News in the Gambling World this Week

Here are a few tidbits of what happened in the gaming industry in the first week of August.

New Vintage LED Powered

Upon entering Las Vegas from the Strip, you will encounter a new dramatic sign welcoming visitors into the area. Two vintage showgirls powered by LED-which is unusual for Vegas- are at the fore of the sign as they flank the words ‘City of Las Vegas’. The sign replaces a reproduction of the classic sign that read ‘Welcome to the Fabulous City of Las Vegas’ on the far southern end of the Strip.

Signage is significant in Las Vegas as it is part of the iconography of a city, whose name is synonymous with neon. The fact that this sign is powered by LED sets it apart from the rest.

Signage is so central to Las Vegas that a six-acre property has been allotted to a museum of discarded  Las Vegas signage.

Founder of Wynn resorts arrested on Corruption Charges

One of the original founders of Wynn Resorts, Kazuo Okada, was arrested in Hong Kong on charges related to “Corruption-related offences’’ after the 74-year old chairman of Universal was accused of misappropriating around $17 million  of company funds into a subsidiary ‘to buy high-ticket fine art pieces’.

From his end, Okada, continues to sustain that Wynn had become threatened by his power within the organisation.

NetEnt release ‘Swipe and Roll’

NetEnt’s Swipe and Roll slot machine was released on the 7th August. So what does it look like? Think of the backcombing hairstyle and bell-bottomed jeans as this game is set with its rock’n roll theme music sporting 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 fixed bet lines.

Special features include a Coin Wheel Feature, Bonus Game, Wild and x3 Wild Substitutions, Wild respins on 3+ Wilds and a Return to Player rate of 96.35%.

The visuals are great and its features set NetEnt apart as a game provider. It is set to take on modern classic slots and is available on mobile through the NetEnt platform.

Stockton University eyes Atlantic City Casino

New Jersey’s Stockton Uni is considering buying the Atlantic City Casino Hotel. Atlantic Club stands just 2 blocks north of Stockton’s Altlantic City campus, which has been closed but is expected to open later this month. A meeting is being held this week by the school’s board of trustees to discuss the possible purchase. This isn’t the first Atlantic City casino that Stockton University bet on.

In late 2014, the school purchased Showboat, a former Caesars Casino, through Philadelphia real estate developer, Bart Blatstein.