NEWS & NOTES

The long-awaited Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino resort has hired Las Vegas-based attorney Stacie Michaels to be its general counsel. Michaels spent three years as a partner at Argentum Law before leaving on September 1, and previously worked as general counsel for Wynn Las Vegas. The Fontainebleau is expected to open by the end of 2023 and will feature a 67-story hotel, as well as convention space and a retail center in addition to a casino. Michaels did not comment on the hiring but did update her employment registration with the State Bar of Nevada. ● Clark County officials have approved a closure of the Las Vegas Strip from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on November 5 in order to host a Formula One demonstration and kickoff party for next year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Race officials said that the demonstration will feature “actual Formula One cars and actual Formula One drivers that are in the competition to show what those cars are capable of.” The closure will impact the areas on Las Vegas Boulevard from Harrah’s up to Paris Las Vegas—lane changes will begin November 3, and the streets will not open fully until November 6, once clean-up crews remove barriers and debris. ● Three professional sports teams in New South Wales (NSW)—Cricket NSW as well as soccer teams Macarthur FC and Western Sydney Wanderers—have pledged to ban sports betting ads and partnerships at their home games as part of the NSW government’s “Reclaim the Game” initiative. Both Western Sydney Wanderers and Cricket NSW pledged a two-year agreement, whereas Macarthur FC signed a one-year agreement. The program now includes a total of 14 teams. ● Construction is progressing on Station Casinos’ $750 million Durango Casino & Resort project in southwest Las Vegas, and on October 7, a 15-story tower will be topped off, representing a major development milestone. The company expects the casino resort to officially open in late 2023, after first purchasing the 70-plus acre site more than 20 years ago. Once finished, Station expects Durango to provide some 1,200 full-time positions. ● Prior to Golden Week in China, Macau tourism officials projected that up to 170,000 visitors could visit the city during the national holiday, which runs October 1-7. The number would still fall well short of the 665,000 visitors who entered Macau during the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. ● A new passenger terminal at Clark International Airport has opened as part of the Philippines’ ongoing efforts to boost tourism. The terminal is a more efficient gateway to the growing Clark Freeport Zone, home of the new Hann Casino Resort and the expanded Royce Hotel and Casino. ● Last week, Scientific Games wrapped its second Willy Wonka Golden Ticket Linked Game lottery winners’ event in Las Vegas. More than 120 players from nine U.S. states played, winning more than $1.4 million in prizes. To date, the game has topped $1 billion in sales and generated approximately $300 million for 18 participating state lotteries. ● Visitation at Resorts World Genting in Malaysia increased fivefold during the first half of 2022, totaling 9.9 million versus 2.1 million in the first half of fiscal year 2021. Occupancy for the period grew from 63 percent to 93 percent on a year-on-year basis. Visitors came in part for the new Genting SkyWorlds theme park, which will add three new rides this year. ● The Italian government’s newly adopted legislative decree on sports betting did not include a tax on turnover that was originally proposed. The new rules—which become effective October 28— will include a 20 percent tax on retail wagering and 24 percent for online sportsbooks. The original proposal included a 1 percent turnover tax, which was dropped. The decree includes a €1 minimum bet and caps winnings at €50,000. It applies to all fixed odds wagering, except for horse racing. The sports betting market has been hurt by the total marketing ban that was imposed in 2019, also known as the “dignity decree.” • Spelinspektionen, the national gaming regulator of Sweden, has announced that its Spelpaus self-exclusion program—which launched three years ago— has exceeded 80,000 registrations. The program enables consumers to exclude themselves from gaming with operators that are licensed in the country. Once registered the player may not play again until the full period of suspension has passed. Spelpaus recently updated its service and on May 31 unveiled a new-look website. • The Sokaogon Chippewa Community of Wisconsin has signed an agreement with Governor Terry Evers to amend the tribal state gaming compact. It will allow the tribe to offer sports betting at its Mole Lake Casino & Lodge and elsewhere on the reservation. The amendment must now be reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Evers commented, “This amendment will generate additional revenue for the tribe and our state, bolster local tourism, and support jobs in Northern Wisconsin – and that’s a win-win for everyone.” Chairman Robert VanZile added, “This historic agreement is a win for all parties involved and will mean great things for the tribe, our enterprises, and the Mole Lake and Crandon areas.” • The Tunica Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and the City of Marksville agreed to transfer ownership of the Marksville Historic State Park back to the Tunica Biloxi Tribe, who will own the 42-acre historical site for the first time since the early 1800s. The tribe plans to restore the property and educate the public on the cultural significance of the ancestral land.