The reels are always spinning in the gambling industry, and “The Double Down” is here every Friday to catch you up on all of the week’s biggest news. Sports Handle’s “Get a Grip” rounds up everything on the sports betting side, and US Bets provides the best of the rest: brick-and-mortar happenings, online casino developments, poker headlines, horse wagering, and more. So pull up a chair, crunch the numbers, and slide forward another stack of chips.

The count: three deals, no strikes

“The union has massive leverage because of F1, and they know it.”

These were the words of the ultimate seen-it-all, done-it-all gambling industry veteran (and friend of US Bets), Richard Schuetz, speaking to the Nevada Current early this week. And Schuetz has been proven correct. 

With the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix looming next weekend, and Sin City anticipating a crush of tourists and high-rollers above and beyond the usual influx of both, it was imperative that the major casino operators come to terms with Culinary Local 226. Any Vegas weekend with housekeepers, restaurant workers, barkeepers, and cocktail servers striking is untenable. Vegas F1 weekend with them striking would have been catastrophic.

So, one by one this week, deals — or at least tentative deals — got done. On Wednesday morning, the union came to terms with Caesars. Early Thursday morning, the union and MGM followed suit. And before the sun rose over the Strip Friday, Wynn Resorts reached an agreement with the union.

Friday was to be deadline day. They cut it close, but it appears Vegas will be Vegas when the engines rev next weekend.

The Pit Building is READY! #LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/sqEAzEgF8O

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 10, 2023

Terms of the Wynn deal were not immediately released, but in a statement, the company said the agreement “fulfills our shared goal of providing outstanding benefits and overall compensation to our employees in a work environment that is second to none.”

It was a tremendous week for labor agreements in entertainment-related industries, as the SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end Thursday morning. So, if someone wants to film Ocean’s 14 next weekend with F1 cars zooming around Las Vegas Boulevard in the background, all roads to that are fully paved — and no CEOs will have to tend bar or clean hotel rooms.

This week on Gamble On …

Every Thursday, US Bets drops a new episode of the Gamble On podcast, and this week’s welcomed Sports Handle’s Jill Dorson to talk about the unexpected (partial) return of mobile betting in Florida, the future of gambling industry media, and when (if?) California will join the party:

Is California ready to legalize sports betting? Jill Dorson details the divide between what the operators want and what the tribes want on the latest episode of the Gamble On podcast: https://t.co/raYChzLtRO pic.twitter.com/6nktvlNXoO

— US Bets (@US_Bets) November 10, 2023

Empire State of mind

Analyst Says New York Casino Plans Won’t Be Known Until 2025

Steve Cohen Unveils His Plans For New York Casino Complex

Las Vegas Sands’ New York Casino Bid Dealt A Judicial Blow

Stinking Richmond

Hosts Of Pro-Richmond Casino Radio Show Make Offensive Remarks

Second Richmond Casino Referendum Fails

Chemical reaction

There Are Drugs That Could Curb Gambling Addiction, But They’re Not Prescribed For That

United front

Top U.S. Gambling Affiliates Forge Responsible Gambling Alliance

Skee-daddle, Skee-Ball?

Michigan Lawmaker Tries To Update Illegal Gambling Rule, May End Up Banning Kid Games

Ready, player one?

Borgata Arcade Now Available To Online Casino Players In New Jersey

Chips and crooks

The chips may have been down, and even out ­— but not for long. Authorities in both Malaysia and Illinois made arrests this week of people allegedly stealing casino chips.

Those busted in Malaysia are believed to be part of a ring in which bettors frequented Genting Highlands as part of their planned heist. Two people allegedly stole 1,160 chips worth RM 4.6 million (equivalent to approximately $975,000). The plan was to then give the chips to middlemen who would try to exchange them for cash. In total, 10 people have been arrested in connection with the heist, and nearly half the chips — worth RM 2.9 million ($614,250) — have been recovered.

On the other side of the globe, Illinois Gaming Board agents were able to track a 23-year-old man back to his house after he allegedly stole $14,100 worth of chips at gunpoint as part of an armed robbery at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines on Oct. 31. IGB agents found a handgun, ski mask, and the chips at the suspect’s Chicago Ridge residence.

“Because of the swift and diligent work by our gaming agents and our local law enforcement partners, we were able to arrest this individual and recover the stolen casino chips,” IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter said in a statement. “I am grateful to our gaming agents, Illinois State Police, Chicago Ridge Police, and the staff at Rivers Casino.”

— Chris Altruda

What can 75 cents buy you?

Caesars shared news this week of a lucky winner playing New Jersey online casino games via the Harrah’s app who hit a jackpot on the slots game Mermaid’s Millions worth just about 291,000 times the cost of her spin.

“Cheryl from Cedar Grove,” as Caesars identified her, took a 75-cent spin and landed a massive jackpot of $218,207 — leaving her in “complete disbelief.” Caesars then tossed in a cherry on top, inviting Cheryl to Atlantic City for a complimentary stay, an oversized check, and celebratory dinners at Il Verdi inside Tropicana and Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars.

Cheryl wasn’t the only winner invited to Caesars’ Atlantic City properties for a celebration. There was also an online sports bettor from New York who cashed $392 worth of parlays placed in April and May on the Diamondbacks and Rangers to win their respective leagues and meet in the World Series, returning $460,681 in total.

Looking for a wager to tail? That same New York bettor now has a future on the longshot Anaheim Ducks to make the Stanley Cup Final (priced at +5000 at last check).

— Eric Raskin

More from around the gambling biz

WORST SPHERES REALIZED: Las Vegas Sphere reports $98.4 million loss; CFO quits [Las Vegas Sun]

THE DEL MAR DOUBLE: Del Mar to host back-to-back Breeders’ Cups in 2024, 2025 [Daily Racing Form]

MARYLAND MEH: Maryland Casinos see revenue drop in October 2023 compared to record high last year [FoxBaltimore.com]

A TRUE MAVERICK: Mark Cuban: ‘I’d like to see resort casino gambling,’ plans for making Texas a destination [Texas Metro News]

HIGHER LEARNING: Stockton expands options with casino certificate, esports degree path [NJ Biz]

FROM SILVER TO GOLD: Silver Sevens casino to be remodeled, rebranded as the Continental [Las Vegas Sun]

I SMELL A BACCA-RAT: Two Las Vegas casino dealers accused of cheating [8 News Now]

Image: Blundell Design