Connections
- IWGsupplier toAtlantic Lottery Corporation
- IWGsupplier toPennsylvania Lottery
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The Closing Line questions Pennsylvania Lottery’s Game of Life scratch-off branding
Reportedly, the Closing Line criticised Pennsylvania Lottery’s decision to put The Game of Life branding on a scratch-off. The criticism concerns the branding’s appeal to children; the ticket offers a $1m top prize.
A scratch-off sold by the Pennsylvania Lottery that borrows The Game of Life name and imagery drew scrutiny from The Closing Line, a gambling analysis publication, which asked whether a board game aimed at children ought to be tied to gambling promotion. The analysis, dated 8 October 2026, treated the matter as a branding question and did not oppose lottery products in general. No formal regulatory step connected to the ticket is mentioned in the source.
White Hat Gaming appoints Leon Thomas as chief commercial officer
White Hat Gaming appointed Leon Thomas as chief commercial officer on 29 September 2026, the company said. Thomas previously held senior roles at Hard Rock Digital, Entain, Microgaming and IWG, and most recently led Hard Rock Digital’s international expansion as vice-president.
Pennsylvania Lottery reports more than $1bn profit for 15th straight year
The Pennsylvania Lottery said it generated more than $1 billion in profit for the fiscal year ended 30 June 2026, marking its 15th consecutive year above that level. Retail traditional-game sales rose 3% to $4.44 billion, while online sales totalled $849 million; proceeds support programmes for older Pennsylvanians.
France's competition authority approves Banijay's Joa acquisition without conditions
France's competition authority has approved Banijay's planned acquisition of casino operator Joa without conditions. The review, the authority's first of a gambling transaction spanning online and land-based operations, focused mainly on poker and concluded that the deal was unlikely to restrict competition. The authority said its assessment did not account for possible future legalisation of online casino games.
Wynn Resorts targets September 2027 opening for Al Marjan Island resort
Wynn Resorts expects its Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah to open in September 2027, according to chief executive Craig Billings. The company expects to decide around February 2027 how the resort will launch; handovers to its operations team are due to begin in early 2027, with full control expected in late July.
Chief Executive Craig Billings said on the earnings call that the Ras Al Khaimah resort is still due to open in September 2027.