1979 stories by Steve Bittenbender
Coronavirus-Related Casino Closures Cut Millions from Indiana, City Budgets
Indiana reported its March gaming figures on Thursday. Revenues plummeted, as expected, thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the closure of the state-licensed casinos for the last half of the month. The 12 state-licensed casinos and racinos generated just $90.6 million in...
Parx to Furlough More Than 2,200 Philly Area Workers For Pandemic, Move Effective Monday
Workers at Pennsylvania’s largest casino will be temporarily laid off starting on Monday. According to the state Department of Labor and Industry, Parx Casino and Racing will layoff more than 2,200 workers at its complex in Bensalem, a Philadelphia suburb. The state...
Eldorado Resorts Furloughs Thousands of Workers, Cites Pandemic
Eldorado Resorts Inc. has started the process of temporarily laying off workers at its casinos nationwide as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The gaming company began issuing Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification (WARN) Act notices this week to officials in...
Dana White Cancels UFC 249 After Disney, ESPN Express COVID-19 Concerns
The show will not go on. In a Thursday interview with ESPN, UFC President Dana White said he canceled UFC 249 after officials from the network asked him to stop the pay-per-view event scheduled for April 18. While sporting leagues and organizations...
Trump Investigates Why SBA Bars Casino Loans, Nevada Rep. Lee Fears ‘Countless’ Bankruptcies
President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he’d check into issues with smaller casinos not qualifying for federal small business loans that were included in the recent COVID-19 relief package. The remarks from the president, a former casino owner himself, come...
West Virginia, Mea Culpa: Lottery Director Issues Apology for Political Betting Snafu
A day ago, it seemed like a new era was beginning in US sports betting, as FanDuel announced West Virginia had allowed it and other sportsbooks to offer wagering on the 2020 presidential election. Less than 24 hours later, though, that all...
State Gaming Regulations Force Nevada Independent to Fold Online Poker Tourney Fundraiser Plans
A news site in Nevada thought it had a creative way to raise funds for its organization, especially during the coronavirus outbreak. Unfortunately, concerns about the state gaming regulations will keep them from moving forward for now. Jon Ralston, editor of The...
California Tribal Casino Closed By COVID-19 Reported As Site for UFC 249
Dana White has found his location for UFC 249. As initially reported by independent MMA reporter Jeff Sherwood, a tribal casino in central California will host the highly anticipated April 18 event the ultimate fighting impresario seeks to stage. The Tachi Palace...
FanDuel Launches, Then Halts, West Virginia Political Betting As State Seeks Info
It was a moment for US sports betting history that may be its equivalent to the Bush-Gore presidential election of 2000. On Tuesday, West Virginia seemed to become the first US state to allow wagering on political elections, only to pull back...
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Says Return of Horse Racing Still Months Away
Some members of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) may be clamoring for live racing to return to the state. But as long as COVID-19 is still a threat, then Gov. Andy Beshear doesn't see how it can happen soon. A day...
