a new standard feature of the gaming experience.

The solution is to be formally rolled out on March 7, 2025, with the first transaction taking place at Choctaw’s Durant, Oklahoma, location.

Compliance Updates

MGCB Continues Crackdown on Unlicensed Online Casinos

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2025

Niji Narayan

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken decisive action against five offshore online casinos, sending cease-and-desist letters for violating state gaming laws. These websites offer a variety of casino games, such as slots, poker, blackjack, Keno, bingo, and game show games, in addition to sports betting.

The following unlicensed operators are now under scrutiny following the MGCB’s action:

BetWhale Casino, Curaçao

Black Lotus Casino, owned by TD Investments Ltd., Belize

Coins Game Casino, Curaçao

Love2play Casino, Curaçao and Costa Rica

Orion Stars 777 Players, Sichuan Province, China

“These illegal platforms not only violate Michigan’s gaming regulations but also put consumers at risk by offering unreliable withdrawal options and lacking essential consumer protections. Our top priority is safeguarding Michigan residents by ensuring that all online gaming activities are conducted legally and safely. These operators must stop their activities or face additional legal consequences,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.

Investigations into these illegal activities have revealed that the operators are in violation of multiple Michigan state laws.

Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

Despite offering various payment options like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum), these illegal operators impose strict withdrawal conditions, often requiring players to wager their initial deposits multiple times before they can access their winnings.

The MGCB has given these operators 14 days from the date of receipt of the cease-and-desist letters to halt their illegal activities.

Cryptocurrency

Bitline and Everi Announce Crypto Liquidity for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Industry First Development

Published

4 days ago

March 7, 2025

George Miller

Bitline and Everi Announce Crypto Liquidity for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Industry First Development

Bitline, the only provider for casino chip access directly from cryptocurrency, has announced its first major collaboration in the U.S. casino market, teaming up with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts through its collaboration with Everi’s CashClub, the leading financial access services suit for casino payments. This collaboration introduces cryptocurrency and digital assets as a new source of liquidity for casino patrons and marks the first time that such a functionality has been enabled within the American gaming industry.

Leveraging Everi’s CashClub’s comprehensive payment infrastructure, Bitline’s solution is able to efficiently board, screen and verify patrons looking to leverage their digital assets whilst also allowing patrons to move screened assets into custody within minutes. Bitline’s integration with Everi’s CashClub, will enable the technology for the benefit of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, and is the first time that such a functionality has been possible in the U.S. regulated casino market.

The collaboration works to cater to the growing demand for greater cryptocurrency and digital asset integration within the casino industry. The collaboration between Bitline and Everi’s CashClub forms a transferable blueprint that offers casino operators and their patrons an alternative way to manage funds, access liquidity, and leverage the benefits of cryptocurrency and other digital assets.

“Working with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and Everi’s CashClub to make this a reality is a historical moment for both the casino and blockchain industries. Bitline was conceptualized to advance the gaming sector and offer a wider variety of financial options for the casino industry,” said Richard Jones, CEO at Bitline. “We’re entering an era where digital assets can fundamentally enhance the gaming experience, providing casino operators with a future-ready financial framework that can expand and evolve as the industry does. This collaboration is just the beginning of our vision to modernize casino payment capabilities on a global scale.”

“We are excited to be the first casino in North America to offer our guests another way to play,” said Thomas McDonald, Senior Director of Cage and Credit at Choctaw Casinos & Resorts. “Through our long-term relationship with Everi, a leader in fintech solutions, we will continue to invest in innovative offerings that provide the discerning gaming VIP access to funds in a safe and secure manner.”

The solution is to be formally rolled out on March 7, 2025, with the first transaction taking place at Choctaw’s Durant, Oklahoma, location.