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The Cordish Companies Proudly Celebrates The Grand Opening Of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia

Published

3 years ago

February 15, 2021

The Cordish Companies have officially opened Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, the new world-class gaming, hotel, dining and entertainment destination located in the heart of the Philadelphia Stadium District. The opening marks another major milestone for the Company as the next Live! branded casino to open in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Live! Casino Pittsburgh opened in Hempfield Township, PA, in November 2020.

The Cordish Companies’ Principal Reed Cordish, Cordish Gaming Group President Rob Norton, and Executive Vice President Joe Billhimer were joined at a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (Second District), and numerous business, tourism and community leaders from the region.

The ceremony was hosted by Philadelphia fan favorite Ron Jaworski, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles; with special guest appearances by Philadelphia 76ers legend and Basketball Hall-of-Fame player Julius “Dr. J” Erving; former Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel; and former Eagles wide receiver, the “Invincible” Vince Papale. Guests were also delighted by appearances from the Phillie Phanatic, the Phandemic Krew, and the reigning Mummers champions, the South Philadelphia String Band.

Together, the group ushered in a new era of entertainment in the City of Philadelphia by ringing a giant replica Liberty Bell, followed by a fireworks spectacular.

“As a family-owned business for over 100 years, today marks an incredibly special day for my family and The Cordish Companies as we expand our Live! Casino brand into the great City of Philadelphia,” said Reed Cordish, Principal of The Cordish Companies. “Live! Philadelphia is the region’s premier gaming and entertainment destination, and we are proud to welcome our guests, Team Members and the community to go Live! with us. I’d like to thank Mayor Kenney, Councilmember Johnson, and local officials for their support for this project.”

The opening of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia transforms the Philadelphia Stadium District into an integrated sports, entertainment and casino-resort destination and establishes the area as the only place in the country to experience big league action from four major professional sports teams, best-in-class dining and entertainment, world-class gaming and luxury hotel accommodations.

COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY

As part of The Cordish Companies’ ongoing commitment to the community, more than $50,000 was donated to local Philadelphia non-profit organizations from proceeds generated from test night held prior to the official opening. During the ceremony, checks were presented to Philabundance, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, Young Chances Foundation, the Thomas & Woods Foundation, and the Garces Foundation.

“The Cordish Companies has embraced a culture of giving and community service since its inception,” said Joe Billhimer, Executive Vice President, Cordish Gaming Group. “We’re proud to be able to give back to the communities where our projects are located and where our Team Members live and work. Live! Philadelphia has long-term plans to support our local community and we’re thrilled to work with these and other amazing local organizations that make Philadelphia so special.”

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia will generate over $2 billion in economic stimulus to the City, along with $100 million in tax revenues for the City in its first five years of operation, including $25 million to Philadelphia’s School District. The facility has created over 3,000 construction jobs during development and will create up to 2,000 permanent jobs for local and regional residents.

“I want to welcome The Cordish Companies and the new Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia to South Philadelphia and the entire Greater Philadelphia Region,” Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) said. “I am excited that this new world-class gaming and entertainment destination is finally open and is in my Second Council District. The facility has provided over 3,000 new construction jobs and is now hiring to fill up to 2,000 permanent new positions for area residents. Hiring preference is being given to residents living in the communities immediately surrounding the Stadium District, then throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. This is the start of a great new tourist destination in South Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania.”

FIRST-CLASS DINING, ENTERTAINMENT & HOSPITALITY

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia sets a new standard for gaming, dining, entertainment, hotel and special event accommodations. The 510,000 square-foot property features:

More than 2,100 slots and electronic table games

150 live-action table games

Dedicated 29 table Poker Room

Luxury, 12-story, 208-room Live! Hotel

A variety of dining and entertainment options

State-of-the-art, industry-leading FanDuel® Sportsbook

Six room Event Center featuring 15,000-square-feet of customizable meeting space to accommodate groups of 12 to 1,000 guests.

Convenient access to parking with an attached multi-level structured parking facility and adjacent surface parking

PLAYING IT SAFE

To prepare for opening, Live! developed a comprehensive Play It Safe plan, an enhanced health and sanitation program that allows for ample social distancing, reduced occupancies, and vigorous hygiene and health measures for all guests and Team Members.

Key components of the plan include the installation of the state-of-the-art Atmos Air Bi-Polar Air Purification System within the HVAC system to treat and clean the air in the facility, including any virus particulates. The system is designed to perform 12 air changes per hour throughout the casino floor, which is more than twice the frequency of most commercial buildings.

In addition, the one-of-a-kind Reel Clear slot management system will guarantee every customer who plays a slot machine is sitting down at a freshly sanitized machine and also has the capability to automatically social distance the customer from the nearest guest. The newly-developed system can automatically shut down a slot after it has been played and can only be reactivated by an attendance after it has been sanitized. Also, once a player starts to play a newly sanitized machine, the system, will lock down the machines on either side to enforce social distancing in areas not protected by plexiglass barriers. The system will also allow a patron to request their machine be cleaned at any time.

The plan follows guidelines and recommendations from federal and state public health officials, along with best practices for the gaming and hospitality industries focusing on masking, temperature checks, social distancing, and repeated cleaning of high-traffic areas, slot machines and table game equipment.

“Our priority is to provide a safe environment for our Team Members and guests,” said Billhimer. “The Play It Safe plan employs extraordinary measures to meet and exceed the COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the State to ensure all of our guests have fun and feel safe.”

SOURCE Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)

Soft2Bet strengthens integrity monitoring with IBIA membership in Ontario

Published

2 days ago

May 6, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

soft2bet-strengthens-integrity-monitoring-with-ibia-membership-in-ontario

Soft2Bet, a leading casino and sportsbook platform provider, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and activated its membership in Ontario, Canada, following its licensing in the Canadian province.

Soft2bet obtained its Certificate of Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the end of March, where the company’s Ontario-focused brand Tooniebet.com will now feed into IBIA’s world-leading sports betting integrity monitoring platform before worldwide implementation in the coming months.

IBIA includes over 50 of the world’s leading sports betting and gaming companies, who operate over 125 sports betting brands. Soft2Bet’s decision to join the association further strengthens its own internal betting integrity protocols and IBIA’s position as the world’s leading sports betting integrity monitoring body.

David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet, commented: “Soft2Bet is delighted to be joining the IBIA as we strengthen our own betting integrity monitoring processes and play our part in furthering the IBIA’s long-standing work on this key issue. Ontario is a world class iGaming jurisdiction; it will be the first market where we will implement our IBIA membership and we look forward to deploying the monitoring infrastructure worldwide in all the other markets in which we operate.”

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Soft2Bet is a very welcome addition to IBIA, further strengthening our position in the Ontario market. The operator’s decision to join IBIA demonstrates its desire to utilise the best integrity protection available for its sportsbook product. The association is delighted to be able to integrate Tooniebet within our integrity monitoring system and looks forward to working closely with Soft2Bet to maintain the high integrity of its sportsbook.”

IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators and for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.

Through the IBIA monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members generate more than $300bn in annual betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.

IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sportsbetting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.

IBIA’s Q1 2024 report detailed 56 alerts during the quarter. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.

British Columbia Lottery Corporation

SCCG Management Signs Contract with British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

sccg-management-signs-contract-with-british-columbia-lottery-corporation

SCCG Management has signed a contract with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the B.C. Crown corporation which conducts and manages commercial gambling in the province, including lotteries, casinos, and online gaming. This partnership aims to undertake a comprehensive assessment and strategic enhancement of BCLC’s diverse operations.

The work between SCCG and BCLC will involve a thorough review of technological infrastructures, strategic market positioning, and the integration of various gaming modalities. SCCG’s extensive expertise will be pivotal in harmonizing BCLC’s online and physical gaming experiences.

Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said: “Our collaboration with BCLC represents a remarkable opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation within the gaming industry. We are committed to deploying our resources and expertise to enhance BCLC’s operational efficiencies and customer engagement strategies. It’s an honor to partner with an organization that has a robust impact on the community through its support of public initiatives.”

AGCO

AGCO Requires Ontario Gaming Operators to Stop Offering WBA Bets Due to Integrity Concerns

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

agco-requires-ontario-gaming-operators-to-stop-offering-wba-bets-due-to-integrity-concerns

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has mandated all Ontario-registered sportsbook operators to halt offering and accepting wagers on World Boxing Association (WBA) events immediately. This measure is being taken to protect the Ontario betting public following concerns that WBA-sanctioned boxing matches are not adequately being safeguarded against match-fixing and insider betting.

Since December 2023, the AGCO has been conducting a comprehensive review of suspicious wagering activity on a WBA-sanctioned title fight between Yoenis Tellez and Livan Navarro that was held in Orlando, Florida. Suspicious betting patterns on the bout lasting over 5.5 rounds were reported to the AGCO by two registered independent integrity monitors and detected in Ontario by a registered igaming operator. Media reports also alleged that Tellez’s Manager placed $110,000 on the match lasting longer than 5.5 rounds at a Florida casino. The bout ended with Tellez knocking out Navarro in the 10th round.

Following an intensive review that included outreach to the WBA, Ontario-registered gaming operators, independent integrity monitors, and regulators in other jurisdictions, the AGCO has concluded that bets related to WBA events do not currently meet the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

The AGCO requires all Ontario-registered gaming operators to ensure the sport betting products they offer are on events that are effectively supervised by a sport governing body. At a minimum, the sport governing body must have and enforce codes of conduct that prohibit betting by insiders.

Registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate to the AGCO that the WBA prohibits betting from insiders, which could include an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or others with access to non-public information. Further, registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate that the WBA took any action to investigate or enforce the allegations of potential match-fixing and insider wagering.

The AGCO has indicated to registered operators that in order for WBA betting products to be reinstated in Ontario, operators must demonstrate that the WBA effectively supervises its events, thus bringing them into compliance with the Registrar’s Standards. In December 2022, the AGCO required gaming operators to stop offering bets on UFC events for similar issues related to insider betting safeguards. Within a month, UFC amended its policies and implemented new protocols that allowed the AGCO to reinstate betting on UFC events in the province.

“Ontarians who wish to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are fairly run, and that clear integrity safeguards are in place and enforced by an effective sport governing body. Knowing the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to reinstating betting on WBA events once appropriate safeguards against possible match-fixing and insider betting have been confirmed,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO of AGCO, said.