Magic Piggy

What is Magic Piggy?

The VGT dispute and construction reset are the latest chapters in a long and bumpy road for Bally’s since winning Chicago’s sole casino licence in 2022. Work has been halted for debris overflow and for unapproved contractors, and the company faced an $800 million funding gap that was eventually filled through a financing agreement with Gaming and Leisure Properties. Potential interference with city water lines also necessitated a significant redesign of the hotel plan.

At one point, the IGB ordered a temporary work stoppage at Bally’s permanent casino following reports of alleged ties between an unapproved dumpster service with organised crime.

Bally’s has been granted two years’ worth of extensions for the permanent project. State law allows for two-year temporary licences, but the Illinois Gaming Board approved an extension to three years in 2023. That pushed the deadline to this September, but Bally’s ultimately received another year’s worth of extensions through language included in the state’s omnibus revenue bill that was passed in June.

What is Magic Piggy?

In the dossier, Spectrum unpacks Evolution’s review and vetting processes for potential clients. At the time of the report, Evolution required clients to provide certification of the beneficial ownership of 25% or more of the company. But Spectrum says it was not using “a viable process” as some documents provided by companies could be inaccurate.

“If red flags become known to Evolution during this onboarding process, Evolution should either determine not to do business with the company or undertake enhanced due diligence to resolve the red flags before engaging in business with the company,” Spectrum advises.

Within its investigation Black Cube named a number of Evolution employees which it had interviewed and reported to have provided information on the company that supported the intelligence firm’s claims.

How to play Magic Piggy

In the 1960s, back when Las Vegas’ Meadows Addition neighborhood was nice, showgirls lived there. They liked to sunbathe au naturel at their apartment pools because they didn’t like tan lines.

That’s the commonly told story of how the Naked City, a community of low-rent apartment buildings and houses in the shadow of the Stratosphere just north of the Las Vegas Strip, got its nickname.

Not a single newspaper reference to Naked City appears in a Las Vegas newspaper before a June 20, 1982, Las Vegas Review-Journal cover story headlined: “’Naked City’ a Las Vegas Battleground.”