91ÊÓƵ

Atlantic City Information

Atlantic City Council passes ordinance, increases cost of jitney fare and doubles fines for littering - As reported by  on June 22, the Atlantic City Council passed an ordinance raising the cost of a jitney ride from $2.25 to $2.50, and two ordinances to double fines for littering and dumping debris on city streets and sidewalks.

Boardwalk Businesses damaged by fire - As reported by  on June 24, a three-alarm fire damaged five businesses on the Atlantic City Boardwalk near New York and St. James avenues. The fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. and was under control by 11a.m. A section of boardwalk, closed while firefighters responded to the fire, reopened just after noon. As per additional reporting from , the fire is believed to have been started by an electrical malfunction, and remains under investigation. 

Stockton partners with 12 Atlantic City employers on student 'Live, Work and Learn' experience - According to a June 23 press release from the University, 12 employers, including nine casinos, hired 145 Stockton 91ÊÓƵ for the summer as part of the Atlantic City Summer Experience - Live, Work, Learn. The 91ÊÓƵ get a summer job, free housing at the Stockton Atlantic City Residential Complex on the Boardwalk, and four college credits from a free career-readiness and leadership class. Employers get summer help and the community gets the economic activity of keeping 91ÊÓƵ in the neighborhood over the summer. Press coverage by  and . 

New Jersey Gaming News

Atlantic City Casino Worker Strike - According to a June 16  from Unite Here Local 54, 96% of union members voted "yes" to authorize a strike if negotiators did not reach a contract renewal agreement with Caesars, Harrah’s, Tropicana, and Borgata by July 1 and with Hard Rock if an agreement was not reached by July 3. Citing a March - April 2022 of 1,934 casino workers conducted by Unite Here Local 54, the union called for wage increases. As reported by , the Atlantic City Council passed a resolution in support of a fair wage for casino workers in the hope of averting a strike [a recording of council proceedings from 6/22/22 can be found , discussion of the resolution begins at 01:43:30 the vote occurs at 01:52:20].  Further coverage by . 

Branded 'Wheel of Fortune' online casino to open in New Jersey - As reported by , Bet MGM, the iGaming and sports betting unit of MGM Resorts, has partnered with Sony Pictures Television and International Game Technology (IGT) to launch a 'Wheel of Fortune' casino. The fully-branded online casino platform based on the iconic television show, will be the first of its kind in North America. The New Jersey launch will be likely the first of several as the operators could soon open the platform in Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Casino Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement host job fair in Atlantic City - As reported by and , a job fair was held on June 2 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The fair, part of an industrywide push to hire personnel for the summer tourism season, was somewhat overshadowed by the potential for a dispute following the expiration of the Unite Here Local 54 labor contract. 

New Jersey sportsbooks implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to protect client accounts - As reported by ,  by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement in March require sportsbooks to introduce additional security protocols such as Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication to protect client accounts. Sportsbooks were to implement these changes by the end of June.  New Jersey is the first state to implement these protections, which, in addition to securing accounts against hacking, may help reduce incidences of proxy betting. 

Strikes averted, casinos and union reach new agreements - As reported by  and , the Local 54 chapter of Unite Here, the main union for casino hotel workers, reached an agreement with MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, owners of the Borgata, Caesars, Harrah's and Tropicana casino hotels in Atlantic City, on June 30 averting a strike that would have disrupted service during the fourth of July holiday weekend. On , the union also reached an agreement with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino averting a strike on that property. Details of the agreements have yet to be released.

Tropicana online casino patrons transition to CaesarsCasino.com, move to new platform provider - As reported by , with the ending of a deal with online gaming platform provider Gamesys limited, Tropicana online casino players were transitioned to the Caesars online platform now hosted by Light and Wonder () the week of June 13. To facilitate the transition of the Tropicana players and hosting on a new gaming platform, the CaesarsCasino.com site and Caesars Casino app were briefly down for maintenance. 

 National Gaming News

1-800-GAMBLER going nationwide - According to a June 6 joint  from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the organizations have entered into a six-year licensing agreement that would allow NCPG to use CCGNJ's trademark 1-800-GAMBLER in all U.S. states outside of New Jersey, as well as all U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. As reported by , when a caller dials 1-800-GAMBLER in a state outside New Jersey, they will be rerouted to that jurisdiction’s state-approved gambling resource center.

FanDuel realizes record New York sports betting revenue share in June - According to , New York sportsbooks reported $13.9 million in sports betting revenue in the week ending June 19. FanDuel realized 89.1% of revenue for that period ($12.4 million) with the next nearest competitor DraftKings realizing $1.1 million. The NBA finals ended June 16, so all NBA future bets were paid out in that week. 

Las Vegas based consultant firm claims smoking ban is not detrimental to gaming revenue - As reported by  and , a recently released  from Nevada-based gaming consultant firm, , claims that smoking bans are not detrimental to gaming revenue. The report notes that the pandemic has changed key aspects of the casino gaming experience, which have been accepted by consumers. These changes include a shift in attitudes toward smoking, and data from multiple jurisdictions "clearly indicates that banning smoking no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue." The report's authors also consider the potentially positive impact smoking breaks have on responsible gaming, by encouraging smokers to walk away from the game they are playing from time to time. 

Nevada Sportsbooks generate $27 million in sports betting revenue in May 2022- According to the May 2022 Nevada Gaming Control Boardshared by , Nevada sportsbooks saw $562 million in wagers in May 2022 with a hold of 4.8% resulting in $27 million in sports betting revenue. Hold for the month increased 17.8% over May 2021 and decreased 3.5% compared to April 2022. According to Legal Sports Report, the U.S. sports betting market (20 reporting jurisdictions) experienced an average 10.8% decline in sports betting handle from April to May consistent with a summer seasonal slow down. New Jersey experienced a 17.3% decline in handle from April to May 2022. Wagers on baseball, up 30% in May compared to April, are being credited for helping Nevada's sportsbooks "weather" the seasonal slow down. 

SIG Sports Investments Corp. (SIG Sports) invests in PointsBet- According to a June 20  shared by , SIG Sports, a member of the Susquehanna International Group of Companies (SIG), has invested $66 million in PointsBet Holdings Limited (PointsBet) acquiring the largest share of the company (12.8%). As part of this "multi-pronged" partnership, PointsBet will work with SIG subsidiary Nellie Analytics to develop an in-play betting product. Nellie will also provide PointsBet with "sports analytics and quantitative modelling services," which will help the company offer more accurate betting lines and better risk management. 

U.S. sports betting operators spend millions on TV advertisements - According to a released by iSpot.TV and shared by , between September 2021 and May 2022 U.S. sports betting operators spent an estimated $282 million on TV advertisements generating more than 18 billion impressions. Compared to the prior year this represents a spending increase of 281% and 48.4% increase in impressions. 

Hospitality & Tourism News

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) survey finds gas prices and inflation likely to impact travel decisions more than COVID-19 - According to results of a  released by the , 69% of Americans are likely to travel overnight this summer. When asked about concerns impacting travel plans, travelers said gas prices (90%), inflation (90%) and COVID-19 rates (78%) were a consideration. 54% of travelers said they would take shorter trips due to current gas prices and 57% said they would take fewer trips. 

Barefoot Country Music Festival brings thousands to Wildwood - As reported by , an estimated 20,000 fans attended the four-day, Barefoot Country Music Festival in Wildwood from June 16 through 19. This is the second year the concert has been held in Wildwood.

Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) approves funding for three festivals in Atlantic City - As reported by , the CRDA Board of Directors voted to approve nearly $158,000 in funding for a Latino Festival, an Indian Multicultural Festival, and a health and wellness event to take place in Atlantic City. The festivals will take place in late summer/early fall 2022. 

Festivals bring visitors to Bader Field, Atlantic City - As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, the , hosted by Good Time Tricycle Productions, brought an estimated 27,000 people to Bader Field on . On , the first  in several years, presented by Steel Pier, brought hundreds again to the outdoor venue. 

Fire in Wharton State Forest consumes 13,500 acres of New Jersey Pinelands - As reported by , a wildfire that started on June 19 in Wharton State Forest was 95% under control as of June 22. Atsion Recreation Area and Batsto Village, which had been threatened by the fire, had reopened as of June 22, but area hiking and biking trails, and kayaking and canoeing on the Mullica and Batsto rivers remained closed to visitors. Investigators suspect an illegal campfire may have ignited the blaze that may be the state's largest since 2007. Wind-driven smoke from the fire was seen in parts of South Jersey and Southeast Pennsylvania (). Comments from 91ÊÓƵ Forestry professor Matthew Olson.

Inlet Community Development Corp., partnership of residents and Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) commits to revitalization plan - As reported by , residents and ACCC will partner to implement a revitalization plan for Atlantic City's Inlet neighborhood.  was awarded the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Planning grant by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in April 2021, and has been developing an Inlet Neighborhood Action Strategy plan. The  was presented to community stakeholders on June 8 and will be submitted to the state for approval. 

Spirit Airlines reaffirms commitment to merge with Frontier, expands presence at Newark Liberty International Airport - According to a June 28  from Spirit Airlines, the company still intends to merge with Frontier Group Holdings Inc. despite a revised offer from JetBlue Airways Corporation. Further reporting from the  As reported by  and , Spirit will receive "16 peak-hour opportunities to take off or land planes at Newark Liberty International Airport" after these slots were vacated by Southwest Airlines. This will expand Spirit's presence at the airport and according to Department of Transportation officials increase low-cost options and improve competition for customers using the airport. 

STR and Tourism Economics predict U.S. hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) to surpass 2019 levels in 2022 - As reported by , STR and Tourism Economics have upgraded the recovery timeline for U.S. Hotel RevPar, expecting the metric to recover in 2022 rather than 2023. When adjusted for inflation, full recovery of RevPar is still not anticipated until 2024 or after for some business sectors. Overall, the outlook remains positive. 

The Harriet Tubman Museum of Cape May celebrates first anniversary, Juneteenth holiday - As reported by  The Harriet Tubman Museum of Cape May marks its first anniversary and the Juneteenth holiday with celebrations in Rotary Park. 

Vicki Clark retires, new president named for Cape May County Chamber of Commerce - As reported by , Emily Paul has been named as successor to Vicki Clark who announced her retirement in January 2022 after 31 years with the Chamber, 17 of which as president. Paul formerly served as vice president of communications and development at CompleteCare Network, based in Cumberland County.