Another Borgata first; Ohio is “george”; Adelson’s waiting game

In what could be a harbinger of good things for Atlantic City, the final events of the World Poker Tour are being held at Borgata. It’s to promote the legalization of online poker in New Jersey, but anything that brings in flesh-and-blood gamblers is welcome at this point. Since nearly the whole Boardwalk is Internet-affiliated at this point, I expect similar promotional tournaments in the near future, even if none have been announced. As usual, it is Borgata that is at the front of the pack. A lot of people — myself included — were skeptical that Boyd Gaming could master the A.C. market and it’s made fools of us for 10 years now.

As long as we’re handing out kudos, let’s acknowledge the “george” that is the State of Ohio. Buckeye State residents who become pathological gamblers will have the tab for their treatment picked up by the government … or rather through monies that state has collected from casinos. $4.9 million has been set aside, some for advertisement, but mostly for treatment. Said spokeswoman  Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson, “We’re going to see the number grow slowly. Prevention is what’s primarily important right now, but as more individuals become identified as having a gambling disorder, we’ll be able to meet their needs.” What the state is allocating is a pittance compared to the $240 million going to schools and to the thousands of Ohioans who are at risk. However, compared to what Nevada (for instance) is doing, Ohio is leading by example.

Sitting on his assets. That’s what Sheldon Adelson is up to. He’s letting the government of Madrid be the point of the spear, as he attempts to prick a hole in Spain‘s indoor-smoking ban. Sheldon won’t put a cent into EuroVegas unless said ban is revoked and Madrid’s leaders have been pushing hard on his behalf. But it would be a humiliating climb-down for the Spanish government to have to make an only-for-Adelson exception.

If Steve Wynn goes all in, as expected, on casino development in Japan, he can expect litigation and competition from — you guessed it — Kazuo Okada, his BFF turned worst enemy.