Gambling in the USA

Virginia Casino Bill Set to Go Before Full Senate for First Time

Published

6 years ago

February 12, 2020

The Virginia casino gambling bill is set to go before the full Virginia State Senate for the first time. A committee voted to drastically increase the proposed tax on casino gaming revenues and the license fee for casino operators in reporting out a bill to allow casinos by referendum in the state.

Senator Louise Lucas’s SB 36 was reported out of the Senate Finance and Appropriations committee, which voted 14–2 to approve a substitute version of that bill, with a few changes.

The revised version would impose a 27% tax on the first $150 million in casino gaming revenue, a 31% tax on revenues between $150 million and $300 million and 40% on revenues above $300 million, Bristol Herald Courier reports. The previous bill would impose rates of 15%, 20% and 28%, respectively.

The latest version of the bill also proposes increasing the local share of tax revenues to 9% on the first $150 million in gaming revenues, 10% from revenues between $150 million and $300 million and 11% from revenues above $300 million. The previous version of the bill specified 5%, 6% and 7%, respectively.

The Bristol Resort and Casino group issued a statement in response to the vote. “We are still reviewing the specific changes to the bill and this is a long process before session ends. That being said, we are pleased to have the legislation that specifically includes the five original cities pass yet another committee and we look forward to the upcoming floor vote,” according to the statement.

Sen. Lucas appeared surprised by some of the changes. “The [tax] rate is causing the most concern. Is there any way we can work out these differences in conference?”

“I am sure the House and the Senate are going to have different versions so it will go to conference. I don’t know what the outcome would be, but it [rates] would certainly be on the table,” Committee Chairwoman Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said.

There were a total of 10 changes to the casino bill, including one that would require that all slot machines in casinos be connected to a central gaming system and another to allow the Colonial Downs Group to have up to 2500 additional historic horse racing games in its locations.

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Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

wazdan’s-north-american-growth-accelerates-following-fanduel-alliance

Wazdan, the player-centric developer, has further strengthened its notable North American presence by forming a partnership with FanDuel, a top iGaming company in the area.

The deal represents a crucial milestone in Wazdan’s continuous global growth, as FanDuel introduces two feature-packed games at the same time in Ontario and Michigan, enabled by Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform.

In Ontario, gamers can experience Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins, two games that highlight Wazdan’s distinctive blend of familiar themes and performance-focused mechanics. In Michigan, 12 Bells and Hot Slot: 777 Crown will offer players captivating gameplay designs centered on clarity, rhythm, and extensive features.

After the initial launch, FanDuel’s famous iGaming platform, FanDuel Casino, will have its collection expanded by a wide array of new slot games, each meticulously selected to include various Wazdan features that enhance player engagement like Cash Infinity, Hold the Jackpot, and Sticky to Infinity, all aimed at increasing entertainment and providing tangible growth for operators.

The newest expansion capitalizes on Wazdan’s progress in North America, succeeding in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and previous entries into West Virginia.

Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales at Wazdan, said: “Partnering with FanDuel represents a major milestone in Wazdan’s North American growth strategy and underlines the strong demand for our engagement-driven portfolio across regulated markets.

“FanDuel’s reach and reputation make them an ideal partner, and launching simultaneously in Ontario and Michigan is a powerful way to introduce our games to new audiences. We are confident that our feature-rich titles and proven mechanics will resonate strongly with players and deliver tangible value for FanDuel as we continue to scale our presence across the region.”

The post Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Gambling in the USA

IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January

Published

1 week ago

February 25, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

igt-games-deliver-giant-million-dollar-plus-jackpots-in-january

IGT announced that its Wheel of Fortune Slots, Powerbucks, and MegaJackpots games awarded four momentous jackpots in January.

Lucky slots players won the following million-dollar-plus jackpots last month:

• On January 5, a Wheel of Fortune Slots player won $1,132,199 playing Wheel of Fortune Super Cash Link at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.

• On January 8, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,657,823 playing Whitney Houston Powerbucks slots at Lake City Casino Vernon in British Columbia, Canada.

• On January 15, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,056,637 playing Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand at ACE Casino Red Deer in Alberta, Canada.

• On January 18, an online slots player won $1,247,834 playing MegaJackpots Cash Eruption on Caesars Palace Online Casino in New Jersey.

Wheel of Fortune slots have minted over 1200 millionaires and awarded over $3.6 billion in jackpots since their launch in 1996. IGT Powerbucks slots have paid 74 jackpots of CA$1 million or more since their Canadian debut in 2016.

The post IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

AI in lottery

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

1 week ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-appoints-rich-wasserman-as-senior-vice-president-of-product-engineering

Scientific Games has appointed Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering, reinforcing its commitment to advancing lottery systems technology and digital innovation.

Based in Atlanta, the global lottery provider continues to expand its technology leadership as one of the fastest-growing suppliers of retail and digital lottery solutions worldwide.

Leadership Experience from Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix

Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, data science and product teams across high-performance technology platforms.

He previously held senior leadership roles at:

Amazon
Facebook
Stitch Fix

At Stitch Fix, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science, leading automation, AI-driven systems and platform optimization initiatives. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Computer Science degree from the University at Buffalo.

Driving Innovation Across Global Lottery Platforms

In his new role, Wasserman will oversee Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global portfolio serving more than 150 government-regulated lotteries. His responsibilities include advancing:

Retail lottery systems
Digital lottery platforms
Hardware and software innovation
Data analytics and AI capabilities
Consumer engagement technologies

CEO Pat McHugh stated that Wasserman’s experience scaling AI-powered platforms at world-class technology firms will help accelerate innovation and deliver next-generation lottery solutions focused on sustainable growth.

Strengthening Lottery Technology Leadership

Scientific Games continues to invest in technology, analytics and digital transformation to enhance consumer experiences across retail and online lottery channels. The appointment underscores the company’s strategy to integrate advanced analytics and machine learning into its global lottery ecosystem.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.