Two casinos in Fresno and Tacoma have been the sites of violent altercations. One incident involved a security guard being injured, while the other resulted in a fatal shooting.

Fresno Casino Security Guard Attacked by Homeless Man, Suspect Arrested

In Fresno, a security guard at Club One Casino was hurt Saturday morning in an encounter with an unhoused man, reported The Fresno Bee. The incident happened around 9:50 a.m. when the man tried to enter the casino located at 3950 N. Cedar Avenue, according to Lt. Tim Tietjen with Fresno Police Department. When the individual was denied entry he attempted to force his way in which caused the guard to step in.

The suspect allegedly hit the security officer with a metal object causing head injuries. Despite this attack, said staff member managed to call the police who arrived quickly and detained the attacker. 

The assaulter is currently facing charges for attacking with a weapon that is capable of causing death. According to Lt. Tietjen, the security officer is expected to get better, and all of what happened was recorded by surveillance cameras.

Man Fatally Shot in Argument Gone Wrong Near Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma

In Tacoma, a man was killed on July 15 in a shooting near Emerald Queen Casino, according to the police. The incident happened around 8 p.m. near the employee parking lot of the casino located at 2024 E. 28th Street, said Sgt. William Muse with Tacoma Police Department, as reported by Komo News.

Muse explained that what they currently know is that it started out as an argument between two acquaintances who then followed each other in cars until they ended up near the casino area where things escalated further.

Gunfire erupted following an argument, upon them arriving at the spot. Officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite efforts by police and firefighters to perform CPR, the victim succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital.

Sgt. Muse said that there is a suspect in this case who came forward and is currently cooperating with the assigned detectives, although he remains out of custody for the time being. The suspect, represented by an attorney, gave his side of what happened leading up to the disagreement.

Muse noted that police do not believe this incident to be a case of road rage and are considering the possibility of self-defense. It remains unclear if the victim was armed.

Another recent incident saw authorities in Pueblo, Colorado, conducting a raid on several illegal gambling establishments, seizing $20,000 in cash and 62 gambling machines. This operation, supported by Mayor Heather Graham, aligns with her efforts to combat crime in the city and enforce a new ordinance targeting unlicensed gambling activities.

The post Altercations at Casinos Result in One Injury and One Death appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The recovery of the gambling industry in Macau will continue into June, suggests a Monday note by JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific), citing the return of live concerts and its impact on mass market gross gaming revenue (GGR).

Daily Run Rate Increased

Using weekly data, JP Morgan analysts DS Kim and Mufan Shi outlined that the daily run rate for the past seven days increased from MOP$530 million ($66 million) in the prior period to MOP$570 million ($71 million) per day, and compensating to the slower than expected start of the month and bringing the June total GGR to MOP$9.5 billion ($1.18 billion).

Considering the trend since the beginning of June, Kim and Shi believe that their previously issued monthly forecast of between MOP$14 billion ($1.74 billion) and MOP$14.5 billion ($1.8 billion), which translates to between MOP$470 million ($58 million) and MOP$480 million ($60 million) per day, “may prove too conservative.”

“..we would not be surprised if June bucks the weak seasonality to print better than MOP$500 million ($62 million) per day,” Kim and Shi added, pointing out that casinos could post strong second-quarter results and beat the market consensus, with mass GGR and EBITDA recovering over 80% and 65% of pre-pandemic levels, respectively.

Live Concerts Behind the Recovery

JP Morgan analysts see the return of live concerts to the SAR in recent months as one of the major factors stirring the industry recovery, citing the short-term residency at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena of Jacky Cheung.

“It appears the Jacky Cheung concert at Sands’ Venetian continues to attract the right type of – read ‘high-value’ – players, including those from the database of Sands’ sister property Marina Bay Sands,” Kim and Shi wrote in the memo, outlining that this “in turn helps to lift overall industry GGR.”

Hong Kong singer and actor Cheung delivered a series of 12 concerts at the Cotai Expo at The Venetian Macao casino resort between June 2 and June 9. Besides Cheung, there was a series of 14 concerts by Cantopop artist Leon Lai Ming at the casino resort promoted by Melco Resorts, Studio City, spanning across May and the first half of June, as well as several concerts by South Korean K-pop group, Blackpink.

Shi and Kim further wrote that these events “do seem to move the needle for gaming business in Macau – at least thus far – which bodes well for Macau’s mass business to recover well beyond pre-Covid levels, in our view.”

Pointing to the increase in the daily run rate ever since these events took place, Kim and Shi believe that the industry would post another impressive result in June and pick up right where it left in May.

The post JP Morgan: Macau on the Path of Strong GGR Result in June appeared first on Keno Wizard.

In October 2021, the gambling regulator in the UK, the Gambling Commission, implemented changes that affected online slot products. Those changes were part of a campaign to protect customers from excessive gambling and gambling-related harm. Strengthening the controls for online slots, the changes limited the speed of spins and discontinued speed-up play options.

Additionally, the changes banned autoplay functions, as well as celebratory messages or effects for losses disguised as wins (LDWs). LDWs, deemed as the illusion of winning is when a player receives a payout that is equal to or below the wagered amount. Finally, the changes made it mandatory for operators to display important statistics for the players such as total wins or losses and duration of the online gambling session.

Now, the Gambling Commission published a new report, outlining the impact of the changes that were implemented to online slots. The gambling watchdog confirmed that the changes did not bring unintended harmful consequences and at the same time helped reduce play intensity. More importantly, the Commission highlighted that there was “no increase in staking activity in response to the limit on spin speeds.”

“An assessment of the impact of the Gambling Commission’s online game changes for slots products indicates that it has resulted in reduced play intensity and that it has not resulted in harmful unintended consequences,“

reads a statement released by the UKGC

The UKGC Remains Vigilant

Tim Miller, the Commission’s director for policy and research, explained that after assessing the impact of the changes, it was uncovered that they did not have a negative impact on player behavior. Moreover, he reiterated that the changes reduced play intensity. Still, Miller pointed out: “That’s positive, but we aren’t complacent and will continue to monitor this specific part of the sector for both any unintended circumstances, or non-compliance.”

“Our assessment of the changes to online slots games has shown indications of reduced play intensity with no significant negative impacts on play or behaviors.“

Tim Miller, director for policy and research at the Gambling Commission

Citing monitoring data, the Commission confirmed that although the changes introduced a limit on the maximum spin speed, a decrease in the number of high-value stakes was observed. At the same time, it said that gambling sessions that surpassed one hour also declined. Besides observing no harmful unintended consequences, the latest assessment uncovered that the simultaneous play of multiple games also decreased since the implementation of the changes.

The post GC: Changes to Online Slots Result in Reduced Play Intensity appeared first on Keno Wizard.