The MGM Grand hotel/casino and New York/ New York as seen on Monday, March 20, 2017. (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent) Nevada’s gaming industry is “missing a significant opportunity for growth” amid reluctance to legalize online casino gaming, the CEO of MGM Resorts International said Sunday.
Bill Hornbuckle, who has headed up the state’s largest casino operator since March 2020 and has been with the company since 1998, said he recognizes “there’s a whole contingent of folks who own a lot of brick and mortar (casinos) in this state” that don’t favor legalizing internet casino gaming.
“If you look at what the opportunity could be, I look forward to just talking more about all of it,” Hornbuckle said during a panel discussion at IndyFest , The Nevada Independent’s annual conference centered on political and policy issues.
“It could be significant not only for the state, but for the industry and nationally, and potentially even on a global basis,” Hornbuckle said.
MGM Resorts, through its BetMGM online gaming platform for sports betting and casino gaming, operates online casinos in the five states where the activity is legal — New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.
Hornbuckle said MGM Resorts expects to take in “a billion dollars in net gaming revenue next year” through the company’s sports betting and Internet gaming platform.
“It has not taken from our brick-and-mortar business,” Hornbuckle said.
Nevada legalized Internet poker in 2013, but there is just one active site — operated by Caesars Entertainment and based on the World Series of Poker.
In August, a contingent of large and small gaming operators led by Station Casinos voiced opposition to expanding the state’s online gaming regulations, saying any proposed changes should be explored by the governor’s Gaming Policy Committee and ultimately approved by state lawmakers.The Nevada Gaming Control Board postponed a planned workshop hearing in May to discuss potential regulation changes allowing the state to offer full online casino gaming. Regulators said they decided to wait until after the legislature adjourned in June before holding the workshop. It hasn’t been rescheduled. MGM Resorts Chief Executive Officer and President Bill Hornbuckle/Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts […]
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