NEWS & NOTES

DraftKings and Major League Baseball are reported to be partnering on a betting app that will include live streaming of MLB games and provide access to sports commentary, wagering information and regularly scheduled programming from local sportscasters and radio personalities. The platform will launch with fantasy play only and eventually move into real-money single-game betting in regulated markets. • The Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association have hired former professional gambler and popular sports handicapper Bob Voulgaris as director of quantitative research and development. • Southern California’s Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, who operate Chumash Casino Resort are awaiting approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs of its amendment to the tribal state gaming compact that would allow it to offer off-track-betting. Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn said there are no immediate plans to offer OTB, “but we are looking at ways we can integrate it into our gaming floor if we choose to offer it as an amenity for guests in the future.” Once approval is given, that fact will be published in the Federal Register. • Melco Resorts & Entertainment has launched a new resident stunt show at Studio City in Macau. The “non-stop death-defying production” is” the first indoor all-electric action-packed theatrical stunt show in the world,” Melco said of the show by Stufish, who designed the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and sets for Elton John, Madonna, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. ● MGM Resorts Japan sponsored the second ASEAN-Japan Music Festival, held at NHK Hall in Shibuya Ward. An MGM representative pointed to the festival as an example of the company’s intention to promote Japanese music domestically and internationally as a potential IR operator in the country. ● Sands China Ltd. has made a MOP1 million (US$124,000) donation to six Macau tertiary institutions for scholarships and fellowships, which will benefit 100 students. Since 2006, the gaming operator has contributed nearly MOP10 million toward scholarships and fellowships, including this donation, with nearly 1,200 students benefitting to date, as cited in a press statement issued by Sands China. ● The Lui Che Woo Prize ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 3. The three laureates receiving the 2018 prize were green-energy activist Hans-Josef Fell; the World Meteorological Organization; and Pratham Education Foundation. Dr. Lui, founder and chairman of Galaxy Entertainment Group, presided at the ceremony.