NEWS & NOTES

Starting March 28, Air Macau will launch two flights a week from Macau to Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport. More flights will be added in April, the carrier indicated. ● Canada has lifted its requirement that travelers from Macau, Hong Kong and China must provide a negative Covid test before departure. The government based the move on “data from China, the international community and wastewater sampling conducted in Canada [indicating no] new variants of concern.” ● Macau casino concessionaires have resumed the use of private jets for small groups of premium international customers. Macau dropped most border restrictions on January 8, causing a surge in visitor arrivals ever since. ● The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that it has identified an additional eight offshore iGaming sites that are to be banned by the country’s internet service providers. They are: Slotozen, Mirax Casino, N1 Bet Casino, Casino Jax, Rolling Slots, No Deposit Kings, Kosmonaut Casino and Wild Fortune Casino. Since instituting the practice in 2019, the agency has blocked a total of 709 iGaming sites. In a statement, the agency reiterated that all licensed sites are compiled on its register for players to verify before wagering. ● The total slot machine installed base in the U.S. and Canada should increase 2.9 percent year-over-year this year, 2.3 percent next year and 1.1 percent in 2025, according to Eilers & Krejcik’s fourth-quarter Slot & Table Count report. New casino development across various markets of Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada and Virginia should offset modest removals in more saturated markets and result in growth, the report said. ● The mayor of Mexicali, Norma Bustamante Martínez, is defending two casinos in her city that are being built and are scheduled to open soon. As reported by G3 Newswire, she made the comments on March 21, in light of Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declaration at a recent news conference that he will revoke casino licenses issued in the last four years. The president has also promised not to grant any more permits for casinos. The two casinos were licensed in 2022. Mexicali is the state capital of Baja California. The mayor said she had   “in no way believes she is committing any irregularity” stating that “according to current law, we are acting correctly.” ● Local 2121 of the United Auto Workers union members who are table game dealers by a vote of 420-13 ratified a six-year contract with Foxwoods Resort Casino retroactive to January 1, 2020. The union represents 755 table game dealers and poker dealers. The contract extends to the end of 2025. The previous contract expired in 2019. Union President David C. Church stated: “After three plus years of negotiating and preparing for interest arbitration, we were able to present an agreement that provided a lump sum payment for those working through the uncertain times of 2020, and retroactive wages for 2021, 2022, and 2023 as well as wage increases through 2025.” Foxwoods President and CEO Jason Guyot added, “It’s taken a long time.” He added, “We continued to work during COVID but really in the last 12 months, we’ve honed in on it. The sides came to a mutually beneficial agreement that supports our team members and can take us forward.” ● After nine months of construction, the 9,000-square-foot expansion recently debuted at the Seven Clans Casino in Warroad, Minnesota. The project includes room for an additional 100 slot machines and a hockey-themed sports bar, Pucks and Pints. Local hockey legend and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Henry Boucha was on hand for the grand opening. Red Lake Gaming Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Angela Dauphinais said, “We wanted to cater to the interests in our area. We couldn’t be more excited to open our new expansion. It’s been a long nine months, but we are just are so excited to be out of construction mode, and we are excited to kick off the spring and summer with our new expansion.”