Josh Hawley, the Republican senator, has made waves with his proposal “Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act.” The bill would ban loot boxes and microtransactions in games “designed for children.” According to Hawley, children are the main focus of the bill.

Hawley revealed that the idea for the bill came from “being a parent of two little boys,” as well as “talking to a lot of parents.” He also mentioned that he has heard from “lots of gamers” about their worries about the increasing volume of microtransactions in all kinds of games. Hawley also said that his children do not currently play games at all.

According to Hawley, children may not “know the nature of these microtransactions.” Comparing them to casinos, which of course minors aren’t legally able to enter, he noted that this bill falls in line with other efforts to “regulate what our children are exposed to.”

Travis Lamb Elevated to Chief Financial Officer of Cordish Gaming Group; Anthony Faranca Named Executive Vice President & General Manager of Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Maryland

The Cordish Companies announced key appointments to its corporate executive team in the Gaming & Lodging division, as the company moves to expand the Live! brand in the Mid-Atlantic region with the development of two new gaming properties in Pennsylvania.

TRAVIS LAMB, who most recently served as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Live! Casino & Hotel, in Hanover, MD, has been elevated to the new position of Chief Financial Officer for Cordish Gaming Group, the company’s international gaming division.

Succeeding Lamb will be ANTHONY FARANCA who joins the company as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Live! Casino & Hotel. Both appointments are effective immediately.

The announcements come as The Cordish Companies prepares for significant growth with the addition of two new gaming properties, including Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, and Live! Casino in Westmoreland County, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh. Additionally, Live! Casino & Hotel in Maryland is putting the finishing touches on a significant expansion of its Event Center to accommodate up to 4,000 seats upon completion.

“We are incredibly fortunate as a company to have a leader as skilled and knowledgeable as Travis and we’re pleased to elevate him to a position where he can have even greater impact on the growth of our gaming ventures in both Maryland and Pennsylvania,” said David Cordish, Chairman, The Cordish Companies. “We are also thrilled to have a gaming executive as experienced as Anthony on board and know he will be a fantastic addition to our flagship property in Maryland.”

TRAVIS LAMB is a senior level executive with more than 25 years of experience in the casino gaming industry, primarily serving in strategic planning and analysis and financial leadership positions. In his new capacity as CFO of Cordish Gaming Group, Mr. Lamb will oversee the planning, implementation and management of all the financial activities of the company’s gaming projects, including the newest ventures in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Mr. Lamb joined The Cordish Companies as Chief Financial Officer of Live! Casino & Hotel and was later promoted to General Manager, where he oversaw the addition of the flagship Live! Hotel and the expansion of the Live! Event Center. Prior, Mr. Lamb served as Vice President of Finance at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack, where his duties included managing financial accounting, income audits, planning & analysis, risk management and regulatory compliance, while overseeing a financial team of 100 employees. He also spent six years as Harrah’s Eastern Division Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis, working with ten properties from Iowa to Atlantic City, including Canada and the Bahamas. Mr. Lamb also has ten years of experience serving in finance leadership positions with Harrah’s East Chicago Riverboat Casino Hotel and Showboat Atlantic City Casino Hotel.

ANTHONY FARANCA brings more than 25 years of diverse management experience from multiple gaming jurisdictions to his new role as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Live! Casino & Hotel in Maryland, where he will assume oversight of the day-to-day management and operations of one of the largest commercial casinos in the country.

Mr. Faranca most recently served as Vice President and General Manager for Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, before joining the Live! Team. Prior, he held the position of Vice President and General Manager for Parx Casino in Pennsylvania, where he helped affirm the property’s status as the number one revenue-producing facility in the state. In addition, Mr. Faranca spent several years in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he served as Vice President of National Casino Marketing for Caesars Entertainment. Throughout his career, Mr. Faranca has helped organizations drive growth through effective marketing, enhanced guest service and team member engagement.

“During this exciting time, it is our primary focus to place attention on the projects at hand, while continuing to deliver the same level of excellent customer service that our guests have come to expect at Live! Casino & Hotel,” said Rob Norton, President of Cordish Gaming Group. “These appointments not only strengthen our corporate gaming division, but also position us to enhance the results of our existing operations, while pursuing development in other gaming jurisdictions.”

Source: The Cordish Companies

MGM has ended the talks with Wynn Resort to buy the Encore Boston Harbor Casino. The nearly finished property and Wynn Resorts as a whole were roped in a scandal of massive proportions that stemmed from multiple sexual misconduct allegations leveled against the casino operator’s ex-boss and founder Steve Wynn.

MGM said in a statement that they “have noted the anxiety raised by various stakeholders regarding a transaction” and that they think “the best course of action is to discontinue discussions” concerning the opportunity to buy Encore Boston Harbor. The statement further read that the company wishes to have “a positive impact on communities in which we operate.”

Wynn Resorts said in a statement that it has agreed to cease discussions with MGM “after careful consideration.” The company added that it is committed to opening and running the 671-room hotel and casino resort located along the Mystic River in Everett.