Despite a number of individual states relaxing their laws in recent years, many operate under stringent regulations and laws that limit a lot of people’s access to gaming. This is the reason why so many illegal operations take place online and offline, even today.?

Fortunately, most states conduct their own rules around gambling in recent years. Many of which now offer various forms of the activity, including lotteries, sportsbooks, racing, and commercial casinos. Below you’ll find the current gambling laws and classes of games applicable to each state in the US.??

State-Run Lotteries

Lotteries are currently permitted in every state apart from Alabama, Alaska, Nevada, Hawaii, and Utah. These state-run draws have been around for centuries. Lotteries have been used to raise funds for public infrastructure projects, libraries, schools, churches, and equipment to support the military.

All lottery winnings are considered ordinary taxable income. Therefore, all winnings are subject to a tax according to the IRS and federal tax brackets for that particular state. This can be anywhere from 8.82% to 37% depending on the location. The only two states which do not currently tax lottery winnings are California and Delaware.?

Scratch Cards

Many states offer pull-tab lotto ticket games, which have the standard perforated windows on a paper ticket with symbols underneath. Some cards contain a completely opaque material which must be removed to see if the participant has won cash or a prize. Multiple states have had years of problems with the buying and selling of fake cards and lotto tickets. However, most of them continue to promote scratchcards to those who are eligible to play them. The six states where scratchcards are currently illegal are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah.?

Parimutuel Betting

Horse racing was introduced to the U.S. in 1927 and is legal in all states excluding Alaska, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont. Some states provide off-track betting terminals and shops for parimutuel events. There are also sites that accept wagers on these events, though not all of them are properly regulated. Florida is currently the only state in the U.S. where gamblers can bet on the less popular parimutuel sport, jai alai. Dog racing is becoming illegal or banned in almost every state. Currently, only a couple of states still have a functioning dog track.?

Tribal Gaming Laws

Native American casinos provide huge sums of revenue to the government every year. These establishments operate various classes of licensed games like bingo, table games, card games, and slot machines. At present, there are 30 US states which offer tribal gaming: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The largest Native American venue in the world is the Winstar World Casino, located in Thackerville, Oklahoma.??

Online Gambling Laws

In 2018, the Supreme Court scrapped outdated policies like the Federal Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. They authorized every state to make its own decisions surrounding online gambling. This included drawing up regulations that would oversee issues like underage gambling, rogue gambling sites, gambling addiction. More recently, legislation for offering a sportsbook.?

Online gambling isn’t quite legal in all U.S. states. But more have re-evaluated their laws since the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018.?

Laws for Online Gambling in the U.S.

There are no federal provisions against gambling online. But gambling at sites that are based in the U.S. itself is strictly prohibited. Only offshore sites and payment processing companies may offer gambling services and accept wagers from U.S. players. These are also the only sites permitted to advertise and market to residents. All sites that legally operate outside of the U.S. are only permitted to offer certain classes of casino games. For example, slots and blackjack, as well and online poker rooms and sportsbooks.?

The states that outright ban online gambling altogether include Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and (surprisingly) Nevada. States like Iowa and Delaware, on the other hand, have a very open-door policy when it comes to all forms of gambling. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are two of the best states to gamble online due to their liberal laws. Players can partake in all three forms of gambling in these states as long as they are over 18 years of age.

What Are the Consequences for Players Who Gamble Illegally? 

There are times when a player can end up playing at a site that is not regulated or permitted to operate in the U.S. But fortunately, players seldom receive penalties for it. Despite any loopholes or gray areas, don’t gamble at an online casino that’s not fully licensed or legally permitted to offer games. Even though there are rarely prosecutions enforced, players can get a much worse deal if the casino tricks them in some way. This is often in the form of rigged outcomes, having winnings withheld, or having their details passed onto unknown parties.

Sports Betting

As of 2019, a large proportion of states and districts offer sports betting to residents. More states are gradually beginning to loosen their ties when it comes to this form of gambling as well. In fact, analysts predict 90% of the country will have passed legislation that permits it by 2025. There are some states which only accept wagers on daily fantasy sports or athletic and collegial events. All of these are facilitated by the district lottery and state gaming board or commission, which also grants licenses for casinos and sportsbooks. The states where sports betting is currently illegal are Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Commercial Casinos

All commercial casinos in the states are run by private companies such as Caesar’s Entertainment, MGM International and Wynn Resorts. These venues typically permit all common casino games including electronic gaming machines, table games, specialty games, and in-house poker tournaments. Commercial casinos operate in the following 23 states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, and West Virginia. Nevada produces the highest gambling revenue out of all states. In 2018 Nevada raked in just under $12 million in tax revenue for the 2018 fiscal year.?

Ultimately, gambling might not have reached its full potential in the U.S. yet. But it’s unlikely that all 50 states will ever condone all acts of gambling. News and press follow-ups indicate that discussions and bills circulate all of the time through House reps and officials. So we’ll simply have to wait and see.??

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Gambling is one of the most promising industries that’s projected to turn well over $100 billion by the end of 2021. This year could be one of the best times to dip your finger in the online gambling pie if you’re an investor. Here’s why.?

Online Revenues on the Rise

The rate at which online gambling revenues are growing could easily break records this year. When you take into account how many players are betting online during these times, it should come as no surprise. Plus, with the additional input from investors, the market could end up being the lifeline that the economy so desperately needs to stay afloat.  

Up until last year, most U.S. states had taken a static stance to ensure online gambling remained an outlawed pastime. But in states where it has been legal for the last 12 months, online wagering has doubled, with the American Gaming Association (AGA) reporting an increase of 13 billion dollars in revenue.  

Despite the significant uptick, bettors wagered an estimated $50 to $200 billion online illicitly in the states since the start of 2019. Not wanting to miss the chance to capitalize on this extra revenue means that now, over 20 U.S. states are looking to open up to sports betting and start easing restrictions for online gambling in general.?

With places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City bearing the heavy burden of the Covid-19 pandemic, new partnerships have begun to take shape as the demand for online casinos continues to skyrocket. Many online operators have also begun accepting players from abroad. This will lead the way to an even bigger spike in fiscal growth.?????

Bills to Pass Sports Betting

In a bid to relieve the suffering of tax shortages and the immense blow to state finances, several regions are now looking to legalize sports betting. Even though it’s been over a year since states were given the power to endorse their own laws surrounding sports wagering, many have still been reluctant to pass the Senate Bill. 

Over 38 million American adults bet on the 2019 NFL. A further 24% of the population stated that they would have bet if it were legal in their state. Places like California and New York must now reconsider their current legal frameworks.?

New York, in particular, missed out on close to $165 million in sports wagers in June and July. This is due to the fact that only in-person betting is permitted there. As a result, New Jersey absorbed this revenue thanks to owning the closest in-person sportsbook in Rutherford. New Jersey has also seen a boost of 65% YOY since the pandemic, and around 9.5% in tax and revenue shares.?

The District of Columbia passed a bill to legalize sports betting in 2020. California also set out to legalize sports betting in recent months. But despite the $195 million projected in tax benefits if the state were to do so, it still hasn’t received the votes or support needed to pass the bill.?

New and Existing Online Casinos 

If it’s not worth their time and money, very few business owners will take up investment opportunities. That being said, the online gambling industry has been thriving in the last few years. This is why so many entrepreneurs have their eyes on the financial space and revenues that casinos have been generating online.?

As such, more and more investors are partnering with major brands and beginning to launch their own casino sites. Investors funnel the majority of the cash into new betting companies with the hopes of making a proper dent in the industry.

While there are a lot of open opportunities for startups, existing online casinos have been reaping a big portion of the benefits. With or without the new competition, this is likely to continue as market revenues hit $59.6 billion in 2020. They are projected to grow by 11.5% between now and 2027. This only adds to the reasons why online gambling stocks pose some of the most attractive opportunities in the market right now.?

Affiliates and Marketing

With the online gambling market and revenues forecast to grow, many online betting companies have also partnered with sports stars and casino affiliates to raise brand awareness. Engaging online players through advertisements, and driving traffic through one-time offers and special bonuses has proven highly effective. 

Many of the converted sales come from mobile sources. And affiliates have had great success with push notifications, customized ads, pay-per-click, display banners, and redirecting traffic to landing pages after users have visited specific URLs. The affiliate typically takes a cut once a certain number of customers have placed their first deposit. This cuts out much of the commercial middleman work for casino sites and giving them a higher return on investment.?

The more affiliate sites and active campaigns, the more potential players opt-in for the special offers — improving casino revenue further. And, as existing casinos already have a player base, share prices also tend to be lower. This allows investors to have much better control of their stake. 

iGaming Breakthroughs and Innovation

Another key reason why the online casino industry is thriving is due to the never-ending requirement for innovation. As is the case with all businesses, online casinos are always looking for new and exciting ways to bring in more players through new strategies and marketing techniques. 

Online casinos excel in this because they have the advantage of being able to accommodate almost everyone. Offline casinos could only offer slot machines and table games before the revolution of online gaming. But online casinos aren’t limited to one type of game. Online gamblers are almost always able to find a game (or variation of a casino game) that suits their preferences and needs.?

Moreover, the majority of online casinos don’t just focus on new business. They hand out regular rewards to their loyal customers and incentivize them with bonuses and freebies to keep them playing. These types of perks tend to offer customers a lot more than what a free drink or meal can do for them in a live casino.?

Above all, innovation is a clear signal to investors that a casino is serious about competing and protecting its position in the market. Casinos that churn out new, high-quality games maintain a solid reputation. They also earn respect from players, developers, affiliates, and investors prepared to work alongside them.?

Online Gambling Stocks: Final Thoughts

If you’re an investor, the above shows why you should pay special attention to online gambling stocks in 2021. The stock market always comes with an element of risk. But online gambling is on the path to becoming one of the largest revenue-generating industries out of them all. Check out the difference between Speculation and Gambling.

The risk of losing shares is nowhere near that of restaurants, oil, or clothing. So long as the world remains in the tight grip of the pandemic — online gambling will continue to remain one of the least saturated markets with opportunities to generate some of the highest returns.

The post Why You Should Invest in Online Gambling appeared first on Planet 7 Casino.

Commissioner? Jay Monohan explained the development of betting products in conjunction with IMG Arena. Though it has not yet been established what these will be. All of the information regarding how gambling will be regulated, along with what measures will be in place to prevent match-fixing will be announced by the PGA in the upcoming weeks.??

New Gambling Opportunities

NBA and other major league football games remain the vanguard of sports gambling since it was legalized throughout 14 states. More and more look to do the same and prepare for the key sporting seasons of 2020. And the PGA said it will plan to take full advantage of any new gambling opportunities that arise in the meantime.?

Officials are also pondering the question as to what the initial betting markets will be, as well as the estimated returns they can expect once it’s all over. This is a point which the PGA has so far not been able to address. Rather than discussing any transparent financial benefits that in-game wagering will bring, Monahan seemed to stick firmly to a tangent that implied “it’s all about engagement.” 

Striking While the Iron is Hot

Senior vice president of the PGA, Andy Levinson, emphasized the shared consensus that to not allow betting on the sport would be a wasted opportunity. Especially when there are 30,000 shots in golf matches every week. In comparison to soccer or basketball, that’s a huge sum of possibilities for bettors.?

“Golf is a tremendous untapped resource for sports bettors. The betting opportunities in a round of golf far exceed any other sports,” said Levison. He also said that he expects there to be a particular focus on 3-par holes, which will include live video coverage to give bettors a better glimpse of real-time action. 

Almost 100 brand new ShotLink 2.0 camera devices capture the action and measure each shot. These will be able to detect the movements of the ball more precisely than the models used in previous years. This, in turn, will provide more accurate data that gamblers can analyze when placing their bets.??

The Fight Against Corruption

In an effort to ensure that the sponsorship regulations also comply with responsible gaming and player welfare, the PGA Tour said it will continue to honor its ‘Integrity Program’ which protects its competitions from external gambling influences. This means that relationships with daily fantasy sports operators and casinos will be permitted. But there will be close monitoring in place to prevent off-shore companies attempting to corrupt games through match-fixing, predetermined contests, and bribes.??

“We felt that as a sports organization that places a significant emphasis on integrity, we needed to get involved in the conversation,” Levinson explained. “We’re engaging in the legislative process to make sure that the interest and concerns of sports leagues are being considered when these laws are created, and not just in the interest of the sports betting operator.”

Expected Setbacks

Despite tying up most of the loose ends, the PGA must face some difficult challenges before the season truly kicks off. First and foremost, it will need to find over 1,000 volunteers to man and maintain the ShotLink cameras. Not to mention the hundreds more staff required to check wristbands and validate tickets.?

“Some people don’t want to sit in a chair and check wristbands,” said Marty Gorsich, CEO of the Farmers Insurance Open on Tory Pines. “It takes a different type of person to do this. It’s a pretty intriguing committee, assuming expectations are within reason.”

Gorsich is also concerned that family, friends, and fans of players could cause disruption in the stadiums. This could get out of control when money is at stake.?

“There are positives and potential challenges to it. The positives are energy, interest, and broadening the appeal of the sport. But we also want to maintain our respect for the game. I don’t want to see anything happen at the expense of the game of golf,” Gorsich added.?

Coronavirus Precautions

The majority of sporting events across the globe are postponed for 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. This ban also applies to music events, festivals, religious gatherings, and practically anything else with between 30-100 people in attendance.?

At current, no one knows whether the pandemic will grow to be more severe. The tournament could end up cancelled by default. Going by the PGA announcement in mid-March, however, organizers are still looking to go ahead – but without spectators.?

Another safety measure the tour has implemented is the prohibition of fans entering the stadiums from April 2. The only people allowed on site will be the players and a few staff. Players must refrain from signing autographs and taking any pictures with fans.?

Tour officials have been keeping in contact with the World Health Organization. Some have conversed with President Trump over whether to proceed with the season’s schedule. Some players, including Victor Lange has already tested positive for the virus. More player cases may arise in the next few weeks. This will also have dramatic implications on the tournaments and whether they go ahead.?

The huge impacts the coronavirus has caused in just 2 months is already putting a huge strain on every economy. And it’s likely each one will be dealing with the consequences for years to come. The U.S. is one of the countries that continue to be hit the hardest, following behind China and Italy.??

The post The Consequences of PGA Tour Allowing On-Site Betting 2020 appeared first on Planet 7 Casino.

A Brief History of Indian Reservations

In the late 1800s, the remaining Native American tribes were moved (often against their will) to land set aside for them by the federal government. These ‘Indian reservations’ were a form of settlement with the Native American tribes, whereby they would allegedly be ‘left in peace’ to pursue their ways of life. However, as the European way of life decimated Native American ways, these sparse lands were a minor Band-Aid applied to a major wound.

The only way a reservation system would work was for the federal government to organize and establish reservations within the home territories of each tribe. Since federal authority is higher than state authority on national matters and Constitutional rights, all Indian reservations in all 50 states are designated as federal land. And with the land comes certain sovereign rights for the Native American inhabitants. However, for the tribal nations to be truly sovereign, they would need to have the right to self-government, which is clearly not the case. When the rights of individual states, reservations, and federal law clash, the Supreme Court often steps in to settle matters.

Sovereign Tribal Territories

The trouble with any kind of segregation is that it never works, and always creates ghettos and pockets of poverty-stricken people who live outside of society’s advantages. In order to respect the cultural integrity of various tribes, the federal government granted them limited sovereignty on their own reservations. This meant that no state authority could regulate the reservations or otherwise govern them. Since most of the tribal reservations are located in remote lands away from big city economies, tribal poverty increased. Native Americans remain the most impoverished and underprivileged minority community in the United States.

But a loophole in the law changed the destiny of many Native Americans: they are not restricted or bound by state law. That means that if a state bans gambling (as most of them do), they cannot ban gambling on sovereign tribal land, as it technically does not belong to the state. It took a lot of years in the court system for Indian gaming to establish itself, but it all started with one case.

Bryan v. Itasca County

In the 1970s, a married Chippewa Indian couple named Russell and Helen Bryan lived in a mobile home located on an Indian reservation in Minnesota. One day they received a property tax bill from Itasca County. Since they had never received a property tax bill before, they sought legal advice and eventually went to court, refusing to pay the unlawful tax. The Bryans lost their court case in both the state district court and Minnesota Supreme Court. But when they brought their case to the United States Supreme Court, things got interesting.

Under federal authority, the United States Supreme Court decides the most important matters affecting the lives of the people of the United States. Important decisions made on this level have sweeping implications for all involved, and often change previous interpretations of Constitutional law. In the landmark case of Bryan v. Itasca County, Supreme Court Justice Brennan ruled in favor of the Bryans, and in so doing, changed the fate of many tribes forever. The ruling states that not only does a U.S. state have absolutely no rights to impose taxes on individuals living on Indian reservations, they cannot regulate any behavior or decisions made on these reservations either. From that one case, the stage was set for the first tribal casinos.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida

In the 70s, not long after the ground-breaking Bryan case, the Seminole Tribe of Florida set up a high-stakes bingo hall on their reservation land outside of Fort Lauderdale. The local sheriff threatened arrests if the tribe opened the bingo hall. The Seminole Tribe sought—and received—legal protection from the courts. After several district court cases, the Seminoles were allowed to continue their bingo operations based on the ruling in the Bryan case. Soon the Seminoles opened additional bingo halls, and eventually expanded into full-fledged casinos, and ultimately, the ownership of one of the world’s most recognized brands, the Hard Rock Café.

Tribal Casino Expansion

The tribal gaming controversy came to a head when police shut down gambling halls and arrested members of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians near Indio, California. The tribe sued and won their case, and were allowed to continue their gaming operations. Ongoing clashes between local authorities and various tribes led to Congressional action. In 1988, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), signed by President Ronald Reagan. This furthered the power of tribes to open casino-like halls and expand their gaming activities, in a bid to reduce federal aid to reservations and encourage economic self-sufficiency. The law came with a price, though. The federal government would have ultimate authority over regulating the gaming activities of the tribe.

The IGRA allowed the tribes to keep their sovereignty, but allowed a sort of mixed sovereignty with the federal government when it specifically involves gambling. The biggest reason for this was to allow for the regulation of tribal gaming for economic development, and to protect against negative influences like organized crime. In order for tribal casinos to expand further, various acts and laws have been passed to allow for an increase in gaming activities, from simple bingo halls to full-blown casinos. But the battle for the growth of tribal gaming has been met with much opposition. Individual states have argued against the negative effects of gambling on communities—on and off reservations. Also, the increasing revenues of tribal casinos has started to worry the big boys in Vegas, Atlantic City, and elsewhere. They don’t want the competition.

Blowback

Owners of traditional casinos, most notably former-casino mogul Donald Trump, have loudly stated publicly that tribal casinos are overrun by organized crime. The FBI has refuted these claims, stating that they have seen no evidence of organized crime involvement in tribal gaming. Additional opposition comes in the form of state legal action against different types of casino expansion. As the tribal casinos expanded, the revenue generated allowed tribes to purchase additional land in which to expand. Many states continue to fight over the rights of tribes to buy state land for gambling purposes.

Effects of Indian Gaming on Native American Communities

As of 2011, there were 460 gambling operations run by 240 tribes with a total annual revenue of $27 billion. And this number continues to grow as new tribal casinos open on a regular basis. The amount of tribal land is not distributed evenly, so some states have larger amounts of reservation land upon which to build. Oklahoma has 113 tribal casinos, more than any other state in the U.S. However, there are 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States, many of which have chosen not to run casinos.

Casinos prosper when located near major economic centers, which is why California is home to some of the biggest tribal casinos. The largest casino in the state of California is the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, with over 3,000 slot machines and 200,000 square feet of gaming space. Of the $27 billion generated by tribal gaming, the largest amounts came from Sacramento, with almost $7 billion, and Washington State with $6.7 billion. The largest casinos in the U.S. (by gaming space, not shopping or entertainment) are owned by Native American tribes. The largest casino in the U.S. is the WinStar World Casino and Resort (519,000 Square feet) in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It is owned by the Chickasaw Nation. The second largest U.S. casino is the 314,000-square-foot Foxwoods Resort Casino, with 7,200 slot machines and 380 table games. Foxwoods is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe.

Conclusion

As is the case in any big business, most of the Indian gaming wealth is hoarded by those on the top. The effects of Indian gaming on Native American individuals is not immediate, and not always positive. While many of the more profitable tribal casinos provided an increase in jobs and changes in tribal infrastructure (better schools, cultural centers, etc.), that is not the norm in every case. It may take several generations for the economic success of U.S. tribal gaming to be shared with the average Native American—if at all. In the meantime, tribal casinos have become a major force to be reckoned with. Their economic success proves that casinos are a huge business, whether on the dazzling Las Vegas Strip, or on a tribal reservation in Oklahoma.

The post How Indian Gaming Became Legal appeared first on Planet 7 Casino.

New Jersey casinos Borgata Hotel, Ocean Resort and Monmouth Park collectively took home a whopping $3.5 million in gross revenue from June 14^th-30^th.

The fiscal triumph emerged after the Supreme Court recently ruled out a federal ban and put an end to the litigation on state-sponsored sport bets last month, meaning the three big fish casinos were able to curate just under $300,000 tax revenue for New Jersey in just two weeks.

In light of the news, CEO of William Hill US ‘Joe Asher’ (who manages the sports books at Monmouth Park and Ocean Resort), couldn’t deny how ‘excited’ he is for the football season to start and claims “We always knew there was a big appetite for legal sports betting during the years of litigation, and now it is being proven.”

According to the Division of Gaming Enforcement, Monmouth Park topped the results with a massive $2.3 million, whilst Borgata took $986,831 and the Ocean Resort made a total of $192,671.

The total revenue takes into account approximately $1 million of future bets which haven’t been paid out yet, including winning tickets redeemed before June 30th, as well as bets made in advance for the World Cup.

In comparison to the state of Delaware, who only took home $7 million in revenue within the first 20 days of legal sports betting, New Jersey were able to double their figures with two-thirds of all bets placed and completed as $10.1 million on Major League Baseball bets and $2.2 million on soccer alone.

With the football season fast approaching and online/mobile betting to be a non-issue very soon, the remainder of the year holds high hopes for the gambling movement of New Jersey, and expects some substantial figures as a result.

MGM National Harbor announces $48 million expansion

Possibly the largest casino in Maryland, the MGM National Harbor has recently unveiled a brand-new extension to their grounds in the form of a 160,000 sq. ft. gaming space, a luxurious new terrace overlooking the Potomac river, complete with new dining and bar facilities, 285 additional slot machines, and an exclusive ‘off-track horse betting’ partnership with the Maryland Jockey Club.

Since opening its doors in 2016, popular demand has put the casino in a position where they need to expand their overall gaming space to accommodate an influx of new business and customers.

The Baltimore Sun recently reported that Live! Casino Hotel Maryland (the second largest casino movement in the state) also inaugurated an expansion of its own last year, with the aim of attracting more visitors. The article explained that this project saw the six-year-old Anne Arundel County venue add a 310-room hotel as well as an events space, a spa and a restaurant.

MGM National Harbor’s Chief Operating Officer for Melonie Johnson says “This year, we have set new casino revenue marks. Expanding our gaming offerings will help us meet the desire of our customers for more luxury gaming entertainment space while welcoming new players to the resort as well. Most importantly, we are providing 250 additional jobs and additional tax revenues to Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland.”

The expansion is expected to increase MGM National Harbor’s overall tax contributions substantially. According to a recent press release, last year alone the resort contributed over $170 million to the state’s Education Trust Fund and generated nearly $343 million in gaming revenue from video lottery and table games since its inception nearly 18 months ago.

The second-level gaming area now houses an extra 7 poker tables and can accommodate up to 460 additional players. Guests will be able to access and enjoy the new casino space 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Caesars Entertainment Corp breaks ground on multi-million dollar conference center

One of the world’s largest gaming corporations ‘Caesar Entertainment’ announced their plans to erect a 550,000 square-foot conference in the heart of the Las Vegas strip earlier this week.

The 375 million dollar project is set to be completed by 2020, and will feature 107,000 square-foot outdoor events space known as the ‘FORUM PLAZA’, 5500,000 square-foot meeting space including a 40,000 square-foot ballroom, 6 modernistic boardrooms and 2 of the largest pillar-less ballrooms in the world at 110,000 square-feet. A size equivalent to 3 ice hockey rinks or 27 tennis courts, which can hold up to 10,000 people.

According to the company’s Chief Sales Officer Michael Massari – the news has already attracted some $70 million in convention business before construction has even begun. “That’s just getting started, even before we put a shovel in the ground,” Massari stated at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Once customers get to see what we’re building, we expect it to get better.”

Rumor has it, the conference center will be the first facility of its size, spanning out over one entire level and creating more than 1,000 local construction jobs and over 450 permanent jobs. “Caesars Entertainment has eight properties located in the center of the?Las Vegas?Strip – more than any other competitor,” says Caesars President and CEO Mark Frissora. “With our geographic advantage and the demand for meeting spaces exceeding available inventory, this project builds on our strategy to provide a value-add to meeting planners, guests and investors.”

The complex will be connected to Harrah’s and the Linq Promenade retail district, and will be within easy walking distance of over 20,000 hotel rooms owned by Caesars on the Las Vegas Strip. “We will never lose sight of the of the core business that has been driving our success,” says Frissora. “The meetings and conference market is, and will continue to be, the business that also nurtures our gaming, hospitality and entertainment offerings.”

As a spearhead within the meetings industry, Caesar Entertainment hosted 1.6 million room nights, more than 1.9 million meeting participants, and 17,300 meetings and events last year alone.

It is estimated that when the new development is complete, Caesar Entertainment will own more than 1.3 million square-feet of meeting and event space in Las Vegas.

The post Press Review: Fortnite Betting & MGM National Harbor Expansion appeared first on Planet 7 Casino.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has released a report putting the 2017 gross operating profit of Atlantic City casinos at $723.3 million. It was clearly a good year for Atlantic City, which saw total profit climb 23.7% year-on-year over 2016.

Total revenue, however, was somewhat static, coming in at $3.54 billion, an increase of a meager 1% over 2016. Businesses leasing space saw their total revenue drop to $195 million, or 5.7% year-on-year.

The report went on to show that hotel occupancy and food and beverage sales slid lower even as casino gaming wins slightly increased. At the same time, the “entertainment” category, combined with “other” revenues, referring to show admissions, concerts, spa treatments, casino owned retail outlets such as souvenir shops and hotel sundry goods stores, as well as miscellaneous sales that would cover everything from hotel bathrobes to hotel taxi services, were up a total of 6% to reach $164.5 million.

The fact that entertainment revenue out performed gambling revenue in terms of growth was seen by many analysts looking for quantifiable numbers to underscore Atlantic City’s fledgling economic recovery as a good sign. This means the city’s attempts to diversify its tourist offerings and rely less heavily upon gambling revenue alone may well be working.

However, the early signs of a sustained change for the better have been lacking so far in 2018. According to figures released by the state, Q1 2018 saw a 6% drop in total revenue, to come in at $594.9 million compared to $631.9 million in Q1 2016.

Casino revenue was also down 8.3% year-on-year for the brick and mortar side of the business, while online gambling for the same period chalked up impressive gains to climb 17.3% year-on-year.

The all-time revenue high for Atlantic City was reached back in 2006, when the seaside gambling and entertainment hub pulled down $5.2 billion in total revenue, before dropping by nearly half as the US economy tanked and competition increased thanks to new casinos opening in neighboring states.

Australian regulators fine Crown Casino $300,000

James Packer’s Crown Casino in Australian has been fined $300,000 by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) for illegally blocking buttons on 17 video poker machines.

The VCGLR found blanking plates installed on at least 17 of the casino’s 2,628 machines. Crown initially denied the allegations before doing an about face and admitting they had installed the button killing plates for a trial over a three-week period.

The fine comes on the coattails of whistleblower allegations by Crown staff alleging they were being asked to manually remove certain betting options from the casino’s video poker machines.

The VCGLR issued a statement saying, “The blanking plates concealed play line options so that only minimum and maximum betting options were available. The commission considers that the way in which Crown used blanking plates in the trial constitutes a variation to the gaming machines and therefore required approval by the VCGLR, and that Crown’s failure to obtain approval means it has contravened the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.”

However, the VCGLR went on to point the finger at a “small group of staff” who it said altered the machines as part of a trial and did not feel they needed VCGLR permission to do so.

The fine increased calls by anti-gambling activist and director of the Alliance for Gambling Reform Tim Costello to force James Packer, ranked no. 527 on the Forbes billionaires list for 2018 with $4.1 billion in assets, to reduce his stake in Crown Casino. Mr. Costello told reporters that the investigation and fine brought up “serious questions about the culture and operation at Australia’s biggest casino”.

The fine, the largest ever doled out to Crown Casino, was accompanied by a letter of censure requiring casino management to implement a compliance policy within the next six months and to effectively explain how such policy would prevent future breaches of the Gambling Regulation Act.

Century picks up 51% stake in Vietnamese border casino

US-based casino operator Century Casinos has announced its acquisition of a 51% stake in Golden Hospitality Limited, a Hong-Kong based casino operator that runs the Minh Chau casino in Vietnam along the border with China.

Using its Austrian subsidiary, Century Resorts Management GmbH, century paid out $560,000 up front to take over management and operation of the casino for a management fee of 26% of the casino profit with the option to acquire a minimum 51% stake in Golden Hospitality Limited for $3.6 million over the next three years.

Golden Hospitality Limited’s Vietnam operations are relative minor, with the Minh Chau border casino offering only 30 low standard rooms and seven electronic gaming tables for non-Vietnamese passport holders. The casino has a license that would allow for up to 26 electronic gaming tables and century intends to expand both the hotel and casino floor space.

“We are excited about this opportunity to enter the Asian land-based gaming market with a relatively small initial investment but great upside development and investment potential,” said Century Casinos CEOs Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger in a press release.

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Expected to be capable of producing up to 90% of daytime power needs across the company’s properties, the 100-megawatt photovoltaic array of solar panels is projected to come online sometime in 2020.

MGM Resorts has partnered with Invenergy, a Chicago-based developer of renewable energy products, to launch the project.

The array will be comprised of some 336,000 solar panels, is expected to employ approximately 350 people throughout the construction phases and to generate sales and property tax revenue for the county of around $20 million.

The array would be enough to power 27,000 Las Vegas homes.

Between the endless bright, blinking lights of the Las Vegas Strip, scalding desert heat that makes indoor life nearly insufferable without air conditioning, 148,690 hotel rooms and unending casino floor space filled with light, sound, video poker and slots machines, surveillance systems, the computers tracking it all and the 24-hour nature of the town, Las Vegas has long been a massive power consumer in the middle of the southern Nevada dessert.

To encourage clean energy power generation, the Obama administration designated some 19 sites nationwide to fast track utility-scale solar development, and MGM has been quick to hop on the bandwagon.

In the run up to the project, in 2016 MGM Resorts terminated its contract with NV Energy, a public utility and primary supplier of electricity to both northern and southern Nevada, paying a $86.9 million exit fee to be free to begin buying its energy on the wholesale market. The rational behind the decision was to be able to do the solar energy project.

The project itself will be built on 640 acres of Federally owned land at the juncture of U.S. Highway 93 and Interstate 15, in the vicinity of the Apex Industrial Park, with all the energy going to MGM for 20-years under the terms of the lease agreement.

Wynn is also in the clean energy game

Wynn Resorts has also embarked on a similar project, severing its ties to NV Energy in 2016 and kicking down a $15.7 million exit fee in the process. The Wynn project is being built some 375 miles northwest of Las Vegas in partnership with Enel Green Power North America and will produce approximately 20 megawatts.

With completion expected later this year, the Wynn project will send power to the $1.5 billion Wynn Resorts Paradise Park development in Las Vegas using the existing public utility grid and is expected to provide 100% of the casino-resort’s energy needs.

Where the race began

The race to clean energy on Las Vegas started when MGM first placed solar panels on the roof of the Mandalay Bay convention center back in 2014, eventually expanding the project to include 20 acres of roof top with the ability to produce 8.3 megawatts of power by 2016. The project itself is still the largest single rooftop clean energy production system in the US.

MGM’s stated goal is to be able to produce 30% of its power from clean energy sources with no carbon emissions once the new project is live, with a future goal of producing 50% of all the company’s energy use in Nevada as battery technology progresses to allow for storage and night use of the grid.

“Protecting the planet is a business imperative for MGM Resorts, and it is our responsibility to find innovative ways where we can use clean energy to power our resorts,” Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said in a written statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Incorporating renewable energy into MGM’s portfolio will fundamentally reduce MGM’s environmental footprint.”

Hyatt Hotel now included in Silverton project

Silverton Casino Hotel owner Ed Roski has announced more dining options and a new hotel will be added to the existing 300-room Silverton hotel and casino located at the southern end of the Las Vegas Valley, in Enterprise, Nevada.

Construction workers broke ground on the $60 million Silverton Village project last week in a project that is planned to offer a five-story Hyatt Palace Hotel with 150 rooms together with food options including a Blaze Pizza, Starbucks, Panera Bread and Firehouse Subs restaurants.

Located along side Interstate 15, which has seen some 50,000 cars per day pass by the Dean Martin, Blue Diamond intersection, the retail section of the new project will span 28,000 square feet over four separate buildings, with the Hyatt located next to the existing Cracker Barrel and store.

The Silverton already offers up a 69,056 square foot casino and contains a 117,000-gallon aquarium among other attractions.

Silverton Village is set to be the last but possibly not possibly final addition to the property and will bring an 18-story tower of time share apartments developed by the Florida-based Berkeley Group. Silvertom will still have some 30 acres of remaining land that could be developed. Once set to host a 20-story, 375-room hotel tower, plans were scrapped when the economy tanked.

After the announcement of increased dining options and noting that more were still to come, Silverton CEO Craig Cavileer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the company was still trying to figure out whether developing the 30 acres was something worth pursuing at this time.

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In the near future, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to issue a ruling in the case of Christi vs National Collegiate Athletic Association and decide the fate of legalized sports betting in America once and for all. The case centers on the Commerce Clause of the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and asks the Supreme Court to decide whether the federal government has the right to invalidate some states laws while allowing others to go unchallenged.

History of the case

The issue first arose after the US Congress passed a law known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) back in 1992. The law effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide, with the exception of a handful of states: Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon. In 2010 New Jersey, realizing the cash strapped state was losing out on millions in sports betting revenues to the exempted states and illegal offshore bookies, challenged PASPA in federal court and lost on a technicality.

In 2011, the New Jersey electorate passed a non-binding state referendum, in a landslide win, to add an amendment to the state’s constitution that would allow for legal sports betting. A year later, state legislators passed the Sports Wagering Act, opening up sports betting at the state’s licensed casino operators in Atlantic City and racetracks statewide.

The law was immediately challenged by the five major sports leagues in the US, the National Football Association, Major League Baseball, the National Collegiate Athletics Association, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball League. League spokesmen decried the New Jersey law, saying legalized sports betting would bring corrupting influences to professional and collegiate sports.

New Jersey, represented by governor Chris Christi, lost the suit in federal district court and again on appeal at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. New Jersey then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 and the court agreed to hear arguments in the case.

Possible outcomes

With oral arguments having been heard, a verdict is now imminent, and most Supreme Court observers as well as a host of casino industry professionals and state lawmakers across the land believe a decision in favor of New Jersey is likely. Lawyers seem to agree that there are three possible outcomes.

One, that the court will find PASPA unconstitutional. This would mean that not only New Jersey, but every state in the US would be free to legalize sports betting as they see fit (and some 18 US states are already in discussions at the state legislative level over how to do so).

The second option is that the Supreme Court could uphold PASPA but rule that the New Jersey statute does not violate the law, in effect handing a win to New Jersey. Court observers have speculated that this would create a certain degree of bureaucratic chaos because, while New Jersey will have won the right to allow legalized sports betting, it would have no legal right to regulate it.

The third option, and one that is considered highly unlikely by most observers, is that the court will uphold PASPA, effectively killing New Jersey’s bid to legalize sports betting and de facto ending the issue in the US for the time being.

The stakes couldn’t be higher

Sports betting is already a billion-dollar industry. Americans are said to have wagered some $10.4 billion dollars on the March Madness college basketball tournament this year alone, with over 90% of that being done illegally in office pools, bars and fraternal associations across the nation. The fact is Americans love to bet on sports. In fact, a recent poll conducted by UMass-Lowell and the Washington Post showed a solid majority, 55% of Americans, favored legalizing sports betting.

The major sports leagues, who had originally cried wolf to get PASPA passed, arguing that legalized sports betting would corrupt the most popular and profitable sports leagues in America, have now, ever so subtly turned tail in the face of an impending loss. The rhetoric has switched from the potentially corrosive influence of money in sports to calls of foul as the major sports leagues lobby state legislature after state legislature in their efforts to get a piece of the multibillion-dollar pie. They are now asking that they be paid an “integrity fee” of at least 1% of the total amount wagered so they can protect against match-fixing and cheating.

“Now, let’s be clear — that’s just a euphemism for a cut of the action,” Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S., a sports book operator, told New York state lawmakers in January. “There will be plenty of financial benefits to the leagues.”

Legal sports betting advocates argue that such requests, while prima face appearing reasonable, after all what’s a mere 1%, would doom the burgeoning legal sports betting industry before it ever gets off the ground. Sports betting involves setting bettors off each other, with the bookies taking a fee for handling the bets.

At the end of the day, it’s a low margin operation that requires pretty substantial infrastructure. In Nevada, where sports betting remains legal, the state currently takes a 6.75% cut on top of the 0.25% the bookies pay to the federal government in tax. Proponents of legalized sports betting argue the leagues’ 1% demands would effectively kill their margins, pushing sports betting back into the shadows, where it has been thriving, illegally, for decades.

Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs at the American Gaming Association, told the Associated Press as reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the proposed fee runs counter to the leagues’ and casinos’ shared goal of curtailing illegal gambling.

“If you are trying to stamp out the illegal market and drive more traffic to the legal, regulated market,” Slane said, “you’re not going to be able to accomplish that with this type of business model.”

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The UK gambling regulator has called for the casino industry to eradicate sexism, warning that the industry’s reputation was at stake. Sarah Harrison, chief executive of the Gambling Commission has threatened to boycott the upcoming ICE Totally Gaming trade fair, the industry’s largest, if operators don’t change their tone. Conference goers have noted in the past that many casino industry players use “scantily clad” women in no more than swim suits to attract visitors to their stalls.

Harrison has urged senior figures in the industry to clean up their act. “This is an industry where we have a number of talented, powerful and successful women,” she will tell the International Casino Conference, an event held on the eve of the ICE event as reported by The Guardian. “Yet from walking around the exhibition you wouldn’t know this. Instead you saw men representing their companies wearing expensive tailored suits whilst their female colleagues were expected to wear nothing more than swimsuits. I say bring this to an end now.”

Harrison went on to explain that sexism is a “significant stain on the industry’s reputation”.

Attendees at the annual ICE event have said that the conference is renowned for its use of scantily clad women, including Playboy models, to help sell gambling products.

“A lot of the promotional activity involves attractive young ladies, often not wearing that much,” one previous delegate told The Guardian. “It’s not all skin, but there’s quite a lot on show typically. Girls in body paint and not much else. One company had a Playboy-themed slot machine on display and they brought along Playboy centerfolds. You had paunchy slot machine buyers going up to get their pictures taken with them. It was a bit pathetic, but I’ve never seen any predatory behavior like the Presidents Club.”

The Presidents Club is a reference to a recent UK sexism scandal in which female staff were groped and sexually harassed by wealthy, powerful men at a men-only charity dinner in London last month. The Presidents Club has since disbanded as a result of fallout that reached the floor of parliament.

Women begin to speak out

Harrison’s calls come in the wake of a growing number of sexism scandals involving powerful men and subordinate women often in their employ around the world, beginning with accusations of sexual harassment and even rape against movie industry mogul Harvey Weinstein and snowballing into a litany of women stepping forward to make similar accusations against powerful industry players.

Accusations of sexual harassment and mistreatment have since been laid against such famous figures as actors James Franco, Kevin Spacey, Steven Seagal, Dustin Hoffman, and Jeremy Piven, Hollywood writer and director James Toback, NBC news anchor Matt Lauer, CBS television host Charlie Rose, Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, and former president George H.W. Bush among many others.

Reaction to the onslaught of sexual harassment claims by women against powerful men spurred the creation of the #me too movement, a social media hash tag used to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. The tag has been since used millions of times, often accompanied by lurid and disturbing stories of sexual harassment and assault, compelling even more women to speak out after often years of silence in the face of abuse.

Steve Wynn steps down amid sexual harassment allegations

In the casino industry, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, head of Wynn Resorts, has also been the subject of accusations, beginning with an article in the Wall Street Journal that asserted had been involved in decades of sexual harassment and misconduct at his various casino properties.

Wynn, a flamboyant character, buddy of President Donald Trump, and famous for helping revitalize the Las Vegas strip and turn it into the entertainment mecca it is today, has denied the allegations, which have included accounts by women in his employ having been pressured to masturbate him or massage him naked, as well as a $7.5 million settlement paid out to a manicurist in his casino who was pressured to disrobe, lie on his massage table and have sex with him, who later filed a human resources complaint.

The Wall Street Journal then published a follow up article to the original piece detailing how court filings reveal that Wynn set up a limited liability company (LLC) to funnel the $7.5 million settlement payment and keep the matter quiet.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has also reported that its editors spiked a story that provided details of sexual misconduct allegations against Wynn back in 1998. The allegations included one former Wynn employee’s claim that Wynn pressured her into having sex to “know what it was like to have sex with a grandmother”. The woman, a single mother of eight, was afraid of loosing her desperately needed job if she refused Wynn’s repeated advances.

In the immediate aftermath of the published revelations, Wynn stepped down as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. And, as pressure mounted, has resigned as chairman and chief executive of Wynn Resorts amid the allegations. Investigations into his behavior and whether such behavior violated casino licensing laws are now underway in Massachusetts, Macau and Nevada.

Wynn investigations mount

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, announced that it is looking into the allegations against Wynn of sexual misconduct in light of Wynn’s plans to build a multibillion-dollar casino near Boston. Gaming regulators in Macau, where Wynn Resorts has a number of mega casinos, are also said to be looking into the allegations and interviewing Wynn senior staff in search of more information.

As a result of the sexual misconduct scandal, the University of Pennsylvania has since stripped Wynn of his honorary degree and removed his name form a scholarship and a plaza on campus.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has also launched its own investigation, hinting that were Wynn to be found guilty of the charges he may see his casino licenses stripped and be forced from the industry.

Wynn’s defense and the fallout

Wynn has defended himself by saying the allegations are the result of a smear campaign by his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, herself an iconic Las Vegas personality and powerful business woman, who is seeking leverage to be able to sell her shares in Wynn Resorts as part of the divorce settlement.

The fallout has been severe for Wynn Resorts, which saw its share price on the NASDAQ plunge from $200.60 to $160 in a week, shedding some $3.5 billion in value. The blowback has even led Wall Street analysts to speculate that a sale of Wynn Resorts may soon be in the cards as the only way to save the now tainted Wynn Resorts empire.

Potential buyers include the Las Vegas Sands Corp, who would be keen to get their hands on Wynn’s Macau properties, which account for some 70% of Wynn Resorts revenues. With a current market capitalization of $62 billion, the Las Vegas Sands Corp is well positioned to take a shot at Wynn presuming their 49% stake in retail assets in Singapore is finally sold, generating around $3 billion in additional liquidity.

Analysts also believe MGM Resorts International could be interested in picking up Wynn’s global assets, although they would have to take on a monumental debt burden to do so. Other potential bidders for Wynn’s global empire include the Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment Group, and the Malaysia-based Genting, as both companies have debt to liquidity ratios that would allow them to take on billions in debt were Wynn Resorts to go on the block.

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The allegations, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, led to a sell off of shares in Wynn Resorts, which lost some $3.5 billion in value, a drop of 10.1%, after the allegations were first published.

The Wall Street Journal article details allegations of harassment that span decades, including a $7.5 million settlement paid to a manicurist who said the casino magnate pressured her to remove her clothing and have sex with him after an appointment, as well as Wynn coercing massage therapists to perform sex acts for $1,000 tips and other casino employees scheduling fake appointments to avoid having to have contact with Wynn.

Wynn has vehemently denied the allegations, saying they are part of a smear campaign instigated by his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, in an attempt to force a revised divorce settlement, in which she is seeking to gain control of her 9% stake in Wynn Resorts and be allowed to sell her shares.

Wynn has been instrumental in revitalizing the Las Vegas Strip, building the Golden Nugget, The Bellagio and Mirage Resorts in the 1990s and recently announcing plans for a new 2,000 – 3,000 room hotel called Wynn West on the strip.

The lion’s share of the company’s revenues, however, come not from Las Vegas but from Wynn Resorts, of which Wynn is still CEO, investments in China’s gambling mecca, Macau. Wynn runs the Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau with earnings of $376 million, up 66% year-on-year, as over all gaming revenue in Macau hit $33 billion last year alone and continues to rise. Wynn’s two Macau properties account for more than 60% of the company’s total revenue.

In light of the recent allegations, the Macau gambling regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, has expressed concern and is reported by Bloomberg to have met with members of Wynn Resorts management team to discuss the matter in the search for more information.

Massachusetts regulators are also reported to have expressed concern over the allegations and have held a special meeting to discuss the matter as Wynn is currently building a $2.4 billion casino just outside Boston.

“The commission is profoundly aware of the gravity of this matter and will proceed with the appropriate sense of urgency and rigor,” the panel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In Massachusetts a 2011 state law defines a casino license as a “revocable privilege” that can be suspended or completely revoked if the license holder is found to be “unsuitable to operate a gaming establishment”.

The Republican Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, called the allegations “awful and appalling,” and said if true, “Wynn would fail to meet the suitability standard under the state gaming law.” According to reports in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In Las Vegas, the new chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Becky Harris, said “the Nevada Gaming Control Board is conducting an investigation with regard to the allegations of sexual misconduct involving Steve Wynn. The Nevada Gaming Control Board will conduct its investigation in a thorough and judicious manner.”

Disciplinary measures could include a six or seven figure fine or even revoking Wynn’s casino licenses. Questions will likely revolve around Regulation 5 of the Nevada Gaming Commission, which states that “failure to exercise discretion and sound judgment to prevent incidents which might reflect on the repute of the state of Nevada and act as a detriment to the development of the industry” can be sanctioned.

The Wall Street Journal is said to have interviewed some 150 Wynn Resorts employees, with dozens reporting sexual misconduct by Wynn and some even claiming they were sexually assaulted.

The allegations against Wynn come amid a wave of sexual assault and harassment claims made by women against powerful men, instigated by a scandal involving movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is reported to have sexually abused dozens of women over a 30-year period. The allegations led to Weinstein’s expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and continuing criminal investigations in Los Angles, New York and London.

In a similar vein, former USA Gymnastics coach Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison earlier this week after being convicted of years of predatory sexual abuse of the young athletes in his care. Other notable men recently accused of sexual abuse include magician and Las Vegas stalwart David Copperfield, actors Michael Douglas, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman and James Franco, Fox news White House correspondent James Rosen, head of the New York City Ballet Peter Martins, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, artist Chuck Close, and Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks among a host of others.

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