Inside Asian Gaming

November 2015 inside asian gaming 45 tourist board VisitEngland, said the opening of Resorts World Birmingham was a huge step forward in opening the region up to the world. “The launch of the new Resorts World marks a huge investment to theWest Midlands and is sure to drive additional spend in the area – adding to the existing wide range of major visitor attractions such as Warwick Castle, Cadbury World and The Library of Birmingham that contribute to the 56 million visitors the West Midlands attracts every year,” he said. Action time for New Jersey? New Jersey officials are considering letting voters decide whether or not to expand casino gambling beyond Atlantic City as they investigate new ways to solve the problems that have beset the once booming gambling hub. Atlantic City has been in economic freefall since the late 2000s with a range of factors including the recession and a lack of foresight blamed for the closure of many of its casinos. Of its 12 remaining casinos at the start of 2014, four shut their doors last year. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has recently been focused on his bid to win the Republican nomination for the 2016 Presidential election, but is now expected to move forward on a number of bills currently awaiting action with an aid package for Atlantic City considered amongst the most urgent. The aid package includes five measures to help ease the pain for Atlantic City’s ailing casinos including allowing them to make set payments in lieu of taxes for the next 15 years, which would allow the properties to know exactly how much they would be liable to the state for. Other package measures include mandating health insurance and retirement benefits for casino workers, diverting investment taxes paid by the casinos to city development projects to help pay off city debts, creating state education aid and eliminating the Atlantic City Alliance. Governor Christie has so far refused to say whether he would sign or veto the Atlantic City bill. With Atlantic City’s ongoing problems, Deutsche Bank released a report earlier this year suggesting that opening one or two casinos in the state’s north “could generate well over US$500 million – putting [around] US$275 million into the state’s coffers.” The report also said, “It’s time for New Jersey to push forward with plans for a North Jersey casino or casinos … and as such, we believe that the next step is a constitutional referendum this November providing approval for gaming outside of Atlantic City.” come under the spotlight of officials as debate rages over whether it should be considered a form of gambling. Five states have now banned daily fantasy sports while Nevada has implemented a temporary ban, but Illinois is the latest to have introduced legislation to regulate these sites instead. The legislation would look to apply a stricter definition to daily fantasy sports which would separate it from either gambling or sports betting and require participants be 18 or older. There are currently around a dozen sites offerings daily fantasy sports in the United States with DraftKings and FanDuel accounting for around 90 percent of the market. While other states have yet to make an indication over which way they might go in the daily fantasy sports debate, the Massachusetts Lottery has indicated it would consider starting its own fantasy sports site to capitalize on the growing craze. The lottery’s Executive Director, Mr Michael Sweeney, said it was vital for state lotteries to look into new opportunities such as daily fantasy sports if they were to remain viable in the future. “Until such time as it becomes absolutely clear that this is illegal, we have an obligation to really grapple with the potential,” he said. “It’s about figuring out what’s the next step. How do lotteries engage the technology of the mobile and online world and what should that look like, if anything?” INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS Resorts World Birmingham opens for business Genting Group has added to its rapidly growing gaming property portfolio with Resorts World Birmingham opening its doors on 21 October. Aiming to turn the British city into a world class tourist destination, Resorts World Birmingham is a 12-storey, 538,000 square foot venue based on the shape of a cruise ship. It includes a casino, an 11-screen cinema with 3D technology, retail outlets, a hotel and spa plus 18 bars and restaurants. Genting has described its newest property as England’s biggest gaming venue. It boasts baccarat, blackjack, roulette and poker and 100 slot machines. The four star, 180 room Genting Hotel opened on 2 November. Genting UK said, “For the first time, Resorts World Birmingham will bring the uniqueness and excitement of a large-scale integrated resort to the west Midlands region and beyond.” The £150 million property is the UK’s first integrated leisure and resort facility and also boasts The Vox Conference Centre – a world class conferencing and banquet center. The resort will have 1,200 staff and can accommodate around 12,000 people at any one time. James Berresford, Chief Executive Officer of England’s official