Chicago Mayor Announces Casino Advisory Council, Russell Crowe Casino Movie, & More

This week’s casino news starts off in Arizona where MGM Resorts International is making a big splash. The company has opened up their first stadium sportsbook, which will draw the attention of the sports betting press from across the country.

MGM Opens Up First NFL Stadium Sportsbook

MGM Resorts International continues to expand its portfolio in the United States and this time, they’re moving into a stadium. The company was able to strike a partnership with the Arizona Cardinals in a deal that allows MGM to open up a sportsbook right at State Farm Stadium, something that has never been done before in an NFL arena.

According to some reports, the sportsbook that MGM runs will be operable on both game days and non-game days. That means customers in the area will always have an opportunity to go ahead and place bets whether the Cards are in action or not.

MGM first started to launch its online sports betting market in Arizona back in 2021 and has since grown tremendously. They are a top-three brand in the country in terms of sports betting along with FanDuel and DraftKings. The sportsbook at State Farm Stadium was officially released to the public this week and it’s a marvelous wonder. Not only is it a place to place wagers on the games, but it’s also an excellent venue to watch the action, get a bite, and join the community.

Chicago Mayor Makes Council For Review Of Bally’s Casino

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks on day one of the Lollapalooza Music Festival on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Changes could be coming in Chicago in terms of the gaming scene. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that there is going to be a brand-new Casino Community Advisory Council added into the fold. The council is anticipated to be a channel for community input as the first casino in the state comes around. The people on the board will made up of varying neighborhoods and experts as well to make sure they get it right.

This council is expected to provide insight into the temporary site that the casino has at the moment. It is thought that once they move to a permanent casino, the council will no longer remain intact.

Bally’s Casino is arriving in Chicago at a cost of nearly $1.7 billion dollars. The property is set to officially open up in the second quarter of the year 2023. We aren’t expected to see the permanent site open up until the beginning of 2026. The hope for Chicago is that this brings a lot of jobs in the meantime (and permanently) and gives the state a big boost in revenues once it’s up and running.

Screen Media Gets Rights To Russell Crowe’s Movie

A brand-new poker movie that many in the card community are anticipating just got a big boost after it was swooped up by a production company. The movie is called Poker Face and stars Russell Crowe. It was recently acquired by Screen Media this week from Arclight Films. Other stars in the film are Liam Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky.

The plot follows Crowe’s character as a tech billionaire and avid gambler. He goes out on a great night with his friends to get into the action but as the movie unfolds, we learn that there is secretly more at stake.

Screen Media is thrilled to acquire the talented crew for this film ahead of its release. They said, “Russell has created a phenomenal film and is joined on screen by a brilliant ensemble cast – we are so proud to be part of this project.”

With this movie still set to release, Screen Media is taking a bit of a chance on acquiring them before it’s garnered any success at all. However, the company clearly has full faith in the product that they picked up with Crowe leading the way forward.