NEWS & NOTES

Hotel room occupancy rates in Macau fell by nearly 17 percent month-on-month in June to 45.3 percent on increased travel restrictions with China. The data did not include hotels being used for quarantine; over 2,000 people are currently in quarantine in hotels in Macau. ● The Macau Government Tourism Office has set up information counters at six local casino hotels to promote Macau Highlight Tours (tailored to visitors) and the “Stay, Dine and See Macao” program (tailored to locals). ● Comedian and TV star Brad Garrett’s is moving his eponymous comedy club to the promenade leading to MGM Grand Garden Arena. The grand opening is set for November 27 in a club that will also feature live music. ● MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas is looking to hire for more than 3,000 positions. Brandon Perry, MGM director of HR initiatives, said “there are needs across the board.” Labor shortages are widespread in the Las Vegas Valley and at resorts across the country. ● Philippines integrated resort Solaire Resort & Casino has completed full vaccinations of staff and is now preparing to vaccinate their families as part of its ongoing Covid-19 health and safety program. Solaire called its “Solaire Is Safe For You” campaign “an act of social responsibility during a time when the public sector needs the assistance of the private sector.” ● Reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump will open a second Las Vegas restaurant, Vanderpump à Paris, at Paris Las Vegas before the end of the year. She already runs the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace. ● Hong Kong-listed Century Entertainment has made no significant progress on the opening of its Dara Sakor casino in Cambodia due to Covid-19. The new casino, operated by Lion King Entertainment will include 40 mass market tables, 25 VIP tables and 50 slots. The deadline for the transfer of tables has been extended until October 31. ● The Cambodian government has imposed a nationwide curfew from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. until August 12 as it attempts to curb the spread of Covid-19. The measures applies to all bars, resorts, alcohol shops and other recreational centers. ● Pennsylvania’s Parx Casino is the only gaming property in the state that remains smoke-free. Since the lifting of the state’s smoking ban—imposed to mitigate the effects of the Covid-9 pandemic—on June 28, all casinos except Parx, the highest-grossing casino in the state, have allowed indoor smoking to resume. Parx remains the only holdout, restricting smoking to an outdoor gaming patio.