NEWS & NOTES

Renowned casino marketer Julia Carcamo, founder of J Carcamo & Associates, has partnered with gaming data management company Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) to become part of the QCI Community, which is essentially a network of QCI users and clients. According to QCI, Carcamo and her team will assist with branding efforts as well as select in-person appearances such as trade shows and conventions. • On a recent earnings call, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment gave a progress report for the construction of its Inspire Korea project, a casino and entertainment compound near Incheon International Airport in Seoul. According to the company, foundational and structural work is underway, and the compound is expected to open sometime in 2023. When completed, the Inspire Korea project will include a foreigners-only casino, a water attraction, an entertainment venue and an outdoor park. • The Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, the latest integrated resort project from Royalton Luxury Resorts, is slated to open December 20 of this year in the popular tourist destination. The new IR will feature 1,049 rooms, a casino, 12 restaurants, a convention center and an on-site waterpark. It will be located on a beachfront section of the Riviera Maya. • The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has launched an online gaming company, Wondr Nation. Formerly Mashantucket Pequot Interactive, the new company will partner with gaming platforms and leverage emerging technologies to expand the tribe’s digital footprint. The tribe has named Anika Howard as the first CEO. An industry veteran, Howard said, “With Wondr Nation, we hope to bring a fresh approach to what’s next for the gaming industry.” • The FBM Foundation, a nonprofit arm of global gaming brand FBM, has contributed €11,000 (US$11,473) to Associação Estou Contigo! for the construction of a hospital in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. “We created FBM Foundation to have a positive influence on societies and contribute to a more favorable environment globally,” said Director Vitor Francisco. “This chance to help construct a new campaign hospital fits perfectly with what we intend to do as a foundation—help human beings in emergency situations by providing essential care.” ● Celebrity Chef Martin Yan, host of the popular TV series “Yan Can Cook,” will open his first Las Vegas restaurant later this year. The James Beard Award-winner will debut his 150-seat M.Y. Asia this fall at Bally’s (soon to be the Horseshoe) featuring a pan-Asian menu. ● The total population of Macau at the end of March had decreased by 1,500 from the fourth quarter of 2022 to 681,700, mainly attributable to a drop in the number of non-resident workers living in the SAR. Pre-pandemic, the number of migrant workers totaled more than 196,500. That figure plunged to 171,000 as at the end of 2021, recording a 12 percent decrease. ● Illusionist David Blaine will launch his first-ever Las Vegas residency at Resorts World Theatre on September 30. The 5,000-seat theater operated by Concerts West/AEG Presents opened late last year and has already hosted residencies by Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. Michael Bublé recently performed a limited engagement there as well. Resorts World Las Vegas opened in June 2021. ● Wynn Macau CEO Craig Billings has voluntarily reduced his base salary for 2022 in exchange for increased share options or restricted shares. Two senior executives of Wynn Resorts Ltd. have done likewise: Linda Chen, president of Wynn International Marketing Ltd. and Ian Coughlan, president and executive director of Wynn Macau Ltd. ● Responding to greater first-quarter losses, PH Resorts is in talks with creditors and potential investors to finance operations and complete projects including the Emerald Bay integrated resort in Cebu. Construction of the resort has been hard-hit by delays related to Covid-19. “A material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern and therefore, that the group may not be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business,” PH said in a filing with a Philippine Stock Exchange. ● Construction crews will top off the steel frame exosphere of the 366-foot-tall MSG Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas later this month. In a recent earnings call for Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Byrnes also said the company is negotiating a partnership with the organizers of the first of three Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula One auto races planned in Las Vegas in November 2023. The MSG Sphere, an entertainment venue located just east of the Venetian Expo convention center, is expected to be open in late 2023. ● The Mohegan Sun Arena has been the Academy of Country Music’s “Casino of the Year Arena.” This is the seventh ACM Award for Mohegan Sun Arena, and the 17th national award overall. Award recipients will be celebrated at the 15th Academy of Country Music Honors on Wednesday, August 24th at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, aka the Grand Ol’ Opry. ● Casino magnate Tilman J. Fertitta and his family have pledged $50 million to the University of Houston College of Medicine, now renamed the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. The gift will help address the state’s physician shortage and fund research. Fertitta called the newly named institution “a game-changer for the health and well-being of Texans.” He is the sole owner, president and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, which owns the restaurant giant Landry’s, the Golden Nugget casinos and hotels, and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. ● Washington’s Puyallup Tribe is partnering with Kenmore Air to provide seaplane service to bring patrons from Canada to play at its Emerald Queen Casinos in Tacoma and Fife. The air service will operate to and from South Puget Sound beginning the second half of 2023. It will provide flights from Victoria, British Columbia or the San Juan Islands, directly to Tacoma. ● Montreal Casino croupiers staged a four-hour strike on May 14 when contract negotiations reached an impasse. Their contract expired March 31. The casino, which is operated by Loto-Québec, kept all the gaming tables open during the strike, except for the poker tables. The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents 521 croupiers. ● The Gambling Harms Research Centre has opened at the University of Bristol, England. The goal of the £4 million (US$5 million) center aims to increase understanding and awareness of the dangers of gambling. It is funded by GambleAware, with the charity’s Chief Executive Zoë Osmond describing it as a “major step forward.”