NEWS & NOTES

Sands China Ltd. is launching a financial support program for Macau small to medium-sized enterprises in the city. It aims to help all Sands China’s local SME suppliers by easing cash-flow pressures due to Covid-19. ● The Macau government has introduced a two-month ban for people who have recovered from Covid-19 and want to fly into the city. The measure came into effect on October 25. ● Looking for a new crib? Steve Wynn’s mansion in Las Vegas is back on the market. The billionaire’s house in Summerlin is a steal at $24.5 million. A real estate listing describes the six-bedroom, 11-bath house as “dramatic, ethereal, extraordinary,” with a crystal staircase, silk carpets and marble pillars. ● Hong Kong is adjusting its entry rules for travelers to be “more in line” with Mainland China. It will end some quarantine exemptions including lengthy quarantines. In July, brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein said that pre-Covid, Hong Kong delivered 20 percent of Macau’s visitors and 15 percent to 20 percent of annual casino gross gaming revenue. ● A South Korean Court has ruled that Kangwon Land, the only casino in the country where locals are allowed to gamble, was justified in dismissing 222 employees who were hired in a patronage scandal. Two politicians, Kweon Seong-dong and Yeom Dong-yeol, were indicted in 2018 for influencing the hires. ● Last month, 93 union workers at Shoreline Casino Belleville in Ontario voted to go on strike after rejecting an offer by Great Canadian Gaming, and last week ratified an agreement. At issue were hourly pay raises and employee benefits as management and labor work on achieving their first ever collective bargaining agreement at the casino. The casino remained open during the walkout. ● November 5 marks the return of DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship after a Covid-induced break in 2020. The event will continue through November 7 at the Envue Hotel in Weehawken, New Jersey. The 2019 competition drew 260 contenders, but not all contestants could access their funds in time for the NFL games. DraftKings settled a class action lawsuit for $102,000. ● The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved plans by Laguna Development Corp. to open a casino in Owensboro, 30 minutes from its Ellis Park racetrack. The venue will offer 600 historical horseracing machines. The business development arm of the Laguna Pueblo Tribe of New Mexico purchased Ellis Park for $11 million in 2019, promising to invest $100 million on track improvements, including a new hotel. Covid-19 scuttled the plan, though Laguna spent $3.5 million on improvements to the track.