NEWS & NOTES

Grand Korea Leisure Co. Ltd., which operates foreigner-only casinos in South Korea, said its two Seoul venues and one Busan site will stay closed until February 1. The Seoul venues have been temporarily suspended since November 24 and the Busan site since December 1 in keeping with Covid-19 countermeasures, but were reopen on January 18. ● Philippine casino baron Enrique Razon is spearheading efforts to bring Covid-19 vaccines to the country. The founder of gaming operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. has been in talks with United States-based Moderna to bring in its mRNA-1273 vaccine at a cost of around $26 per dose. The vaccines are expected to be delivered to the Philippines from May to August, a source said. ● Penn National Gaming has announced an agreement that allows patrons to earn rewards when they stay at Choice Hotels across the country, and vice versa. The agreement takes advantage of proximity among the companies’ properties. There are more than 1,500 Choice-branded hotels within an hour of Penn National’s locations. The agreement will be rolled out in phases in 2021. ● Unused convention space at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas is now serving as a Covid-19 vaccination center. The location is operated by Southern Nevada’s University Medical Center. Encore has been closed to midweek business due to a Las Vegas’ tourism slowdown brought about by the pandemic. Wynn CEO Matt Maddox said Encore would be a perfect setting to help facilitate vaccine distribution “as quickly and efficiently as possible” throughout the Las Vegas Valley. ● The Macau Gaming Service Index 2020 showed that the toilet-environment quality at local casinos has dropped for three consecutive years. According to a statement, an analysis was based on findings by “mystery-shopper”-style researchers. Studies also looked at how often workers in different departments smiled behind their masks, judging them on “bagginess” under the eyes and visible smile lines. ● The Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas says it needs help keeping a roof over the museum’s head. Founder Tim Arnold started an online campaign Friday in hopes of raising $200,000 to finish construction on the museum’s new Las Vegas Boulevard location. The new site is nearly complete but funds fell short due to the “almost total collapse of tourist traffic” in the city due to Covid-19, Arnold said. ● The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio Las Vegas are celebrating the Year of the Ox with a new Lunar New Year display, “A Season of Love.” Nearly 63,000 plants and flowers are split across four scenes inside the conservatory, each created in the art of feng shui. ● Five more Macau gaming operators including MGM China, Wynn Macau, Galaxy Entertainment, Sands China, and Melco Resorts & Entertainment have announced that a discretionary bonus will be paid to eligible non-management team members. Traditionally, gaming operators offer two discretionary bonuses per year, equivalent to one month’s salary per bonus period. The concessionaires usually announce these bonuses every January and July to all eligible full-time employees in recognition of their contributions to the company. ● Russian bookmaker Fonbet has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Real Madrid football team through the 2022-23 season, making it the official betting partner of the team across Russia and the wider CIS region, including Belarus and Kazakhstan. ● Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln County, Oregon, has reopened after its second closure—this time for six weeks—due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has reopened with enhanced safety measures, including masks for all and every other slot machine covered and safe distances between dining tables in the reopened restaurants. The casino will also operate with reduced hours and limited capacity. It has a queueing system so patrons can text and the casino will let them know when they can enter. ● A study by Tangam Systems shows that table-game hold percentages are on the rise despite the restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study of table-game performance at 19 North American casinos showed that casino win per open hour for the third quarter increased over the same period in 2019, according to CDC Gaming Reports. Blackjack’s hold percentage in 2020 increased by a little more than 10 percent, while win-per-open-hour was up by 37 percent. Total blackjack win in 2020 was down a little less than 15 percent from 2019. • Jack Cincinnati announced that its Jack-labeled casino chips are set to expire February 4, and must be redeemed for cash by 11:59 p.m. on that date. The casino was acquired by Hard Rock International in 2019, and is currently undergoing a rebranding into a Hard Rock property. ● MGM China’s Macau casino company has renewed a contract for public relations, marketing and consulting services with Hong Kong-based Occasions Asia Pacific, a company 50 percent-owned by MGM China co-Chair and Managing Director Pansy Ho. The HK$372 million agreement (US$48 million) runs through 2023. Ho is Hong Kong-listed MGM China’s largest individual shareholder.