Casino City's Friday Five: That's how it's done edition

This week, we're really big on following industry rules. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has put forth a whole bunch of measures to improve its handling of problem gambling, BGO Entertainment has upped its compliance game, and the PokerStars FRESH tournament – the result of two online poker player pools legally merging – has seen great success. Who knew playing it safe could be so enjoyable? 5. Massachusetts Gaming Commission observes Problem Gambling Awareness Month In recognition of March 2018 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is putting forth a few initiatives, such as updating its responsible gaming framework and raising awareness of problem gambling through social media channels. Additionally, MGC will continue to conduct research and use its findings to inform problem gambling intervention and treatment strategies. In a similar vein, MGC recently examined a two-year report on Plainridge Park Casino and found that crime has increased at a rate comparable with other venues of similar size – that is to say, the more people you have, the more crimes will be committed, and there's really no reason to worry that Plainridge Park itself attracted mass amounts of crime, as some may have worried. And for proponents of sports betting, a recent white paper from MGC examines the industry's possible future in Massachusetts. Though there's no active sports betting bill in the state right now, this white paper lays the groundwork for what such regulation would look like, and takes a look at how legal sports betting activities would snag some extra revenue.

MGC announces its support and recognition of March 2018 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. PGAM is a national public awareness and outreach campaign established to bring awareness to issues associated with problem gambling. #havetheconvo pic.twitter.com/2UBgqNWu7k
— MA Gaming Commission (@MassGamingComm) March 1, 2018

4. BGO Entertainment boosts responsible gambling measures While we're on the topic of gambling responsibly, big-name company BGO Entertainment recently partnered with Rightlander to improve its overall responsible gambling measures and boost affiliate compliance. Rightlander's technology functions as a scanner, taking a peek at websites and composing a list of places where an operator's brand has been linked to. From there, it follows those links and grabs a screenshot. This way, BGO can more easily sniff out affiliate websites that it's currently unaware of and which may not be fully compliant with U.K. laws. 3. Point Place Casino draws crowd for Grand Opening Just 10 months after construction began, Oneida Nation announced the official opening of its Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, New York. The 65,000-square-foot gaming facility features 500 popular slot machines and 20 table games, and has created more than 200 jobs for the local community. Local leaders are confident that the casino will benefit the Bridgeport community and beyond, drawing in customers from different regions and ultimately improving the surrounding area.

Your new destination for fun in CNY is now open! ??

Join us for our Grand Opening celebration today through the weekend and enjoy promotions, prizes, food & drink specials, and live entertainment. ????????

Learn more at https://t.co/GGYSvl5yxf. pic.twitter.com/AoykQ1wIoH
— Point Place Casino (@PointPlaceNY) March 1, 2018

2. PokerStars FRESH tournament attracted more than 30,000 entries The FRESH (France Espania Hold'em) Series launched in January to celebrate the newly combined poker pools between France and Spain, and turnout has been encouraging. More than 30,000 online players competed for their share of prizes across 50 events – including a €1 million guaranteed Main Event. Better yet, the predicted total prize pool of €5,000,000 ended up being quite a bit higher, at €6,149,751. In the end, one lucky player by the name of Gonzalo "gonzar32" Robles triumphed over more than 4,000 players to take home the Main Event prize, which included a PokerStars Platinum Pass, ensuring his entry into the upcoming PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship in the Bahamas. Italy and Portugal have plans to join this very-profitable group of online players, so if you missed out on this tournament, fear not – there may be another on the horizon. 1. Las Vegas breaks ground on Ballpark

ICYMI: @bensbiz looked at what's happening with the new Las Vegas Ballpark. https://t.co/c8qUthcFmf
— Las Vegas 51s (@LasVegas51s) March 2, 2018

Now that the Las Vegas Golden Knights have settled in, it's time for something a little different: a home for the Las Vegas 51s, the city's professional baseball team. Las Vegas Ballpark will be located on about eight acres of land just south of City National Arena in Downtown Summerlin, where the Golden Knights can be found tearing up the ice during practices. The Ballpark will also host community, nonprofit and sporting events in an atmosphere reminiscent of the festival scene, with party zones, a kids' area, bars and a pool.