Gambling in the USA
LAS VEGAS – RE-LAUNCH OF THE STRIP, an important discussion at Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America 2020
The top industry companies have all confirmed their interest to join the Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America (Virtual Conference), which will open its virtual doors between 23-24 June
The virtual seats are limited, so hurry and register now to secure your seat(s)! REGISTER HERE
Lasvegassun.com has released an interesting editorial which is titled “Sights and sounds of Vegas give us hope for a full recovery”, and we can directly tie this piece with one of the most interesting land-based industry related panel discussions at Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America (Virtual Conference).
After the Bellagio fountains are now back to life with a playing of “Simple Gifts” to honor the Las Vegas front-liners who have protected the city during the pandemic, MGM Resorts International made another spot-on choice for the follow-up song. This is of course an anthem of the fabulous city, “Viva Las Vegas”.
Las Vegas is already booming and WADE VANDERVORT, of Lasvegassun.com wrote it so beautifully as we would not change anything:
“…it was a godsend to see waters dancing, lights twinkling and guests coming through the doors in the resort corridor and downtown. After 78 days of eerie quiet, Las Vegas took its first steps to recovery.
It’s a moment of hope and a reminder that our community has rebounded from crisis and tragedy before.”
Besides the Bellagio fountains, the gondolas are also gliding along the faux canals at The Venetian.
Up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, from Wynn Las Vegas at the north end to New York-New York and MGM Grand on the south end, gamblers are sliding bills into slot machines and wagering chips at blackjack and roulette tables.
Life is slowly returning to normal in Sin City.
As mentioned above, at Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America (Virtual Conference) we will discuss the subject, and the “LAS VEGAS – RE-LAUNCH OF THE STRIP” panel discussion has some very important guests who are joining us on the 23rd of June to share their insights.
The panel discussion is joined by Jay Kornegay (Vice President Race & Sports Operations – Westgate LV Resort & Casino), Seth Schorr (CEO of Fifth Street Gaming and Chairman of Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino) and Matthew Holt (President at U.S. Integrity), and will be moderated by Benjie Cherniak (Managing Director of SG Digital’s Don Best Sports group).
Do not miss this unique opportunity to attend a virtual conference that gathers all North American gaming industry experts for 2 days of discussions and networking. Register your seat now!
Jay Kornegay – Vice President Race & Sports Operations – Westgate LV Resort & Casino
Jay Kornegay is Vice President of the LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook. He has more than 26 years experience in the race and sports book industry. Jay graduated from Colorado State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Restaurant Business Management. Always intrigued by gaming, Jay moved to Nevada later that year to start his path in that field.
Starting in Lake Tahoe and soon afterwards moving to Las Vegas, Jay has worked at four major sports books. He opened the Imperial Palace sports book in 1989, which soon turned into one of the more popular sports books in the state of Nevada.
In 2004, Jay took the reins of the LVH SuperBook. As the world’s largest race and sports book with over 30,000 square feet, the SuperBook is one of the top sports books in Nevada. Over the years, the SuperBook has won numerous awards and often represents the Las Vegas market with national media outlets. It is known for its aggressive nature and being a player-friendly book by offering fair odds to guests. The LVH SuperBook is also known for offering Nevada’s largest wagering menu by posting many 2nd/3rd tier sports, as well as having an international flavor. In addition, the SuperBook hosts the “SuperContest,” which is recognized as the most prestigious pro football handicapping contest. For the fourth consecutive year, the “SuperContest” set a record for number of entries and marked the most entries ever this past football season at 1034.
Jay resides in Las Vegas with wife Pam, daughter Cara and son Nicholas. He is also well known for shooting a 36 on the front nine and a 59 on the back nine.
Seth Schorr – CEO of Fifth Street Gaming and Chairman of Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino
Seth Schorr is CEO of Fifth Street Gaming and Chairman of Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino. The urban casino resort is the embodiments of Schorr’s vision to create a downtown Las Vegas hospitality experience delivering a superior guest experience and a genuine sense of community.
Since beginning his career in gaming and hospitality in 1991, Schorr served as an integral member of the Wynn Resorts team, developing the international marketing department in Macau, the interactive gaming division, and The Wynn Collection of Fine Art. Earlier in his career, Schorr also worked in numerous capacities at Mirage Resorts including positions at Bellagio Hotel & Casino, The Mirage Hotel & Casino, and Treasure Island Hotel & Casino.
Schorr and his partner, Jeffrey Fine, co-founded Fifth Street Gaming which owns and operates five casinos. The principals of Fifth Street Gaming also control, through its affiliate, the LEV Restaurant Group, a food and beverage operation that owns and manages more than 50 restaurants in the Las Vegas area and Southern California including The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Jamba Juice, Lobster ME, JaBurritos, Daily Kitchen, Evel Pie, and Golden Tiki.
In early 2015, Schorr was introduced to the world of eSports and lead the effort of developing the first fully integrated eSports program in a casino resort at The Downtown Grand. The Downtown Grand’s eSports program has included weekly eSports contests, team residencies and sponsorships, a weekly broadcast and professional tournaments. Schorr sits on the board of GameCo and advised on the development and launch of the world’s first video game slot machine. In 2017 Schorr launched Commercial Streaming Solutions which developed a patent-pending media platform, KonekTV, that provides streaming content, including Esports and sports betting content, to retail venues. Schorr is a founder of the Nevada Esports Alliance and continues to be a leader in the convergence of Esports and sports gambling. Schorr is the co-founder of The Strategy Organization: a Modern Gaming and Hospitality consulting firm.
Schorr is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is a member of YPO and sits on numerous boards including those for The Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Nevada Restaurant Association, Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, the Advisory Board of The Smith Center for Performing Arts, One Night for One Drop and was appointed by Governor Sandoval to serve on Nevada State Board of Museums & History. He is also an executive board member and Chairman of the Communications Committee of the Downtown Las Vegas alliance. Schorr is an avid cyclist, amateur photographer and has two little angels Dax (10) and Mia (9). Most importantly, Schorr recently married Dr. Emily Schorr.
Matthew Holt – President at U.S. Integrity
Originally from New Hampshire, Mr. Holt originally honorably served in the United States Air Force. Once completing his term in the Air Force Mr. Holt attended Morehead State University, obtaining a sports marketing degree before taking up residence in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Holt founded U.S. Integrity, LLC. based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. U.S. Integrity is the gold standard of game integrity and fraud prevention services in the United States. Mr. Holt and his team at US Integrity have built innovative, technology based solutions that allow for easy accessible data and analytics for fraud prevention and game integrity monitoring.
Benjie Cherniak – Managing Director of SG Digital’s Don Best Sports group
Benjie Cherniak is the Managing Director of SG Digital’s Don Best Sports group, a leading provider of sports information products and services relevant to the North American sports betting industry. Benjie oversees the company’s sports information platform, automated data distribution, live pricing, and ancillary consulting services.
Following the acquisition of Don Best by Scientific Games, Benjie has accelerated the growth of OpenBet, the company’s sports betting platform, by integrating Don Best’s world-class pricing services into the technology. Don Best’s trading and pricing expertise have seamlessly become an integral part of SG Digital’s core offering.
Prior to joining Scientific Games, Benjie spearheaded Don Best’s international growth via tailored solutions to tier-one sportsbook operators in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and beyond. Under Benjie’s supervision, Don Best introduced (a) a proprietary pricing product for North American based sports that rapidly established itself as the industry standard; and (b) a data integrity offering to assist North American based sport leagues in identifying potential fraudulent betting patterns.
With 15 years of industry experience, Benjie is a leading voice in the emerging US sports betting industry from both an operational and legislative perspective.
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Gambling in the USA
PENN to Open the New Hollywood Casino Aurora to Public on June 24
PENN Entertainment Inc. has announced that it expects to open the new land-based Hollywood Casino Aurora to the public on Wednesday, June 24, pending customary regulatory approvals. This will be the second all-new PENN property to open in the Chicagoland region following the grand opening of the land-based Hollywood Casino Joliet in August 2025.
The new $360 million entertainment destination is being developed across from Chicago Premium Outlets, located near Interstate-88 in Aurora. The state-of-the-art property will feature a luxurious hotel, more than 1200 gaming positions, a retail sportsbook, outdoor entertainment area, full-service spa, premium bars and restaurants, a 12,000 square foot event center and approximately 1700 parking spaces. The Company expects to employ approximately 700 team members at the new casino, which nearly doubles PENN’s existing employee roster in Aurora.
“We are now months away from opening another premium entertainment destination in the greater Chicago region. We are thrilled to follow the successful rollout of Hollywood Casino Joliet last summer with another new land-based property, strengthening our overall retail portfolio in the Midwest and deepening our roots in the community,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment.
Hollywood Casino Aurora will feature an upscale 226-room hotel offering a variety of standard rooms and suites, as well as a beauty and wellness space, Drift Spa.
The new property will also be outfitted with numerous world class dining experiences for guests to enjoy. As previously announced, PENN has partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis to open Sorella by Giada. The Italian-California fusion restaurant will offer approximately 170 seats for indoor and outdoor dining, a contemporary bar and private dining options.
Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, operated by McClain Camarota Hospitality (MCH), will include Lucky Goat by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard; Five50 Pizza, a pizza concept from the renowned chefs at MCH; and Chicago favorites Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream. Additional restaurant partners that will be unique to Aurora’s Boulevard Food & Drink Hall will be announced in the coming weeks.
“These popular restaurateurs will provide our customers with amazing dining options at the new Hollywood Casino Aurora. Together with our hotel, event center, spa and additional amenities, patrons will experience a vibrant atmosphere at this new area attraction,” said Rafael Verde, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations at PENN Entertainment.
The 12,000 square foot event center will be equipped to host a variety of events, including meetings, conferences, weddings, galas, entertainment and more. Entertainment bookings are already underway, and the first public events will be announced soon.
Additional details related to the grand opening of the new casino will be provided in advance of June 24. The Company expects to work with the Illinois Gaming Board on the transfer of operations from the existing Hollywood Casino Aurora, which is located on the Fox River in downtown Aurora, to the new landside facility as the opening date nears.
In conjunction with this $360 million project, PENN expects to receive $225 million in funding from Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. near the project’s opening, at a 7.75% capitalization rate. By the end of the year, the Company also expects to receive the remaining $21 million of the $50 million in funding being contributed by the City of Aurora by year end.
The post PENN to Open the New Hollywood Casino Aurora to Public on June 24 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Daniel Lechner
Studio combines engagement tools with bespoke, franchise and omnichannel content under single umbrella
White Hat Studios, a dedicated US iGaming market supplier, has unveiled Amplify Suite, a comprehensive engagement ecosystem designed to deliver operators flexibility, creative autonomy, and measurable commercial impact.
Amplify consolidates the provider’s promotional tools and proprietary content into a fully connected, scalable framework, equipping operators with a diverse range of performance-enhancing solutions engineered to maximise growth across regulated US markets.
Built on an API-first foundation, the suite incorporates White Hat Studios’ Engage promotional engine, comprised of tools such as Win Spins, Super Mode, and Triggers, alongside its award-winning Progressive Jackpot networks. This services an increasing demand for advanced gamification tools, enabling operators to stimulate user activity and drive sustained engagement.
These promotional tools are complemented by the studio’s first-class content portfolio. With a track record of creating custom products for tier-one operators, Amplify Bespoke will build on this momentum to deliver bespoke slots that support deeper brand integration and exclusive IP ownership.
Amplify Franchises transforms standalone hits into enduring game families, exemplified by the US-renowned 7s Fire Blitz
series. By leveraging player familiarity and brand loyalty, franchises consistently drive momentum upon launch and can reignite traction across a game brand.
The suite is further strengthened by Amplify Omni, enabled through the studio’s landmark distribution agreement with Gaming Arts. The partnership facilitates the conversion and distribution of White Hat Studios content across US land-based casinos, while also supporting the transition of land-based titles into regulated online markets for the first time.
This powerful two-way content pipeline enhances the ecosystem, allowing US brands to engage and convert players seamlessly between casino floors and digital platforms.
The launch of Amplify represents a significant milestone in White Hat Studios’ strategic evolution, connecting its full product portfolio within a single, unified framework. Custom-built for US markets, the suite is set to redefine how operators engage their audiences and elevate commercial performance.
Daniel Lechner, SVP Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “Amplify will serve as the promotional and engagement backbone of White Hat Studios. Bringing our diverse offering under one cohesive ecosystem, the suite is optimised to deliver tangible impact across the entire player journey.
“By combining configurable engagement tools with premium, high-performing content, Amplify empowers US operators to differentiate and scale within competitive environments.”
The post Studio combines engagement tools with bespoke, franchise and omnichannel content under single umbrella appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Gambling
White Hat Studios launches all-in-one engagement ecosystem Amplify Suite
White Hat Studios, a specialist provider for the regulated US iGaming market, has introduced Amplify Suite, a fully integrated engagement ecosystem built to give operators greater flexibility, creative control, and measurable commercial results.
Amplify brings together the company’s promotional tools and proprietary content into a single, scalable framework, offering a broad set of performance-driven solutions designed to accelerate growth across US markets.
Built on an API-first architecture, the suite incorporates White Hat Studios’ Engage promotional engine, featuring tools such as Win Spins, Super Mode, and Triggers, alongside its established Progressive Jackpot networks. The combined offering addresses rising demand for advanced gamification, enabling operators to boost player activity and sustain long-term engagement.
These capabilities are supported by the studio’s premium content portfolio. Known for delivering tailored products for tier-one operators, the new Amplify Bespoke arm expands this approach, offering custom slot development that allows for deeper brand integration and exclusive IP ownership.
Meanwhile, Amplify Franchises is designed to turn successful standalone titles into long-term game families. A key example is the popular 7s Fire Blitz
series, which demonstrates how familiar branding and player loyalty can drive strong launch performance and ongoing engagement across a franchise.
The ecosystem is further enhanced by Amplify Omni, powered through a landmark distribution agreement with Gaming Arts. This partnership enables the distribution of White Hat Studios’ content across US land-based casinos, while also facilitating the transition of land-based titles into regulated online environments for the first time.
By enabling this two-way content flow, Amplify strengthens connections between retail and digital channels, helping operators engage players seamlessly across both spaces.
The launch marks a major step in White Hat Studios’ strategic development, unifying its entire product portfolio within a single ecosystem tailored specifically for the US market.
Daniel Lechner, SVP of Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “Amplify will serve as the promotional and engagement backbone of White Hat Studios. Bringing our diverse offering under one cohesive ecosystem, the suite is optimised to deliver tangible impact across the entire player journey.
“By combining configurable engagement tools with premium, high-performing content, Amplify empowers US operators to differentiate and scale within competitive environments.”
The post White Hat Studios launches all-in-one engagement ecosystem Amplify Suite appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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