Richard Bosworth, CEO of the property’s parent company, described it a “surreal day” as he chained up the hotel after a weekend-long party that included SuperBowl Sunday.
“I hope [people] say that every single other casino-resort that they walked into carries the DNA of the Hard Rock,” Bosworth told reporters.
Fans of the Hard Rock brand in Las Vegas may well not have seen the last of it, with new owners Virgin selling off furniture from the hotel rooms. A two-room package including beds and televisions can be had for $800.
Macau casinos close due to Coronavirus fears
On the back of Triton Poker cancelling its SHR series in Jeju, South Korea because of the Coronavirus outbreak, gambling mecca Macau has ordered its 41 casinos to close for at least two weeks.
The deadly virus has already claimed more than 400 victims in China, and with cases reported among casino staff in Macau too, the decision was taken “for the health of Macau’s residents”, said Chief Executive of the autonomous region on the south coast of China, Ho Iat Seng.
During the week, reports emerged the major casinos all had seen their share prices hit by what the WHO has now officially termed ‘an international public health emergency’. Macau generates up to four times what Vegas does for some of the biggest operators.
Proposed Stars Group and Flutter merger to be investigated
The Competition and Markets Authority has announced they will be looking into the planned merger of gambling giants The Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment.
The Stars Group own Sky Betting and Gaming (as well as PokerStars) while Flutter owns the Paddy Power and Betfair brands. The two firms announced late last year that they would merge in an all-shares deal, thereby creating the world’s largest online betting business.
As expected, this has led to questions about how dominant they would be in the industry, and the CMA will now investigate and decide whether the deal amounts to “a substantial lessening of competition”.
Nevada sportsbooks take nearly $155million in SuperBowl bets
Kansas City Chiefs were not the only winners at the weekend, as Nevada’s bookmakers topped the nation’s Superbowl figures of betting by state, some $100million clear of New Jersey.
The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a 31-20 scoreline, and the win gave Nevada bookies a $18.8 million of their own to celebrate.
New Jersey’s $54.2 million take produced profits of $4.3million while Pennsylvania’s 3rd place saw returns of $3.3million on $30.7 million worth of bets.
