NEWS & NOTES

A study on gambling in Macau showed that middle-aged men who live alone have a higher probability of being problem gamblers. The study was conducted by Wai Ming To and Gui-Hai Huang of the Macau Polytechnic University. Men aged 35 to 54 years are also more likely to have a gambling problem. ● Famed businesswoman and TV personality Martha Stewart has launched a new restaurant, called The Bedford, at Paris Las Vegas. The 200-seat eatery is inspired by Stewart’s 1920s farmhouse, with down-home recipes, copper finishes, fireplaces and wood paneling. Stewart said The Bedford’s menu consists of “dishes I make in my own home.” The restaurant is also stocked full of Martha’s Chard, Stewart’s line of wines that was also launched this year. ● Another meeting was held recently in Las Vegas between the Oakland Athletics and Las Vegas casino mogul Phil Ruffin regarding a potential ballpark deal, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Even though Ruffin’s 37-acre Las Vegas Festival Ground plot is not considered to be among the team’s top choices for a new stadium, the latest meeting offers proof that the site is a “dark-horse contender,” according to a source close to the matter. The two sides last met in Oakland on Aug. 2. The team has been exploring potential options in Las Vegas for over a year, and has expressed a desire to finalize a decision by the end of 2022. ● New York- New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has started a $63 million renovation project that will redesign all 1,800 hotel rooms and 155 suites. The project as a whole is expected to conclude by summer of next year, but rooms will start to become available by October, if all goes to plan. HVS Design, the firm in charge of the renovations, said in a statement that the new designs will capture a “New York City vibe,” allowing guests to “xperience the feel of a loft apartment with convenient touchpoints and amenities designed to make them feel right at home.” Michael Neubecker, the hotel’s president and COO, said the project is “the next step in keeping the resort fresh and giving guests new reasons to visit.” • Casino de Montreal and the union representing 545 dealers reached an agreement in principle August 12 to end the strike. The union went on strike May 21. The croupiers have been without a collective agreement for more than two years. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) commented, “The union and management negotiating committees are satisfied with this agreement and are confident that it will also be to the satisfaction of the dealers.” The dealers had asked for scheduling changes to reducing repetitive injuries. They also asked for higher salaries. • International Game Technology has announced that IGT Global Solutions Corporation has signed an agreement with Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) to deploy IGT’s Retailer Vue lottery terminal in Portugal. The agreement was part of a competitive bid process. IGT will deliver as many as 7,200 camera-based terminals sometime in 2023. The cameras read play slips, winning tickets, ID cards and mobile devices, eliminating hardware and freeing up personnel. It also enables contactless transactions. Jay Gendron, IGT chief operating officer, Global Lottery, commented, “In today’s ever-evolving lottery landscape, IGT is helping SCML meet present and future market needs.” He continued, “IGT’s Retailer Vue combines convenience and transparency with key features designed to increase productivity and modernize the lottery retail experience for SCML.” • SlotMagie and Merkur have been approved for online slots licenses by Glücksspielbehörde, Germany’s gaming regulator. They become the fourth and fifth operators to be licensed, but the first since the regulator began enforcement against unlicensed platforms. Mill Adventure will offer slots on its Slotmagie platform and Merkur will be licensed for three platforms: Xtip, Merkur Sports and Merkur Spiel. Merkur spokesman Markus Ettlin, commented, “We have been waiting in the wings for some time with our range of virtual slot-machine games under the ‘Merkur Spiel’ brand.” He added, “So we are all the more enthusiastic that we can now offer our online players the chance to enjoy the same Merkur classics that have been played millions of times at our bricks-and-mortar venues.” • Glücksspielbehörde, Germany’s online casino regulator, has given the sixth license to Operator Novomatic, which will operate through its subsidiary BluBet Operations. Although the online market launched more than a year ago, so strict were its regulations that it took almost a year for the first operator to be licensed. • Uruguay’s Chamber of Senators has passed an online gaming bill. It now goes to the House of Representatives. If passed, the act would put the General Directorate of Casinos of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in charge of iGaming. Five years ago Uruguay banned offshore online gaming sites from operating in the country. • Sports betting platform supplier FSB announced it has secured regulatory approval to provide its sports betting and iGaming services in South Dakota. The U.K.-based company will operate in the city of Deadwood, which hosts more than 20 casinos. “This exciting news is another strong step forward for FSB in North America and continues the rapid momentum we’ve enjoyed in the region in 2022,” said FSB CEO Dave McDowell in a statement. “The smooth approval from the SDCG (South Dakota Commission on Gaming) pays a huge tribute to the quality of our technology, services and people, and as a true Tier 1 global supplier puts us in a strong position to play a leading role in South Dakota and other key regulated global markets in the months and years ahead.” • For the first time since 1977, Pennsylvania’s tip regulations and minimum wage for tipped workers such as casino dealers and slot attendants are changing. New legislation from the Department of Labor and Industry includes changes preventing businesses from deducting credit card fees from employee tips, hourly wages and how they are determined, and updates on how tips can be shared. •