NEWS & NOTES

The 2,000-seat entertainment venue at the new Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary will open November 4 with a concert from Chicago-based rock band Disturbed. The venue, featuring state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, will be known as Hard Rock Live. ● A Lotto Max ticket purchased in British Columbia scored a phenomenal $70 million, the largest jackpot in B.C. Lottery history. The odds of winning the Lotto Max jackpot are one in almost 33,300,000. So far in 2021, lottery players in the province have redeemed more than $163 million in winnings from Lotto Max.   ● The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has approved a PHP34.64 million (US$678,543) grant to be shared among cities and local government units that host Casino Filipino-branded resorts. The grant will help host cities “cushion” the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their respective economies, PAGCOR Chairwoman and CEO Andrea Domingo said. ● Macau’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 2.8 percent from June to August. According to the Statistics and Census Service, the number of unemployed decreased by 400 to 10,600; however, of those currently searching for a new job, “most were previously engaged in gaming and junket activities and construction.” Macau’s underemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7 percent. ● Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Mississippi recently became the state’s first commercial casino to offer on-premise mobile sports betting via GeoComply Solutions. Utilizing GeoComply’s on-premise mobile solution, PinPoint, the BetMGM mobile app allows “fast and reliable” wagering while bettors are on the Gold Strike casino property, said PinPoint General Manager Sam Basile. ● In a temporary Covid-related measure, Veikkaus, Finland’s gaming operator, has shut down slot machines in restaurants and cafes in the Satakunta area. Slot halls will remain open, and machines will continue to function in markets, kiosks and service and traffic stations in the vicinity. ● After a Covid-19 cancellation in 2020, the Serbian trade show Future Gaming Belgrade returned featuring Merkur Gaming and its local partners. Merkur CEO Sakis Isaakidis said the show was “a pointer to the gradual reopening of live B2B events that is starting to take place. Being able to have supplier companies and their customers meet up safely and in-person is great news for the entire industry and is a clear sign that things are at last starting to get better.” ● Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho Business Council will give $500 stipends to all members who receive the Covid-19 vaccine by October 15. The tribe operates the Wind River Hotel & Casino in Riverton, Fremont County. ● October 2-3 marked this year’s New Jersey Cannabis Convention at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. The event was the largest of its kind with industry professionals and those looking to cash in on the adult-use recreation market in New Jersey. “With the cannabis industry heating up in the Mid-Atlantic, it’s also a timely opportunity for operating and new businesses alike to engage with and learn from consumers, promote their businesses, and promote their products,” said NJCANN founder and president Marc Shepard.