Following Trump’s trip to Circa, Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, said the event “clearly demonstrates the positive role the gaming industry plays in the U.S. economy.”
President Donald Trump’s weekend visit to a downtown Las Vegas casino is being touted as a building block towards more favorable tax policies by the gambling industry’s lobbying group.
The American Gaming Association, a Washington D.C.-based trade organization, lauded the president’s visit to Circa casino hotel on Saturday. Derek Stevens, co-owner and chief executive officer of Casino Resort & Casino, told the Review-Journal ahead of the president’s visit that he was prepared to talk about key issues to the gaming industry, including the elimination of the sports betting excise tax and raising the slot jackpot reporting threshold from its current level of $1,200 to $5,000.
In a press release following Trump’s trip to Circa, Bill Miller, president and CEO of the AGA, said the event “clearly demonstrates the positive role the gaming industry plays in the U.S. economy.” He said it was “exciting for our industry” that Trump visited a casino property “so early in his second term.”
“Today’s event is a testament to the president’s commitment to making sure that the tax code not only encourages job creation, but also ensures workers keep more of their hard-earned money,” Miller said in the release. “President Trump’s tremendous support for the gaming industry during his first term was unprecedented – for the first time in history our industry was able to obtain federal economic relief in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns. We look forward to further engagement with President Trump throughout this year on critical tax policy and other important industry priorities.”
Prior to running for elected office, Trump owned and operated multiple casino hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, including Trump Plaza (closed 2014; demolished 2021), Trump Marina (originally Trump Castle; now Golden Nugget Atlantic City) and Trump Taj Mahal (closed 2016; now Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City). His active involvement with Atlantic City casino operations ended in 2004 following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Trump Entertainment Resorts.
Below is a roundup of gaming news from Las Vegas and elsewhere
Las Vegas Strip casino going digital to combat money laundering
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is the latest casino operator to employ Kinectify, an intelligence and risk management technology company for gaming operators in the United States and Canada. Kinectify has developed an anti-money laundering platform that provides real-time intelligence and data.
Recently, Kinectify announced an incident reporting feature that allows frontline casino employees to instantly report suspicious financial activity.
Norman Richardson, vice president of compliance at the Venetian, said the resort was “thrilled to see the development of modern risk management technology designed for the gaming industry and look forward to enhancing our AML program with Kinectify.
“We have long strived to be a leading example of responsible AML operations, and the incorporation of this technology furthers that aim,” Richardson said in a release announcing the partnership.
“We are delighted to welcome The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to Kinectify and are excited to work alongside them to further enhance their capabilities,” said Joseph Martin, Kinectify’s chief executive officer. “We are impressed with the team and their care for their players and the integrity of their gaming ecosystem.”
California sports betting
A panel of tribal leaders participating in a session at the ICE global gaming forum in Barcelona last week said California tribes will not pursue a ballot initiative supporting sports wagering in the Golden State in 2026.
California Nation Indian Gaming Association representatives from the Pechanga and San Manuel bands of Mission Indians said an effort could be made to place the issue before voters in 2028, but after spending millions of dollars to defeat a pair of commercial proposals in 2022 there is little appetite to take the matter to voters.
Association Vice Chairman Johnny Hernandez said an effort would be made to get all of the more than 100 gaming and nongaming tribes to support any proposal that goes to the ballot.
Wynn’s Fitch rating
Fitch Ratings has affirmed favorable credit ratings for Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Ltd. and its subsidiaries.
New York-based Fitch said the casino company has a stable outlook with a secured and unsecured debt rating of BB+ and a default rating of BB-.
The Stable Outlook reflects strong growth prospects in the Macao market, Wynn’s strong market position in the Las Vegas market and robust liquidity.
Fitch noted that Wynn’s Macao properties continue to grow after the lifting of travel restrictions in China, that Wynn Al Marjan Island, in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to open in 2027, and Wynn is applying for a gaming license in downstate New York through a joint venture with Related Companies and Oxford Properties.
But the company did say “Wynn’s Las Vegas properties (Wynn and Encore) benefit from their top-of-class hierarchy that allows them to attract the highest value customers and offsets price discounts to maintain occupancy.”
Fitch expects revenue from the Las Vegas properties to decline in 2025 due to the exclusion of a one-time event (Super Bowl in 2024) and reduced leisure spending.
NFL slot machines
NFL Triple Score, a slot-machine franchise developed by Australia-based Aristocrat Gaming, is now being distributed beyond casinos in the United States.
Aristocrat launched the first NFL slots, which includes graphics, symbols and video clips from all 32 NFL teams, at Casino del Mar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, earlier this month. The company’s plan is to expand to Latin America and Europe in the months ahead.
“This launch is a major step forward in continuing our successful partnership with the NFL,” said Craig Toner, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming. “The NFL has immense popularity globally with fans all across the world, and we are thrilled to now bring the game to a broader stage. We look forward to seeing the excitement from players in Puerto Rico and continuing the success our award-winning NFL portfolio has seen in North America.”
