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Maryland's four casinos raked in nearly $71.5 million in revenue in April, mostly on the strong performance of Maryland Live Casino at Arundel Mills, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

The Anne Arundel casino, among the largest on the East Coast, pulled in nearly $56.5 million, a more than 21 percent increase over its April 2013 revenue.

Revenue fell nearly 9 percent at Hollywood Casino Perryville and the Casino at Ocean Downs. The Hollywood Casino drew in $7.7 million, a decrease of about 8.8 percent, while Ocean Downs brought in about $3.6 million, a decrease of about 8.6 percent.

Rocky Gap Casino Resort, the state's fourth casino, which opened in May last year, brought in about $3.6 million as well.

While Maryland Live had a relatively strong performance and kept the state's April haul above that seen in most previous months, revenues still fell short of the record-breaking $77.9 million raised in the state in March.

The difference of about $6.4 million between March and April revenues mostly came at Maryland Live, as well. In March, the casino brought in $61.8 million, about $5.3 million more than in April. The casinos' March performance was attributed in part to weather-related pent-up demand.

Excluding Rocky Gap, and despite the decline in revenues at Hollywood and Ocean Downs, the state's collective year-over-year April revenue was up about 15 percent.

The state of Massachusetts could award its first Las Vegas-style casino license by mid-June, according to a report from CBS Springfield.

The Gaming Commission said at a meeting on Friday morning that the plan is to award the license June 13, as long as there aren’t any setbacks. MGM is the only casino firm left standing in the race for Region B (the western part of the state).

Other firms are competing elsewhere, including a Wynn Resorts plan near Boston, but it appears the state needs more time sorting through those situations.

MGM is eyeing a $800 million casino for downtown Springfield.

In March, the state awarded Penn National Gaming the slots parlor license, the only one of its kind in the gambling expansion initiative.

The 2011 law, which authorized three Las Vegas-style casinos and one slots parlor, is the target of anti-gambling groups that are trying to stop casino development. They want the legislation repealed, something that has caused some firms bidding for casinos there to become a bit worried. However, it is very unlikely that the law would be repealed.

Some are also concerned with the tax structure in the state, saying that the way Massachusetts takes a cut of gambling winnings could hurt business.

H.I.S. Co. (9603)’s Dutch-themed amusement park along Japan’s southwestern coast is considering buying a deserted offshore island in an expansion to boost its appeal as a possible site for a casino resort.

“We are planning to buy new land to offer more games at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park,” Hideo Sawada, chairman of the Tokyo-based travel agency and park operator, said in an interview April 18. “There are a lot of deserted islands nearby.” He said at least 100 billion yen ($974 million) is needed to fund a gambling resort at the park.

Huis Ten Bosch and sites across Japan are preparing to compete for possible gambling resort developments before the nation ends a ban on casinos, with preliminary legislation expected to pass in coming months. Global operators from Las Vegas Sands Corp. to Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. have said they are prepared to invest billions of dollars should they win permits for casinos in the world’s third-largest economy.

Japan’s casino market could eventually generate $40 billion in annual revenue, trailing only China’s Macau as a gambling hub, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets estimates.

Adding a casino could double sales at H.I.S., while the effect on profit would depend on how much the company invests, Sawada said. Revenue jumped to 480 billion yen, the highest since at least 1994, in the year ended October and is expected to climb 12 percent to 536 billion yen this fiscal year, according to the average of seven analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Leasing Land

H.I.S., the country’s largest listed travel agency, plans to lease land to casino developers at Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki on the western edge of Japan’s Kyushu island. Sawada bought the development in 2010, following its 2003 bankruptcy, and has returned the property to profit, partly by organizing tours incorporating the park and hotels on the premises.

The travel agency is in talks with video game makers in Japan and overseas to partner on building what Sawada calls a “Game Kingdom” at Huis Ten Bosch. He declined to name companies involved in the negotiations. The facility will offer a variety of interactive games, including a paintball-like battle simulation known as “survival games” in Japan.

H.I.S. is also in discussions with the Japan Racing Association, a government-affiliated group overseeing horse racing, to use its 1,800-seat theater near the theme park as part of the expansion to add an entertainment venue, Sawada said.

Legalization Drive

Japanese lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Japan Restoration Party and other groups submitted a bill to legalize casinos to parliament in December. Supporting lawmakers have said they will push for passage this year. A subsequent bill detailing the rules of casino operation would also need to be approved.

Nagasaki Governor Houdou Nakamura said in March that the prefecture will try to introduce casino resorts with the Huis Ten Bosch area as a potential site.

Local governments in Japan’s biggest cities including Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama have said they intend to pursue casino resort developments, as have representatives of less-populated prefectures including Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Hokkaido and Miyagi.

Huis Ten Bosch is spread across 1.52 million square meters (376 acres), about twice the size of Tokyo Disneyland, according to its website.

Huis Ten Bosch’s operating profit almost doubled to about 5 billion yen for the year ended October 2013, H.I.S. said in a December statement. The business accounted for 38 percent of H.I.S. profit last fiscal year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The theme park posted a net loss of 2.1 billion yen for 12 months ended March 2009, a year before H.I.S. bought it.

Visitors to Huis Ten Bosch rose 29 percent to 2.48 million last fiscal year, it said in a statement.

“We will be the fastest one to build a casino, once there is a green light,” Sawada said. “No other Japanese city can turn a profit on casinos other than us, apart from Tokyo and Osaka.”

The Northern Marianas Lottery Commission has rejected the application of Marianas Stars Entertainment Inc for the Saipan casino licence, after it failed to deposit 30 million US dollars in escrow on time.
Marianas Stars Entertainment and the other Saipan casino applicant, Best Sunshine International Ltd, needed to make the refundable deposit by May the 5th.
But CNMI government records show only Best Sunshine International was able to do this.
Our correspondent says the rejection of Marianas Stars Entertainment's application does not mean Best Sunshine International will now get the exclusive casino license.
The Commission's chair, Sixto Igisomar, says the Hong Kong-based investor's business plan still has to undergo a thorough review.

In what has practically become a harbinger of spring, state lawmakers who favor gambling expansion began their annual push Wednesday by debating the latest plan to bring a massive casino to Chicago.

But neither Gov. Pat Quinn nor Mayor Rahm Emanuel breathed much life into the proposal, as they joined Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner in declining to weigh in on the merits of the legislation.

The newest version separates plans for a Chicago casino with up to 10,000 betting positions from a broader package that would add a total of five new casinos across the state and allow slot machines at horse tracks. The shift in strategy is aimed at blunting arguments that the gambling market outside the city is already saturated with existing casinos and video gambling machines at neighborhood bars.

However, peeling a Chicago casino out of a larger gambling package presents its own problems as Downstate and suburban lawmakers may be less inclined to vote in favor unless they get a piece of the gambling pie. But sponsoring Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, said a new provision that would split revenue from a Chicago casino evenly between the city and state should help win support of legislators and the governor, who has vetoed two previous expansion bills.

While final approval of a major gambling deal has remained elusive for years, proponents contend the potential revenue can’t be ignored. The state faces a budget cliff if portions of a temporary tax hike expire as scheduled in January, while Emanuel is pushing for a property tax increase to help shore up the city’s struggling pension systems.

Under the latest measure, the city could use the money to pay for pensions, education or infrastructure. The state would have to divide the money between education and construction.

“This is an option,” said Rita, who is leading gambling negotiations. “These are the three areas where everybody is saying we need revenue.”

The Emanuel administration did not testify at Wednesday’s hearing, and a mayoral spokeswoman declined to answer specific questions about the proposal or address whether money from a Chicago casino is a viable source of funding to ease the city’s pension woes.

“The mayor does not believe it is appropriate to talk about gaming until we have addressed pension reform,” Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said.

A city pension reform bill is on the governor's desk awaiting action, and it’s possible the mayor does not want to risk angering a re-election-seeking Quinn by publicly pressuring him for a city casino.

The bill also includes a number of other changes aimed at winning the support of Quinn, who has cited a variety of objections to previous casino proposals. One alteration would give ownership of a Chicago casino to the state instead of the city. Another change would toughen restrictions on campaign contributions from gambling interests. A Quinn spokeswoman said the governor has yet to review the proposal.

Caleb Melamed, an attorney for the Illinois Gaming Board, questioned the possible state ownership, saying that structure would differ from current law in which a casino license is awarded to a private operator who overseen by state regulators. Others contended state ownership could lead to corruption or political hiring, and argued the state shouldn’t be on the hook for casino construction costs that a private investor would be willing to pay.

Melamed also questioned the size of the Chicago casino, saying the proposed 10,000 gambling positions would make it the largest casino in the world. Supporters contended there was enough demand to support a gambling operation of that size in Chicago, while Rita noted the city would have the option of scaling that down.

Lawmakers also debated an alternative proposal that calls for a smaller Chicago casino along with four others in southern Cook County, Lake County, Winnebago County and Vermilion County. That measure would also allow for slot machines at most horse racing tracks, though that has been scaled down from previous proposals that allowed 1,200 slots at tracks, the same number of betting position at existing casinos.

Instead, the legislation would limit tracks in Cook County to 600 slots, and those outside of Cook County could have 450. Fairmount Park in Downstate Collinsville would be the only track not allowed to have slots, a nod to resistance from the nearby Casino Queen in East St. Louis. That exemption, as well as the reduced number of slots, has led to opposition from officials representing the horse racing industry who contend their business has been kept at second tier status in Illinois.

Representatives for the state’s 10 existing casinos oppose either expansion proposal, saying their business already has been hit hard by the legalization of video gambling in bars, restaurants and truck stops.

BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH and a group opposed to casinos suggested on Friday that the proposed Mohegan Sun gambling facility is so intertwined with the Suffolk Downs race track straddling East Boston and Revere that residents of both communities should be allowed to decide whether the project should go forward or not.

That’s exactly what happened when Suffolk Downs originally proposed building a casino at the track in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Revere residents voted in support of that proposal and East Boston residents shot it down. But now that Mohegan Sun is proposing a casino on the Revere portion of the Suffolk Downs track, the gaming operator is insisting that East Boston residents are not entitled to an up-or-down vote on the facility.

Walsh, citing the earlier casino vote by both East Boston and Revere, said denying East Boston host community status on the proposed Mohegan Sun casino is unfair. “First, the casino was 100 percent in East Boston, and the commission named Revere a host community. We can make the case that we’re a host community,” he said.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission plans to decide on May 1 where the proposed Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts gambling establishments are located as part of an effort to clarify the host communities. It would seem a fairly simple question to answer, but the brewing legal fight suggests otherwise. The stakes are high. If East Boston is found to be a second host community for the proposed Mohegan Sun casino in Revere, or if Charlestown is named a second host community for the proposed Wynn casino in Everett, most analysts expect voters in the two Boston communities to vote against them and derail them.

The state gaming law defines a gaming establishment as “a gaming area and any other nongaming structure related to the gaming area and may include, but shall not be limited to, hotels, restaurants, or other amenities.”

The original Suffolk Downs/Caesars casino proposal envisioned the casino as an integral part of the track facility. Since part of the track extended into Revere, Revere was considered a host community. A sliver of the parking for the proposed casino was also located in Revere.

Once East Boston voters rejected the Suffolk Downs/Caesars casino proposal, the horse track shifted gears and leased a section of its property in Revere to Mohegan Sun. Mohegan Sun officials, in a brief filed with the Gaming Commission, said their proposed casino will be located entirely in Revere and divorced from the track.

Matt Cameron, of the group No Eastie Casino, said in a telephone interview that it’s impossible to separate the track and the proposed casino. He noted the proposed Mohegan Sun casino is designed to fit snugly around one end of the track and to give patrons a view of the track. He said the track would have to be considered an amenity to the proposed casino.

In a brief filed with the Gaming Commission, Cameron also said the lease between Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun contains a profit-sharing arrangement, suggesting Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun have some sort of financial partnership.

Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun have refused to release their lease agreement, but James McHugh, one of the five state gaming commissioners, said on Jan. 29 at a commission meeting that he had reviewed it. (See page 142 of the meeting transcript.) He said the lease gives Suffolk Downs no operational control over the proposed casino, “although there is a profit-sharing arrangement and some other things that are typical of a commercial lease.”

McHugh also said at the commission meeting that his initial review indicated the proposed Mohegan Sun casino is located entirely in Revere. “Everything they’ve designed is in Revere, and there are no discernible chunks of the facility in Boston,” he said.

Walsh also wants Charlestown residents to vote up or down on the proposed Wynn casino in Everett, but he made no remarks about that facility yesterday and no one has filed testimony yet disputing Wynn’s assertion that the facility is located entirely in Everett.

Walsh has indicated he may boycott the Gaming Commission’s deliberations on host community status because of what he perceives as commission bias against Boston, particularly by commission chairman Stephen Crosby. The city of Boston has asked Crosby to recuse himself from the process because of statements he made at a recent hearing suggesting his frustration with the city’s tactics.

“My job is to make sure the people of East Boston are protected,” Walsh said on Friday. “The rhetoric about the city upset me. This is a game-changer. There will be no second shot. We have to make sure it's right the first time.”

Gaming Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll issued a statement on Friday indicating the commissioners would proceed as planned. She said: “The commission's role is not to participate in or be distracted by the politicizing of certain aspects of this process but instead to remain focused on the mission and challenge at hand: to successfully implement the expanded gaming law in a manner that is participatory, transparent and fair."