The Las Vegas Sands is not playing around when it comes to bringing casinos to Texas. The company recently launched a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign to support the effort. Television and radio ads will begin today in the state, within its biggest markets.

The ads will launch on the same day that a state House committee will be reviewing proposals for gambling expansion. One proposal of course, was submitted by the Las Vegas Sands.

The Campaign

With the ad campaign, the Las Vegas Sands company is trying to help Texans see why gambling needs to expand in the state. The ads discuss how billions of tourism and gambling funds are leaving the state each year. Neighboring states that offer gaming are profiting from citizens of Texas.

The TV ads are just one and a half minutes long and feature a narrator stating that in November, Legislature can allow Texans to vote on the matter. The idea is to bring four world-class destination resorts and casinos to the state. The ad points out further that thousands of jobs will be created along with funds for schools and public safety.

An Extra Push

Las Vegas Sands created the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, and it is under this group that the company is paying for the advertisements. A new website along with social media accounts were created to further push the ad campaign.

The company is fully supportive of a bill that will allow residents to vote on creating casino licensing for four destination resorts. The resorts would be located in the metro areas of Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

The ads will air in these markets along with other areas to push voters to the polls if the chance to vote on the subject comes about. Lobbyists have also been hired to persuade lawmakers to review a gambling expansion and help with the effort.

So far, the progress of the gambling expansion measure has been slow going. The Senate version of the bill is in committee and has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

In the House, the gambling expansion talks also include sports betting. Legislation is on the table to legalize the industry in the state, and it has the full support of the Sports Betting Alliance. This is a group consisting of professional sports teams from Texas, along with racetracks and betting operators.

Dade Phelan, the House speaker, is open to expanding the gambling operations in the state. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, the head of the Senate is less open to the idea. Governor Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to see where residents are at on the issue before moving forward.

Microgaming has partnered with platform and content provider Blox Limited in a deal that will make its games available to even more operators and players in Italy‘s “thriving online casino market.”

Signed through Microgaming-powered Prima Networks Limited (PNL), the distribution deal will initially see a suite of 50 of the Isle of Man-based gambling software company’s most popular online slot and casino games delivered to Blox’s already impressive game lobby, which features titles from some of the industry’s leading developers such as Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Cherry AB subsidiary, Yggdrasil Gaming.

Enhanced content offering:

According to PNL Managing Director Rupert Dix, following the initial roll-out, the plan is to integrate additional titles over the coming months in order to enable operators in the region that are powered by the Italy-facing platform to offer their players even more quality content from Microgaming and their partner studios.

“Italy has a thriving online casino market and we are thrilled to be able to offer our games to more operators and players via this great partnership with BLOX,” Dix said in an official press release.

Fan-favorite Microgaming titles such as Lara Croft Temples and Tombs, developed exclusively for the software provider by Triple Edge Studios, alongside 9 Masks of Fire, and the chart-topping vampire-themed Immortal Romance, will now be made available to operators powered by the Blox platform.

Ahead of competition:

“Thrilled” to be able to offer these games and more to their partners and their partner’s players, Chief Commercial Officer for Blox, Karl Grech explained the significance of the new collaboration…

“We have built an incredible portfolio of games from some of the biggest providers in the market and the addition of Microgaming further sets us apart from our rival platform providers and aggregators. Microgaming is undoubtedly one of the industry’s leading content providers and no online casino game lobby is complete without titles such as Immortal Romance and the Thor-inspired, Thunderstruck II.”

Blox, which kicked off the new year by partnering with Cypriot iGaming company Fugaso, provides gaming content to some of the most esteemed operators in the market, including online sports betting and casino operator, Betagioco.it. The availability of Microgaming content will enable these operators to expand the range of their portfolios with titles that are some of the most played across the globe.

LatAm presence:

The new partnership comes on the heels of Microgaming’s content supply deal with Portuguese gaming and hospitality company Solverde Group. The agreement that boosts the company’s presence in the southern European country also serves to bolster the group’s online casino and sports betting brand, Solverde.pt, which is already the leading operator in what is a rapidly growing regulated market.