Gambling in the USA
Nevada-based CasinoSoft Hits the Jackpot With Anti-Money Laundering Software Package Built with Mendix Low-Code Platform
First-in-class tax and auditing application, built in just six months, enables casino industry to streamline workflow, reporting, and compliance with federal mandates
Mendix, a Siemens company and the global leader in low-code for the enterprise, today announced that CasinoSoft, a Nevada-based software development firm, has built a first-in-class, scalable compliance and taxation software package using the Mendix low-code platform. The package, ComplianceCore, digitizes and automates the extensive data collection and reporting required of casinos and card clubs operating under the U.S. Treasury Department’s anti-money laundering auditing rules, also known as Title 31 compliance.
Nearly 1,000 commercial and tribal casinos and card clubs in the United States comprise the $261 billion gaming industry. Those posting annual revenue of $1 million or more are subject to the same stringent oversight by the U.S. Treasury Department’s crime enforcement division, FinCEN, as are U.S. banks and other financial institutions. These federal regulations were put in place by Congress and strengthened after 9/11 to prevent criminal money laundering, terrorist financing, and other suspicious behaviors that would otherwise be obscured by the high volume of casino-based currency transactions. Fines for businesses not complying with FinCEN’s daily data collection and annual auditing requirements can add up to tens of millions of dollars.
“The majority of casinos are paper factories that generate massive piles of paperwork on a daily basis,” said Matt Montano, CasinoSoft’s CEO. “There is simply too much financial data coming from too many sources on the casino floor for employees to aggregate by hand and review. Regarding the casinos that do have enterprise financial systems, they’re often tied into backend legacy systems that are hard to update when technology improves or regulations change. Resource-stretched IT teams usually limit their upgrades of a casino’s workstations to once every two years.”
CasinoSoft built the three ComplianceCore modules in just six months, from scratch, using the Mendix low-code software development platform. Low-code is a visual development approach to application development that enables developers of varied experience levels to create applications for web and mobile, using drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic through a graphical user interface. CasinoSoft chose Mendix particularly for its open architecture and its collaboration and rapid development capabilities.
“Mendix’s underlying architecture enables our solution to integrate all the disparate sources of data generated by casino operations into a Mendix-built backend,” said Montano. “We can deploy quick functionality enhancements on the fly and do system upgrades five or six times a year.”
ComplianceCore dramatically reduces the amount of time casino staff spends on data collection and reporting for each gaming “day” (equal to a twenty-four-hour period).
“Data that formerly required days to crunch and organize is now completed in two to three hours. This gives the staff more time to focus on enhanced due diligence and other suspicious activity,” said Montano. CasinoSoft’s software package has been deployed in 12 casinos nationwide.
Three Modules Tackle Federal Reporting Requirements
The ComplianceCore software package consists of three standalone modules:
- ● Title 31 reporting package integrates disparate streams of financial transactions into a Mendix-built backend that is aggregated daily.
- ● Tablet Tax Forms digitizes and automates the IRS reporting requirements of any prize or jackpot above a $1,200 threshold.
- ● Document Automation automatically sorts and files scanned paper documents according to a player’s profile, account and federal filing status.
Zeroing in on Potentially Illegal Transactions
Casinos document every transaction above a minimum threshold, excluding food, beverages and merchandise. An individual’s aggregated daily spending of $10,000 or higher requires a Title 31 CTR filing. “Imagine trying to aggregate that from all the pit bosses and cage tellers into a single, cohesive property-wide log,” said Montano.
The ComplianceCore package also flags patterns that FinCEN classifies as suspicious activities. These include chip walking, which is when a player leaves without redeeming a large number of chips. Players who slowly redeem a large number of chips over a period of days are said to be structuring — perhaps to underreport IRS filings. Another red flag, called minimal play, is triggered when a customer buys a large number of chips with cash and places a few minor bets before cashing out a near majority of the chips. These behaviors may be an effort to disguise illegally received, traceable currency as a gambling win — in other words, money laundering.
Montano added “Casinos must intercede. They have no choice. Our platform gives casinos the tools and the horsepower to efficiently handle this regulatory burden.”
“We are glad CasinoSoft’s developers could leverage the Mendix platform to streamline and improve the industry’s data monitoring, aggregation and reporting,” said Johan den Haan, Mendix’s chief technology officer. “CasinoSoft’s ComplianceCore application package is a great example of how the truly open architecture at the core of our low-code platform enables developers to leverage core and legacy systems and data with brand new technologies that push the envelope of the possible. In today’s world, we know there’s no such thing as a free-standing, self-contained or isolated software application. A high degree of enterprise-grade interconnectivity is imperative to address ever-evolving needs within disparate technology landscapes.”
SOURCE Mendix
Gambling in the USA
Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort Rising in Kings Mountain as First Year of Construction is Completed
Significant construction has been completed during the first year of work on the $1 billion Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort in Kings Mountain, N.C., a site off Interstate-85 only 35 miles from Charlotte and close to the South Carolina border.
Construction on all aspects of the project is in full swing, with the foundations for the casino complex and hotel completed several months ago, the casino complex at its full height and expanding horizontally, and steel continuing to rise for the 24-story, 385-room hotel. The hotel tower framing is now 10 stories high, with an additional floor being added nearly every week. At completion, the hotel will be connected to the casino complex.
The casino complex includes the introductory casino on the first level, three levels of covered parking, a back-of-house level and top level with the main casino floor and restaurants. The introductory casino, set to open in spring 2026, will include 1350 slot machines, 20 table games, a 40-seat restaurant, a bar, sports betting kiosks, and Lucky North Rewards desk.
The introductory casino will replace the current temporary (prelaunch) casino, which continues to grow in popularity as it nears its fourth anniversary on July 1.
The main casino complex is targeted to open in 2027. It will be about 2 million square feet and feature:
• 4300 slot machines
• 100 table games
• 11 dining outlets, including a steakhouse, Italian restaurant, marketplace with six venues, café, and grab-and-go outlet
• A players lounge
• 11 bars, including a center bar and sports bar
• A 2700-space parking garage built under the casino complex and 800 surface parking spaces
The project has created hundreds of construction jobs. Upon completion, the casino resort will employ an estimated 2200 regional residents and citizens of the Catawba Nation.
“This casino resort will be an economic game changer for Catawba citizens and a force to drive the economy of Cleveland County and the City of Kings Mountain. This project is a testament to our resilience, our commitment to self-sufficiency, and our determination to build a better future for ourselves and our future generations,” Catawba Nation Chief Brian Harris said.
Harris noted the temporary casino is contributing to many community and charitable organizations in the region, and that will only increase as the full casino resort opens.
The project is being led by the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority under Vice President Trent Troxel, with Yates-Metcon as the construction general contractor; Delaware North as the gaming management, development and hospitality consultant; and SOSHNY Design architects.
“Once again, I want to thank the Cleveland County, City of Kings Mountain, federal and state leaders who have supported the Catawba Nation’s efforts develop the casino resort in its ancestral lands in North Carolina,” Harris said.
Work has also been completed on two key infrastructure projects for development of the permanent casino resort that were funded by the Catawba Nation: doubling the size of the Dixon School Road Bridge over I-85 near the casino entrance and installing new sewer lines near the casino.
Gambling in the USA
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa Named Luckiest Casino in US by Casinos.com
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa has been named the luckiest casino in the US according to a recent study conducted by Casinos.com. The resort claimed the top spot based on an in-depth analysis of Tripadvisor reviews, measuring the frequency of luck-related keyword mentions.
With a 25.49% luck rate, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa topped the list thanks to glowing guest feedback, including frequent mentions of jackpots, hand pays and bonus wins. 50 reviews mentioned the word “jackpot,” and 19 even referenced a “hand pay.”
Casinos.com tracked keywords such as lucky, luck, won, winning, success, jackpot, hand pay, winner, bonus, profit to determine which U.S. casinos inspired the most winning moments among visitors.
“I hit 4 jackpots. I stayed one night. I had a blast. The machines are as loose as anywhere else,” wrote one Tripadvisor reviewer, noted Casinos.com, capturing the essence of why the casino landed in the No. 1 spot.
“We’ve always known this was a lucky casino, but it’s exciting to see that recognized through data-driven research. It’s a testament to the vibrant energy on our casino floor and the unforgettable experiences we strive to create for every guest,” said Steve Bonner, President of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
The ranking reinforces Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s reputation as one of the premier gaming and entertainment destinations in the US. Seminole Hard Rock Tampa was not involved in the study and was unaware of it until the results were publicly released.
Over the past year, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa has paid out nearly 839,000 jackpots totaling more than $2.45 billion, continuing to deliver thrilling high-stakes gaming. Since May 1, 2024, the casino resort has awarded 375 jackpots of $100,000 or more, amounting to an impressive $61 million in winnings. Notably, 47 of those massive wins stemmed from bets of $5 or less and nine came from wagers of $3 or less.
Seminole Hard Rock Tampa offers a fully integrated casino experience with a sleek, modern design and welcoming atmosphere of 245,000 square feet of gaming space and entertainment. With 5230 of the hottest slot machines and a full range of table games such as poker, blackjack and baccarat, there is no shortage of opportunities to win. Additionally, guests can enjoy live craps, roulette, and sports betting at their leisure.
Gambling in the USA
California Gambling Control Commission Advances Licensing, Tribal Partnerships, and Responsible Gaming Initiatives
Sacramento, CA — In a meeting packed with regulatory updates and licensing decisions, the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) convened on April 24 to advance numerous agenda items impacting the state’s gambling landscape—from tribal gaming approvals to responsible gambling programs and operator renewals.
Problem Gambling & Public Health Takes the Stage
The Commission meeting opened with a presentation by Sosha Marasigan-Quintero from the California Department of Public Health, offering an overview and update on the California Problem Gambling Treatment Services Program. While no specific staff recommendations were provided, the update underscores California’s continued focus on behavioral health in gambling.
Tribal Revenue Distribution Approved
The Commission approved the quarterly distribution of payments from the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund to eligible recipient Indian Tribes. This routine, yet vital, procedure ensures the equitable distribution of revenue to support tribal sovereignty and infrastructure across the state.
Cardroom Licensing: Approvals and Extensions
Among key licensing matters:
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500 Club Casino (K & M Casinos, Inc.) received both initial and renewal owner-type license approvals through January 2027.
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Casino Chico, Hollywood Park Casino, and Lake Bowl Cardroom were granted renewals and short-term extensions, some with conditions such as improving record-keeping systems or ensuring regulatory compliance ahead of reopening.
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Hotel Del Rio & Casino was granted a 60-day extension under several strict conditions, including updated safety plans and the restatement of commingled financial records.
Key Employee Licensing Actions
The Commission approved several initial and renewal key employee licenses. Notably:
-
Jeffrey Thompson was approved with a condition prohibiting involvement in illegal gambling activities.
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Kevin Lee and George Rahme received 120-day extensions for renewal processing.
Third-Party Proposition Player Services Under Scrutiny
The Commission approved both initial and temporary licenses for Fortune Players Group, Inc., with a lengthy list of conditions tied to the conduct of a former associate, Rene Medina. These conditions highlight the Commission’s ongoing vigilance in monitoring third-party player services and maintaining compliance across operations.
Progressive Gaming, LLC was also approved for an initial license, further expanding third-party service provider capacity.
Gaming Resource Suppliers & Tribal Approvals
Initial suitability findings for several prominent tribal gaming resource suppliers were approved, including:
-
HCAL, LLC
-
JCM Global
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Konami Gaming, Inc.
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PDS Gaming, LLC
Dozens of tribal gaming employees were also approved for key positions at tribal casinos across California, reflecting the Commission’s continued support of tribal gaming operations and the necessary workforce to support it.
Notable Withdrawals and Denials
In two notable cases, requests to withdraw license applications—Josephine Hoang and Jesus Bojorquez—were denied, signaling the Commission’s increased scrutiny and emphasis on applicant accountability.
A Broader Look Ahead
With regulatory reform on the horizon and ongoing efforts to promote responsible gaming, the April 2025 CGCC meeting showcased a mix of routine license management and deeper engagement with emerging compliance issues. As the Commission prepares for the next quarter, the groundwork laid in this session will likely influence policy developments and enforcement trends across California’s gambling sector.
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