NEWS & NOTES

Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau should consider installing a shared electronic database where inspectors can file their reports, according to a new study just published by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Gaming Research and Review Journal. The inspectors currently rely on paper and oral communications to share information about onsite inspections. ● Amid the deteriorating employment picture in Macau, Sands China President Wilfred Wong has affirmed that there’s still a need for expats working in the region. Recent data shows that some 13,300 are still unemployed; in Wong’s opinion, preference should go to locals, and the company has “let go of some employees with foreign passports. … But there are still jobs that probably local people aren’t interested in.” ● Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the regulator of gambling in the Netherlands, has written to more than 50 affiliate sites active in the country to remind them of the laws regarding the advertising of online gambling. The KSA said it recognized that gambling operators often use affiliate websites to advertise their offering, with users able to click banner advertisements or links in text to visit sites. The agency said the practice does not always comply with advertising rules in the Netherlands, and wrote to affiliates urging them to ensure their websites are compliant with national law. In the letter, the KSA said affiliates may only advertise gambling sites run by operators that hold a license to offer online games of chance in the country. • The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore will hold a two-day event in which the company hopes to hire around 2,000 new staff to accommodate increased demand as Covid restrictions continue to loosen in and around the area. The new staff will fill gaps in more than 15 different departments at the resort, from food and beverage service to security and more. In a statement, Marina Bay’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources Chan Yit Foon said that the company was looking to “invest not only in our infrastructure but also in building a sustainable workforce for the future.” ● Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians officials announced its 23-story, 317-room hotel currently under construction at the Four Winds Casino in South Bend, Indiana, is on track to open during first quarter 2023. The project, which also will include a conference and event center, initially was announced in September 2019 but was delayed due to Covid-19 and workforce issues. The expansion also will add 45,000 square feet of gaming space to the current 140,000-square-foot casino. ● Douglas County commissioners recently heard a presentation regarding funding for a micro transit system that is a requirement for the construction of a new convention center in the casino corridor in Lake Tahoe. To fund the system, 20 agencies pledged $600,000, including El Dorado County, the city of South Lake Tahoe, the casinos, and more. The line still needs another $600,000 to get started. The system must be in operation by summer 2023. ● Smoking is no longer permitted at table games at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln and Tiverton casinos in Rhode Island. Bally’s spokeswoman Patty Doyle wrote in an email, “Customers who wish to smoke must leave the table and use a smoking receptacle on the outer perimeter of the table games area.” She added, “We have posted signage and ashtrays have been removed at the tables.” Dealers had long been pressing for the ban, which was a health issue due to secondhand smoke. •  Club One Casino in Fresno, California, held a ribbon-cutting May 26 for its grand reopening at its new location. The card club operated downtown for 25 years. Owner Kyle Kirkland explained the logic of the relocation: “We wanted to have a nice entertainment destination for people in Fresno, got a nice location off the 168. Fun escape, so that’s what we’re going to build.” Kirkland plans to add a hotel and bingo pavilion. • The Washington Indian Gaming Association announced that Washington’s tribal casinos contributed $6.6 billion to the state economy in 2019 and $5.6 billion in 2020 when the pandemic shut down many casinos for months. This compared to $2 billion in 2004. Gaming generated 55,000 jobs during the same period. The state’s 29 gaming tribes paid about $1.5 billion in wages and benefits and $1.2 billion in state and local taxes during the same two years. “Our commitment to responsible gaming activities along with a diverse array of economic development efforts led by tribes is both restoring tribal self-reliance and boosting our overall state economy,” said George. • Colville Gaming, the operator of three 12 Tribes Colville Casinos in Washington, has partnered with Providence-based IGT to provide sportsbooks at its casinos. 12 Tribes Colville Casinos COO Tony Posey said in a statement: “Thanks to IGT we feel confident in our ability to provide our guests with an exciting and secure sports betting environment, and we look forward to opening our doors to sports enthusiasts soon.” He did not specify when the first wagers would be taken. • The 72-year old Scarborough Downs Off-Track Betting Facility in Scarborough, Maine will be closing forever as of June 6. The OTB was once part of the largest harness racing track in the state. Its president, Denise Terry, commented, “The expenses, it just all doesn’t add up for me to hold on.” It held its final harness races in November, 2020.