After New Jersey‘s attorney generally unilaterally declared sports betting to be legal in the Garden State, the U.S. Department of Justice and four 
major sports leagues expressed their displeasure by going to court, seeking a reversal of the edict. In return, the New Jersey legislature is weighing legislation that would “repeal all prohibitions, permits, licenses and authorizations concerning sports betting at Atlantic City casinos or gambling houses and horse tracks throughout the state.” There can be no question that Atlantic City needs the extra dough and I don’t hear any racetracks complaining either. The linchpin of the pro-sports-betting argument is that it’s legal so long as the state isn’t the sponsor of the wagering. We’ll see how well that holds up before the bench.
* Phil Ivey is getting his day in court, as he pursues a lawsuit against Genting Group. The latter wouldn’t honor Ivey’s winnings at London‘s Crockford’s Casino because Ivey was able to track the cards in the shoe via a technique called “edge sorting,” due to patterns on the backs of cards on flaws in their cut. Ivey won over $12 million — no ordinary payday — and Genting is refusing to pony up. According to Ivey’s attorney, “in the present case that there are legitimate strategies that may used by skilled players which have the purpose and effect of providing the player, rather than the casino, with the advantage on particular bets.” Ivey is expected to take the stand at trial.
* Congratulations to the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, in Reno, for winning the Sustainability Award from the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association. Says the company, “the two-million-square-foot property is 
the only U.S. hotel to be heated completely by an on-site geothermal well. This accomplishment cost the resort $9.7 million and involved 4,400 feet of drilling.” That’s just one of a dizzying number of energy-saving initiatives that run the gamut from a pair of Tesla charging stations, a “closed-loop hydronic heating and cooling system utilizes outdoor temperatures to cool water rather than energy-intensive chillers,” composting food scraps and having a paperless HR department. And that’s just a partial list! Well done, ladies and gentlemen.
* Elsewhere in Reno, the city is considering a ban on casinos north of Circus Circus. It’s part of a plan to expand the University of Nevada-Reno campus and integrate it with downtown.
