Hello and welcome to Weekend Report. Here, iGB brings you the latest news you might have missed in the past few days.
Spanish authorities arrest suspected MGM hacker
MGM will confirm that the loyalty program was hacked in 2022. The Spanish National Police arrested at Palma Airport on 14th June a suspect they believed was involved in hacking. Murcia Today reported that he was on his way to Italy when he boarded the flight.
According to CyberNews, the FBI field office in Los Angeles issued an arrest warrant for the UK citizen aged 22.
Scattered spider, the group allegedly responsible for this cyber-attack, is said to have hacked into multiple large corporations. He is suspected of hacking into corporate accounts, and also allegedly controlling BitCoin worth $27 million. Caesars Entertainment, too, was hacked in the fall of last year.
Colorado Tribes are still barred from digital betting
Coloradans have been legalising digital sports betting for nearly five years. Four years and more after the launch of these tribes, they are still not live. According to the Colorado Sun the state and tribes have not been able to come up with an agreement on how the tribes would function.
The funding of Colorado’s projects relating to water is at issue. The state’s sports betting revenues go to funding such projects. However, tribal gaming rules are different and the Mountain Ute or Southern Ute may not be required to pay taxes to the state as commercial operators. State officials are concerned that tax revenues may decrease if they allow the tribes digital sports betting or sports betting through kiosks.
Colorado voters have the chance in November to alter how much revenue can be collected by state from gambling. There is a current $29m cap per year, but it’s expected that operators will generate over $32m of tax revenue for the next fiscal year.
Online casino and US sports betting are on the rise.
Jefferies Capital’s latest report shows that gross gaming revenues (GGR) and online sports bets are up by 30% and 44% respectively compared to May last year. As of the 21st June, 18 states reported their revenue figures.
Online gambling numbers are also positive. Five states have reported that GGR has increased by 27% since last year. Analysts at Jefferies say FanDuel remains the leader of both markets. Jefferies analysts say that FanDuel has been the top gaming brand for eight months and is also the leading operator in four of those months.
You can stay at The Mirage for a very reasonable price. You can stay at The Mirage for a very low price
Truist Securities reports that with the closing of Tropicana on July 14 and the impending closure of The Mirage, the Strip will have 4,500 less hotel rooms.
In spite of the fact that it would appear that prices for hotels are increasing, CDC Gaming Reports reported that Truist analyst Barry Jonas stated that Mirage rates in June and July were down by 44%-46% compared to last year. Jonas anticipates that third quarter room rates will be the same as last year.
Election betting investigation adds another name
The UK Gambling Commission has expanded its investigation into third-party bettors who may have bet on behalf of politically exposed people (PEPs) after a report in national media about an additional possible insider better.
Sky News said that Conservative Chief Data Officer Nick Mason is the fourth candidate added this weekend to the investigation. Mason has taken leave and denied any wrongdoing, according to Sky News.
Navajo Nation appoints new gaming CEO
John James has been appointed as the new CEO of Navajo Gaming (Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise). James is a veteran tribal casino leader, having most recently served as the CEO of River Rock Entertainment Authority, Geyserville in California.
James will be responsible for the operations of multiple sites including Twin Arrows Navajo Casino resort, Fire Rock Navajo Casino Northern Edge Navajo Casino Flowing Water Navajo Casino as well as the Navajo Blue Travel Plaza.
