Casino City’s Friday Five: Openings and sports betting fraud edition

This week in gambling news, the Washington D.C. Council reached a settlement with Intralot and Veterans Services Corporation regarding a sports betting fraud case.

Elsewhere, two lucky players hit jackpots at Seminole Casino Brighton and Seminole Brighton Bay finally announced its grand opening date. Plus, ESPN BET is entering the Washington D.C. market while Sphere in Las Vegas revealed its next star performer.

Let’s begin with a couple of big wins:

5. Two guests win big at Seminole Casino Brighton
A guest from Tennessee visiting Seminole Casino Brighton in Florida won a $168,850 progressive jackpot on 6 January, before another guest from Fort Pierce struck it big for a $215,077 progressive jackpot on 13 January.

The first winner was playing a Dragon Link slot machine, while the second winner was playing a Clover Link Xtreme – Red Hot Burning slot machine. Following the jackpots, the progressive jackpot was reset to $100,000.

4. Kenny Chesney is Sphere Las Vegas’ next star
In 2025, Kenny Chesney will bring his full-tilt brand of American music to Sphere in Las Vegas.

The singer joins the select cultural icons U2, Dead & Company, Eagles, Phish and Afterlife Presents Anyma to headline the 17,600-seat spherical venue.

The shows will kick off on 22 May and run through 14 June.

.@KennyChesney talks his Las Vegas residency at @SphereVegas tonight! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/0JXnmDmAUW

— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) January 17, 2025

3. ESPN BET gains access to Washington DC market
PENN Entertainment announced on Tuesday that PENN Sports Interactive entered into a long-term partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

Under the multi-channel agreement, PENN secures online market access for ESPN BET in Washington D.C., and ESPN BET also becomes a sports betting partner of Monumental and its teams, including the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Washington Mystics.

The collaboration will include prominent in-arena and media components, including features in Capitals and Wizards game broadcasts on Monumental Sports Network.

?? News! We're excited to announce that we’ve partnered with @MSE. The multichannel agreement secures online market access for @ESPNBET in Washington D.C., (subject to regulatory approvals) and makes ESPN BET a Proud Sports Betting Partner of MSE and its teams, including the… pic.twitter.com/DTL8Z1TTMa

— PENNEntertainment (@PENNEntertain) January 13, 2025

2. Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel and Casino set for grand opening
The new Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino in Florida will officially open its doors at noon on Thursday, 6 February, following a grand opening celebration for invited guests in the morning.

The renowned rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform on Thursday, 6 February.

The new resort, which will replace the existing Seminole Casino Brighton (first opened in 1980), will include a casino with a total of nearly 38,000 square feet, including space for 640 slot machines and 18 tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other house-banked card games.

Included is a smoke-free gaming space with 104 slot machines and a high-limit gaming area with 42 slot machines and four table games.

1. Intralot and VSC settled DC sports betting fraud case
Earlier this week, the Washington D.C. Council announced Intralot and Veterans Services Corporation will pay a $6.5 million fine for deceiving city officials to win and then obtain payments under the District's lottery and sports betting contract.

In 2019, Intralot and VSC sought to persuade District agencies and the Council to award them the multimillion dollar, multiyear contract to administer the District’s lottery and new sports betting platform on a sole-source basis, without competition from other bidders, by representing that work done and money paid under the contract would benefit VSC and other CBEs, in accordance with the SBE Act.

However, Intralot and VSC concealed the fact that, contrary to their representations, VSC would perform its subcontract using resources provided by an Intralot subsidiary, while funneling back to Intralot much of the contract money Intralot had promised to spend subcontracting with VSC.