Author: David Mckee

2024’s Global Gaming Expo “officially” kicked off yesterday, though one could easily have been fooled, judging by the rabbit warren of activity on Monday. Having covered two panels, plus an interview, plus writing five stories yesterday (all on two hours’ sleep), we confess to a serious case of G2E fatigue—with two days remaining. And since the co-parent of G2E is the American Gaming Association, it was (per ancient custom) the prerogative of AGA prexy Bill Miller to be the first keynote speaker of the show.

… go to Atlantic City. Casino operators are patting themselves on the back for raising awareness of breast cancer this month. If they really cared, they’d ban smoking on their gambling floors. After all, what says “careless risk” like dealers having carcinogens blown in their faces? Rather than ‘promote early awareness’ of breast cancer, why not stop it before it starts? But no, dead employees are part of ‘the cost of doing business’ for Big Gaming and the latter will pay lip service for fighting cancer, so long as no real and meaningful action has to be taken.

As you may have noticed, there hasn’t been any S&G so far this week. That’s because an assignment for Orlando Magazine has taken us to Virginia for four days. We haven’t seen a lick of gambling but have viewed much else. Our base of operations momentarily is Lexington, “the Valhalla of the South.” They have long memories down here, although it’s become a pretty liberal place by now. But tradition dies hard at Virginia Military Institute, where “rats” are encouraged to rat out other rats, lest they be “boned” by “dykes.” (Yes, that’s all standard-issue VMI lingo.)

It has been revealed who the Daddy Warbucks behind the latest anti-gambling campaign in Missouri is … and it’s Caesars Entertainment. Yes, the Roman Empire has been sleeping with the enemy. Indeed, with $4 million of skin in this game, Caesars is the enemy. Last week, the company was exposed as the deep pockets behind ad campaigns which seek to defeat sports betting in the November election. If there’s going to be sports wagering in the Show-Me State, voters will have to pass it. The Lege is hopelessly dysfunctional on the issue, having deadlocked time and again. However …

God bless the New Jersey Republican Party. It is stepping up where Democrats in the Assembly have failed (or at least proven spineless). This week, the GOP’s caucus announced—without equivocation—that it would provide the votes to get smoking in Atlantic City casinos banned. Already 13 GOPers have signed onto the proposed ban. Now, if the Dems can just force a vote, the revocation of Atlantic City’s smelly special status will be over and done.