NEWS & NOTES

Evening Entertainment Group has announced plans to develop a $50 million nightlife venue, complete with a bar, restaurant and beer garden, in the Grand Bazaar Shops retail center adjacent to Horseshoe Las Vegas, near the intersection of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. According to Evening co-owner Les Corieri, the three-story venue, to be called Bottled Blonde, will encompass some 25,000 square feet, and is slated to open sometime in late 2024. Evening also operates Bottled Blonde locations in Texas, Florida, Arizona and Tennessee. ● First Federal Realty DeSimone has begun construction on a six-story, 90-room hotel project on Water Street in downtown Henderson, which will be located next to The Pass casino, owned by First Federal founder Joe DeSimone. The hotel, which is scheduled to open in approximately 15 months, will be the first to open on Water Street, an area that has expanded greatly in recent years. DeSimone told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects to invest at least $20 million into the development. ● After nearly a year of heavy speculation, Irish supergroup U2 confirmed in a commercial during Super Bowl 57 that it will in fact headline the first concerts to be held at the multibillion-dollar MSG Sphere entertainment venue later this year. The show will be titled U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere, presumably to be centered around the band’s critically acclaimed Achtung Baby album from 1991. In a statement, the band also confirmed that longtime drummer Larry Mullen Jr. will not participate in the shows due to medical reasons—Bram van der Berg will take his place. ● JCM Global posted profits of US$11.0 million in the nine months to December 31, 2022, up 10.8 percent year-on-year. Sales in its global gaming business rose 60.1 percent year-on-year. JCM makes currency validators and other gaming hardware. It said sales of its products during the nine-month period “rose significantly” in North America and Europe, due to an “increase in the number of customers” in those markets. • Graton Resort & Casino in northern California, has unveiled a new Graton Rewards Program. Lana Rivera, vice president and general manager, said in a statement: “We are excited to offer this updated Graton Rewards Program, featuring invitation-only promotions and special events.” She added, “Our goal is to reward our loyal guests, and these brand-new benefits are one of the ways that we are saying ‘thank you.’” The rewards program allows points to be redeemed in slots, hotel, spa and salon, the pool, gift shop and merchandise discounts. Plus entertainment offers for headliners at the resort plus Las Vegas and cruise packages. • EveryMatrix, a Malta-based iGaming platform provider, has reached a multi-year partnership with the state monopoly Holland Casino Online to provide exclusive content from its in-house studios, Armadillo Studios and Spearhead Studios. It will provide premium slot titles such as Fortune Dragon Queen: Exotic Wilds and Mythological Mayhem Supreme Streaks. EveryMatrix CEO Razvan Haiduc said in a statement: “Signing Holland Casino Online is an important step in our quest to increase global reach and collaborate with the world’s premium brands.” The CEO added, “A partnership with one of the biggest names in the Dutch iGaming industry will prove beneficial for both parties.”