Casino City’s Friday Five: Final edition of 2018

As New Year’s Eve approaches, we close out the year with a jackpot winner, casino sale, poker sponsorship, new sportsbook and another U.S. state regulating online gambling. There’s no telling what 2019 will bring to the gaming industry, but we hope it is just as exciting as 2018 was for it. Let’s begin with the jackpot this week. 5. Jackpot win at The Cosmopolitan Some say that the third time is the charm. Well, in this case, it was the 960th time. On Christmas Eve at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a lucky guest from the U.K. was celebrating the holiday by playing the same slot for some time. After 90 minutes and 960 spins, the guest hit the jackpot for $1,023,743. Not a bad way to start the holiday season.

Santa came early. Congrats to one lucky guest who won $1,023,743 on her 960th spin while playing Wheel of Fortune. pic.twitter.com/t04agAy3EA

— The Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan_LV) December 24, 2018

4. Caesars Entertainment completes sale of Harrah’s Philadelphia On Wednesday, Caesars Entertainment announced that the company had completed the sale of the real estate assets associated with Harrah's Philadelphia to VICI Properties Inc. Caesars Entertainment received $82.5 million in cash in return for Harrah's Philadelphia's real estate assets. The property remains a part of the Caesars Entertainment network and continues to benefit from the Harrah's brand. 3. UFC and PokerStars team up for first official poker sponsorship UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization and PokerStars, the flagship poker brand of The Stars Group, announced a new marketing sponsorship last Friday. Under the terms of the agreement, PokerStars becomes UFC’s first-ever "Official Poker Partner," creating a new sponsorship category. PokerStars will have a branded presence inside the world-famous Octagon at UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2018, UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2, which takes place from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Additional partnership activations for the event will include the integration of PokerStars branding during UFC’s telecasts, as well as digital and social media, and other promotional opportunities. Through UFC’s worldwide programming distribution, PokerStars’ brand has the potential to reach 1.1 billion TV households in more than 160 countries and territories in 40 different languages.

Two heavyweights have combined forces! ???? We're proud to announce a new partnership with @ufc.
Read all about it here: https://t.co/tYNdMnpUD5 ?? #UFCStars pic.twitter.com/s4Mcanuj50

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) December 21, 2018

2. Twin River Casino opens new Sportsbook Bar & Grill The new venue at Twin River Casino features more than 100 HD televisions showing live sporting events and dynamic betting lines. Fans can wager on an expansive selection of pre-game and InPlay bets for professional and college sports. The expansion to the new venue represents a continuation of the successful partnership between IGT and William Hill to provide sports betting to the Rhode Island Lottery. IGT and William Hill also provide sports betting at Tiverton Casino Hotel, which began accepting bets on 3 December. Twin River Casino Hotel started accepting bets from a temporary space on 26 November prior to the opening of the Sportsbook Bar & Grill. “We are excited to partner with the Rhode Island Lottery and IGT to bring a world-class sports betting product to Twin River Casino,” said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S. “The lines have been out the door in the temporary facility, so we are glad the permanent sportsbook is now ready. William Hill is proud to be the only sportsbook to operate or provide services in all seven states that have authorized sports betting, with Rhode Island joining Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.”

Come by to check out our all new Sportsbook Bar & Grill! Place your bets and enjoy a cold one! https://t.co/9VHTB68rfq

— Twin River Casino Hotel (@twinrivercasino) December 24, 2018

1. Michigan regulates online gambling With last week’s final approval by both the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives of HB 4926, Michigan became the sixth U.S. state to regulate online gambling. The bill includes provisions for the legalization of full real-money internet casino gaming in the state, as well as internet sports betting. The bill has been presented to the Governor of Michigan and may then be signed into law at the Governor’s discretion. The Michigan regulated internet gambling market is expected to begin in 2020.