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Dan Ippolito
As Casino City's associate editor, Dan produces and edits all of our weekly newsletters, and he writes about the gaming industry for our websites and the GPWA Times Magazine. Dan graduated from Marist College in 2017 with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Sports. More articles by Dan Ippolito

Casino City’s Friday Five: Jackpots, renovations and violations

12 September 2025
By Dan Ippolito

The Lithuanian regulator inspected OlyBet for unauthorized gambling advertising. In addition, we have record numbers coming from Circa Sports’ NFL contests this year, a Las Vegas resort unveiling its transformation, and several jackpots from Sin City.

Let’s begin with a couple of massive paydays:

5. Palms Casino Resort pays out Grand Jackpot slot win
On 6 September, a guest visiting from Germany struck it big at Palms Casino Resort in downtown Las Vegas.

On their way out of town, luggage in hand, they stopped to play in the High Limit area—betting around $17 on a 10¢ denomination Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival machine—and hit a $113,714 Grand Jackpot just before heading to the airport.

4. Six-figure poker jackpot at The LINQ
A Caesars Rewards member from Iowa walked away with $937,040 after hitting a mega jackpot at The LINQ Hotel + Experience on 30 August.

Billy played Face Up Pai Gow for an hour before hitting the jackpot with a seven-card straight flush. He was in town to celebrate a birthday with friends.

3. Gambling watchdog inspects OlyBet
On Tuesday, the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority began an inspection of the company Olympic Casino Group Baltija due to unauthorized gambling advertising, as OlyBet trademarks displayed in the Fan Zone near the White Bridge in Vilnius.

Since 1 July, stricter requirements for gambling advertising have come into force in the Gambling Law.

Outdoor advertising by gambling organizers is prohibited. It is permitted to advertise only the name and/or trademark on the gambling organizer's premises or the building where gambling is organized.

2. Circa Sports’ 2025 NFL contests break records
The Las Vegas-based sports betting brand’s record-breaking professional football contest Circa Survivor reached 15,000 sign-ups as of 3 September, covering the guarantee of $15 million.

Any additional signups will increase the prize pool, leading to the largest purse ever for this type of contest.

Last year’s Circa Survivor guaranteed a $10 million prize pool and awarded a payout of $14,266,000. Reaching the guarantee has officially deemed this year’s Circa Survivor the largest professional football betting contest ever.

Also returning for the 2025-2026 season, Circa Million VII features a $6 million guarantee. With 4,570 entries as of 3 September, Circa Sports faces a $1,430,000 overlay.

1. Ellis Island Casino Hotel and Brewery unveils expansion
Ellis Island Casino Hotel & Brewery announced the debut of the first phase of its $35 million expansion and renovation.

The new space doubles the casino floor, which includes a new casino bar, high-limit gaming area, and the recently announced Boomer’s Sportsbook.

The expansion also includes a new rooftop bar, The Deck, with views of Las Vegas Boulevard and seasonal craft cocktails, which will open this fall.

Casino City’s Friday Five: Jackpots, renovations and violations is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.

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