Compliance Updates
SL Green and Caesars Entertainment Announce Pursuit of New York Gaming License for World-Famous Times Square
SL Green Realty Corp. and Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership to redevelop 1515 Broadway as a premiere entertainment and gaming destination in the heart of Times Square, one of the most visited destinations in the world. Caesars Palace Times Square will not only provide billions in tax revenue to New York City and State, it will also accelerate New York’s economic recovery through strategic partnerships with area businesses utilizing its industry-leading loyalty program Caesars Rewards, home to more than 65 million members. Caesars Rewards members will be able to use credits at Broadway shows, local hotels, restaurants, retail stores, comedy clubs, entertainment venues, and more, driving more tourists to area businesses and creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs in and around Times Square.
In addition to major economic benefits to all Times Square stakeholders, SL Green and Caesars are proposing significant security and traffic improvements as part of their proposal, which would boost Mayor Adams and the NYPD’s efforts in Times Square. These efforts will make visitors feel safer, improve mass transit, encourage pedestrian travel, and mitigate vehicle congestion in the area, pursuant to a proposed traffic plan to be included as part of the project.
Caesars Palace Times Square will be designed to include a Broadway Theater for The Lion King. The development will also bring Caesars Entertainment’s more than 50 years of globally-recognized excellence in entertainment, food & beverage, and gaming to New York to deliver a best-in-class experience that will be authentic and complementary to the Times Square entertainment district.
“We believe that Times Square offers the best location for a new resort casino that can attract tourists and benefit local businesses. We’re excited to pursue this license with Caesars and our many local partners. Our approach will ensure that under-represented communities benefit both in terms of employment and investment opportunities,” said Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green. “A casino in Times Square is in keeping with existing uses in the area. Times Square is the center of the entertainment universe. Because we are proposing a renovation, once the license is issued, we can open quicker than other facilities, which require entirely new construction, changes in law, and will be disruptive to their local communities.”
“Caesars is thrilled to partner with SL Green in connection with a five-star project that will meet and exceed New Yorkers’ expectations for world-class entertainment, immediately enhancing New York City’s tourism engine and elevating this one-of-a-kind global destination to new heights,” said Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars. “As one of the largest mobile sports books in New York, Caesars is passionate about New York itself. Caesars is also deeply invested in New York-based restaurant groups, chefs, and entertainers from across the Empire State.”
Actors’ Equity stated, “The proposal from the developer for a Times Square Casino would be a game changer that boosts security and safety in the Times Square neighborhood with increased security staff, more sanitation equipment, and new cameras. We applaud the developer’s commitment to make the neighborhood safer for arts workers and audience members alike.”
“Carmineâs has been in business in Times Square for over 30 years, and the public-private investments that were made in the late 90s and early 2000s literally transformed Midtown,â said Jeffrey Bank, President and CEO of the Alicart Restaurant Group, which operates Carmine’s and Virgilâs BBQ. âIt is time for us to reinvest again – Times Square is the beating heart of New York, but everyone in Times Square is still hurting from the pandemic. The Caesars Palace proposal is the key to bringing tourists back, making Times Square safer, and is exactly the economic driver we need to not only recover but continue to grow and create more jobs.”
“A successful bid will provide a much-needed boost to area theaters, hotels, restaurants, and businesses and commit to fund a wide range of neighborhood initiatives and improvements to make Times Square the safest, cleanest, and most pedestrian-friendly entertainment district in the world,” said Michael Prohaska, Business Manager of Laborersâ Local 79. “This would mean bringing thousands of good union jobs to Midtown and enabling innovative new training and apprenticeship programs â initiatives that will provide disadvantaged community members with pathways to sustainable employment.â
âA trip to New York isnât complete without a visit to Times Square â itâs the crossroads of the world,â said Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which franchises 38Â hotels in Manhattan and the Great State of New York. âA project of this scale and scope will help bring more tourists back to Times Square, fill hotel rooms not only here, but all across the City and create great jobs at the same time.â
“We know how to bring crime rates down in Times Square because weâve done it before. With better security infrastructure and 24/7 monitoring, we can anticipate and prevent crime â we just need the financial and political willpower to do so,â said former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton. âSL Green and Caesarsâ proposal for Times Square goes beyond routine, in-house security and would invest millions in a new public-private safety initiative. This investment will ensure Times Square is safe for years to come.â
Caesars is the largest North American gaming operator with more than 50 casino properties across its portfolio, retail and/or mobile sports betting in 27 jurisdictions, and iGaming in five jurisdictions. Caesars Palace Times Square will be 100% privately funded. Caesars will license its brand and manage the operations under a long-term management contract.
In addition to its breadth of experience in operations and development, Caesars prides itself on its 30-year legacy in responsible gaming. Since creating the industryâs first responsible gaming program in 1989, Caesars has devoted millions to organizations working to combat problem gaming. Its pioneering responsible gaming training program reaches every Team Member through Operation Bet Smart, a required company-wide course devoted to problem gaming awareness training, and Project 21, a required class focused on preventing underage gambling. Additionally, the company has more than 1,600 Responsible Gaming Chairpersons and Ambassadors who are specially trained to assist guests who may show signs of a potential gaming problem.
Recently named to the Civic 50 as one of America’s 50 Most Community-Minded Companies, Caesars’ PEOPLE PLANET PLAY framework ensures it acts with integrity and care for its Team Members, communities, and the environment, with stated goals around environmental impact, diversity, equity and inclusion, and community support. Among those goals is a commitment to increase representation of women and people of color in leadership roles to achieve full gender and racial parity by 2025, the promise to reduce water consumption by 20% per square foot by 2035, and a pledge to divert from landfills 65% of all waste generated at our properties by 2030.
Compliance Updates
eCOGRA Authorized to Offer Certification Services in Brazil
eCOGRA, the Internationally renowned Independent Testing Laboratory, has been officially authorized by the Secretaria De PrĂȘmios e Apostas (SPA) to operate as a certifying entity for betting systems, live gaming studios, and online games in Brazil. This announcement marks a significant milestone as eCOGRA continues to extend its international offering of iGaming testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services in regulated markets across the globe.
The announcement comes two months to the day after eCOGRA received approval to operate as a Certification Laboratory in Peru. The organization now operates in 39 online gambling jurisdictions, including Buenos Aires City and Province, Peru, Mendoza, Colombia, and Brazil in South America.
Since its establishment in 2003, eCOGRA has been at the forefront of online gambling certification, providing assurance on fairness and safety to players while offering the highest standards in TIC services to industry operators and software providers seeking to comply with regulatory requirements. The approval to operate in Brazil reflects both the trust eCOGRA has built in the international iGaming community and the quality of its certification services.
Bradley Khoury, Chief Technical Officer of eCOGRA, said: âWe are thrilled to bring over two decades of expertise in online gambling certification to the vibrant market of Brazil. This approval from the Secretaria De PrĂȘmios e Apostas (SPA) of the Brazilian Ministry of Finance is not only a testament to our unwavering commitment to the highest standards of competence and quality but also marks an exciting new chapter for eCOGRA. We look forward to working closely with Brazilian operators and interested parties to ensure a safe and fair gaming environment for all players.â
The new Brazilian regulatory framework aims to effectively safeguard player interests and enhance the integrity of online gambling operations within the country.
âBrazil offers a dynamic and rapidly growing market, and we are excited to contribute to its development. Our goal is to ensure that Brazilian players have access to certified iGaming experiences, akin to what has successfully been implemented in other highly regulated jurisdictions,â Khoury added.
Operators and software developers offering in the federal Brazilian jurisdiction seeking to comply with the laws and regulations by undergoing testing, inspection, and certification can now turn to eCOGRA for their renowned services, assured of their commitment to quality, impartiality, and fairness.
Compliance Updates
IGT and Acres to Resolve All Pending Litigation
International Game Technology (IGT) and Acres 4.0, Acres Manufacturing Company, and John Acres (Acres) announced that effective April 12, 2024, they have reached an agreement to resolve all legal disputes between the two companies. Terms of the settlement have not been announced.
The resolution was reached in the US District Court of Nevada, directed to US patents that pertain to facilitating use of a financial transaction device in a cashless wagering system in a gaming system, and Nevada State Court directed to a breach of contract claims.
âIGT is pleased to reach a mutual agreement with Acres that resolves all disputes between us. This allows us to dedicate our collective resources where they are better served, driving continued innovation in the exciting and evolving cashless gaming space,â said Nick Khin, IGT COO Gaming.
âWe are thrilled to put this matter behind us and work cooperatively with IGT to build exciting new gambling experiences that can increase both player enjoyment and casino profits,â John Acres, CEO of Acres, said.
Compliance Updates
$4.3 Billion Wagered Illegally During March Madness, Fueled by Social Media Influence
Latest analysis by online marketplace intelligence specialists, YieldSec, commissioned by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG), has revealed a stark contrast between legal and illegal online gambling activities during the 2024 NCAA Menâs & Womenâs March Madness Basketball Tournaments in the US. YieldSecâs monitoring unveiled an overwhelming majority of betting-related social media posts and video content, reaching up to 73% and 78% respectively, directing audiences toward illegal betting and gambling operators.
YieldSecâs findings shed light on the strength of the illegal gambling grip on the American marketplace, with 378 illegal sports betting operators and 651 illicit affiliates aggressively targeting US March Madness audiences and claiming 64% of the total market share, generating $4.3 billion in illegal and untaxed wagering. The remaining $2.4 billion wagered legally amounts to just 36% of the total market share.
These statistics underscore the challenges in controlling the proliferation of unlicensed gambling operators that have historically capitalized on the fragmented legal landscape of online betting in the US.
Key findings for March Madness 2024:
- Illegal gambling on March Madness comprised 64% of US online marketplace wagering ($4.3 billion Handle).
- Total value of March Madness betting (legal and illegal) amounts to a handle of $6.7bn.
- 378 illegal sports betting operators actively targeted the US.
- 651 affiliates promoted illegal sports betting operators that actively targeted the US.
- Illegals dominated social media content with up to 73% of all social posts in favor of illegal operators.
- 78% of all video content that linked to March Madness betting was linked to illegal operators.
Derek Webb, Founder of CFG, said: âThis Yield Sec special report illustrates the dire need for a comprehensive strategy to tackle illegal gambling in the US. The lack of a united government approach and lax oversight by states have only compounded the problem, enabling entities with dubious backgrounds to operate freely. Itâs high time for U.S. leadership to spearhead a unified solution to this pervasive issue.â
Ismail Vali, Founder and CEO of YieldSec, said: âThe overwhelming presence of illegal gambling during one of the biggest sports betting events of the year is a clear signal that enforcement and monitoring need to be prioritized. Our findings are a call to action for stakeholders across the board to intensify efforts in combating the spread of unlicensed gambling operations that exploit the online marketplace. With the dominance of illegals across our social media channels, itâs clear that the threats to American commerce, community and consumers are a lot closer to home than ever imagined.â
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling is now advocating for a cohesive governmental response to illegal gambling, urging the Department of Justice, Treasury, Federal Trade Commission, and the Trade Representativeâs Office to consider the findings of the YieldSec report as a basis for developing effective countermeasures.
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