NEWS & NOTES

Hong Kong will relax quarantine requirements for non-residents in Guangdong and Macau starting in mid-May. Macau will not reciprocate until Hong Kong can report zero Covid infections for at least 14 days. At the moment, any travelers coming from Hong Kong to Macau will be required to undergo a 14-day hotel quarantine. ● Crown Resorts’ casino in Perth, Western Australia, was recently forced to close for a three-day Covid lockdown from April 23 to April 26. Food services also closes, although takeout services are available. The hotel continued to operate at a limited capacity. ● Galaxy Entertainment Group reportedly has asked some casino employees in Macau to resign voluntarily due to fallout from Covid-19 and its wide-reaching impact on tourism. According to Galaxy, voluntary participants will have on-the-job training across different departments or be eligible for “one-off” special compensations if they resign. Pit bosses who depart, for example, would receive payment of MOP380,000 (US$47,500). ● Strip clubs in Las Vegas can reopen, according to the Nevada Covid-19 task force. Though performers can shed their clothing, they will still be required to wear face masks as a safety precaution. Strippers may get closer than three feet to patrons four weeks after they have been vaccinated or if they test negative in a weekly Covid-19 tests. ● The roster of superstar entertainment announced for Resorts World Las Vegas, which will open this summer, includes Celine Dion, Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood. An ad promoting the $4.3 billion hotel casino first aired during the Academy Awards telecast last week. ● The Navajo Nation has gone from orange to yellow Covid-19 status, with viral infections at all-time lows. Yellow status means indoor dining will open at 25 percent capacity, businesses and churches can open at 50 percent capacity, but parks and casinos will reopen to Navajo Nation residents only. ● There’s a new addition to the PPG Paints Arena, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh opened its BetRivers Lounge on April 24. The sportsbook-style lounge includes two rows of luxury seating and a bar area. ● Great Canadian Gaming Corp., which operates many casinos in Canada, has announced the closing of its Halifax casino in Nova Scotia as of April 29. The safety measure is in response to a rise in Covid-19 infections. The closure is expected to last until at least May 20. Only two Great Canadian casinos are currently open: Casino New Brunswick and Casino Nova Scotia. • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold holding a hearing May 20 on the proposed casino for Shippensburg Township. The hearing will “provide a forum for individuals to voice their support or opposition.” The location has been proposed for a former Lowe’s Home Supply store by Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment Inc. • The province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has ordered casinos and bingo halls closed as a result of a spike in the number of Covid infections. This includes gaming facilities in the General Pueyrredon, which had obtained an exemption to operate several weeks ago. Gambling Workers Union of Argentina (Aleara) said this would affect 800 workers and added that gaming is being discriminated against. • Casino di Campione d’Italia in Campione, a sovereign Italian territory inside Switzerland, could reopen after being closed by bankruptcy. The management company has presented a plan to the Court of Como to reopen that would involve paying off its debts of €130 million by 2027. It would relaunch with a staff less than half of the 500 it employed in 2018 before declaring bankruptcy. • Churchill Downs has reached agreements to introduce its TwinSpires Sports mobile betting app in Indiana and its TwinSpires Casino & Sports app in Pennsylvania. Together with an earlier agreement in Colorado, the app will allow in the three states to bet on a full range of professional and college games and a number of international events as well. Pennsylvania players also will have access to blackjack and roulette and other live dealer games and a selection of machine games. ● The government of Cambodia has lifted a Covid-19 ban on travel between the country’s provinces with the exception of the capital of Phnom Penh and the adjacent town of Takmao in Kandal province, both of which remain under lockdown subject to the authority of Phnom Penh and Kandal officials. ● MGM Resorts International’s CityCenter joint venture is selling two acres of land within the Las Vegas Strip resort complex to a pair of locally based developers organized as 63SLVB LLC. The $80 million deal will see the parcel developed as a multi-level retail complex designed by Miami Beach-based architects Arquitectonica and comprising specialty shopping and casual and fine dining. ● Star Vegas, a casino resort in Poipet, Cambodia, on the border with Thailand, is among the local properties that have been ordered to close due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Star Vegas is operated by Australia-listed Donaco International Ltd.