It was a busy week for casino announcements from new fines, openings and announcements. We’ll start with the Rank Group in the United Kingdom, which took a big slap on the wrist for encouraging a gambling addict to return.
Rank Group Fined For Failure To Properly Handle High-Rolling Customer
Most businesses want their customers to return but that type of relationship has always been tricky in gambling. It means customers lose and lose, and casinos keep inviting them back.
While it’s a fine line to walk, the Rank Group crossed that line recently. The Telegraph of London reported that the general manager of a Grosvenor Casino, owned by Rank Group, visited a big-time player in his home during a period of self-exclusion. That player was known to be a bit of an addict and had been trying to stop himself from returning to the casino. The manager’s visit was meant to get the gambler playing again. While it didn’t happen right away, the player came back a year later, received online credit and ended up losing over a million pounds.
As a result, the company was fined 500,000 pounds by regulators in the United Kingdom. The Rank Group did self-report the incident, which – according to gambling commission officials – is why the fine wasn’t much more severe.
The reality is that this type of reaching out to customers is a very common practice – especially with promotions, free hotel rooms and comped flights. This is just one of the few times a casino has been busted by regulators for doing so.
Gateway To Build Casino and Entertainment Complex In Ontario Town
The Province of Ontario is getting a new casino. However, it’s not the one in downtown Toronto that many people have been debating about.
It’s been announced that The Gateway Casinos and Entertainment company will build a new complex in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. Wasaga Beach is known as one of Ontario’s top beach towns, so the hope is that the casino becomes a new attraction to draw people.
Wasaga Beach hopes to derive increased revenue from tourism and the benefits of 400 new jobs related to the construction and establishment of the casino.
Wynn Resorts and BetBull Announce New Partnership
The Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Limited announced a partnership with European digital sports betting operator BetBull Limited. The agreement is an attempt to take advantage of the burgeoning sports betting market in the United States, which has been reshaped by a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that opened the door for all 50 states to have legal sports betting if they choose to do so. A few states have already legalized sports betting and others are in the midst of considering the possibility in the form of legislation. Wynn currently offers sports betting on its Las Vegas property but this would help them quickly offer sports betting to customers in other states should they be interested in pursuing it.
The Wynn-BetBull deal, which was announced last Thursday, will see Wynn spend an undisclosed amount of cash to gain a 22.5 percent stake in BetBull.
Wynn has holdings in Las Vegas and Macau and is trying to open the Encore Boston Harbor on time in the spring of 2019. The company is seeking BetBull’s expertise to emerge when Wynn gains an increased foothold in Massachusetts and expands its reach to other American markets.