Casino City’s Friday Five: The NFL gambles on the preseason edition

The wait is finally over for National Football League fans, with the 2019 NFL’s preseason kicking off. The gambling industry saw a first last night during the Washington Redskins’ game against the Cleveland Browns. But before we get into that, we had some other top stories catch our attention this week, as well. Four massive jackpots were awarded by International Game Technology in July, with three of them coming in Canada, a Pennsylvania sportsbook opening, another Topgolf Swing Suite makings its casino debuted, and Resorts World Catskills unveiling a new poker room. Let’s kick it off with the IGT jackpots: 5. IGT’s slots award four major jackpots in July Four players were made millionaires last month, thanks to a couple of IGT slot machines: - On 13 July, a Powerbucks slots player won $2,152,860.83 playing the Powerbucks Powerhits game at Treasure Cove Casino and Bingo in British Columbia, Canada. This was the largest jackpot ever awarded by Powerbucks. - On 25 July, a Powerbucks player won $1,032,792.28 on the Powerbucks Powerhits game at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Quebec, Canada. - On 27 July, a Powerbucks online slots player won a $1,004,723.31 jackpot playing Wheel of Fortune Hawaiian Getaway on Loto Quebec. - On 27 July, a Wheel of Fortune slots player won a $1,081,144.93 jackpot at Golden Nugget - Atlantic City.

Give us your best reaction to this MILLION DOLLAR #JACKPOT in just emojis! #DoAC #WinningWednesday ?? pic.twitter.com/hSGr2uvLvy

— Golden Nugget AC (@goldennuggetac) July 31, 2019

4. Gold Strike Casino Resort opens Topgolf Swing Suite After opening Moneyline Book, Bar & Grill two weeks ago, Gold Strike Casino Resort in Mississippi has brought the Mid-South its first Top Golf Swing Suite. The Topgolf Swing Suite features a simulator bay and a variety of virtual games, including Topgolf target game, Zombie Dodgeball, Hockey Shots, Baseball Pitching and Quarterback Challenge. The simulator bay allows a group of up to eight people to play games, eat and drink. “Topgolf is an extremely popular attraction at venues throughout the country, and we’re excited to bring the region its first taste of Topgolf, with the addition of the Topgolf Swing Suite in our new sports entertainment venue, Moneyline Book, Bar & Grill,” said Gold Strike President and COO David Tsai. Gold Strike joins sister resorts MGM Grand Detroit Casino and MGM Springfield with the Topgolf Swing Suite amenity, while Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi is set to open one in September. Of course, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is home to the flagship outdoor Topgolf venue in Las Vegas. 3. Parx Casino opens of new sportsbook Yesterday, Parx Casino in Pennsylvania celebrated the grand opening of the new Parx Casino Sportsbook. The 7,400-square-foot space can show up to 36 games at the same time and includes six live tellers, 18 kiosks and 196 seats. It opened to the public at 5 p.m. on Thursday, hours before the Philadelphia Eagles took on the Tennessee Titans in their first preseason game of the season. The sportsbook provides bettors with plenty of options, including placing wagers on the spread, moneyline, total, props, parlays and teasers. You will be able to bet on any of those in NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, college football, college basketball, tennis, golf, MMA, boxing, auto racing and more. During its first day of operation, the first 1,000 people to enter the sportsbook received a free $25 bet when they added $25 to their online sports betting account.

The ribbon is cut, the doors are open - let the #sportsbetting begin! Stop by everyone's new favorite #Sportsbook and see for yourself how amazing it is! Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. pic.twitter.com/AS7NUJ13iG

— Parx Casino (@parxcasino) August 8, 2019

2. New poker rook at Resorts World Catskills On Tuesday, a new 7,000-square-foot poker room was introduced at Resorts World Catskills in upstate New York. This is the largest poker room of all the commercial casinos in the state. The room is open 24 hours a day and has 180 seats, as well as an in-room cashier, complimentary beverage service and USB charging ports at every seat. Games such as Texas Hold'em (limit and no limit), Omaha (Hi-Lo and Pot-Limit) and 7 Card Stud are being dealt. "We are confident that this new poker room, with a new convenient location and an array of updated offerings and amenities, will solidify Resorts World Catskills as the region's premier casino resort destination,” said Kevin Kline, Chief Operating Offer and General Manager of Resorts World Catskills. 1. NBC Sports Washington provides NFL’s first gambling-focused telecast It has been a topic of discussion since sports betting became legal in the U.S. in May 2018. It became reality last night when NBC Sports Washington Plus provided the NFL’s first gambling-focused telecast during the game between the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. “Predict the Game” is planned to continue throughout the remainder of the Washington Redskin’s preseason. It features free-to-play contests where fans can win $1,000 cash each quarter as well as other prizes. Viewers are able to submit their predictions from their mobile or desktop device. "We're thrilled to partner with NBC Sports Washington to bring the first predictive, free-to-play live game telecast to the NFL," said Scott Shepherd, Senior Vice President. "This partnership strategically aligns with our organization’s commitment to constant innovation for our fans. We are continuously working to enhance the fan experience and strive to identify new, meaningful ways for our incredible fans to engage with our team."

Predict the game for a chance to win $1,000 EVERY QUARTER.

See you tomorrow night for Redskins-Browns on NBC Sports Washington Plus.

Bookmark this link: https://t.co/JoVx30DhgN pic.twitter.com/JnFpMtTsMp

— NBC Sports Redskins (@NBCSRedskins) August 7, 2019