The proposal comes days after Fertitta Entertainment agreed to acquire Caesars Entertainment, putting two of the largest U.S. casino operators at the center of major takeover deals.

With the Vegas Golden Knights set to open the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, the series is already being felt far beyond the ice. Southern Nevada businesses and workers are poised to benefit from a surge in sports-driven spending.

It's the second major casino purchase offer in two months, but it didn't surprise one longtime observer of the Las Vegas gaming business.

In an interview with CDC Gaming at Thursday’s conference, Alan Feldman, director of Strategic Initiatives and distinguished fellow for Responsible Gaming at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, said the deal has the opportunity to be “extraordinarily beneficial” to both companies and all the markets that they serve.

Brett Abarbanel never realized just how important gambling would become in her life. She always knew she was going to someday become a professor of gambling — she just didn’t know how that was going to happen.

The 19th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking set for this month has added new keynote and panel presentations spanning sports betting, artificial intelligence, regulatory oversight and risk in the entertainment industry.

The masterclass “Betting on Influence: An Analysis of Sports Betting Influencers” will teach sportsbook operators how to use influencer marketing in a responsible and effective way.

Artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but its use has surged since the onset of ChatGPT. That growth is now reshaping the gaming industry, raising both big opportunities and new concerns about trust and player protection.