Hooked

How to play Hooked

The pair established Sanum Investments and partnered with Laotian conglomerate ST Group. Baldwin later testified that the investors initially committed around $7.5 million to the venture, which envisaged two casino resorts and several slot clubs.

Their biggest success was Savan Vegas, strategically located near the Friendship Bridge linking Laos with neighboring Thailand across the Mekong River. A planned second resort, Paksong Vegas, was never built.

Within several years, however, the partnership had soured.

How to play Hooked

As Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon points out, prediction markets generated $4.3 billion in taker volume during the first week of September without any help from the NFL, building on momentum from the 2026 World Cup. However, the NFL’s impact was immediate, with taker volume hitting a daily record during Week 1 of the campaign.

With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that Macquarie expects sports event contracts will drive approximately 80% of taker volume this year, but Beynon sees other categories growing over the long term.

“We expect non-sports categories such as economics, politics, crypto, and entertainment to gain share over time,” says the analyst.

How to play Hooked

The latest project will add more than 275,000 square feet to the north side of the resort. The expanded casino floor will include 400 additional slot machines, while new entertainment options will include a 36-lane bowling facility and luxury movie theaters.

One of the largest additions will be Moonshine Flats, a country-western bar and entertainment venue. The two-story facility will cover about 29,000 square feet.

Kreeger said in August that Durango has continued to perform well despite the disruption caused by ongoing construction. He described the property as an important growth driver in the Las Vegas locals market.