The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) announced the appointment of Michael Soll as president beginning July 7. Soll succeeds Arthur Paikowsky who is credited with facilitating significant growth in high quality, peer-reviewed research at ICRG, transforming its ability to mitigate player harms and creating a more sustainable environment for the gaming industry. Paikowsky will join the ICRG board of directors and remain a valuable voice in the organization’s future.

Soll has served on the ICRG board of directors since 2022 and brings nearly 30 years of gaming industry experience to the organization. Most recently, he has served as president of The Innovation Group (TIG), a premier research and advisory firm serving the global gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries. Soll’s experience in gaming is matched by two decades of philanthropic leadership, where he has served actively as a board member, fundraiser, and day-to-day administrator.

Soll began his career as a city planner and social policy analyst. His focus shifted to finance and hospitality after directing asset management at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, then serving as vice president, gaming and leisure equity research, at Bear Stearns & Co. Prior to joining TIG in 2008, he held planning and development roles at Hard Rock International and Caesars Entertainment, working in emerging U.S. commercial, tribal, and international gaming jurisdictions. Soll was named one of “25 People to Watch” by Global Gaming Business magazine in 2019.

“Michael’s background makes him a particularly astute choice to lead the ICRG at this moment. The Innovation Group is perhaps best known for its rigorous industry research measuring the economic and social outcomes of gambling. The appointment of a gaming research expert like Michael gives us decades of first-hand experience balancing stakeholder interests with research integrity and quality. It really puts a point on the current needs of the organization,” said Mark Lipparelli, ICRG Chair Emeritus.

“I am honored and privileged to begin leading the ICRG, whose mission I became passionate about while serving its board of directors. During his tenure, Art and team have instituted transformational changes that create a sustainable future for the organization – I’m excited to build upon Art’s work and help drive significant, high-quality research with actionable results,” said Soll.

The WNBA’s Chicago Sky announced a multi-year partnership with bet365, making the leading sports betting brand the “Official Sports Betting Partner of the Chicago Sky.”

The multi-faceted marketing agreement includes a variety of branding elements including the bet365 logo presence behind the basket on the north end of the court, along with the center pole pad on both home and visiting team baskets. Additionally, bet365 will receive logo inclusion on in-arena, social media, broadcast, and digital promotional marketing products and materials.

“Our partnership with the Chicago Sky has us floating on cloud nine and is the perfect opportunity for our expansion into the WNBA. We can’t wait to share our Never Ordinary betting experience with Sky fans,” said a bet365 spokesperson.

“The Chicago Sky are thrilled to partner with bet365 to align with a growing sports trend that brings new visibility to the WNBA and the Chicago Sky. We look forward to bringing great new sports betting opportunities to Sky fans, while always encouraging responsible betting and positivity towards our players,” Alex Teodosi, Chicago Sky’s Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, said.

This announcement with the Chicago Sky is the latest sports partnership for bet365 in the US. Over the last five years, the sports betting leader has inked deals in professional baseball, basketball, and hockey. Globally, bet365 is the Official Sports Betting Partner of the UEFA Champions League and has given away more than 2500 UEFA Champions League tickets to soccer fans through their epic Big TicketGiveaway.

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

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• 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.