At a recent meeting with Nevada regulators, Konami Group Chairman Higashio Kimihiko expressed confidence that the gaming industry has fully bounced back from the setbacks caused by the pandemic. Appearing before the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), Kimihiko underscored the industry’s robust recovery and outlined Konami’s role in adapting to post-pandemic challenges.

Konami’s Kimihiko Touts Company’s Strength at Nevada Regulator Hearing

Kimihiko, who has been at the helm of Konami since 2020, addressed the NGCB through an interpreter. He acknowledged the impact of the pandemic but emphasized that the market has regained its strength, reported CDC Gaming. He was last approved for licensing by Nevada regulators in 2013, and this recent appearance was part of a routine licensing process. The NGCB’s recommendation for approval will advance to the Nevada Gaming Commission for final consideration later this month.

In his discussion with NGCB Chairman Kirk Hendrick, Kimihiko supported the state’s efforts to accelerate the introduction of gaming products to the market. Hendrick highlighted the state’s commitment to aiding companies in swiftly delivering new technologies to customers, a sentiment that Kimihiko endorsed.

NGCB member George Assad praised Kimihiko’s impressive background, noting his progression within Konami from an engineering MBA graduate to his current leadership position.

NGCB Approves Caesars Entertainment’s CIO Rajendran Anbalagan

During the same meeting, the NGCB also reviewed and recommended the approval of Rajendran Anbalagan as the chief information and product transformation officer for Caesars Entertainment. Anbalagan, who took on this role 11 months ago, has a background in digital and technology roles, including a stint at Panera Bread as senior vice president.

Despite his limited experience in the gaming industry, Anbalagan described himself as a “computer geek” who is eager to tackle the challenges of his new position. He addressed the cybersecurity incident that Caesars experienced last fall, assuring the NGCB that the company has been proactive in strengthening its defenses. Anbalagan detailed how Caesars has increased collaboration with cybersecurity partners and hired a new chief information security officer to enhance their protective measures.

Hendrick echoed the importance of cybersecurity, noting that the NGCB itself faced a cyberattack in January. He emphasized the government’s commitment to safeguarding its systems and praised Anbalagan for his efforts to protect customer and employee information.

Anbalagan also touched on his role in product transformation, emphasizing the need for a seamless guest experience through advanced technology. Board member Brittnie Watkins commended his hands-on approach and looked forward to the innovations he would bring to the industry.

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The Casablanca Hotel-Casino in Mesquite, Nevada, will need to pay over $2,000 in slots jackpots to Rhon Wilson, a player who was previously kicked out of the venue, but decided to violate the trespass statute, re-enter the casino, and keep gambling.

He Did Now Pay for His Drink

Originally, Wilson was escorted out of the casino because he failed to pay for a drink. However, over the course of the following months, Wilson came back to the casino several times and won slot jackpots on three different occasions.

According to the split 2-to-1 vote from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the Casablanca casino will have to pay the $2,045.18 jackpot that the gambler won while trespassing the property he had been banned from. The regulator argued that most casino operators would not take the time to track down all of their trespassed patrons who had lost money and pay them back. 

NGBC’s chair and executive director, Kirk Henrick, mentioned the board’s rich history of asking operators to pau patrons who had won a jackpot while also emphasizing that there were no written policies on this topic as part of the regulations. Henrick further explained that, provided a casino’s staff would pose a ban on a patron, it is partially the operator’s responsibility to make sure that the respective patron does not enter the premises without their consent. 

Not Wanting to Award Bad Behavior

However, according to fellow panel member George Assad, the fact that a certain policy has existed for several years should not mean that it should be applied in the present. 

According to the retired Las Vegas Municipal Court’s judge, casinos should focus on discouraging “that type of illegal activity” by not paying trespassers, even if they lose money. Assad reiterated that he does not want to reward “bad behavior.”

Mesquite Gaming LLC’s vice president of security and government affairs, Dick Tomasso, explained to the three-panel members that Wilson preferred to pay a misdemeanor fine and go back to the venue to gamble. 

Tomasso further argued that the patron knew the current gaming enforcement policy would let him hold on to his winnings, based on three past occurrences when he was caught in a similar position of violating a trespass statute. 

The VP of security and government affairs emphasized that the player had broken the law to enter their casino and gamble, thus committing a crime to place a wager, emphasizing the “profound effect” of the board’s ruling on all Nevada licensees. 

This did not convince chairman Hendrick and board member Brittnie Watkins, who considered it more important for licensees to pay jackpots to winning patrons, in spite of being convicted of a misdemeanor. The board’s decision is a final one that does not have to be considered by the Nevada Gaming Commission. The matter will be further addressed at a forthcoming regulatory workshop that will take place on October 18.

At the end of August, Nevada’s gambling regulator reported the total gaming win in July had reached the $1.4 billion mark, showcasing an excellent growth year-over-year.  In July, the same body issued a warning regarding an increase in the number of scams targeting casinos via social engineering tactics.

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On July 31, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) revealed in its newest earnings report that Nevada’s gambling income decreased on a monthly and annual basis during June of this year.

Slots as the main source of income once again

Looking at the total profit for the said month, it was calculated at $1.25 billion. However, compared to profit of $1.28 billion in June last year, this was down 2.3%, and compared to revenue of $1.29 billion for May 2023, it was also down 3.1%. However, looking at the Las Vegas area alone, income in the Clark County area reached $1.07 billion, and income from the Las Vegas Strip was $727.3 million.

What’s important is that slots are once again the main source of gambling income in Nevada, with their income of $836.2 million, which is 0.3% less than the previous year. In addition, of the total slots revenue, multi-denomination slots generated $486.2 million in revenue and penny slots collected $255.2 million.

As for the counter, table and card games, their income fell 6.5% to $409.6 million. Of the total revenue from table, counter and card games, blackjack generated the most income of $104.0 million, followed by baccarat at $100.5 million, although it experienced a 29.8% year-over-year decline. Then there was the income from sports wagering, which was presented as part of the aforementioned games, which was also lower by 60.1%, and was calculated at $9.5 million.

The newest results also show, compared to figures for the last 12 months to June 30, 2023, a rise in total gambling profits reported at non-restricted casino locations in Nevada.

Baseball and hockey wagering income

As for baseball wagering, it collected $14.5 million in profits. However, the loss of profits in other sports segments has meant that this income isn’t as large in total income when looking at the market segment. Furthermore, hockey wagering wasn’t very profitable either as it resulted in a loss of $6.6 million for Nevada operators, while football betting resulted in a loss of $1.6 million. But that’s not all; as $328.000 was also lost in basketball wagers, and betting on other sports collected $3.5 million in income.

Scams schemes as a cause of lost revenue

Earlier in July, Nevada’s gambling watchdog issued a warning about an increase in scams which main target are casinos. The newest scams include people posing as senior casino management officials, with the main goal of deceiving casino workers in order to obtain large amounts of money.

In this regard, just recently, the said scheme caused a major loss of $1.17 million for one gambling operator.

Source: “Nevada gambling revenue dips in June”, IGB, July 31, 2023

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