In a significant legal victory for the city, Norfolk has successfully fended off a $100 million lawsuit filed by Cordish Companies, the developer of Waterside District. The lawsuit claimed that Cordish should have had the first right to develop a casino in Norfolk and sought damages over the city’s casino plans with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

Norfolk’s Partnership with Pamunkey Tribe Prevails in Casino Lawsuit Appeal

The Court of Appeals of Virginia, in a 12-page ruling issued on February 27, upheld the lower court’s decision to dismiss Cordish’s lawsuit against Norfolk, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA), and city attorney Bernard Pishko, as reported by The Virginian-Pilot. 

Cordish Companies, a Baltimore-based developer that revitalized Waterside in 2013, argued that it should have exclusive rights to develop and operate a casino based on its Waterside development agreement and lease.

Norfolk’s decision to move forward with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe for the HeadWaters Resort and Casino, located less than a mile from Waterside, triggered the legal dispute. Norfolk District Associates, a Cordish-owned LLC, sued in 2021, alleging breach of contract and an active attempt to exclude Waterside from casino site considerations.

The case was initially dismissed by a Richmond Circuit Court judge in 2022, leading Cordish to appeal. In the ruling from February 27, the Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision, stating that the 2013 lease agreement did not obligate the city and NRHA to use Norfolk District Associates to develop a casino.

Judge AtLee: Casino Deal Unenforceable

Judge Richard Y. AtLee, representing the three-judge panel, explained that they concluded section 10.2.1 of the agreement could not be enforced because it was essentially an agreement to agree, and the agreement did not allow for a casino. This, he said, supported the circuit court’s decision to uphold the demurrers.

Cordish Companies refrained from providing a comment regarding the ruling. In contrast, city attorney Bernard Pishko conveyed satisfaction, expressing that they were pleased with the court’s confirmation that Cordish and John Lynch had filed the lawsuit against the city, city attorney, and NRHA without a basis.

The appeal process included two rounds, with the second round featuring oral arguments in December 2023 after one judge had to recuse themselves due to a conflict of interest.

The judges who participated in the final round of oral arguments and made the ruling were AtLee, Haley, and Dominique A. Callins, with Causey recusing.The legal victory solidifies Norfolk‘s position in moving forward with the HeadWaters Resort and Casino alongside the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

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Businesses offering skill games in Pennsylvania secured a major win after a court decision last week. On Thursday, the Commonwealth Court in the state sided with a lower court’s decision that recognized winnings from skill games as legal, a report released by 8 WGAL reveals. Dauphin County’s court ruled 7-0 in favor of a previous ruling that acknowledged skill games are not slot machines. Moreover, the court’s decision recognized that skill games are not illegal gambling machines and cannot be seized by law enforcement, explaining that such games require hand and eye coordination rather than pure chance which is the case for slots.

The new decision represents a major win for businesses across Pennsylvania, including gas stations, bars and restaurants that currently offer skill games. Such games have proven to boost the revenues of businesses across the state while offering a new form of entertainment. Besides businesses, non-profit organizations can also continue to offer skill games, despite opposing parties claiming that such machines are similar to slots.

Mike Barley, the chief of public relations for Pace-O-Matic, a skill game manufacturer, revealed that the court’s latest decision reaffirms the legality of their product. He explained that this decision may pave the way for the taxation of such products. “We’re in a unique position where we have a legal product — the court has said so — and we’re saying, ‘Please come tax us. Please come regulate us.’ It’s not something you hear very often in Harrisburg, but we’re hoping to get some action,” he explained.

Opponents of Skill Games Disagree with the Court’s Decision

The latest court’s decision represents a signal for lawmakers to greenlight laws that regulate and tax skill gaming machines. Proposals filed in Pennsylvania called for a 16% tax on proceeds from skill gaming, a figure that is significantly lower when compared to the 54% tax casinos pay for their slots.

Despite the court’s decision, the future of skill games is not certain yet. This is because the state attorney general may consider appealing the Dauphin County court decision to the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania.

While the recent court decision brought excitement for businesses and skill games manufacturers, not everyone agreed with it. Pete Shelly, a spokesperson for a group against the expansion of skill games created by casino operators called Pennsylvanians Against Gaming Expansion, warned about the dangers of the expansion of skill games. He said that if lawmakers do not take action considering the new court’s decision, the state may be flooded with tens of thousands of skill games.

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Following last week’s news that Clarion Gaming is moving one of the largest conferences and shows in the gaming industry, the International Casino Exhibition (ICE) to Barcelona from 2025, it was reported on August 7th that Zitro, the leading slots developer with an office in Spain, supported the decision.

Sebastian Salat, Global President at Zitro, gave the following statement: “We fully support Clarion’s announcement to relocate ICE to the vibrant City of Barcelona, a destination we firmly believe is perfectly equipped to host the future editions of ICE. We believe this move will be a major step helping both ICE and the Industry to grow in partnership with the European gaming market. It will also increase the global dimension of ICE, as moving ICE to Spain will undoubtedly draw a higher number of Latin American operators, due to emotional and cultural links between Spain and Latin American countries.”

The relocation has been discussed for some time

Even though the potential move of ICE to some other European city has been under consideration for some time, the aforementioned decision was a new perspective for the entire sector.

In this regard, Salat added: “Over the years, ICE London has established itself as a resounding success in the gaming industry, gathering leaders, suppliers, operators, and gaming professionals from around the globe. It has grown in status as the most important trade show in Europe and has proven to be the ideal space to cultivate business relationships, and creating new opportunities for companies to expand their global reach. However, a good number of exhibitors, including Zitro, have realized significant challenges such as insufficient space venue for future growth, logistic complexities, and extremely high costs. Those challenges were communicated to Clarion and we were delighted this contributed to formal review through the recent bid process.”

One of the biggest European regulated markets today

The decision was also hailed as a good one as Spain represents one of Europe’s biggest regulated markets today, meaning in the online and land-based sectors, resulting in Barcelona being an ideal hub for European gaming firms. Also, the city is considered one of the key European tourist destinations, together with its top-quality facilities, logistics and extraordinary hospitality infrastructure, which proves that ICE 2025 will be a very rich experience.

Commenting on the beauty of Barcelona, the company notes: “The city’s captivating blend of rich cultural heritage, iconic landmarks, and vibrant atmosphere, offers attendees the perfect opportunity to complement their ICE experience.”

Source: “Zitro Comments On The Relocation Of ICE Show To Barcelona”. European Gaming. August 7, 2023

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Steve Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Resorts, may have to defend himself in court once again.

An earlier case against the real estate developer accused him of lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of China and asked him to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. According to the allegations, Wynn had asked ex-POTUS Donald Trump to deport Guo Wengui, a known dissident, back to his home country.

The eventual federal court ruling stated that the casino magnate does not have to register as a foreign agent. Even if Wynn used to have ties with the Chinese government, they must have ended in 2017, US District Judge James E. Boasberg said.

However, the case is being revived once again as the US Government seeks to appeal this decision. The government claimed that Boasberg’s decision sets a dangerous precedent as fewer people would be inclined to register under FARA if they have stopped their work for another country.

In addition, Steve Wynn was still a finance chairman of the Republican National Committee at the time of the Guo situation.

Wynn Asked Trump to Deport Guo

Guo Wengui is a Chinese billionaire who fled the country in 2014 after coming under fire for alleged participation in corruption. He blasted the allegations for being untruthful and claimed that they are the result of corruption within the government.

Guo was sentenced to death in China. According to the Chinese government, he is guilty of corruption, stock market manipulations and abandonment of his post amid the pandemic.

During his exile in the US, Guo became the target of Sun Lijun, former vice minister of China’s Ministry of Public Security. According to the previous lawsuit, the lobbyist Elliot Broidy introduced Wynn to Sun. As a result, Wynn decided to help the Chinese diplomat get Guo back to China, the allegations say.

Some speculate that Wynn might have sought to maintain а favorable relationship with the Chinese government, hoping that this would benefit his business in Macau. The lawsuit claimed that Wynn contacted Trump personally, dined with him and even contacted him on the phone multiple times, discussing the Guo matter.

This is not the only case against Wynn and his company to be brought up in recent times. Last year, he was accused of intimidating Angelica Limcaco, who testified against him and his company and claimed that he raped one of her salon employees in 2005.

The latter case, however, was dismissed as unviable and outdated.

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