u/visitplayusa

there's already a decent amount of musician-themed slots out there. Michael Jackson has one, Elvis has one, Dolly Parton, Guns n' Roses too. so clearly labels/estates are open to licensing deals when the fit makes sense.

makes me wonder why some other obvious names haven't gotten the same treatment yet.

- Prince feels like the biggest gap. massive catalog, one of the most visually iconic aesthetics in music, the whole purple rain neon thing basically writes itself as a slot theme. estate's just really protective of his likeness so that's probably the holdup.

- Lady Gaga is another one. poker face is basically a casino anthem at this point and there's still no official game built around her.

- Pink Floyd's "money" already has the cash register sound effects built in, feels like a missed opportunity for a big win jingle.

- Gorillaz would be an easy one too since they're animated, no licensing headaches around live-action likeness, and there's a genuinely wild visual world to pull from already.

curious if anyone's actually played one of the existing artist slots and thought it nailed the theme vs felt like a cheap tie-in. and who else feels like an obvious pick that's still missing?

there's already a decent amount of musician-themed slots out there. Michael Jackson has one, Elvis has one, Dolly Parton, Guns n' Roses too. so clearly labels/estates are open to licensing deals when the fit makes sense.

makes me wonder why some other obvious names haven't gotten the same treatment yet.

- Prince feels like the biggest gap. massive catalog, one of the most visually iconic aesthetics in music, the whole purple rain neon thing basically writes itself as a slot theme. estate's just really protective of his likeness so that's probably the holdup.

- Lady Gaga is another one. poker face is basically a casino anthem at this point and there's still no official game built around her.

- Pink Floyd's "money" already has the cash register sound effects built in, feels like a missed opportunity for a big win jingle.

- Gorillaz would be an easy one too since they're animated, no licensing headaches around live-action likeness, and there's a genuinely wild visual world to pull from already.

curious if anyone's actually played one of the existing artist slots and thought it nailed the theme vs felt like a cheap tie-in. and who else feels like an obvious pick that's still missing?

so AC casinos have this setup where they can either pay a straight 2.5% tax on gaming revenue to the state, or reinvest 1.25% through this thing called the CRDA. most of them pick the reinvestment route, which is how you end up with casino money funding stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with casinos.

the board just approved almost $1.8M across 14 grants for the first half of 2026. some of the bigger ones:

• $300K to Atlantic Cape Community College for workforce training
• $231K to a food security nonprofit running community gardens and a SNAP-accessible farmers market
• $100K to a ceramics studio that trains women experiencing poverty
• $100K for coding/cybersecurity/culinary programs
• the rest went to things like literacy programs, a marathon, public art, and (genuinely) the AC St. Patrick's Day Parade

the timing is interesting too because ownership of the nine AC casinos is about to shift pretty hard — Fertitta's deal to buy Caesars is still on track, and if it closes they'd control four of the nine casinos on the floor (Caesars, Harrah's, Tropicana, Golden Nugget, since they already own Golden Nugget). since CRDA funding is tied directly to gaming revenue, that's a lot of the funding base sitting under one company going forward.

kind of a weird system when you sit with it, the house always winning is also, technically, funding the boardwalk's ceramics program.

anyone know if other casino states have anything like this, or is this a NJ-specific setup?

so AC casinos have this setup where they can either pay a straight 2.5% tax on gaming revenue to the state, or reinvest 1.25% through this thing called the CRDA. most of them pick the reinvestment route, which is how you end up with casino money funding stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with casinos.

the board just approved almost $1.8M across 14 grants for the first half of 2026. some of the bigger ones:

• $300K to Atlantic Cape Community College for workforce training
• $231K to a food security nonprofit running community gardens and a SNAP-accessible farmers market
• $100K to a ceramics studio that trains women experiencing poverty
• $100K for coding/cybersecurity/culinary programs
• the rest went to things like literacy programs, a marathon, public art, and (genuinely) the AC St. Patrick's Day Parade

the timing is interesting too because ownership of the nine AC casinos is about to shift pretty hard — Fertitta's deal to buy Caesars is still on track, and if it closes they'd control four of the nine casinos on the floor (Caesars, Harrah's, Tropicana, Golden Nugget, since they already own Golden Nugget). since CRDA funding is tied directly to gaming revenue, that's a lot of the funding base sitting under one company going forward.

kind of a weird system when you sit with it, the house always winning is also, technically, funding the boardwalk's ceramics program.

anyone know if other casino states have anything like this, or is this a NJ-specific setup?

so AC casinos have this setup where they can either pay a straight 2.5% tax on gaming revenue to the state, or reinvest 1.25% through this thing called the CRDA. most of them pick the reinvestment route, which is how you end up with casino money funding stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with casinos.

the board just approved almost $1.8M across 14 grants for the first half of 2026. some of the bigger ones:

• $300K to Atlantic Cape Community College for workforce training
• $231K to a food security nonprofit running community gardens and a SNAP-accessible farmers market
• $100K to a ceramics studio that trains women experiencing poverty
• $100K for coding/cybersecurity/culinary programs
• the rest went to things like literacy programs, a marathon, public art, and (genuinely) the AC St. Patrick's Day Parade

the timing is interesting too because ownership of the nine AC casinos is about to shift pretty hard — Fertitta's deal to buy Caesars is still on track, and if it closes they'd control four of the nine casinos on the floor (Caesars, Harrah's, Tropicana, Golden Nugget, since they already own Golden Nugget). since CRDA funding is tied directly to gaming revenue, that's a lot of the funding base sitting under one company going forward.

kind of a weird system when you sit with it, the house always winning is also, technically, funding the boardwalk's ceramics program.

anyone know if other casino states have anything like this, or is this a NJ-specific setup?

The Terre Haute Casino Foundation (tied to Churchill Downs' casino resort) says it'll pledge up to $94M for the new high school if the county council commits before year-end. If it goes through, North and South get converted to middle schools, and a few middle schools become elementary schools.

Anyone been following the Oversight Board meetings on this?

Terre Haute Casino Resort's (Churchill Downs) affiliated nonprofit has pledged up to $94M toward a new consolidated high school east of the Wabash River, $10M upfront, then ~$4.2M/year for 20 years, contingent on Vigo County Council committing before end of 2026.

The broader VCSC plan would replace Terre Haute North and South with one new campus, converting the old buildings into middle schools and cascading several middle schools into elementary schools.

Anyone following the Oversight Board's recommendation timeline on this?

If you've been following the $17.6B Fertitta-Caesars deal: execs told the Nevada Gaming Commission this week that they're planning continuity, not a shakeup, current Caesars leadership stays, existing compliance systems stay, and employees keep their jobs/benefits. Caesars Rewards would also expand to Fertitta properties.

Deal still needs antitrust review, shareholder approval, and licensing clearance in several states, so nothing's finalized. Anyone local have thoughts on what this could mean for the Strip long-term?

Badges, streaks, daily rewards, levels, spins, what actually works on you? What’s the best rewards system you’ve seen in any app/game?

Badges, streaks, daily rewards, levels, spins, what actually works on you? What’s the best rewards system you’ve seen in any app/game?

Badges, streaks, daily rewards, levels, spins, what actually works on you? What’s the best rewards system you’ve seen in any app/game?

Illinois just passed the country's first state-level tax aimed specifically at prediction markets, it's tucked into a bigger budget bill that also slaps a 15% tax on fantasy sports operators. Kalshi and the CFTC didn't wait around; they've already filed a federal lawsuit to block it.

If you've been following this space at all, you know the real fight isn't really about tax rates, it's about what these things are. Nevada, New Jersey, and Maryland have all tried to shut Kalshi and Polymarket-style contracts down outright, arguing they're just sports betting with a different name on the door. Kalshi's counterargument has been consistent: these are federally regulated financial products, not gambling, so states don't get a say.

Illinois just took a different swing at it. Instead of banging heads with Kalshi in court over whether it's allowed to operate at all, they're saying "fine, operate, but we're taxing you like everyone else in this industry." Kind of a clever move, honestly. If it holds up legally, don't be surprised if other states start copying the playbook instead of burning years and legal fees trying to ban these platforms outright.

Does taxing prediction markets like gambling settle the "is this gambling" question once and for all?

Illinois just passed the country's first state-level tax aimed specifically at prediction markets, it's tucked into a bigger budget bill that also slaps a 15% tax on fantasy sports operators. Kalshi and the CFTC didn't wait around; they've already filed a federal lawsuit to block it.

If you've been following this space at all, you know the real fight isn't really about tax rates, it's about what these things are. Nevada, New Jersey, and Maryland have all tried to shut Kalshi and Polymarket-style contracts down outright, arguing they're just sports betting with a different name on the door. Kalshi's counterargument has been consistent: these are federally regulated financial products, not gambling, so states don't get a say.

Illinois just took a different swing at it. Instead of banging heads with Kalshi in court over whether it's allowed to operate at all, they're saying "fine, operate, but we're taxing you like everyone else in this industry." Kind of a clever move, honestly. If it holds up legally, don't be surprised if other states start copying the playbook instead of burning years and legal fees trying to ban these platforms outright.

Does taxing prediction markets like gambling settle the "is this gambling" question once and for all?