NEWS & NOTES

Genting Hong Kong has sold its remaining stake in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings for US$158.8 million. Genting, which at one time owned more than 11 percent of the global cruise ship operator, has been offloading the stock since last August. The final disposal of 3,148,307 units amounted to 1.4 percent of Norwegian’s outstanding shares. • Wynn Las Vegas has appointed industry veteran Doug Castaneda director of Race & Sports Book Operations. Castaneda, who will oversee bookmaking at both Wynn and Encore, began his career at the Stardust in 1995. He joined Wynn Las Vegas in 2005. • Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is building an outdoor terrace with 50 machine games adjoining the property’s harness track. Completion is slated for the spring. • Resorts World Genting, Malaysia’s only legal casino resort, has opened the first of two club outlets under the Zouk brand. The 5,000-square-feet venue, called Empire by Zouk, is a response to “the rising popularity and appreciation of hip-hop culture,” said Zouk CEO Andrew Li. ● Facial recognition technologies and license plate tracking are likely to be added to Macau’s “Eye in the Sky” cameras in 2019. The number of cameras is expected to double in the coming year, from 820 already been installed around Macau Peninsula to at least 1,620 by 2020. ● Construction has begun on about 290 suites at Sands China’s Four Seasons Tower Suites Macao. The company, a unit of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., will spend about US$450 million through 2020 to renovate the Four Seasons tower. ● Sands Bethlehem Casino Resort, which is in the process of being sold by Las Vegas Sands to Alabama’s Poarch Tribe of Creek Indians, has reported declines in both slot and table game revenue. According to last week’s report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Sands’ slot revenue was $22.5 million in November, a 6.5 percent drop from a year ago. Table revenue, while still the best in the state, was $16.1 million for the month, a plunge of nearly 16 percent from a year ago. • Okada Manila has opened a new open-air venue called the Garden. The space, which includes abundant foliage, gazebos and water features, launched with a Christmas theme including carolers and visits from Santa. ● A new stunt-based show that was due to launch at Macau’s Studio City this month has been postponed to late January because it required “further development,” according to Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd. The show, called “Elēkrŏn,” is being developed in collaboration with UK-based entertainment brand Stufish and will feature 70 custom-made vehicles, “all engaged in a succession of daredevil feats that take place at super close range to the audience,” the promoter said. ● In other Melco Resorts news, the company has been expanding its non-gaming offerings, most recently with the opening of an e-Sports venue at Studio City. The property will also feature Asia’s largest virtual reality zone, targeted to open around Chinese New Year in February 2019.   ● The government of Argentina has approved a plan to fund gambling addiction programs with a new 2 percent tax on slot win. Owners of slot parlors will be responsible for collecting the new tax.   ● The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe of Lake County, California, which operates the Running Creek Casino, has opened a new call center to handle questions from customers of the tribe’s lending institutions. This is part of the effort to recover from the Mendocino Complex Fires of earlier in 2018. The call center also helps bring jobs to both tribal and non-tribal residents. According to Tribal Chairman Sherry Treppa: “Not only does this brand new facility represent economic development for our area, but also for our Tribe, as we work toward self-sufficiency for our people.” • A new $400,000 a year naming rights deal will change San Diego sports arena from Valley View Casino arena, which it has been since 2010, to Pechanga Arena San Diego. The deal is signed between Pechanga Resort and Casino and the City of San Diego. The payment from the tribe will be divided between the city and arena operator AEG Management San Diego (with AEG getting 90 percent.) Pechanga, based in Riverside County, is making a play for more San Diego players to its casino complex, which is the largest on the West Coast. • Point Edward casino just completed a year-long $26 million renovation and rebranding to become the first Starlight Casino. Starlight Point Edward becomes the first of that brand to open in Ontario. The transformation made by the purchaser Gateway Casinos and Entertainment included a new Match Eatery buffet and the Nova Bar. Twenty-five live table games and 494 slot machines were also added. So were 40 more employees, bringing the staff up to 340. • Snoqualmie Casino and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership whereby the casino will be able to use the Seahawk’s logo and marks for advertising and on site promotions. This is the first time the team have formed such a partnership with a casino. This was made possible when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal law against sports betting and the NFL updated its guidelines to allow teams to form partnerships with gaming companies. • Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is building an outdoor terrace with 50 machine games adjoining the property’s harness track. Completion is slated for the spring.