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Posts by I. Nelson Rose
Is a New York City Casino License Worth $1 Billion?
No government has ever asked $1 billion just for the right to build a casino. That still is true. But that’s how much New York Governor Kathy Hochul had originally wanted for casinos in New York City. Casino executives and lobbyists were able to get the leaders of...
Texas’s Poker Clubs Are in Trouble
A little-known fact, known by few: Texas has poker clubs. These are by no means just a couple of tables in the back of a bar. The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock outside of Austin has more than 60 tables. The games -- mostly Texas Hold 'em, naturally -- are played...
Macau’s Casinos Are About To Change
Junkets and high-rollers are out. Mass-market is definitely in. The six current concessionaires, including the American companies MGM, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands, are, rightly, mostly concerned about whether they will be allowed to continue to operate casinos. But they...
Macau’s New Laws: Too Early to Celebrate
The new proposed law for Macau casinos has been made public, and the existing casino operators – and their investors – have breathed sighs of relief. The government has made it clear that there will be “no more than six casino concessions,” which all six companies read as “we will be renewed.”
Works Recently Cited
My published works were recently cited in these articles: 1) Mark A. Gottlieb, Richard A. Daynard, and Lissy C. Friedman, "Casinos: an Addiction Industry in the Mold of Tobacco and Opioid Drugs," 2021 University of Illinois Law Review 1711 (2021). Citing I. Nelson...
Gateway to Gaming (“G2G”) Interview
I was recently interviewed for “Game On,” G2G News' flagship show, by Jay Sayta, one of India’s leading gaming lawyers. We discussed ongoing cases involving online gaming, daily fantasy sports, gaming machines and poker. Topics included skill versus chance,...
China Has Plans for Macau
All six casino concessions in Macau are about to expire. The big question is whether the US-based companies – MGM, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands – will be able to continue operating some of the most successful casinos in the world. Of much less importance is...
New York’s Unforced Error
Last week I wrote a blog explaining why the plan to issue online sports betting licenses in New York will be a disaster. [LINK] Not only will the tax rate be the highest in the nation – possibly a ridiculous 71% – but the entire law is on its face unconstitutional....
New York’s Sports Betting Disaster
On Friday, October 22nd the New York State Gaming Commission announced what the tax rates will be for anyone unfortunate to win the right to operate online sports betting. Most of the bids were probably already in, but the Gaming Commission graciously gave the...
Dept. of Interior to Review $470 Million Judgment Based on Law That Does Not Exist
Here’s a little nugget buried in the news: “US Interior Department calls to review Compact payments between Senecas and NY State,” LINK The fight is over whether the Seneca Nation must pay a $470 million judgment won by the State of New York. With any lawsuit...
What in the World is a COAM?
I first looked into COAMs a couple of years ago, when a very large investor wanted to know if he should put a few tens of millions of dollars into a company involved in the business in Georgia. Before I could advise him, I had to first figure out what in the world is...
Will Tribal Sports Betting Mean Slot Machines in Seattle?
“All we want is a level playing field.” I always like working with Washington State card clubs, gaming tribes and charities because I can make one of the strongest arguments a gaming operator has on their behalf: Government is giving an unfair advantage to...
MGM & Orix Submit US$9.1 Billion Bid for Osaka IR
No one is openly asking the big question: Can a US$9.07 billion casino make money? The cost of the proposal cannot be ignored…
Preferential Shuffling
It is time to look again at the controversy over the right of casinos to shuffle cards in blackjack whenever the remainder of the deck favors the players. Although the issue of casino dealers counting cards has been stewing for decades, the most recent flare-up is the...
Card Counting by Casinos
It seems the eye in the sky has acquired a brain. The watchers have learned to count cards. Casinos have installed computer programs that can tell whether players are counting cards at blackjack. By recording how players change the size of their wagers and how they...