Just 15 months after its much hyped launch, the Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino will be facing a foreclosure auction after filing a notice last week.

Last September, the property was served with a default notice stemming from a $90m loan that developer Andrew Fonfa took in 2016.  The notice belied the claim that the casino project was “fully-financed.” The casino also failed to woo Chinese punters who are its target customers, while some non-Asian gamblers steered away from the casino, saying that the atmosphere made them feel unwelcome. The casino’s less than generous comps policy worsened the situation. These factors led to the layoff of employees and the closure of its gaming floor and restaurants earlier this month. 

In this interview, CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero talks with Clarion Events Director Shona Odonnell to know more about the details of some of the must-attend iGaming events this year—starting with the London Affiliate Conference (LAC) and ICE London—and what makes these events stand out.

The blockchain research and development group has developed two inventions–deterministic key generation and the secure split key technique—that are aimed at preventing another hacking incident similar to the one that hit bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox. The inventions will have countless applications as these will “secure any digital data, asset, communication or controlled resource,” according to nChain CEO Jimmy Nguyen. 

Macau police authorities are hunting down a Wynn Macau VIP casino dealer who calmly stuffed his bag and walked away with over $6m worth of gaming chips. Authorities neither confirmed nor denied the picture and information of the alleged thief which circulated online. 

Prosecutors are forcing Casino di Campione, one of Europe’s oldest and largest casinos, to declare bankruptcy saying that the property is incapable of generating profits and has failed to achieve its social purpose of remitting revenue to the city.

Republican Sen. Ronnie Johns is set to sponsor a bill that will pave the way for the overhaul of the state’s casino law which was enacted in 1999. Johns will propose that Louisiana’s riverboat casinos be allowed to move onto land and have bigger spaces. 

The present-day Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino opened in March 1999 as the Circus Casino and Resort. The property was developed by Circus Circus Enterprises. During its ita grand opening, actors Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, and John Goodman led a parade of motorcycles through the front doors of the hotel. The casino adopted its present name three months after its opening.

The Totally Gaming Academy will launch the ‘Responsible Gaming’ course during ICE London on February 8. The course, which will focus on training casino staff for CSR, will be taught by former Admiral Casinos and Entertainment Responsible Gaming Department head Arno Nagelschmied. 

Congratulations to the winners of the largest bad beat jackpot in U.S. history! Six players split a record $1.68m bad beat jackpot after a set of quad-kings beat an (almost) equally impressive set of quad-threes. The record was made in the poker room of Detroit’s MotorCity Casino.