NEWS & NOTES

Seminole Tribe casinos in Florida are now letting their customers decide if they’ll wear face masks at its casinos. Its Safe + Sound program will remain in place, with workers cleaning and disinfecting with “special emphasis on high-touch surfaces and common areas.” Plexiglas dividers will continue to separate players at machines and card tables. Hand-sanitizing will stations remain at entrances and throughout the casinos. ● The Las Vegas Monorail resumed service on May 27 after being shut down by pandemic protocols since March 2020. Passengers are required to wear face masks and will be encouraged to maintain social distancing whenever possible. Hand sanitizing will be available at the system’s seven stations. ● Marina Bay Sands in Singapore tested more than 8,000 employees and contractors for Covid-19 after two of its staff returned positive results. “In these unprecedented times, we continue to be vigilant on all fronts, working closely with the authorities to respond and adapt quickly to the situation,” MBS said in a statement. ● Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut will host three summer hiring events this month. Available job openings include food and beverage, event support, security, marketing, VIP, accounting, hotel and retail, according to a press release. Culinary jobs offer a $2,000 sign-on bonus and housekeeping jobs offer a $500 sign-on bonus. Bonuses will be paid out in increments. ● The Cherokee Nation, a leading employer in northeastern Oklahoma, is now providing all of its government employees with a total of two hours of paid “mental wellness leave” each month. “I believe providing our employees with time to care for their own mental wellness is vitally important to the health and wellness of the Cherokee Nation as a whole,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., particularly given the challenges of Covid-19. ● Looking to attract workers, Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico offered offering a $250 cash incentive at a June 1 hiring event. “To attract the very best people to our team, we knew we needed to do something to grab their attention,” said Isleta CEO Harold Baugus. “Once they see all the other great benefits that come with working here, we think we will have the team members we need to take us into the future.” ● The winner of the largest lottery prize in Maryland history has finally come forth, six months after the drawing. The anonymous pool won $731.1 million at one winning ticket had been sold earlier this year at a small, country store in Lonaconing. ● In addition to retail outlets by Fred Segal and Hervé Léger, the soon-to-open Resorts World Las Vegas will include the Kardashian Kloset, a pop-up boutique and the first brick-and-mortar iteration of an e-commerce site selling castoff apparel from the reality TV family. Kardashian Kloset has 1.5 million Instagram followers. ● Casino group Genting Malaysia Bhd says it’s “working towards” the completion of its Genting SkyWorlds outdoor theme park with hopes of finishing in the third quarter of 2021, not the second quarter as previously anticipated. The theme park will be located at the company’s flagship Resorts World Genting property outside the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. ● SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace on Macau’s Cotai Strip is going through the final phases of the licensing process and could open by July; SJM is currently the only one of Macau’s six gaming operators without a property in Cotai. Some analysts say that’s why the former monopoly has been losing market share. ● Australia’s Crown Resorts will keep its flagship Melbourne casino closed until June 10 due to a new outbreak of Covid-19. Crown Melbourne will stand down the majority of its staff and give them a one-time discretionary payment. ● Pragmatic Play Ltd., an online gaming content provider, announced it is offering a US$3 million cash prize pool under its “Daily Wins” promotion series for players. The firm also said it was introducing an in-game promotion management tool for online casino operators that use its products. The prize pool is being offered through Pragmatic Play’s online live-dealer casino game portfolio. • The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission has approved an agreement under which Penn National Gaming will acquire Hollywood Casino Perryville from the real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties. Penn National will lease the real estate assets associated with the property for an annual rent of $7.77 million. ● The $14 million 101-room Wildwood Casino Hotel will open June 15, in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Sports betting will be a major part of the resort’s appeal, and help increase the $6 million in sports betting taxes Colorado collected during the state’s first year of sports bets. ● The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine has formed a partnership with Caesars Entertainment and has renamed the college’s equine hospital in Shelbyville, Indiana, the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital. Located near Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, Purdue opened the facility in 2017 to provide medical support for Indiana’s growing equine industry. Caesars Entertainment has contributed nearly $1.5 million to the hospital since 2019. ● Construction has begun on a $10 million expansion of DraftKings at Casino Queen, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. The additions include a new sportsbook and dining options. The Casino Queen Sportsbook, just off the casino floor, will feature lounge seating and large HD TVs. A full-service restaurant and a food court round out the offerings. • The European Commission could force Germany’s federal council to hold off on its final vote to approve a 5.3 percent tax on player stakes, considered a controversial tax. The fate of the tax is the only issue left for state governments to deal with before the Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling becomes law. German online gambling trade associations DSWV and DOCV both filed a complaint against the tax. • Tulalip Resort Casino in Central California is now taking catering and banquet reservations for 2021 and beyond. The resort features 30,000 square feet of newly renovated, flexible meeting space. • Prince Albert’s Northern Lights Casino and six other properties operated by the Saskatchewan Indigenous Gaming Authority will reopen June 20. The casinos will reopen gradually with slowly expanding capacities and services such as food and beverage. • The Malta Gaming Authority has ordered that the minimum return-to-player be reduced from 92 percent to 85 percent, in line with casinos on the mainland. This allows operators to offer games in high tax jurisdictions and remain competitive. The authority consulted with respondents and reported that most welcomed the change, although some argued there shouldn’t be a minimum.