NEWS & NOTES

The Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California has announced stricter coronavirus safety measures related to face coverings. Beginning September 1, patrons were no longer able to substitute bandanas, neck gaiters or balaclavas for face masks, or wear face masks with vents or valves. Pechanga leadership cited a recent study from Duke University showing that these types of face covering offer little protection against the spread of Covid-19. ● The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino in Mescalero, New Mexico reopened Monday, August 31, the Mescalero Apache Tribe announced on its website. The casino floor will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. with nightly closures for deep cleaning. Nongaming amenities including the hotel, spa, Topgolf Swing Suite, and eateries will be closed until further notice. ● The Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico reopened September 2. Guests will be required to wear face masks and temperature checks will be conducted. Dividers have also been installed at slot machines and table games. The poker room will remain closed and craps will be suspended. ● Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, New York, originally slated to resume business in July, finally opened its doors on August 31. Guests must wear a mask to enter, and also will be asked where they live, if they have any symptoms and if they have recently been in a group larger than 25 people. Temperatures will be checked. The casino’s reopening was delayed due to a spike in local Covid-19 infections. ● Malaysian supplier RGB International swung to a loss in Q2 as Covid-19 forced the closure of its servicing centers and it sold fewer products. Overall revenue was down 74 percent to RM14.4 million (US$3.4 million). ● Rivers Casino Pittsburgh expanded its hours of operation starting on September 6. Rivers resumed 24-hour operations except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. BetRivers Sportsbook windows are open during select times, kiosks are open 24 hours a day, and restaurants are also open. Casino representatives say the indoor smoking ban will remain in effect at this time. ● Allegiant Stadium offers a pair of movable “sensory nooks” at the 65,000-seat stadium “for introverts or individuals on the autism spectrum to escape from the crowds,” according to the venue. The nooks let people “take a break in a location that is calming and tranquil,” Raiders President Marc Badain said in a statement. The nooks include vibrating seats, fiber-optic walls and LED-lighting panels that can help enhance an individual’s mood. ● Spirit Airlines will launch a new nonstop flight between Las Vegas and Orange County in Southern California this fall. Daily nonstop flights will kick off November 17 between McCarran International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, the airline announced last week. ● Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has unveiled plans for signature cocktail lounges in the Commons Club. An 8,500-square-foot entertainment wing will adjoin the main entrance. Coming this month are specifics about the five-acre pool area and event deck, and an updated opening date. ● Also at Virgin, a restaurant lineup has been announced, some holdovers from Hard Rock Hotel days. Among the brands will be Nobu, MB Steak, Pizza Forte, and Olives from James Beard Award-winning chef Todd English, who previously operated venues at Bellagio at the Shops at Crystals. ● Station Casinos announced last week that it is breaking ground on two new state-of-the-art health clinics. The free clinics, available to all Station employees, will be located at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa and at Sunset Station Hotel & Casino. They will be operated by Activate Healthcare. ● Lumiere Place Casino in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, which reopened June 1 after several months of Covid-19-related shutdown, will lay off 97 workers. If the casino’s VIP room and other shuttered parts of the hotel/casino complex reopen before April 2021, the workers will be called back at their accrued pay rate and seniority. ● About 53,000 frontline staff working in Macau’s casinos have now received Covid-19 virus tests, with all test results coming back negative, Health authorities announced last week. Macau has not had any new cases of Covid-19 contracted within the community for more than five months. ● Casino investor New Silkroad Culturaltainment Ltd. has been unable to start development of an integrated resort project on the South Korean holiday island of Jeju due to ongoing delays in obtaining financing. Known as Glorious Hill, the project was touted in 2016 as “one of the largest integrated resort complexes in South Korea” with five-star hotels, commercial and residential properties, a theme park and golf courses. The project won regulatory approval last year at this time. ● The upgraded SkyCity Adelaide Casino in South Australia is expected to open in late November, and is already taking bookings for December. The A$330 million (US$238 million) upgrades feature the addition of 120 guest rooms, new restaurants, a wellness center, and a bar with a panoramic view of the region. ● Starlight Culture, formerly known as Jimei International, has confirmed to the Hong Stock Exchange that it is no longer in the gaming business. In a filing, the company stated, “At June 30, 2020, the entertainment and gaming business was classified as a discontinued operation.” The company was once known for its junket operations in Macau and Cambodia, and for operations of the small Casino Jimei in Macau. Starlight is now mainly focused on its film business. ● Hotel owners in the Indian state of Goa want the government to provide tax breaks to offset the loss of revenues from floating casinos, which remain shut. ● Paradise City in Incheon, Korea, recorded a Covid-19 case in a restaurant worker and shut down for several days on September 1 while emergency disinfection measures are carried out. All staff of the restaurant in question were put in mandatory quarantine and about 350 other employees are being tested. ● Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has expanded an existing service agreement with Las Vegas-based Bluberi Gaming. Under the new agreement, Eilers & Krejcik will provide Supplier Dashboard access to its Game Performance Database, which is part of its Gaming Equipment & Technology market research tool. This will help Bluberi expand its North American footprint, said CEO Andrew Burke. • The jackpot for the Texas Lottery’s top in-state jackpot game, Lotto Texas, has grown to the largest in 10 years after 66 drawings without a top winner. As of September 2, the jackpot—then $36.75 million—was the fifth largest prize in the world. The last time someone won the Lotto Texas jackpot was January 15, when the prize was $17.5 million.