The nationwide expansion of sports betting provided business opportunities for Nevada's operators to branch out beyond the Silver State. To complement its nationwide presence, Caesars found a partnership at home with a locals casino.

Programming note: There will not be an Indy Gaming on March 18.

---

Caesars Entertainment executive Eric Hession isn't concerned that Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas or any of the company's six other Strip resorts are going to lose customers to the small, independently owned The Resort at Summerlin Casino.

That's one reason why Hession, president of Caesars Digital, OKed the placement of a 6,000-square-foot Caesars Race and Sportsbook within the 63,000-square-foot locals' casino that, until a 2025 rebrand, was known as the Rampart Casino, rather than using a William Hill sportsbook in the location.

The deal marked the second time Caesars is operating the company's sports betting brand outside of one of its casinos. The company has a Caesars Race and Sportsbook in the Downtown Grand. Caesars also owns the William Hill brand, which is used to manage sports betting in 140 Nevada locations, including nearly two dozen Strip, downtown and locals properties.

Hession said there isn't much of a customer overlap between The Resort at Summerlin's primarily local customer base and Caesars, whose Strip resorts draw business nationally and worldwide.

"They don't have to worry about their customers getting stolen, and we don't have to worry about our customers getting stolen," Hession said. "We talked with them about the brand. We both agreed that this would be a great location for a Caesars sportsbook."

Caesars Sportsbook operates in 31 states and Ontario, Canada. The brand is considered one of the top U.S. sports betting sites along with DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Fanatics. 

In 2025, Caesars Digital, which includes the company's online casino operations and William Hill, produced $1.4 billion in revenue, a 21 percent annual increase — the largest of the company's four operating divisions.

Last week's launch of the new sportsbook coincided with the unveiling of The Resort at Summerlin's casino renovation and rebrand away from the Rampart Casino name — its moniker since 2002.

The property, located just south of the Summerlin Parkway on Rampart Boulevard, is adjacent to the 549-room JW Marriott Hotel. The casino and the hotel are operated separately.

"What Caesars brought to us is going to be a home run for locals," said The Resort at Summerlin General Manager Michelle McHugh, who added that her customer base doesn't normally frequent Strip properties.

Details of the agreement's financial structure were not disclosed.

"We're super flexible. Some partners don't want to be involved and just want rent," Hession said. "Other partners want to be heavily involved, and they want participation."

The process to upgrade The Resort at Summerlin began last year. In addition to the name change, operators brought in 1,670 new slot machines, expanded table game options and added several new restaurants.

Hession said Caesars officials were impressed with the investment made into the casino, saying, "They may have the freshest slot floor in the state."

Caesars took over a space that had been an Irish pub to develop the sportsbook, which includes a 360-degree LED video display, a betting counter with Caesars staff and 20 self-service Caesars Sportsbooks betting kiosks — some of which will be located throughout the casino. An expanded sportsbook bar will be completed before summer.

Caesars and The Resort at Summerlin wanted the property opened ahead of next week's start of the March Madness college basketball championship tournaments.

"For the resort, having a great sports betting place was important," Hession said. "We have a marketing fund, and we're going to be designing some programs so that the sportsbook draws customers to the property."

Caesars brought in former Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland to place the first wager. One of the NHL team's original "misfits" from the inaugural season, Engelland said he couldn't bet on hockey because of his role as special assistant to team owner Bill Foley. Instead, he wagered $40 on the Las Vegas Raiders to go over 5 1/2 wins next season.

Engelland also hosted a watch party in the sportsbook that afternoon for the Knights game, which McHugh said was a precursor to many of the events the property plans to host. The property also revamped its food and beverage operations, providing 13 restaurants and bars and a new food hall.

"The savvy customers like good value, and they play here," McHugh said. The casino is overseen by a board of directors, which allows the management team to "be a little more liberal" with what is offered through the players' club and various promotions. "I think it's a better experience for the consumer."

---

Accel expands its Nevada slot route business

Illinois-based Accel Entertainment, Nevada's second-largest slot machine route operator, expanded its presence in the Silver State last year.

During the company's fourth-quarter earnings conference call last week, executives said its Nevada operations grew by 13 percent in the last three months of 2025. Accel, through its Century Gaming subsidiary, operates 3,000 slot machines in Nevada in more than 400 locations, producing more than $102 million in revenue.

"We believe the market is positioned for steady improvement," said Accel Chairman and CEO Andy Rubenstein.

Route operators manage the slot machines in Nevada's restricted gaming locations — 15 games or fewer — such as bars, taverns and convenience stores. Gaming revenue is then either shared with the location's owner or Accel rents the space.

Accel President Mark Phelan, who will become CEO in August, credited two deals for the Nevada expansion. 

Accel bought small route operator Dynasty Games for an undisclosed price, which added 20 locations and approximately 123 gaming machines across Northern Nevada. Phelan said the deal gave the company a presence in several new communities.

Last fall, the company took over the slot route operations at Rebel convenience stores in Southern Nevada, covering 55 locations with 424 gaming machines.

Accel, which operates almost 28,000 slot machines in 10 states, moved into Nevada in 2022 when it acquired Century for $140 million. The deal also included Century's business in Montana.

Nevada's route market changed in 2023, when Golden Entertainment, Nevada's largest slot route operator, sold its operations in Nevada and Montana to J&J Ventures Gaming, a privately held Illinois-based company, for $322.5 million. At the time, Golden operated 10,500 slot machines in 1,000 locations between the two states.

---

Acres' cashless gaming system launches at an off-Strip casino

Acres Gaming launched its Universal Payment Adapter on slot machines at the off-Strip Eureka Casino in Las Vegas. 

The cashless payment system relies on a QR code that allows customers to connect the game with their mobile bank account, automatically funding the player's slot machine play. It was unveiled last fall at the Global Gaming Expo.

"This isn't just another payment option. It's a cleaner, faster way to play," said Eureka Casino Chief Financial Officer Rich Hunter. "In a market where guests are increasingly focused on value and convenience, we wanted to make play easier."

The system was initially placed on 36 slot machines but should grow to 120 games by April 10, he added.

In response to concerns about problem gaming issues, Acres Chief Operating Officer Noah Acres said the system has built-in safeguards, including limits covering financial amounts and the number of times a player can use the program.

The system was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board's testing laboratory in August 2025.

---

What I'm reading

A new era begins at Las Vegas Sands after its CEO transition — Clark Schultz, Seeking Alpha

Patrick Dumont is the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, who is Sands' largest shareholder.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signs casino bill, says referendum change was a must — Joe Carroll, WANE-15News

Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts was behind the legislation. The company wants to relocate its Rising Star Casino in southern Indiana to the northeast.

---

News, notes and quotes

⚾ 🏟️ A's not mentioned among Sacramento tourist opportunities

Something was missing when a Visit Sacramento representative spoke with the local NPR affiliate about numerous events planned to boost visitation in 2026. Major League Baseball's Athletics were left out of the conversation. The marketing group for California's Capital region mentioned Aftershock, a large music festival, and several Ironman triathlon competitions. But not the A's. The A's are in the second year of a three-year deal, playing home games at the 14,000-capacity Sutter Health Park ahead of the team's 2028 move to a $2 billion stadium on the Strip. Maybe there were hurt feelings, given the A's will play a six-game homestand in June at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, leaving Sacramento with just 76 games.

🎰 Two gaming equipment developers named to Slot Hall of Fame

Gaming equipment developers Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe were inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame on Feb. 26. The award is sponsored by advisory firm Eilers & Krejcik  Gaming. Marks, who now develops slot machines for Aristocrat Technologies, has been responsible for nearly 100 patents issued for gaming equipment. He has founded several game development studios. Rowe spent several decades overseeing casino slot machine operations for Harrah's (now Caesars Entertainment) and eventually moved into the gaming manufacturing and technology side. He now operates Renaissance Casino Solutions. The pair became the hall's 13th and 14th members.

Corrected at 12:23 p.m. on 3/11/2026 to reflect Caesars Race and Sportsbook in Downtown Grand and the number of William Hill-managed locations in Nevada.