1979 stories by Steve Bittenbender
Golden Gate, Indiana Grand Get Permission to Resume Racing, But Massachusetts Pulls the Reins Again on Plainridge Park
As the country looks to progress in the COVID-19 reopening phase, more jurisdictions are giving race tracks the green light to start or resume their horse racing meets, albeit with restrictions to keep a second wave of coronavirus cases from happening. On...
Las Vegas Sportsbooks Offer Drive-Thru Service For Account Deposits, Seek New Mobile Customers
Three sportsbooks in the Las Vegas area offering area residents curbside or drive-thru services as a way for customers to establish mobile accounts and make deposits on them. Circa Sports opened its service Thursday morning at the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino,...
Rod Ratcliff, Longtime Indiana Casino Exec, Voluntarily Steps Down from Terre Haute Project After Former Company Tied to Political Contributions
Rod Ratcliff, a longtime Indiana gaming executive and developer, has voluntarily removed his name from an application for a new casino license in Vigo County. That’s according to a statement Thursday from the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) to Casino.org. The move comes...
MGM Resorts International Extends Health Benefits, But Gives No Guarantees All Return
MGM Resorts International’s acting chief executive officer sent a letter to the company’s workforce on Tuesday letting them know that health insurance coverage for furloughed employees would be extended through the end of August. However, Bill Hornbuckle also acknowledged that not all...
Billy Walters Released, ‘Extremely Grateful’ After Feds Amend Insider Trading Sentence
In his first public statement since being moved to home confinement late last week, Billy Walters said on Tuesday he wanted to thank those who offered their support. The remarks came after he left a federal prison in Florida. Walters still must...
US Supreme Court to Consider Taking Arguments on New Jersey Sports Betting Award Case
The nation’s top jurists will consider whether the nation’s biggest sporting organizations owe the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association any money as a result of their efforts to block the state’s wagering law. That comes two years and a day after the...
Churchill Downs to Resume Racing May 16, Pandemic Delays $300 Million Hotel Project
Churchill Downs will begin racing on May 16, just five days after the Louisville track opens for trainers and their thoroughbreds. The races will be held without fans, per state guidelines, to control the spread of COVID-19. Track officials released their first...
Indiana Eyes Mid-June as Tentative Reopening for Casinos Closed by Pandemic
Indiana casinos may reopen as soon as next month, according to information a state gaming official gave Casino.org. That came just hours after Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday outlined his program to get businesses and other facilities forced to close in March...
Churchill Downs Offering Simulated Kentucky Derby with Triple Crown Winners, Secretariat ‘Virtual’ Favorite
There are many words that can describe spring weather in Louisville, Ky. The most appropriate would be fickle. So it should not be the least bit surprising that the first Saturday in May in 75 years without a Kentucky Derby would have...
DraftKings Prepares for Friday Launch of iGaming Application in Pennsylvania
DraftKings is wasting little time getting into the iGaming business in Pennsylvania. Two days after receiving approval from the state Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the company that just became a publicly traded stock plans to launch its online casino Friday in the...
