We’re bringing you an amazing week of gambling news, as the American gambling industry has witnessed second highest revenue month of all time! And right on the heels of the pandemic that almost killed them! No doubt that the spread of sports betting across the country helped a lot! We also cover Las Vegas casino plans for the big 4th of July weekend!

Hello friends, and welcome to This Week in Gambling, where we have good news all the way around. American gambling, from casinos to sports betting… and all the way to this week’s big story! Several weeks ago, we reported that Las Vegas had reached $1 billion in gaming revenue for the month of March, marking a full recovery for the city and reaching pre-pandemic numbers. And now it seems that good fortune has spilled over to all American gambling!

Our friends at the American Gaming Association say that US gambling revenue for the nation came in at $4.4 billion for the month of April, falling just shy of the all-time record of $4.8 billion. Not too shabby, considering most casinos in the country are still operating under some kind of COVID restrictions.

Part of the reason for the continued strong American gambling numbers, despite all the restrictions, is the continued growth of sports betting in America. And now you can add yet another name to the growing list of states regulating the activity. Louisiana sports betting legislation just passed, regulating betting on sports along with fantasy sports. Plus, residents there will be able to place their bets online and using their mobile devices! All we’re waiting on now is the signature of the governor.

Also, if you’re planning to head to Las Vegas for the 4th of July celebration, you better get your ass in gear! I mean, hotel rooms are filling up fast, but if you’ve already made reservations (or you’re fortunate enough to get one) many of the most popular resorts up and down, The Strip will be putting on fireworks displays… and that includes Caesar’s Palace, Treasure Island, the Venetian, the Aria, Planet Hollywood, The Strat, and the brand new Resorts World Las Vegas. There will also be shows that many of the Stations Casinos and the Plaza, downtown on Fremont Street.

This week’s game review is for the Fire Toad online slot from our friends at Play’n Go… a five real game with 1024 pay lines and five different toads to watch for. And look for the Firefly scatter symbols that also serve as wild, plus bonus spins and a bonus round. This review and hundreds more are available on our YouTube channel.

And finally, this week, American gambling company International Game Technology…or as most of you slot lovers know them: IGT… has just made a huge gambling deal with Rhode Island, giving them control of most of the state’s gambling operations for the next 20 years! In order to pull that shit off, IGT had to pay the state $27 million in advance… and agree to pay $100 million for casino expansion… and invest $150 million into technology… plus, agreed to employ over 1000 people… for the next 20 years! As long as they’re doing that, IGT should have agreed to just carpet the whole state!