Aaron Stanley

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Reporter

United States of America

I am an accomplished journalist covering cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, with prior experience covering politics, economics and technology.

I currently write for Forbes.com while providing strategic communications and public affairs consulting services for companies in the blockchain space. In 2017, I wrote for CoinDesk, the leading crypto and blockchain publication. I also periodically write for the Financial Times, where I worked for four years in Washington before moving on in 2015 to finish my Master's degree.

I am a Portuguese speaker and have a keen interest in Brazil, and I am always interested in new professional opportunities at the intersection of international affairs, technology and policy.

I am motivated to comprehend and express, make unique and distinctive contributions, excel and play a key role in a team environment.

I hold an MA in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and a BA in Social Sciences from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN

[email protected]

Portfolio

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

Forbes
08/31/2018
Is The Blockchain Pendulum Shifting Back Toward Enterprise? A New Deloitte Survey Suggests So

The back-and-forth tussle between open, public blockchains and closed, permissioned blockchains and distributed ledgers has been raging ever since "blockchain, not bitcoin" became a thing circa 2015. Consortium systems gained momentum in 2015 and 2016 as companies of all sizes began dedicating resources to studying how the technology could complement or overhaul their existing business processes, but the initial coin offering boom of 2017 shifted interest back toward the permissionless realm.

Forbes
08/23/2018
Time For A Clean Up? Market Manipulation Concerns Loom Large Over Bitcoin ETF Rejections

The Securities and Exchange Commission rejecting proposals for bitcoin exchange traded funds is officially the crypto community's 'dog bites man' news story. In the 18 months since the initial strikedown of the Winklevoss bitcoin ETF proposal in March 2017, the agency's approach to the controversial retail investment vehicles has become literally boilerplate.

Forbes
08/20/2018
Just In Time? Winklevoss-Backed Crypto Self-Regulatory Effort Picks Up Steam

Crypto markets have fallen on hard times recently with declining prices and increasing regulatory attention, but a new Winklevoss twin-backed group is looking to lay the groundwork for a self-regulatory body that would clean up the industry. The Virtual Commodities Association, first proposed in March 2018 and officially launched on Monday, is an industry working group comprised of cryptocurrency exchanges and custodians.

Forbes
07/31/2018
What Does The U.S. Treasury Fintech Report Mean For Crypto?

After 18 months of anticipation, the Treasury Department released on Tuesday a seminal report examining the barriers to financial technology and innovation in the United States and proposing a sweeping set of recommendations designed to cut red tape and foster continued experimentation.

Forbes
07/27/2018
With Crypto, Regulators Understand More Than They're Given Credit For

Crypto Twitter went berserk last week when a congressman went off the rails castigating bitcoin at a well-publicized hearing, but the community needs to understand that regulators in the U.S. are far more knowledgeable about this nascent industry than people may realize or give them credit for

Forbes
06/26/2018
Is The U.S. Getting Its Act Together On Quantum Computing?

Policymakers in Washington seem to be waking up to concerns that the United States is lagging behind China and other countries when it comes to investing in quantum computing, a technology that threatens to unravel the encryption that currently secures blockchains and cryptocurrencies.

Forbes
06/20/2018
U.S. Secret Service: Action Needed To Address Anonymous Cryptocurrencies

A top U.S. Secret Service official on Wednesday asked Congress for help in preventing cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash, which provide users with enhanced privacy and anonymity features, from being used for illicit purposes. "We should ... consider additional legislative or regulatory actions to address potential challenges related to anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies," Robert Novy, deputy assistant director in the U.S.

Forbes
06/07/2018
Blockchain Game Momentum Builds With EON Foundation $5M Seed Round

Six months after the CryptoKitties craze, momentum continues to build behind blockchain-based games and non-fungible crypto collectibles. EON Foundation, the blockchain games company and publisher of the Crypto Alpaca crypto-pet game, announced Thursday that it had secured $5M in seed funding for the development of its distributed blockchain video gaming platform.

Forbes
05/30/2018
CPA Group Presses IRS For Clarity On Crypto Taxation

Cryptocurrency investors and traders aren't the only ones pleading with the Internal Revenue Service for more clarity on crypto taxation. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the world's largest professional association for accountants, joined the chorus on Wednesday by calling for additional guidance on matters like gain and loss reporting, expenses related to cryptocurrency mining, chain splits, air drops and more.

Forbes
05/22/2018
Supply Chain Titans, U.S. Chamber Eye Blockchain For Global Commerce

In a globalizing world where cross-border e-commerce is ever-prevalent, logistics practitioners and customs authorities are eyeing new technologies like blockchain to help process transactions, share and secure data and weed out criminal activity and counterfeit products. "Blockchain. Blockchain. Blockchain.

Forbes
05/16/2018
Streamr Partners With Nokia And OSIsoft On IoT Data Sharing And Monetization

The blockchain-based data sharing platform Streamr announced new partnerships with Nokia and OSIsoft on Wednesday morning at Consensus 2018, further building the connection between blockchain and internet-of-things enabled technologies. These partnerships will be built on top of Streamr's real-time data marketplace, also launched Wednesday, for connecting producers and consumers via a common interface.

Forbes
04/26/2018
U.S. Chamber Warms To Blockchain, Fintech Solutions At Capital Markets Summit

The world's largest business group is taking a heightened interest in blockchain solutions and capital formation methods, particularly as the pace of commerce hastens and the landscape for traditional initial public offerings becomes murkier. The topic was on display at a capital markets summit Thursday morning hosted by the U.S.

Forbes
04/24/2018
Analyst: Don't Write Off Venezuelan Petro Implications

Ask anybody in crypto or blockchain circles about the Venezuelan petro and you'll likely get a predictable eyeroll response, but one former counterrorism analyst says the imbroglio needs to be taken more seriously the community.

Forbes
03/31/2018
5 Takeaways From The GAO Fintech Report

In responding to a request from Congress, the Government Accountability Office released a 136 page report last week detailing the fintech regulation logjam in the United States and offered recommendations for how the landscape can be improved to better facilitate this nascent industry's development.

Forbes
03/28/2018
Hydro-Quebec Strikes Measured Approach To Bitcoin Mining

Sooner or later, everything in the world of crypto requires recalibration. That applies to the price of bitcoin, the blockchain hype cycle and the state-of-play for all of the parties getting rich by selling picks and shovels to this new industry.

Forbes
03/23/2018
Arizona Becomes First U.S. State To Launch Regulatory Sandbox For Fintech

Arizona has become the first state in the U.S. to adopt a "regulatory sandbox" to shepherd the development of new emerging industries like fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrencies within its borders. The law will grant regulatory relief for innovators in these sectors who desire to bring new products to market within the state.

Forbes
03/16/2018
Analyst: Blockchain And Crypto Set To Boost Competitive Videogaming

Esports has been the fastest-growing sport on the planet in recent years by players and viewership, and blockchain and cryptocurrencies could be the catalyst that drives this hot new industry fully into the mainstream, a new report from Macquarie Research predicts.

Forbes
03/13/2018
Ex-CFTC Chair: Regulatory Logjam Puts U.S. Crypto Industry at Disadvantage

An ongoing turf war between the regulatory agencies that oversee cryptocurrencies in the United States is putting the country at risk of falling behind other jurisdictions that are taking a more nimble and less-Byzantine approach to these new technologies, a former top regulator has warned.

CoinDesk
01/19/2018
Why São Paulo Wants to Pay for Infrastructure with Cryptocurrency - CoinDesk

The Brazilian state of São Paulo is looking to cryptocurrency to help solve its infrastructure problems. The state, home to 45 million residents and the city of São Paulo - the largest metropolis in the southern hemisphere and the third-largest in the world - plans to use a token called buildcoin to pay engineers across the globe for feasibility studies.

CoinDesk
01/09/2018
Big Pharma Seeks DLT Solution for Drug Costs - CoinDesk

What if blockchain could be used to actually save lives? That's the thinking ongoing at pharmaceutical heavyweights Pfizer, Amgen and Sanofi. The three companies - typically black boxes when it comes to their work - are now eyeing blockchain as a means of streamlining the process of developing and testing new drugs.

CoinDesk
01/10/2018
Quebec Lures Cryptocurrency Miners as China Sours on Industry - CoinDesk

Quebec was fishing for tech giants but caught bitcoin miners. At least that's how David Vincent, business development director at electric utility Hydro Quebec, describes the results of a campaign launched in 2016 to lure the likes of Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft to build their data centers in the Canadian province.

CoinDesk
01/03/2018
RBC Report: Crypto and Blockchain Could Unlock $10 Trillion Market - CoinDesk

A research analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) sees cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and decentralization as a potential $10 trillion ecosystem. In a new report released Wednesday, Mitch Steves, an equities analyst with RBC's Capital Markets subsidiary, laid out his bull case for why the future of transactional services will ultimately be decentralized.

CoinDesk
01/03/2018
Bitcoin Miner Sued for Unregistered Securities After ICO - CoinDesk

Giga Watt, a startup that held an initial coin offering (ICO) to raise money to build a cryptocurrency mining facility, is being sued for allegedly conducting an unregistered securities offering. The complaint was filed by a group of plaintiffs that contributed more than $20 million in cryptocurrency - with a current estimated valuation of $100 million - during the project's token sale in July and August.

CoinDesk
12/13/2017
Uncle Sam's Surprise: Tax Reform to Impact Crypto Investors - CoinDesk

The U.S. tax code is on the brink of its largest overhaul in three decades. And while neither the House of Representatives or Senate version of the tax bill (both have passed in their respective chambers and are in the process of being reconciled into a final bill) specifically addresses cryptocurrency, several rule changes could potentially catch bitcoin holders who realized eye-popping gains in 2017 by surprise.

CoinDesk
12/08/2017
Microlending Startups Look to Blockchain for Loans - CoinDesk

A new of wave startups believe blockchain can help microfinance deliver on lofty promises. Billed as a silver bullet that could lift the poor out of poverty since the mid-2000s, microfinance, or the use of small loans to boost the unbanked, has failed to take off for various reasons - namely, a lack of transparency and the existence of middlemen that blockchain is said to eliminate.

CoinDesk
11/30/2017
Regulation, Taxation Loom Over Crypto Investors - CoinDesk

The legacy of the W.J. Howey Company lives on, though not in a way the owners of the Florida citrus grove would have likely envisioned. Seven decades after its legal battles with the SEC, the company has been enshrined with near legendary status in the cryptocurrency space, as the investment contract test every initial coin offering token is being judged by.

CoinDesk
11/29/2017
ICO Pros Call for Self-Regulation Citing SEC Risk - CoinDesk

The initial coin offering (ICO) community needs to embrace self-regulation now to lessen the blows likely to come from enforcement and regulatory actions, according to speakers at CoinDesk's Consensus: Invest yesterday. A crackdown in the U.S. is inevitable, perhaps as soon as six to 12 months from now, warned Charles Hoskinson, CEO at Input Output and former CEO of the ethereum project.

CoinDesk
11/17/2017
The Beginning? Tezos Could Open Doors for ICO Litigation - CoinDesk

While startups launching initial coin offerings (ICOs) may be all too aware they're working in a legal gray area, that might not be enough to stop lawsuits that could test their legality. At issue is that, although the U.S. agency tasked with enforcing securities law - the U.S.

CoinDesk
11/15/2017
Tezos Founders Hit With Second Class Action Suit - CoinDesk

For the second time in less than three weeks, a lawsuit has been filed against the founders of the Tezos project. Pursued in the U.S. District Court in Florida, the suit alleges Tezos founders Arthur and Kathleen Breitman deceptively sold unregistered securities in violation of both federal and state law when they raised $232 million in an initial coin offering (ICO) in July.

CoinDesk
10/25/2017
AMD CEO Sees 'Leveling Off' in Cryptocurrency Mining Demand - CoinDesk

Graphics card maker AMD reported a major sales jump in the third quarter of 2017 amid significant demand from the world's cryptocurrency miners. On its Tuesday afternoon earnings call, the company reported $819 million in revenues from its computing and graphics division for the third quarter of 2017, a whopping 74 percent increase over the prior year's quarter.

CoinDesk
10/18/2017
Global Blockchain Business Council Expands European Foothold - CoinDesk

The Global Blockchain Business Council is ramping up its presence in Europe. Announced today, the technology advocacy group co-founded by blockchain services firm Bitfury Group will host a blockchain-focused summit at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday in conjunction with Eva Kaili, a parliament member from Greece.

CoinDesk
10/16/2017
Obvious Bubble? SEC Committee Lashes Out at Bitcoin and ICOs - CoinDesk

"Can I suggest something to you? People who come in suggesting that 'everything is different' [while] marketing investment contracts tend to end up looking rather badly." Issued by Damon Silvers, director of policy at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, to Adam Ludwin, the CEO of blockchain startup Chain, the pointed comment set off a tense exchange at a meeting of the SEC's Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) last week.

CoinDesk
10/12/2017
US State Department Seeks Blockchain Boost Amid $10 Billion Reboot - CoinDesk

The U.S. agency that oversees foreign affairs is looking seriously at blockchain. That's according to John Sullivan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, who encouraged the State Department and its private sector partners to embrace the technology as a way to "advance diplomacy and development objectives" at the Blockchain@State forum held Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

CoinDesk
10/08/2017
Better Off Abroad? Blockchain Health Firms Gain Ground Outside the US - CoinDesk

Frustrated by the red tape of the U.S. healthcare system, blockchain startups founded to improve the sharing of patient data are looking abroad to prove their use cases. The moves by Gem, which has partnered with a Scandinavian company, and IncentHealth.io, which is scouting opportunities in Canada, underscore the challenges blockchain technology faces in any heavily regulated market with powerful incumbents and resistance to change.

CoinDesk
09/28/2017
Trump White House Doubles Down on US Commitment to Blockchain - CoinDesk

The Trump administration is reaffirming its commitment to blockchain as a technology with the potential to improve U.S. government operations. Speaking at Data Transparency 2017, a conference exploring the role of open data in government this week, two senior White House officials emphasized that distributed ledger technology is increasingly being viewed as essential to U.S.

CoinDesk
09/25/2017
Centers for Disease Control to Launch First Blockchain Test on Disaster Relief - CoinDesk

For public health practitioners, the ability to quickly collect, analyze and take action on data is paramount to containing the spread of a deadly new virus or disease. But despite the advent of big data technologies, collecting this information today remains a highly cumbersome and time-consuming process, explains Jim Nasr, chief software architect at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the arm of the U.S.

CoinDesk
09/19/2017
Only in Arizona: How Smart Contract Clarity Is Winning Over Startups - CoinDesk

What happens when someone breaches a contract? If you've gone through all the rigmarole of developing a paper contract, the legal ramifications are clear. But paper contracts are not only inefficient but also prone to fraud, which is why a group of startups and developers are pushing digital "smart contract" systems tied to immutable blockchains.

CoinDesk
09/17/2017
Estonia Wants to ICO, But Is Currency Law a Deal-Breaker? - CoinDesk

This time, though, they aren't just out to warn citizens or regulate the new mechanism. Instead, at least one progressive government is considering whether it can take advantage of the technology. The Baltic nation of Estonia made a splash last month when one of its government agencies proposed launching a token - the "estcoin" - as an extension of its e-Residency program.

CoinDesk
09/15/2017
Trumping the IRS: Could the Timing Be Right for Bitcoin Tax Reform? - CoinDesk

President Donald Trump's push to overhaul the U.S. tax code could include a potential payoff for bitcoin users. With the president and the Republican Party's sights set on tax reform as a way to send a strong message to voters ahead of the 2018 term elections, it's potentially a good time for a bill easing the tax reporting requirements for cryptocurrency to be included in a final package.

CoinDesk
09/06/2017
ICO Ban? Canada's Regulators Are Giving One Token Sale a Big Break - CoinDesk

As China moves to ban initial coin offerings (ICOs), a regulator on the other side of the world is taking the polar opposite approach. Far from imposing penalties and refunds, Quebec's regulator for financial institutions, the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF), is seeking to better understand the blockchain use case - if not altogether encourage it.

CoinDesk
09/01/2017
Inevitable Bust? GPU Makers See Crypto Mining as Short-Term Sales Boost - CoinDesk

Graphics card manufacturers are riding high on renewed interest in cryptocurrencies. While historically the slowest time of the year for these businesses, Q2 proved to be lucrative for Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) as interest in ethereum and other cryptocurrencies has exhausted graphics processing unit (GPU) inventories.

CoinDesk
07/31/2017
Legal Experts Warn of Coming Crackdown on Token Exchanges - CoinDesk

As the blockchain community grapples with the fallout from recent regulatory actions, legal experts are warning more enforcement measures could be on the horizon - and that token exchanges are a probable target. To recap, last week saw the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that a defunct blockchain-based token called The DAO constituted an unregistered security.

CoinDesk
07/20/2017
Non-Profits See Blockchain Vision, But Face Harsh Realities - CoinDesk

Although Wall Street pundits and big bank proofs-of-concept often steal the bulk of the attention, they're not the only global groups with an interest in blockchain technology. In fact, behind the scenes, the world's largest and most influential non-profits and multilateral organizations are turning to blockchain solutions as a way to improve social and economic outcomes in the developing world.

CoinDesk
07/15/2017
Mr. Blockchain Goes to Washington - CoinDesk

Representatives from over 70 companies descended on Capitol Hill Tuesday to help get Congress up to speed on blockchain and cryptocurrency. The first-ever Congressional Blockchain Education Day, organized by the non-profit Chamber of Digital Commerce, was designed to give businesses like Gem, Bloq and Overstock the opportunity to meet with their elected representatives to describe their work with the technology and the fast-moving $100bn blockchain economy.

CoinDesk
07/13/2017
Symbiont Demos Blockchain Share Issuance for DC Lawmakers - CoinDesk

Blockchain solutions provider Symbiont gave a public demonstration of its distributed ledger solutions at a Washington, DC, event on Tuesday. There, founder and CEO Mark Smith gave a preview of how its Symbiont Assembly platform could be used for private equity issuance, highlighting how he believes its products, and their underlying technology, have the potential to transform how private corporations in the US are governed.

CoinDesk
06/27/2017
ASIC on Blockchain: Australia's Securities Watchdog 'Unlikely' to Regulate ICOs - CoinDesk

Australia's top securities regulator believes central bank-issued cryptocurrencies could one day throttle illicit bitcoin use, and that initial coin offerings (ICOs) will remain largely outside the scope of global regulators. In interview with CoinDesk, Greg Medcraft, chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), spoke openly about the state of blockchain technology and its impact on international regulators.

CoinDesk
06/25/2017
EOS: Unpacking the Big Promises Behind a Possible Blockchain Contender - CoinDesk

Complicating matters, though, is even the most ridiculous have shown a propensity to work. If two years ago, you were told a blockchain would exist that would be so powerful as to enable startups to forego VC investing, you might have laughed. Today, the creators and developers of ethereum would be the ones laughing.

CoinDesk
06/09/2017
Bitcoin Experts to Congress: Overseas Exchanges Are Enabling Cybercrime - CoinDesk

Bitcoin and blockchain experts are urging US lawmakers to ramp up pressure on unlicensed offshore exchanges. Coming yesterday during a hearing held by a subcommittee within the US House of Representatives, the calls followed a notable string of ransomware attacks that have seen consumer data held hostage in exchange for bitcoin payments.

CoinDesk
04/17/2017
Top US Business Schools Are Racing to Incorporate Blockchain - CoinDesk

Top US business schools are working to incorporate blockchain and cryptography into curriculums to meet evolving employer and student demands. As commerce and finance become more digitized, schools say they are experiencing pressure from all angles to graduate students skilled in data science areas such as blockchain, while demand for the traditional MBA skill set subsides.

CoinDesk
04/11/2017
IBM Ramps Up China Blockchain Work With Supply Chain Trial - CoinDesk

IBM advanced its status as a blockchain leader Tuesday with the launch of a supply chain platform designed to streamline flows among buyers, sellers and financiers in the pharmaceuticals space. The Yijian Blockchain Technology Application System - built in a partnership between IBM and Hejia, a Chinese supply chain management company - seeks to eliminate some of the financing problems faced by the country's pharmaceutical retailers.

CoinDesk
04/09/2017
How Deloitte's Bitcoin Bistro Was Built - CoinDesk

While Deloitte has long been an advisor on blockchain and cryptocurrencies, it took a step toward to practicing what it preaches earlier this month. After installing a bitcoin ATM in its Toronto office last fall, the consulting giant is now accepting bitcoin payments at a restaurant in its office complex - providing a hands-on opportunity for patrons to experience bitcoin.

CoinDesk
04/03/2017
Managed Fund Titans Eye 2018 for Blockchain MVP Launch - CoinDesk

An international consortium of asset managers is working to bring 401k plans, mutual funds and pension funds to the blockchain. After rolling out a smart transfer agent proof of concept (PoC) in December, Fundchain, a group led by Luxembourg-based startup Scorechain, aims to have a distributed ledger-based product ready to bring to market next year.

CoinDesk
04/01/2017
Bitcoin vs Gold: Which is a Better Long-Term Bet? - CoinDesk

Imagine that you have $100,000 at your disposal. You must spend all of it on either bitcoin or gold - no mixing and matching - and the assets will then be stored in a trust that cannot be accessed again for 50 years. Which option would you choose?

CoinDesk
03/17/2017
The Trump Administration is Buying Into Blockchain Tech - CoinDesk

High-level US regulators and officials spoke out in favor of expanding the adoption of blockchain technology across government and the private sector at the DC Blockchain Summit, held this week in the nation's capital. There, representatives from the Trump administration, Congress and executive branch agencies acknowledged the potential of blockchain, and called for further development at the technology's intersection with public policy.

CoinDesk
03/18/2017
After ETF Rejection, What's Next for Bitcoin On Wall Street? - CoinDesk

Days after the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) was roundly rejected by regulators, this much is certain: digital currency investors remain in waiting for the asset's proper Wall Street debut. But, how long exactly might this be? And will bitcoin ever see mainstream market acceptance?

CoinDesk
03/16/2017
Investment Firm Blockchain Capital is Launching a $10 Million ICO - CoinDesk

Industry VC fund Blockchain Capital plans to raise a new fund by creating a blockchain-based token and selling it to the general public. Blockchain Capital will offer its so-called "BCAP" token through an ethereum-based smart contract, and tokens sold will represent shares in a new fund called Blockchain Capital III Digital Liquid Venture Fund, LP, the firm said today.

CoinDesk
03/04/2017
Why You Won't See Bitcoin in a Casino Anytime Soon - CoinDesk

As evidenced by a Google search for 'bitcoin casino', bitcoins and gambling go together like two pedals on the same bike. Bitcoin's appeal as a cheap, efficient and low-key means of transmitting money has made it a hit among both online bettors and operators seeking reduced fees, lower chargeback risk and a way around legacy payment systems. But as of now, these benefits mainly apply to online casinos operating in jurisdictions with little or no regulatory oversight.

Financial Times

GamblingCompliance

Global Gaming Business Magazine
06/26/2017
Rating Racinos

If a random first-time visitor had made the trek to Hamilton Downs, 90 miles east of Tallahassee, in the summer of 2014 to see one of its "flag drop" races, he would have been in for a bizarre experience: an open field track, no grandstand, a small shed for placing bets and a race consisting of a group of horses sleepily trotting from Point A to Point B.

Tribal Government Gaming
03/24/2017
Sharing Expertise

In the 20 years following the 1988 passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the interplay between the tribal and commercial gaming verticals was largely a one-way street. Commercial operators and suppliers saw tribal gaming as an expansionary opportunity, and were quick to lend their know-how, products and services to tribes.

Global Gaming Business
09/22/2017
All Eyes on China

It doesn't take much market analysis to determine that the Chinese high roller is the most sought-after customer in East Asia, and the rest of the casino gaming universe more broadly.

Gamblingcompliance
Brazil's Billion-Dollar 'Bicho' Sector Set For Regulation | GamblingCompliance

Resort-casinos, bingo machines and online gaming may be the big ticket items of proposed gambling legalization in Brazil, but a wildly popular form of illegal wagering known as jogo do bicho - or "animal game" - is also slated to achieve formalized status after operating in the shadows for 75 years.

Industry/business

Emerging Markets

Intellectual Property

Economy/Healthcare

Politics

sports betting

CDC Gaming Reports
11/06/2016
"Casino Jack" Abramoff says Trump unlikely to change much if president, reflects on tribal gaming

Few people understand the entangled world of Washington politics more than former Republican "super-lobbyist" and tribal gaming advocate Jack Abramoff. After making a name for himself as arguably the most effective, respected and feared lobbyists ever to stroll the halls of Congress and state capitols, he was sentenced to prison in 2006 on charges of mail fraud, bribery and tax evasion.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/17/2017
SCOTUS keeps NJ sports betting hopes alive

The New Jersey sports betting push at the U.S. Supreme Court lives on to fight another day. Rather than outright refusing or agreeing to hear the case New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen Association v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the high court effectively punted Tuesday morning by inviting the U.S.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/12/2017
NJ sports betting case faces Supreme Court test Friday

It's time to win or go home for New Jersey's latest attempt to challenge the federal ban on sports betting by repealing state laws that prohibit the activity. The U.S. Supreme Court will hold a conference on Friday, January 13, to consider upwards of 100 cases to potentially add to its 2017 docket.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/20/2016
AGA, Freeman bullish on gaming under Trump presidency

The American Gaming Association is bullish that having a former casino owner in the White House the next four years will serve to advance the group's policy agenda and its clout in the broader economy over the coming years.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/15/2016
Ex-"superlobbyist" Abramoff says PASPA repeal will require "tectonic shift"

The American Gaming Association's signature campaign in the coming years will be a major initiative to push a congressional repeal of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Through a coalition of gaming, sports, media and states' rights entities, the group has begun mounting an all-out assault on the 25-year-old law that largely prohibits sports betting outside of Nevada.

CDC Gaming Reports
06/30/2016
AGA forum brings gaming, sports betting experts together in Washington

Sports betting, the prospects of a Donald Trump presidency and pro sports in Las Vegas drove the conversation at the American Gaming Association's 2nd annual Gaming Experts Forum in Washington, DC on Thursday. The public diplomacy event convened roughly 80 industry leaders, academics and congressional staff to hash out the zeitgeist issues facing the gaming world.

CDC Gaming Reports
07/23/2016
Nevada, gaming industry paving the way for entrance into eSports

While the gaming industry wrestles with creative ways to attract a younger and trendier clientele, the Doritos-munching, Surge-chugging millennials, who came of age in this century, have emerged from their parents' basements to fill Street Fighter V and Super Smash Brothers tournaments around the country.

CDC Gaming Reports
04/22/2015
Who needs sports betting when there is daily fantasy sports?

If there are lingering questions about the legality of daily fantasy sports, you wouldn't know it given the meteoric rise in popularity of FanDuel and Draft Kings with game players, major sports leagues, and television networks.

CDC Gaming Reports
10/21/2015
AGA, casinos find middle ground in DFS scandal

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice." This Biblical proverb has characterized the casino industry's response so far to the stunning run of scandals and negative publicity that has surrounded the largest daily fantasy sports operators in the past month.

Great Place to Meet/Let's Launch In

CDC Gaming Reports
10/06/2015
Arrogance has become the daily fantasy sports industry's worst enemy

The meteoric rise of daily fantasy sports games has been the story of the gaming world in 2015, and figuring out how to accommodate this new product has caused no shortage of headaches. But with yesterday's revelations of a data leak and what amounts to insider trading by DFS employees, the gravy train may be derailing in front of our eyes.

CDC Gaming Reports
05/05/2015
Daily fantasy sports explosion leaves casino industry stupefied over how to respond

It is quite fitting that FanDuel, the leading daily fantasy sports (DFS) provider, took the audacious risk of being the lone sponsor on Floyd Mayweather's boxing trunks at Saturdays' fight at the MGM Grand. Sure, the company took some heat publicly last week for its decision to lend its name to a boxer with a documented history of beating women.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/25/2015
Still no legal sports betting in NJ, but the free publicity is helping to advance the cause

One has to admire the Winston Churchill-esque determination exhibited by State Senator Ray Lesniak, Governor Chris Christie, and others looking to bring legal sports betting to New Jersey's casinos and racetracks. Although they were just handed yet another defeat by a federal court, the saga of New Jersey's half-decade long push to carve out its own customized loophole in the federal ban on sports wagering lives on.

CDC Gaming Reports
05/11/2016
DFS escapes inaugural congressional hearing largely unscathed

The emergent daily fantasy sports industry, embroiled in legal and regulatory battles on numerous fronts, emerged Wednesday morning from its first - though certainly not its last - congressional examination largely unscathed.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/18/2014
Pro sports leagues' aversion to wagering is beginning to crumble

After decades of steadfast and unified opposition, cracks are emerging in the coalition of U.S. sports leagues that has for years impeded the expansion of sports betting outside of Nevada. In a New York Times op-ed last Friday, National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver broke ranks to advocate that the U.S.

CDC Gaming Reports
04/20/2016
AGA takes sports wagering integrity push to Capitol Hill

The American Gaming Association and its allies in the law enforcement community took to Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to shine light on the estimated $100 billion market for illegal sports betting in the U.S. and the existential threats such activities pose to the integrity of amateur and professional sports.

CDC Gaming Reports
05/12/2014
Intrade revival set to test boundaries of UIGEA fantasy sports exemption

Where exactly is the line between sports gambling and fantasy sports contests? While it must exist, no one seems to be able to pin it down. Last week, Intrade, a popular but controversial website that formerly offered wagering on everything from presidential elections to weather, re-emerged in a new, beta version.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/01/2015
This NFL season could see a battle royale between casinos and DFS

The headline stories in the run up to this year's NFL season are sensational if not familiar by this point: Tom Brady and the Deflategate scandal, the New York Jets' starting quarterback's jaw being punched out by a third stringer and a barrage of eye-popping injuries suffered by key players in the irrelevant preseason.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/30/2016
ESPN investigation into DFS buries the lede, gets conclusion completely wrong

Last week, ESPN Outside the Lines published an 11,000 word manifesto on the wild rise and crash-landing of the daily fantasy sports roller coaster. It was a valuable contribution to the body of work documenting that industry's explosive growth in recent years, and its subsequent troubles.

Features

Earnings/Corporate News

CDC Gaming Reports
03/05/2017
Georgia on my mind - in 2018

A much-hyped push to introduce destination casino resorts in Georgia fell flat on its face last week. A key sponsor of the enabling legislation announced that his bill did not have the votes to pass the committee level, much less be considered for a Senate floor vote, and would be shelved for the remainder of 2017.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/03/2017
Scientific Games inches closer to profitability with 4Q loss

Scientific Games reported a net loss of $12.3 million for the fourth quarter and $127.5 million for the full year 2016 Thursday evening, but its revenue and EBITDA growth coupled with debt reduction and new operating efficiencies suggest clearer skies lie ahead.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/08/2017
Red Rock reports mixed 4Q with strong outlook for years ahead

Red Rock Resorts, the parent company of Station Casinos, reported mixed fourth quarter earnings as it absorbed the cost a new acquisition, but executives and analysts reckon that all systems are go for a strong performance in the expanding southern Nevada economy over the coming years.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/14/2017
Golden Entertainment produces record revenue in fourth quarter

Distributed gaming operator Golden Entertainment reported record net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2016 on Monday, capping a strong year which saw the company expand its presence in Las Vegas while becoming the second-largest player in Montana.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/07/2017
Full House reports $2.5m 4Q loss but strong revenue, EBITDA gains

Full House Resorts incurred a $2.5 million loss but posted strong revenue and EBITDA gains for the fourth quarter of 2016, the company reported Monday afternoon. The regional gaming company, which owns and operates casino properties in Mississippi, Colorado, Indiana and Nevada, grew net revenues by 25 percent to $38.2 million and adjusted EBITDA 36 percent to $3.6 million over the prior year quarter.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/26/2017
Rush Street/Konami igaming partnership makes splash in NJ

Rush Street Interactive may be the latecomer to the New Jersey online gaming market, but with its game offerings, mobile apps and an enhanced new partnership with Konami Gaming, it is quickly finding its niche just months after officially launching late last year.

CDC Gaming Reports
07/30/2016
After bringing order to Casino Industry, Frank Fahrenkopf sets sights on presidential debates

In 1995, when Frank Fahrenkopf became the first president of the American Gaming Association, he had a brutal assignment: to transform the casino gaming industry's reputation among policymakers, which at that time was of a buccaneering business of sin. Fahrenkopf successfully recast the industry as a mainstream corporate citizen, like other entertainment industries.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/26/2017
Bad luck or bigger problems? Making sense of LV Sands' 4Q miss

Las Vegas Sands reported earnings and net revenue below consensus expectations for the fourth quarter of 2016 Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a dip in after-hours trading. But there remains ambiguity as to whether the performance was due to fundamentals or simply bad luck.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/11/2017
Fate of U.S. online gambling will depend on whims of President Trump

Senator Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee, did not mince words when questioned by online gambling opponent Lindsey Graham during his confirmation hearing Tuesday morning. While Sessions spent the entire day dodging bullets from Democratic senators, and even a few from his anti-Trump Republican colleagues, he didn't try to hide his lack of enthusiasm for a 2011 re-interpretation of the Wire Act by the Justice Department.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/10/2017
AG nominee Sessions says he will revisit 2011 Wire Act re-interpretation

Alabama Senator and Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions said during his confirmation hearing Tuesday morning that he was "shocked" by a 2011 Justice Department decision to reinterpret the Wire Act and signaled that he would revisit the matter upon being confirmed.

Ggbmagazine
25 People to Watch 2017: Part I

With 2017 upon us, the changes that impacted the gaming industry in the past several years will intensify. The effects of consolidation, the search for millennials, skill games, eSports, non-gaming revenue, political winds and possible gaming expansion are just a few of the topics that will be at the front of the minds of gaming executives around the world.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/23/2017
Casino skeptics, opponents urge closer look at Georgia gambling expansion

As casino gaming interests converge on Georgia as the next major market in the U.S. to embrace the activity, local and national skeptics and opponents are urging lawmakers to take a long hard look at whether or not legalizing casinos is the right decision for the Peach State.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/12/2017
MGM National Harbor advances good and bad casino stereotypes

It's safe to say that descriptions of the launch of MGM National Harbor last month have been remarkable. Washingtonians flocked to the property on December 8th, all but breaking down the doors to get in. The property reported $42 million in slot and table game revenues for just the final three weeks of December.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/15/2016
Brazil Senate refers gambling bill for constitutional review

Brazil's Senate held a much-anticipated vote Wednesday night on a measure to legalize casinos and gambling in the country. But instead of approving the bill, as was widely expected, the body opted to send the legislation to a separate Senate committee for a constitutional review.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/15/2016
With Japan open for casinos, now the real games begin

Thursday's passage of an integrated resort measure in Japan's parliament was more than just a needle-mover. As the country opens its doors to casinos and gaming, analysts and executives are salivating like Pavlovian dogs over the prospects of a potential $30 billion market -- that would be topped in East Asia only by Macau.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/10/2016
National Harbor a stepping-stone to MGM resort casino dominance

MGM's brand new National Harbor property is more than just a casino. It's more than a resort. It's also more than an "integrated resort." The lavish new $1.4 billion property is a template and a stepping-stone for MGM to achieve a dominant position in the resort casino and hospitality business in the United States and around the world.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/07/2016
What's not to love about MGM National Harbor? Traffic

There are plenty of reasons to be excited and bullish toward the opening of MGM's National Harbor property later this week outside Washington, DC, but the impact of the property on the region's already acute transit problems is not among them.

CDC Gaming Reports
06/23/2015
Push to inject casino business into the presidential campaign is a savvy one

Assuming you haven't been living on another planet during the past six months, you know the 2016 presidential election cycle is underway earlier than ever. The presidential race is getting more entertaining by the day, as candidates and interest groups rush to jump in, lest they miss the party altogether.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/01/2016
With Trump election, lame duck RAWA hopes are fading fast

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday behind us, it is lame duck season once again in Washington. It's a splendid biennial affair where the politicians in Congress who have been given the boot by their constituents are granted an extra month of life to tie up loose ends and dole out favors to their preferred campaign donors.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/14/2016
Amaya confirms USD$2.58 buyout offer, reports 10% jump in 3q revenue

Montreal-based Amaya Gaming confirmed that it had received a CAD$3.5 billion buyout offer (USD$2.58 billion) from former CEO David Baazov during its third quarter earnings conference call Monday morning. "We acknowledge receipt of an all-cash offer from David Baazov," said Rafi Ashkenazi, Amaya's current chief executive.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/21/2016
IGT beats Wall Street expectations with strong 3Q earnings

Gaming equipment manufacturer International Game Technology reported a 5 percent jump year-over-year in net revenue to $1.27 billion and a 4 percent increase in adjusted EBITDA to $430 million for the third quarter. The boost in revenue was $20 million above the consensus estimate, while earnings per share of $0.45 checked in $0.01 higher than forecasts.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/10/2016
Despite flooding, Pinnacle posts strong 3Q with $595m revenue; continues stock repurchases

Despite severe flooding affecting its Baton Rouge property, Pinnacle Entertainment reported strong third quarter results Thursday morning, beating Wall Street expectations with $595 million in net revenues and a $0.01 net loss per share. Revenues were up 2.9 percent year-over-year for the quarter, with the increase coming almost entirely from the newly-acquired Meadows Racetrack and Casino outside Pittsburgh.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/10/2016
Everi reports 3Q revenues and net loss beats expectations

Gaming manufacturer Everi Holdings topped Wall Street estimates for the third quarter with $222.2 million in net revenues, a net loss of $8.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $51.6 million. Net revenues were up 6.0 percent year-over-year and $6 million above the $216 million consensus estimate.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/08/2016
GLPI reports $233m in revenues, 3Q earnings largely in-line with guidance

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., reported strong third quarter earnings Tuesday morning, with net revenue, net income, Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted funds from operations checking at levels in-line with company guidance. "Our diverse, national portfolio of triple-net gaming assets continues to provide steady, predictable cash flows, as evidenced by our third quarter results," said Peter Carlino, GLPI's chief executive officer.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/07/2016
MGP posts $155m in revenues in first full quarter as standalone REIT

MGM Growth Properties posted revenue of $154.8 million and funds from operations at $0.48 per unit, the company reported Monday morning for the third quarter - its first full quarter as an independent company after going public with a $1 billion initial public offering in April.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/04/2016
Golden Entertainment posts strong revenue, EBITDA growth in 3Q

Golden Entertainment reported a 21 percent jump in net revenue and a 26.5 percent increase in Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2016, its first partial quarter as a fully merged company, it reported Thursday afternoon.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/03/2016
Melco Crown reports 21.6% increase in revenue, beats EPS and EBITDA estimates

Melco Crown Entertainment posted net revenues of $1.15 billion in a strong third quarter earnings report released Thursday morning, a 21.6 percent year-over-year increase that beat Wall Street estimates by 5.5 percent. The company also reported earnings per share of $0.13 - topping a $0.07 consensus estimate, adjusted EBITDA of $244 million - 10 percent above Wall Street projections.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/17/2015
The teetering Chinese economy and the 'new normal' for Macau casinos

The plight of Macau's gaming industry, the result of developments in mainland China, is well documented, but the saga is far from reaching a happy ending. While the primary scapegoat for the downfall has been a Chinese corruption crackdown, which has deterred VIPs and other big ticket baccarat players from visiting Macau, the increasingly shaky Chinese economy is the black swan that could completely sink the gaming hub's prospects of a recovery.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/22/2017
MGM, Dubai deal cannot become CityCenter 2.0

A decade following their catastrophic swing-and-miss on the Las Vegas CityCenter deal, MGM and the government of Dubai are back and ready for another bite at the apple.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/15/2016
Red Rock shares down slightly after mixed 2Q results

Red Rock Resorts reported a 6.8 percent increase in EBITDA and a 4.0 percent increase in net revenues for the second quarter of 2016, its first as an official publicly traded company since going private a decade ago, though its shares were down slightly after its earnings per share came in below expectations.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/20/2017
MGM wins bid to build destination resort in Dubai

MGM is taking its luxury hospitality business to the Persian Gulf. The casino giant has won the rights to develop and operate a beachfront destination resort in Dubai under MGM and Bellagio branding, the company announced Monday morning. The 26-acre development will consist of an MGM Hotel, MGM Residence and a Bellagio Hotel.

CDC Gaming Reports
04/15/2014
After new law, 2016 political conventions more beholden to wealthy donors

While the Supreme Court's decision to strike down limits on individual political donors captured the headlines last Wednesday, a new law signed by President Obama on the next day will also increase the political system's reliance on wealthy donors. Known as the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, the new law will provide increased funding for childhood disease research.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/13/2015
Bailing out Caesars: Harry Reid's last stand?

Harry Reid's nearly 30 years of arm-twisting and dealmaking in the U.S. Senate is winding down. His last major hurrah may be a low-visibility maneuver to bail out Caesars, the zombie casino corporation in search of an alternative to bankruptcy.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/30/2016
Isle of Capri posts weaker than expected top line, misses on EBITDA estimates for 1Q of FY2017

Isle of Capri, the St. Louis-based casino company, reported underwhelming top-line earnings numbers for the first quarter of its 2017 fiscal year, including a consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $50 million that missed consensus estimates by $2 million. The regional casino owner-operator also posted a 6.0 percent decline in operating income and roughly 2.5 percent year-over-year decrease in net revenues.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/30/2016
Behind impeachment headlines, Brazil moves ahead with gambling expansion

Legalized gambling in the casino industry's last great frontier took a crucial step forward Tuesday morning when a special gaming committee in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved a plan to authorize full-scale resort casinos as well as video lottery and jogos do bicho games.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/15/2016
Affinity records another strong quarter amid buyout talks

Affinity Gaming reported a 17.3 percent increase in operating income and a 10.1 percent jump in EBITDA for the second quarter of 2016 on Monday, marking the company's sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit EBITDA growth.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/08/2016
With Macau's losing streak broken, focus shifts to table game politics

Macau, the former Portuguese colony turned casino hub, snapped a 26 month losing streak in August when it reported a 1.1 percent year-over-year increase in gaming revenue. Now the Chinese territory is forging ahead with its plan to transition into a destination that is less reliant on high-rollers and more welcoming for families and non-gamblers.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/23/2017
Penn National shares up on revised first quarter guidance

Penn National shares surged 9 percent Thursday morning after the company revised its first quarter revenue and EBITDA guidance. The regional gaming operator is now expecting $770-$771 million in EBITDA, a 1 percent jump from its initial $761 million estimate, and EBITDA of $222-$223 million - up 6 percent from initial guidance of $209 million.

Ggbmagazine
25 People to Watch 2017: Part II

The name Genting may not ring a bell for most Americans, but that's all changing with the success of the Malaysian firm's gaming projects in New York and Las Vegas. Since opening in October 2011, Resorts World Casino New York City at Aqueduct Race Track has become the most successful slot hall in the United States, with 5,550 video gaming machines that draw 10 million visitors a year.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/03/2016
Golden posts 16 percent jump in 2Q revenues

Golden Entertainment reported a 16.5 percent increase in net revenues in its second-quarter earnings statement Wednesday evening. The Las Vegas-based company posted second-quarter revenues of $102.6 million, a noteworthy year-over-year jump from the $88 million in combined revenues earned in the same period in 2015 by Sartini Gaming and Lakes Entertainment - which merged to form Golden Entertainment last July.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/09/2016
GLPI underwhelms in first quarter since Pinnacle acquisition (updated)

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., the country's only publicly-traded REIT focusing solely on the casino gaming industry, fell short of its revenue target in its modest second quarter earnings report Tuesday morning, though it insists it's taking a long-road, conservative growth strategy.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/03/2016
Boyd earnings slightly down for 2Q 2016

Boyd Gaming's second-quarter earnings report failed to live up to expectations, but chief executive Keith Smith sought to ensure investors that the rocky performance was an anomaly and that the company remains well-positioned for executing its growth strategy moving ahead.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/15/2016
As the gaming supplier market expands, so does AGEM's scope

The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) began in 2000 when International Game Technology, WMS Gaming, Bally Technologies, and Aristocrat banded together to address a potential tax issue in Nevada.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/04/2016
MGM posts strongest U.S. quarter since financial crisis (updated)

MGM Resorts International posted its strongest U.S. financial performance since the Great Recession for the second quarter, it announced Thursday morning, though these figures were in part hampered by the company's ongoing struggles in Macau.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/08/2016
Pinnacle set to enter PA as regulators approve Meadows deal

The newly-rebranded Pinnacle Entertainment secured its entrance into the nation's second-largest gaming market Wednesday when its proposal to assume operations at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino, just outside of Pittsburgh, was approved by Pennsylvania regulators.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/07/2014
Casinos should heed the warnings of US regulators on anti-money laundering

It may be no coincidence that the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists will be hosting its annual conference in Las Vegas this month during the same week as G2E, just down the strip. Whether the overlap in dates is random or not, it's true that anti-money laundering compliance is the new zeitgeist issue for the gaming industry.

CDC Gaming Reports
07/15/2015
Casinos must prepare themselves for the post-smoking paradigm

Some things in life just go together nicely, even if we don't know exactly why. Some examples: peanut butter and jelly, green eggs and ham, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (well, maybe). Gambling and smoking seem to be another example. Consider the "trance" state that comes with chain smoking while playing a slot machine.

Atlantic City

CDC Gaming Reports
01/07/2015
Icahn and the Taj Mahal: No winners

It's difficult to find much optimism in the temporary ceasefire between Carl Icahn and the union representing the employees of Trump Taj Mahal. The troubled Atlantic City casino will remain open for the time being, perhaps up to a year, but there will be no winners in this struggle, regardless of who loses.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/03/2015
North Jersey casino is no panacea

Predictably, as soon as New York State announced (last week) that it was awarding Vegas-style casino licenses to three upstate locations, the chatter about the feasibility of a casino in north Jersey was back in full force. A casino in Jersey City, or in the Meadowlands, or both, certainly seems to offer rosy possibilities.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/17/2014
Atlantic City closures offer stark warning to the rest of the casino industry

I went to Atlantic City last month to learn more about how the city's leaders were planning to revive the city's economy and, more importantly, its image. What I discovered something larger: the city's trials and tribulations offer a harbinger of the future challenges that will hit the casino industry nationwide sooner rather than later.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/06/2014
Atlantic City's best days are not behind it

Despite the flurry of recent media reports proclaiming the downfall of the East Coast's sin city, Atlantic City is taking the right steps to reinvent itself as a diversified resort destination. The problem is that the process to build a new economy not wholly dependent on casino gaming should have started 30 years ago.

CDC Gaming Reports
07/02/2016
No, the labor unrest in Atlantic City has nothing to do with Donald Trump

If Hillary Clinton's email problems are old news, then Donald Trump's management of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City is ancient history. Someone forgot to tell that to the talking heads and Twitterati who jumped on Friday morning's casino worker's strike as another knock on Trump.

Macau

CDC Gaming Reports
08/03/2015
Backfiring NHL expansion process could be a huge win for Las Vegas

After years of speculation and a fierce grassroots push by Bill Foley and the Maloof brothers, Las Vegas is closer than ever to being awarded a National Hockey League expansion franchise. Better yet, because of a woeful lack of competition in the bidding process, the team franchise - if granted - will surely come on more favorable terms than might otherwise be expected.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/21/2016
Andrew Ortale, AGA's new trade show guru, looks to raise G2E bar in 2016

Producing a world-class industry trade show like the Global Gaming Expo each year is no walk in the park. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, whether it be venue logistics, deciding on seminar topics, lining up vendors and speakers, marketing efforts or budgeting and general financial bean-counting, is virtually unfathomable to the casual participant.

CDC Gaming Reports
06/24/2016
Don't get too caught up in Vegas hockey hype

The NHL's decision this week to award an expansion team to Las Vegas has been met with near-universal acclaim, with parties stumbling over themselves to praise the move as a momentous achievement for the state of Nevada and for professional hockey.

CDC Gaming Reports
06/30/2016
The Tohono O'odham nation and its little casino that could

It's hard to think of any project that has overcome more controversy and fire-breathing political opposition than the Tohono O'odham nation's Desert Diamond West Valley Casino in Glendale, Arizona. The short list of those who have opposed the $400 million casino since its construction was announced, in 2009, includes U.S.

CDC Gaming Reports
11/08/2013
Gaming industry pushes for Congressional crackdown on patent "trolls"

Patent reform is not a subject matter typically associated with casino gaming, but industry heavyweights are throwing their weight behind bipartisan congressional proposals to crack down on abusive litigation by patent "trolls". The American Gaming Association, in conjunction with are other business groups, is seeking to highlight the negative economic impacts of frivolous litigation on small and large businesses alike.

CDC Gaming Reports
08/03/2016
Former LVRJ journalists win 2015 Ethics in Journalism Award

Former gaming industry reporter Howard Stutz and his ex-colleagues at the Las Vegas Review-Journal were named recipients of the 2015 Ethics in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists on Wednesday for their role in uncovering the mysterious sale of their newspaper last December.

CDC Gaming Reports
06/13/2014
Amaya merger to ramp up battle between PokerStars and California tribes

PokerStars' decision, this week, to sell itself to Amaya Gaming, a nondescript Canadian company, for $4.9 billion, shows that the firm accepted the reality that it was widely viewed by U.S. regulators as damaged goods, and that it faced an extreme uphill battle to re-enter the US market.

CDC Gaming Reports
02/26/2015
Congressional online gaming ban? Here we go again.

It was deja vu all over again last week when Representatives Jason Chaffetz and Tulsi Gabbard re-introduced legislation in the U.S. House to restore the Wire Act to its pre-2011 status, with the intent of reinstating the ban on all online gambling.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/12/2014
US online gaming ban dispute hits the entertainment industry

Holders of music, film and television copyrights are on the verge of becoming victims of US prohibitions on online play. After a decade-long trade dispute over remote online gaming, the small Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is now planning the lawful taking of $21 million of US entertainment industry intellectual property per year.

CDC Gaming Reports
02/17/2015
AGA version 2.0

If the American Gaming Association 1.0 was built around the rolodex of longtime chairman and political operative Frank Fahrenkopf, the AGA 2.0 is built around the savvy pragmatism and consensus-building approach crafted by Geoff Freeman, who in 2013 brought a wealth of knowledge to the AGA as a former public relations man and trade association executive.

CDC Gaming Reports
12/18/2014
2014: Rough debut year for U.S. online gambling

By any measure, 2014 has been a humbling year for the online gaming business in the U.S. After starting with a bang in late 2013, all sorts of problems have completely halted its momentum.

CDC Gaming Reports
01/31/2014
Gaming industry should be careful about embracing digital currencies

One of the hottest trends in 2013 was the soaring popularity of digital currencies such as Bitcoin. These decentralized tenders, backed by no government fiat or central bank, are starting to become viable means of exchange. Last week, two Las Vegas casinos announced they would begin accepting Bitcoins at their restaurants and shops.

Global Gaming Expo

CDC Gaming Reports
09/10/2016
AGA, Innovation Group to offer G2E preview webinar

The American Gaming Association will host a first-ever G2E preview webinar Wednesday, September 14 designed to help both first-time and veteran attendees maximize their experience at the industry gathering and use the event to propel their companies and their careers.

CDC Gaming Reports
04/16/2017
Off-reservation gaming comes to my backyard - and it's not pretty

The issue of off-reservation tribal casinos is one of those dry and frustrating topics I've generally tried to avoid when reporting and writing commentaries on the casino industry. I'm someone who looks for big picture trend lines, so analyzing the unique details and intricacies of these particular situations always gives me headaches.

Tribal Government Gaming
03/24/2017
Faces of Indian Gaming

The success of the Indian gaming industry hinges on the dedication of the people who operate, regulate and advise the Indian casinos. Here are profiles of 10 of the very best professionals who make tribal government gaming happen.

CDC Gaming Reports
03/22/2017
Amaya Gaming reports record revenues in 2016

Amaya Gaming, the parent company of PokerStars, reported record 2016 revenues Wednesday on the heels of continued diversification into online casino and sportsbook offerings. The Montreal-based company posted $1.2 billion in revenues for the full year, up 8 percent from the prior year on a standard basis and 12 percent adjusting for the decline in foreign currencies against the U.S.

CDC Gaming Reports
04/01/2015
Vegas is better off without a taxpayer-funded soccer stadium

Though Major League Soccer rejected Las Vegas's bid for an expansion team in February, the city's push for a professional soccer team and a taxpayer-subsidized stadium to match continues to move ahead, against all evidence that taxpayer funding is a mistake.

CDC Gaming Reports
09/14/2016
Conquering G2E webinar offers advice, strategies on maximizing the experience

What tools do you need in your belt to conquer G2E later this month? How about comfy shoes, your phone charger, business cards and some Advil. These were just some tips of the trade offered by Corey Nyman, Director of Operations at the Nyman Group, and Dana Takrudtong, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at GAN, in a G2E preview webinar Wednesday produced jointly by the Innovation Group and the American Gaming Association.