Casino News Roundup: World Series Of Poker Returns To Vegas & Atlantic City Profits Plunge
Welcome to the Casino Daily News Roundup - your briefing on the latest news from the global casino industry. We bring you the biggest stories from across the sector, covering everything from major business deals and revenue figures to new openings and regulatory developments.
World Series Of Poker Returns To Las Vegas For 57th Edition With 100 Bracelet Events
The 2026 World Series of Poker got underway on May 26 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, launching seven weeks of tournaments running until July 15.
The 57th edition features 100 live bracelet events and 30 online tournaments, kicking off with a new $550 Mini Mystery Millions opener carrying a $1million bounty guarantee.
The $10,000 Main Event begins July 2, with the final nine players resuming on August 3-5 in the series' first live ESPN final table broadcast in six years.
New rules tightening restrictions on patches and third-party sponsorships have already generated controversy - any player accepting third-party payouts tied to tournament results now forfeits all WSOP winnings.
A new $1m Player of the Year prize pool has also been introduced for the first time.
Those looking to sharpen their skills ahead of the action can play the best online slots for real money and table games across all major regulated platforms in the meantime.
Atlantic City Casino Profits Plunge 23% In Q1 As Costs Hit Nine-Year High
Atlantic City's nine casinos posted a collective gross operating profit of around $104.7m in Q1 2026 - down 22.9% year-on-year - as rising operating costs hit their highest level in nine years.
Net revenue fell just 0.6% to $725.6m, meaning the damage was almost entirely cost-driven rather than demand-driven.
New Jersey Casino Control Commission chairman James Plousis said operators encountered "their highest first-quarter costs and expenses in nine years, significantly constraining reported gross operating profits."
Only Bally's and Caesars saw profits improve year-on-year.
Borgata remained the market leader with $39.8m in operating profit - though that was still down 17.6%.
The results arrive as New York City's Resorts World casino is now fully open, with two further NYC casinos expected by 2030 and the threat of significant player migration looming over the market.
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UK Gambling Commission Launches Black Market Crackdown As Illegal Sites Grow
The UK Gambling Commission has launched a new enforcement push targeting black market gambling operators, amid growing evidence that illegal offshore sites are gaining ground following the doubling of Remote Gaming Duty to 40% in April.
The regulator confirmed it is stepping up monitoring and enforcement activity against unlicensed operators targeting UK consumers - a direct response to warnings from major licensed operators that the widening tax gap between regulated and unregulated sites is pushing price-sensitive players offshore.
The move follows Evoke's warning in its full-year 2025 results that black market penetration, particularly in horse racing, is now a measurable financial headwind.
The Commission also confirmed that society lotteries generated a record £1billion in GGR - citing it as evidence of the regulated market's underlying strength.
