NEWS & NOTES

A bill that would double the time allotted for horse racing bettors to cash in their winning tickets is close to becoming law. The New Jersey state Senate and Assembly each have unanimously expressed approval for the measure, which extends the cash-out period for winning parimutuel tickets from six months to one year. ● Penn & Teller will return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on April 22. “Teller and I are both more than two weeks out of our second shots and in the same bubble, so we can stand unmasked on our stage,” said Penn Jillette. But masks will be mandatory for guests and audiences will be socially distanced. The team has been performing at the Rio since 2001. ● Casinos in the Australian state of Victoria will see their occupancy levels bounce back with the announcement by state officials that no new locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 have been detected in four weeks. Masks will no longer be required in shops or supermarkets. International flights will return to the state from April 8. ● Wing Lei Palace at Macau’s Wynn Palace ranked 50th on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2021. The Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant dropped 28 places, from 22nd in 2020, but is the only Macau restaurant on the list. ● Southwest Airlines has announced a new nonstop route between Las Vegas and Southern California starting May 9. It’s also added nonstop service between McCarran International Airport, Santa Barbara, Fresno and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. That brings the total number of Las Vegas routes to 187. ● Tim McNally, chairman of Asian casino business NagaCorp Ltd., says the firm is already working on “fresh plans” for a $350 million non-gaming resort near the UNESCO World Heritage site Angkor Wat in Cambodia. UNESCO opposed a previous plan, saying its “scale, scope and concept” would have a negative impact on the historic destination. ● Nebraska casinos would have to display human trafficking informational posters under a bill advanced by state lawmakers recently. The state already requires the posters in rest stops and strip clubs. They’re written in English and Spanish and include a toll-free number where trafficking victims or people who suspect trafficking can call for help. ● Nevada lawmakers are considering proposals to garnish casino winnings of people who owe child support. Lottery winnings are already attached. Nineteen other states have such procedures in place dating to 2008. In Colorado, where the gaming industry fought the proposal for five years, more than $500,000 was collected in the first year follow the law’s enactment, supporters testified. ● Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, New York plans to reopen its restaurants as the 11 p.m. curfew on casinos is lifted by the state. Lawmakers also eliminated the mandatory closing time for cinemas, bowling alleys and gyms. ● The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas has announced a plan to return to live shows for the 2021-2022 season in an email to season ticket holders. “My heart fills with joy to begin to welcome you back to The Smith Center,” CEO Myron Martin wrote in an email to season ticket holders. “Our stages remaining dark this past year has been nothing short of incredibly challenging.” ● Macau casino operator Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) took part in last month’s “Macao Week in Hangzhou” roadshow, designed to boost tourism to Macau by promoting it as a safe and healthy destination. SJM’s booth celebrated the development of its Lisboa brand ahead of the launch of SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai. ● Country music star Toby Keith will be the first musical act to perform at 50-acre Coachella Crossroads outdoor entertainment complex at the Spotlight 29 Casino in California. The casino is owned by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. ● The Drai’s Group reopened its rooftop pool club Drai’s Beach on April 2 at the Cromwell on the Las Vegas Strip. Drai’s Beach and Drai’s Beach at Night both relaunched Friday in keeping with state restrictions, joining Drai’s Lounge operations inside Drai’s After Hours, which reopened in October. The 65,000-square-foot rooftop club space is one of the biggest outdoor dayclub or nightclub venues in Las Vegas. ● Foxwoods Casino Resort has announced the resumption of socially distanced live performances in its showroom this summer, beginning with comedian Dave Chappelle. The resort announced that all attendees to the concert will be given a rapid test for Covid-19 before entering the theater. • Turning Stone Resort Casino in upstate New York has once again been honored with the prestigious Golf Digest Editors’ Choice Award, recognized as one of the Best Golf Resorts in the Americas. Celebrated as one of the country’s elite golf destinations, Turning Stone features an impressive golf experience for golfers of all skill levels. The resort includes three award-wining 18-hole courses, two nine-hole courses, pristine practice facilities and an expansive indoor Golf Dome. • Better Collective has strengthened its position in the Swedish market via an acquisition of online sports betting media platform Rekatochklart.com. For €3.8 million and paid in cash, the transaction has enabled Bettor Collective to consolidate the acquired asset into its group accounts, and was completed as an asset purchase from Win & Fun Media Ltd. ● Hong Kong-listed Success Universe, co-owner of Macau’s Ponte 16 casino hotel, reported a 2020 net loss of HK$141.9 million (US$18.3 million) on an adjusted EBITDA loss of HK$243 million. The company attributed the declines to impacts from the Covid-19 crisis. Located on the city’s Inner Harbour, Ponte 16 houses 82 mass-market and six high-limit table games. Its supporting Sofitel Macau features 408 rooms and suites, several restaurants, a spa and fitness center and a pool. Success Universe owns 49 percent of Ponte 16 and shares its gaming revenues with Macau casino concessionaire SJM, which owns 51 percent. • Uruguay has ordered all state-run casinos until April 12 and has asked commercial casinos to follow suit. This comes in the wake of an increase in cases of Covid-19 that is apparently intensified by the Covid variant from Brazil. • The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) this week reiterated that Covid-19 restrictions have not been relaxed on tribal lands, despite relaxation of Arizona’s mandates by Governor Doug Ducey. Masks are still required at all businesses and gatherings are largely forbidden by the “Safer at Home” regulations. Tribal Chairwoman Amelia Flore said: “The Tribal Council firmly believes that this crisis is not over and that eliminating face mask requirements and removing limits on crowds is not in the best interest of CRIT and represents a threat to the health of the community.” • Foxwoods Resort Casino is reopening its Grand Theater and offering socially distanced live performances. The summer line-up will begin with comedian Dave Chapelle. Masks and rapid onsite Covid-19 tests will be required to attend. • Hipódromo de Palermo, a racetrack in Buenos Aires, Argentina will begin taking online wagers after being licensed by Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA), the national gaming regulator. It will offer “hundreds of slot games” online. It submitted its online proposal to LOTBA last year as a way to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on revenues. Manager Fernando Facal recently said provider Betfun, will give “fans better security and agility to be able to play from their homes, under the guidelines of the Responsible Gaming program.” • Ontario, Canada, will offer $200 million to revive the province’s tourism and hospitality industry prostrated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Premier Doug Ford told a Niagara audience that half will pay hotels and water parks one time payments of up to $20,000. The rest will support a tourism recovery program for businesses that create new innovative tourism offerings. It’s estimated that $18 billion was lost last year in the two industries. • U.S.-based Blackstone—which is bidding to buy Crown Resorts—has announced the purchase eight hotels near Yumehima Island in Osaka, Japan. Osaka will almost certainly host one of the three Japanese integrated resorts, which will include casinos. Blackstone is buying the hotels from Kintetsu Group Holdings. The moves indicates the fund manager’s efforts to expand strongly into Asia’s hospitality and gaming markets.