NEWS & NOTES

A court in The Netherlands has ruled that so-called “loot boxes” and “player packs,” which are virtual items that can be redeemed for prizes, are not considered gambling product. The ruling cancels a €250,000 per week penalty previously assessed to the supplier Electronic Arts for offering a free-to-play game that awarded the virtual prizes. • An island situated in the Mekong River in the Southern part of Laos, known as Siphandone (meaning “Four Thousand Islands”) is undergoing significant development, and will eventually see the development of a casino and hotel, golf course, villas, hotels, along with shopping malls, movie theaters and entertainment venues, and an international racecourse, according to local reports. • Tabcorp is set to become one of the largest Australian corporate users of the Google-created open-source UI toolkit Flutter, which will underpin its offerings in mobile, web and retail. The gambling company is in the process of rebuilding its TAB app, website and retail terminals to run off a single codebase, instead of the “couple of dozen” codebases currently in use, which include native iOS, Java and Kotlin. ● Four years after Virginia’s Chickahominy Tribe received federal recognition, 105 acres of its traditional lands will return to tribal control. The tribe purchased the land along the Chickahominy River using $3.5 million in funds from the budget of outgoing Governor Ralph Northam. It has not controlled the land since the 1600s. ● Expected to open in the second half of 2023, the 17,500-seat MSG Sphere will include a digital display space considered the largest LED screen in the world: 516 feet in diameter and covering approximately 580,000 square feet of fully programmable lighting. After initially beginning construction in the summer of 2018, work on the $1.7 billion Sphere project stopped in March 2020 due to the pandemic, then resumed in August of that year. ● A Barstool Sportsbook has opened at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 9,000-square-foot sportsbook seats 200 people who can watch 45 big-screen TVs. Fans can also place bets through the Barstool Sportsbook app from anywhere in the state of Louisiana. ● Following the recent launch of its upgraded loyalty rewards program, MGM Resorts has introduced what it calls its “best credit card offer to date.” Through April 7, newly approved cardmembers can earn $250 awarded as 25,000 bonus points, to use towards accommodations, free self-parking, dining and entertainment. They can earn points and tier credits on any deposits made utilizing the MGM Rewards Mastercard in the BetMGM sports betting app. ● SkyCity Entertainment, New Zealand’s only listed casino operator, is planning a major recruitment drive. COO Callum Mallet says the operator will hire hundreds of staff to replace those who were laid off during the pandemic. From April 13, fully vaccinated travelers from Australia will be able to enter the country without quarantine, while those from other visa-waiver countries will be permitted entry from May 2. Visa waiver countries include the U.K., U.S, Canada, Japan and Singapore. ● In a summary judgment last week, a district court judge ruled that New York State’s purchase of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s reservation lands in the 1800s violated the federal Non-Intercourse Act. The ruling settled state and county counterclaims that the Tribe’s reservation was disestablished or diminished by later treaties and reaffirms that the 1796 Treaty boundaries remain in place. The tribe operates the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg. ● The Philippines has reinstated visa-free travel for residents of Hong Kong and Macau in an effort to jump start its tourism industry. Visitors can stay for 14 days. Visa-free travel has also been reinstated for Brazil and Israel, with a time period for stays of up to 59 days. ● Vietnam has agreed to resume its visa exemption policy for 13 countries, which will allow travelers to enter Vietnam for up to 15 days without a visa. The countries include Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. The government also announced it is resuming its pre-pandemic immigration procedures for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese. ● Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City has undertaken a $5 million remake of its existing sportsbook. The new 12,000-square-foot Gallery Bar, Book & Games, expected to open by summer, will feature a 100-foot elevated bar and lounge with 59 seats and 12 slot machines, plus blackjack and roulette tables and 140 feet of video screens. ● To address a serious labor shortage at its Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee, North Carolina, some members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee want to purchase a 9.5-acre tract to build housing for foreign workers on temporary H2B visas. At a recent tribal council meeting, Principal Chief Richard Sneed said, “We have to do what’s necessary to support the one enterprise that’s paying all the bills for everything.” Tribal council members balked at the $2.5 million asking price. ● Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, Arkansas will launch its mobile sports betting app in time for the March Madness Sweet 16 round. Online sports betting launched in early March at the West Memphis and Hot Springs casinos. In-person betting kicked off in mid-2019 with on-site wagers only at the state’s three casinos. Department of Finance and Administration spokesman Scott Hardin said since then, $120 million has been wagered.