NEWS & NOTES

The city of Rockford Illinois met with labor union representatives last week to negotiate and sign a labor agreement for construction of the Hard Rock Casino there. Dan Fischer of 815 Entertainment, owner of the project location, added, “We’re excited and appreciate labor’s support of this project as we continue to move forward.” • The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has recommended a new gaming bill that will impose tough penalties for online gambling. The bill would make an exemption for skill-based games. ● The Lodge Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, is hosting a new sportsbook operated by Jacobs Entertainment. It began accepting wagers June 25 and is the 14th retail sportsbook in the Centennial State. ● MGM Resorts International and Dubai World have sold two acres at CityCenter Las Vegas to developer Brett Torino, who plans to build a retail complex at the site. The $80 million sale closed June 8. The site once was occupied by the ill-fated Harmon Hotel, which was structurally flawed and never opened. Torino said his Project63 complex will open in September 2022. ● About 6,000 front-line casino workers in Macau received Covid-19 vaccinations recently, part of the government’s latest push to boost vaccine rates, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre. Officials recently met with all six concessionaires to express concerns over Macau’s low vaccination rate; as of late May, only 13.7 percent of the population had receive their first dose of vaccine as of late May. ● Vietnam’s Grand Ho Tram Hotel will soon be rebranded as the InterContinental Grand Ho Tram. The hotel is part of the Grand Ho Tram Strip, a resort complex that includes a foreigners-only casino. ● Thailand Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha plans to fully reopen the country’s A planned high-speed rail line from Las Vegas to Victorville, California has been delayed again until at least 2022. A spokesman for the developer, Brightline West, said the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the planning of a proposed Rancho Cucamonga station that would link the Victorville station into downtown Los Angeles. At full buildout, the project was projected to cost $8 billion. ● Negotiations between management and staff of Cambodian casino resort NagaWorld regarding job lay-offs will be mediated by the country’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. The workers want management to reverse its lay-off decision, rehire some workers already let go and restore full pay. The company said the steps were “proactive measures” to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. ● The Russian government has tightened the screws against illegal online gambling companies, including disruption of payment services. The Federal Tax Service oversees many of the measures and can block illegal gambling sites as well as lottery sites and financial services companies. ● The European Union has lifted restrictions to allow non-essential travel from the U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. The E.U. has already lifted restrictions for Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. •