Considering the resounding success of mobile sports betting in New York, leading industry operators showed interest in securing one of the state’s three new downstate casino licenses. The fierce competition was joined by industry giants, including Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International and several other bidders. Overall, nearly a dozen bidders joined the race for a downstate license, acknowledging the exponential potential of such a victory.

Steve Cohen, the New York Mets’ owner, also joined the bidding for a downstate casino license in New York. Details regarding his intention to build a casino near Citi Field, his team’s home stadium, emerged last year. Upon announcing that he decided to join the race, Cohen said that the new casino is expected to deliver entertaining experiences for Mets fans before and after home games. He also did not rule out that such a venue can help propel interest in the area, attracting more visitors than before.

Now a new report reveals that the Mets owner is trying to spice things up for his casino license bid in New York. As announced by Spectrum News NY1, earlier this week, Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management presented a multi-billion-dollar plan for the development of the area near City Field. Besides the casino, Cohen reportedly plans to introduce significant improvements to the area, including five acres of athletic fields and 20 acres of park space using City Field’s parking lots.

Moreover, the ambitious plan seeks to create easy access to Willets Point station. Further improvements to the area include investments in senior and youth programs, as well as additional health care, legal and immigration services for the community in the area. Reportedly the project has a price tag of $8 billion.

The Casino Proposal Is Important for Communities in the Area

While undoubtedly, there are positive sides to the casino proposal, not everyone agrees. At a town hall meeting on Wednesday, New York Sen. Jessica Ramos spoke about the importance of the casino bid in the area for communities. “I still think not enough community members know about either proposal or that there is this possibility of a casino coming, and our community does deserve to know,” she explained.

Sen. Ramos is among the decision makers for the casino bid considering that she will be appointing one out of five members within a special community advisory committee that will vote for or against the proposed project.

Cohen became the owner of the Mets after a deal for a staggering $2.4 billion back in 2021. At the time, he purchased the famous MLB franchise from the Wilpon and Katz families ahead of the start of the MLB season.

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Steve Rogers’ new infusion of funds in the provider of “best in class, free-to-play games” that boost customer acquisition and engagement, 20SHOTS, joins similar investments aimed at the same company announced by other big names in the industry.

The list includes Gambit Research’s former chief executive officer, Jasper White, Playtech BGT Sports’ chief commercial officer, John Pettit, and Press Box PR’s founder and managing director, Alex Donogue.

Ambitious Growth Plans for 20SHOTS

The affiliate product provider, home of the world-famous Fantasy5, one of the fastest-growing fantasy soccer free-to-play soccer games in the UK industry, is constantly busy creating sustained growth for companies part of the iGaming and Sports industries.

20SHOTS’ chief executive officer and co-founder, Jacob Kalms, spoke about the new development, reiterating that their “ambition” was to turn into one of the leading affiliate marketing technology platforms in the industry. 

Kalms further explained that this goal will be possible by attracting “the right strategic investment from the gaming industry and beyond,” commenting that Rogers’ investment was expected to boost their commercial growth abilities as well as the smooth integration of their constantly diversifying array of products with their partners.

The new investment secured from Inspired Entertainment’s ex-chief commercial officer of Virtual Sports joins a prestigious list of other deals brokered by Rogers, including agreements with iconic sports figures such as Mike Tyson and Shaquille O’Neal or US sports leagues including the National Basketball Association and the National Football League.  

“20SHOTS Has the Potential to Accelerate” Customer Retention

Rogers, who will be given a critical role in helping 20SHOTS grow its offering for a wide array of markets next to their current team and investors in and out of the gaming industry, has also commented on his decision to fund the company. 

He explained that, over his two and a half decades in the industry, he witnessed the way innovative technology and the development of products from expert marketing platforms can positively affect the commercial capabilities of affiliates, operators, and other third parties. 

He added that 20SHOTS “has the potential to accelerate how operators recruit and retain customers” with special emphasis on the constantly changing environment with fresh regulations using fantasy sports that can stand out in any crowded marketplace.

Rogers also expressed his eagerness to start working with CEO Kalms, the company’s management team, and the rest of the investors to beef up the growth of 20SHOTS’ product roadmap and help it reach new territories while ushering in a new growth era for them.

Earlier in the week, 20SHOTS announced it signed its fifth partner deal in the Brazilian gaming market with operator Bitx.bet. The latter will be one of the provider’s first partners running the Paulista league with Fantasy5.

Last September, BoyleSports extended its partnership with 20SHOTS for the same game.

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Allwyn UK, the successor of Camelot as The National Lottery operator, announced a major new appointment. According to the announcement, Steve Parkinson, a former Bauer Media leader, will join the Allwyn team as its new brand and marketing director.

In this new position, Parkinson will leverage his expertise to grow The National Lottery and help it generate more funds for good causes. In this position, Parkinson will replace Ivor Burns who is set to step down from his position after 14 years with The National Lottery.

Allwyn pointed out that Parkinson is a former Bauer Media employee who held several senior marketing and business leadership positions. He oversaw the growth and brand development of Kiss, Magic, Absolute Radio, Jazz FM, Planet Rock and more. Parkinson also boasts experience in leading post-acquisition integrations, Allwyn added.

Before joining the UK’s most influential media brand network, Allwyn’s new hire served as EMAP’s marketing and brand director. In this position, he managed a portfolio of consumer brands across multiple channels, as well as a roster of creative and media agencies. His track record also includes a decade at Chrysalis where he held a number of senior roles.

The appointee will bring a wealth of experience in transforming brands to Allwyn UK’s team, as well as extensive knowledge of media partnerships and creative production. His appointment comes ahead of Allwyn’s takeover of The National Lottery and in the wake of Mark Hughes’ appointment as chief security officer.

Parkinson Is Excited to Join Allwyn in Such an Important Time

Parkinson expressed his excitement about the opportunity to join Allwyn at such a pivotal time for the company. He said that he is excited to work with Allwyn on raising money for good causes.

The National Lottery is a huge part of UK life and contributes so much to society through Good Causes funding – so to come on board at the very beginning of a new era, with a new operator, is incredibly exciting.

Steve Parkinson, brand and marketing director, Allwyn

Allwyn’s chief commercial officer, Lucy Buckley, welcomed Parkinson to the Allwyn family, lauding him as a “proven marketing leader.”

We’re excited about what he can bring to Allwyn and The National Lottery, with his wealth of experience in senior marketing roles.

Lucy Buckley, CCO, Allwyn

Buckley also used the opportunity to thank Burns for his enormous contribution to The National Lottery which left The National Lottery’s brands “in great shape.”

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Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets MLB franchise, has plans to construct a new casino next to the team’s home stadium, Citi Field. Cohen hopes that the new property would attract more people to the area. The move would mirror other franchises’ efforts to attract people to their stadiums.

During Sportico’s recent Invest in Sports conference, Cohen regretted the lack of activities around Citi Field. He jokingly said that the only thing people can do around is “get their hubcap changed or maybe get back a catalytic converter.” He described the area as “50 acres of cement.”

According to Cohen, the new casino would provide NY Mets fans with something to do before the game or after the game, increasing interest in the area.

The MLB franchise owner also noted that his team will no longer “invest in ballparks” and will instead try to create experience sports fans actually care about.

I have tons of ideas I want to implement. You can’t spend an unlimited amount of money, so you’ve got to budget. And also, dealing with the underinvestment that I had to deal with coming in. I call it the money pit.

Steve Cohen, owner, NY Mets

The owner concluded that Citi Field is an “unpolished gem” that he hopes to turn around.

Cohen’s casino proposal isn’t the first time someone has tried to develop the area around Citi Field. A year ago, NY Mayor Eric Adams unveiled plans for an adjacent MLB stadium.

Cohens’ proposal comes as the race for NY’s three casino licenses rages on.

Cohen Is Passionate about Investing in the Mets

Cohen purchased the NY Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families back in 2021, prior to the start of the MLB season. The deal cost the businessmen a staggering $2.4 billion.

Despite the significant investment, Cohen revealed that he enjoys being a team owner to the point where he would consider buying another team. However, the businessman prefers to get the NY Mets right first before considering another such investment.

Cohen said that his job as a team owner has been much more satisfying than his hedge fund ventures because people now actually “care about him.”

Meanwhile, Cohen continues his search for a chief executive officer of the Mets. He said that many of the candidates seem nice at first but fail to impress him once he meets them a second time.

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Steve Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Resorts, has agreed to pay a fine of $10 million to settle his outstanding trouble in Nevada. In addition, the mogul will leave Nevada gaming for good.

Mr Wynn has been in hot water in the state after he was accused of sexual abuse and misconduct against female employees in 2019. At the time, Wynn served as chairman of the company.

As a result of the allegations, Wynn was deemed unsuitable to hold a gaming license in the state. In his new settlement, he agrees to never be involved in Nevada’s gaming industry. This means that he will never serve as an officer or executive with a Nevada gaming company. However, he will not be disallowed to have passive ownership of less than 5% of any licensed gaming company.

Wynn signed the agreement this Monday. If the Nevada Gaming Control Board signs off the settlement, this would mark the end of the four-year conflict. The authority is expected to make its decision next week.

Representatives of the two parties declined to comment on the matter before the commission makes its final decision. Despite that, Kirk Hendrick, chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board signed the settlement.

Wynn’s Alleged Misconduct Caused His Company a Lot of Trouble

In 2018, Steve Wynn sold his Wynn Resorts stock, resigned from his position as CEO and gave up on his gambling license. Because of that, he claimed that gaming authorities should not have power over him. In addition, the real-estate developer continues to deny the allegations.

In 2020, a judge agreed that Wynn should be outside of the control board’s jurisdiction. However, the regulator succeeded in appealing the decision in 2022.

Now, despite his denial of the accusations, Wynn has agreed to forfeit his right to a public hearing and pay a $10 million settlement. However, even if the Gaming Control Board agrees to sign the settlement, he will still be subject to disciplinary action, should he breach the terms.

In addition to the action against Steve Wynn, the Nevada regulator previously reprimanded Wynn Resorts over its failure to report, investigate or prevent Wynn’s misconduct. As a result, the company was forced to pay a $20 million fine. The allegations also led to the company paying a $35 million fine in Massachusetts.

Following Wynn’s leave, the company introduced changes to its policies in the hope of weeding out harassment from its corporate culture.

In other news, the US government appealed a decision that exonerated Wynn from foreign agent allegations.

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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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