NEWS & NOTES

Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp Ltd. has begun pile cap work on its casino resort in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone near Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Phase I of the project will include a 279-room hotel, casino and conference hall. The casino is due to open in 2019. ● Sands China’s Professionalism Training for Gaming Practitioners program, which has trained more than 1,500 employees to date, will train another 3,000 team members in the next two years and 7,500 by 2021. Co-organized with the Labor Affairs Bureau and the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, the program launched in July 2016. ● Wynn Macau has rolled out new policies to help local small- and medium-sized Enterprises grow. In the past year, the company has increased 65 percent of its purchasing support with “small and micro enterprises, ‘Made in Macao’ enterprises and young entrepreneurs,” said Wynn Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau Linda Chen. She also announced the establishment of its Wynn’s Local SME Vendor Referral Program. ● The Macau Federation of Trade Unions, commonly known as Gung Luen, will celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1 with the theme of “Work for Happiness, Cheers to Labor.” Federation President Leong Wai Fong says the union will organize 11 activities and events until June 15 to “transmit positive energy” to workers from various sectors. ● A draft bill that would issue temporary licenses to restaurants has been submitted to Macau’s Legal Affairs Bureau. The bill would allow establishments to operate conditionally while the licensing process is ongoing. ● The Tokyo government has unveiled a plan to ban smoking in most bars and restaurants, a plan that faces stiff opposition from owners of those establishments. It is stricter than a bill submitted to the Diet by the central government that would allow 55 percent of all restaurants and bars in Japan to offer smoking rooms. ● Job satisfaction for Macau employees has flatlined over the past year, according to data from the Macau University of Science and Technology. The results show that the index of employee confidence in the economy and their companies was 3.16, up 3.8 percent year-on-year in March 2018. But employees satisfaction remained unchanged at 3.35.   • Relax Gaming and Malta-based Twin Casino, an online gaming site, have partnered. Relax will provide Twin Casino with its table gaming options and allow the casino to use the proprietary RNG engine that provides a realistic experience, including a very realistic ball movement in roulette. The system also allows blackjack players to have three hands going at once. A month ago, Relax Gaming announced a similar content deal with ComeOn—also to provide blackjack and roulette. • The Mohegan Sun and Naskart, the world’s largest indoor go-cart racing track, last week announced a naming rights and partnership deal in which the facility will be renamed as “Supercharged Powered By Mohegan Sun.” The arrangement is part of the campaign to expand the casino’s presence in the area, said Jeff Hamilton, assistant general manager of the Sun. The new sign with the new sign and logo were unveiled at the announcement.