Casino City’s Friday Five: WSOP, openings and PASPA edition

Five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting. Currently, 33 states have launched a form of legal sports wagering and just yesterday, we saw news of another state throwing its hat in the ring.

Before we get into that, we can’t overlook some other top stories of the week. In addition to sports betting, we have a Sports Gambling Hall of Fame coming to Las Vegas, a $1.2 million jackpot at a Sacramento casino, a California casino’s grand opening, and the World Series of Poker aiming to break a big record.

Let’s begin with a seven-figure payout:

5. $1.2 million jackpot win at Hard Rock Casino Sacramento
On 26 April, a local guest from Sacramento hit it big when she won $1,272,905 on a penny slot with just a $3.75 bet at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Sacramento at Fire Mountain.

The progressive jackpot was won on the Ultimate Fire Link Explosion game and the winner declined to share her identity publicly.

4. Eagle Mountain Casino opened earlier this week
Eagle Mountain Casino’s story began in June of 1996 when the California casino opened its doors with a few mobile trailers, a hotdog and hamburger stand, three blackjack tables, and just over 300 video lottery terminals.

On Tuesday, Eagle Mountain Casino began a new chapter as it held a ribbon cutting and press conference to celebrate the opening of its new property, located next to the Porterville Fairgrounds in Porterville, California.

Eagle Mountain Casino is a full-service casino open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new property is double in size, growing to over 100,000 square feet, featuring new dining options, 1,750 slot machines, 20 table games, and a 2,000-seat event center.

When the new property opened on 9 May, it was the first time Eagle Mountain Casino served alcohol.

3. Circa Las Vegas to debut Sports Gambling Hall of Fame
On 11 August, Las Vegas’ Circa Resort & Casino will debut the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame. Located in an enclave within the world’s largest sportsbook, it will honor bookmakers and bettors who have notably transformed the sports gambling industry.

Billy Walters, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Roxy Roxborough will be amongst 10 of the names inducted into the inaugural 2023 class.

This year, the committee will recognize five living inductees, and five will be honored in memoriam. The first three announced inductees include:

- Billy Walters - Known for being the greatest sports bettor of all time. He commands respect from every prominent bookmaker in the world and is known for contributing as a philanthropist to various causes.
- Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal - American professional sports bettor and former Las Vegas casino executive known for blending charisma with customer service to casino patrons. He was portrayed by Robert DeNiro in the popular movie, Casino.
- Roxy Roxborough - Preeminent oddsmaker in the 1980s and 1990s who introduced mathematical formulas and computer models to the industry, as well as revolutionized the technology for updating odds to hundreds of sports books, newspapers and media outlets.

Recognized as the greatest sports bettor of all time… pic.twitter.com/oyHE810o16
— Sports Gambling Hall Of Fame (@theSGHOF) May 11, 2023

2. Online sports betting bill passes in Texas
Yesterday, the House of Representatives in Texas gave approval to an online sports betting bill that would allow voters in the state to have their say on the November ballot. The bill needed 100 votes in favor to pass the House and it narrowly cleared with 101.

While yesterday was a big step in the right direction, there is much more work to be done, and not many are confident. The bill now will make its way in front of the Senate where there is doubt across the state that it will not go any further than this stage.

Will voters even have a chance at voting on this in November? Only time will tell us how the Senate receives and views this bill.

1. World Series of Poker going for Main Event record
After falling just 110 entries short of “The Main Event” record in 2022, the 54th annual World Series of Poker is aiming to shatter the record field of 8,773 set in 2006 with its first Main Event Maynia Global Qualification Weekend taking place on 20 and 21 May.

The Main Event Maynia offers players a chance to earn a seat at the Main Event on the Las Vegas Strip at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas, which returns from 3 July to 17 July.

“History is only a few months away and Main Event Maynia is a big part of making sure this is the biggest field in the history of the WSOP,” said World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart. “The reigning Champion Espen Jorstad earned his Main Event seat by winning a satellite event, so there’s plenty of reason to believe this year’s champion might just be a regional player who wouldn’t otherwise be heading to Vegas. Main Event Maynia is long overdue, and we thank our global network of satellite partners for giving players a chance to take their shot from their own backyard.”

The 54th annual #WSOP is going all-in to shatter the record field set in 2006 w/ the first-ever #MainEventMaynia on May 20-21. Several @CaesarsRewards destinations will participate for players to earn a seat at the Main Event.

Learn More: https://t.co/vVX7KT0vqa pic.twitter.com/3ZKbJ9CstD
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) May 10, 2023