New deadline for Oklahoma; Nevada casinos notch new high

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy DeGiusti has placed the ball on compact renewal squarely back in Oklahoma‘s court. However, he has—to mix metaphors—split the baby quite fairly. And he’s given everyone a ticking clock to make a deal. Both sides are to submit a wish list of possible arbitrators, from whom DeGiusti will draw one, and divide the cost of mediation 50/50. Aforesaid mediation must be “completed or substantially completed” by the end of March. That means the Sooner State’s gaming tribes and Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) will be forced out of their did/didn’t impasse over whether the compacts automatically renewed at the start of this year.

Once that issue has been arbitrated—DeGiusti having taken a pass on it—one side or the other will have substantial incentive to reach an accord. If the tribes lose, they’ll probably have no choice but to pony up a severe tax increase. If Stitt loses, he’ll have to dangle “something of value” (read: sports betting) to get a quid pro quo from the tribes. It’s a high-risk gambit for everyone involved but, with both sides implacably entrenched, there doesn’t seem to be any other way around it. Technically speaking, the tribes are already at a disadvantage, having put their marbles on the federal courts as a forum for this issue. No such luck.

Jottings: Casinos in Nevada hit an all-time best in F&B sales last year: $5 billion. Gambling is still king, at $8.75 billion. Customers spent $3 billion on meals and a pie-eyed $2 billion on booze. Believe it or not, comped drinks (and rooms) were way up from 2009. The average casino grossed $84.5 million last year overall … The worst owner in the NFL, Dan Snyder wants a sports-betting license in Virginia, after first pitching the idea to Maryland. But when is he going to field a winning team? … Harrah’s Ak-Chin has completed a three-year, $100 million expansion. “Maricopa’s bustling economy is great for business, but the local unemployment rate has made it difficult to fill open and specialty positions with local residents,” said Employment Manager Lauren Conley. So what was that about Desert Diamond Casino being bad for the local economy? … Macao authorities are exquisitely noncommittal about lifting the “suspension period” for casinos when it theoretically expires on Feb. 19. Seven hotels have also been shuttered, the latest being Melco Resorts & Entertainment‘s Altira, closed “until further notice in order to curb the spread of the new strain of coronavirus.”