Inside Gaming: Resorts World Catskills to Open, Theft at Wynn Macau
This week's Inside Gaming shares news of the imminent opening of what will be New York's largest casino, tells of the theft of millions' worth of chips from a Macau casino, updates the situation involving the still-closed Lucky Dragon in Las Vegas, and passes along some recent bad beat jackpot headlines.
Resorts World Catskills Announces February Opening
The opening date for New York's newest and largest casino has been moved up, as this week came the announcement that Resorts World Catskills will be opening its doors on February 8. That's three weeks ahead of the previously planned-for March 1 opening.
Located 90 miles north of New York City near Monticello, the $1.2 billion property looks to revive the once popular "Borscht Belt" region as a tourist destination.
The casino will feature 150 table games and 2,150 slots, while the resort will have a hotel with 332 luxury suites, numerous restaurants, an entertainment village, an indoor waterpark lodge, and an 18-hole golf course.
"We look forward to driving tourism to the Catskills, stimulating the economy and making meaningful contributions that help put the Catskills back on the map as a premier getaway and true destination," said casino VP Charles Degliomini, as reported by USA Today.
Majority owned by the Genting Group, the new casino hopes to avoid the recent struggles of the three other upstate casinos — Rivers Casino & Resort, del Lago Resort & Casino, and the Tioga Downs & Casino — each of which have all performed below expectations of late.
$6 Million Worth of Chips Stolen from Wynn Macau
Just last week we passed along reports of two more robberies occurring at Las Vegas casinos, incidents which followed an earlier robbery at the Bellagio poker cage in late November.
This morning CNNMoney is reporting news of another casino heist, this one occurring in Macau. And it appears in this case it was an inside job.
Authorities are searching for $6 million worth of missing casino chips, allegedly stolen from the Wynn Macau by one of its own employees, reports CNNMoney.
Two suspects — a dealer and an accomplice — have been arrested, with Macau police stating they are currently not looking for anyone else in the case. While police didn't share details on how the theft occurred, "local media reported that the suspect allegedly stuffed [the chips] into a bag in a VIP room and simply carried them out."
The chips remain missing. Of course, whoever presently possesses them would have to return to the casino in order to attempt to use them in games or convert them to cash.
Lucky Dragon Casino Reportedly Facing Foreclosure, Auction in Early February
Two weeks ago we mentioned here how the Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino located west of the Las Vegas Strip on West Sahara Avenue abruptly shut its doors barely a year after opening. At the time its owners indicated the shutdown would only be temporary, part of a cost-cutting plan that also included reducing staff.
It appears today the closing of the Asian-themed property may be more than temporary, however, with news that the casino is reportedly facing foreclosure. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the property was delivered a default notice last September with a foreclosure auction already scheduled for February 6.
While the sale of the casino via auction doesn't mean it won't be reopening, it is nonetheless "another sign of financial distress at the year-old boutique resort," explains the LVRJ.
The auction notice specifies that $48.9 million remains owed on a $90M loan taken out in early 2016 by the casino's developer Andrew Fonfa.
Nevada Gaming Control Board Delays Red Rock Casino BBJ Ruling
Finally, and in case you missed it, there was recent news regarding the disputed bad beat jackpot that occurred at the Red Rock Casino last July.
You may recall the case involved dozens of players at various Station Casinos poker rooms thinking they had each won a portion of a $120,000 BBJ only to discover Red Rock Casino ruled the hand to have been invalidated due to one of the players involved showing his cards early.
An initial ruling in favor of the players resulted in an appeal by Station Casinos. That appeal led to a hearing in December before the Nevada Gaming Control Board regarding the situation.
Last week the NGCB held its first meeting of the new year, also the first following the resignation of former Chairman A.G. Burnett in December. There the board decided it still needed more time to consider details related to the case, and so delayed making any final ruling just yet.
For those who are curious, our Valerie Cross provides a detailed history of the case including the latest update in her article from yesterday, "Red Rock Casino Bad Beat Jackpot Payout Dispute Continues."
Meanwhile, there was some happier bad beat jackpot news this week as well from the Motor City Casino in Detroit. That's where players in a six-handed no-limit hold'em cash game were the lucky recipients of the biggest BBJ in history, dividing an incredible $1,068,590 after a player lost a quads-over-quads hand.
Read more about the Motor City miracle here: "Poker Players in Detroit Hit Biggest Bad Beat Jackpot in U.S. History."
