I find it somewhat ironic that at a time when the newly formed Gaming Commission is ramping up for the not too distant time when they will receive applications for the three resort casinos and one slot parlor, that a few of the largest players in the industry have expressed no interest in pursuing a license, or have faded away.  Massachusetts native and gaming icon Sheldon Adelson recently said that three licenses would “water down” the attraction of his Las Vegas Sands Corp. in pursuing a license here, and he has no interest.  MGM Resorts unceremoniously pulled out of their Brimfield, MA bid, reportedly over the time it would take to gain approval for a direct access to the proposed site via the MA Pike (though they claim to be looking elsewhere in Western MA), and Steve Wynn has apparently pulled out of the Foxboro scene where his overtures to the town have been rebuked.  So where does that leave us?  Back where we started, with the Suffolk Downs/Caesar’s Entertainment proposal the front runner for the Eastern license, the Mashpee Wampanoag’s the front runner for the South Eastern zone license in Taunton (with a recent offer of $33 million to the town up front and $13 million guaranteed annually), and though still a potentially more competitive zone, the Mohegan Sun Palmer project the front runner in the West….unless the big boys are lying in the weeds.

Coming this fall, Atlantic City could allow patrons to bet on the outcomes of football, basketball and other sporting events, Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday.

This is the latest initiative in a series of efforts to revive Atlantic City’s sluggish economy.  However, the first casino to take the leap with the Governor remains to be unseen – Properties don’t want to risk their license to operate.

“It’s going to be hard to find someone willing to take the first jump. Particularly for companies that do business in multiple jurisdictions, they might not want to jeopardize their licenses in other states.” Robert Griffin, CEO of Trump…

The Governor seems to be playing a game of chicken with the US Justice Department on this…

“We intend to go forward,” the Republican governor said. “If someone wants to stop us, then let them try to stop us. We want to work with the casinos and horse racing industry to get it implemented.

“Am I expecting there may be legal action taken against us to try to prevent it? Yes,” the governor said. “But I have every confidence we’re going to be successful.” Gov. Chris Christie

Too early to tell, but this proposal would absolutely help AC get back some of the lost business to PA casinos since they opened their doors.  It may even help grow the overall pie for the gaming industry in general by providing a new source of revenue from a huge pool of money that now flows untaxed to unlicensed offshore Internet sites or to illegal bookmakers, many of whom are allied with organized crime.

Click here for the full article:

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7970130/new-jersey-defy-federal-law-move-forward-sports-betting

One constant during my entire 30+ years in this industry is that springtime is always the busiest time of year for promotional product needs.  This has been particularly true here in the New England region, where all activity levels come alive after a long winter.

 Charitable, memorial, and just plain recreational golf tournaments, road races and walks, and corporate outings and special events of all descriptions make up a very significant part of our focus from mid-March right into June.  T-shirts, hats, tote bags, water bottles, and golf balls, tees and towels are among the most popular give-away choices.

 All Star has it all for you, including many ideas for products that might be a little different than the most commonly used items for these types of very important dates on your calendar.  Also, if special gifts or awards are need in conjunction with these events, we have countless offerings of that type as well.