NEWS & NOTES

Brazil will issue preliminary regulations for the country’s sports betting industry, both online and land-based, by December. The Ministry of Economy has until late 2022 to issue specific rules for the statutory law’s implementation. According to Waldir Marques, Secretary of Evaluation of Public Policies, Planning, Energy and Lottery (SECAP), a Ministry of Economy, “We are trying to learn from the best jurisdictions. We want to focus on responsible gaming measures and under-age protection, as well as policies against money-laundering and match-fixing.” • Casino equipment supplier Aruze Gaming has collaborated with a Philippine gaming venue to launch a starter jackpot worth nearly US$1 million for Aruze slot machines at the Manila property. The jackpot valued at PHP50 million (US$958,000) is for Aruze’s ‘Fu Lai Cai Lai’ linked progressive slots at City of Dreams Manila, operated by Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp. “Working with Aruze and getting the most out of their latest games and technology allows us to enhance and elevate our customers’ overall experience,” said Kevin Benning, senior vice president and COO of City of Dreams Manila. The Fu Lai Cai Lai series was introduced in the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia last November and entered the Macau market earlier this year. • The Swiss Lottery and Betting Board has published its first blacklist of foreign gambling websites following a change to the law on online gambling. More than 60 foreign websites have been blocked to Swiss gamblers. Last June, 73 percent of voters approved the overhaul of the country’s gaming law despite claims by opponents of government censorship. The law came into effect in January but blocking of foreign gambling websites didn’t take place until August. It has been estimated that Swiss gamblers spend more than US$252 million on internet gambling via sites based in offshore locations such as Malta or Gibraltar. • SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia has announced it’s the official sportsbook partner of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team. SugarHouse announced a multi-year deal with the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center making the casino and PlaySugarHouse.com their official sportsbook partners. The deal will include a pair of high-tech sports lounges at the Wells Fargo Center, to be open in time for the Flyers’ home opener October 9. It will feature nearly 100 screens so fans can watch the action on the ice while betting on sports on their phones. •. Wind Creek Bethlehem, formerly the Sands Bethlehem and now owned by the Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians, is promoting $1 million prize contests for both blackjack and slots in tournaments to be held in September and October. The rebranded property has announced plans for a $340 million expansion that is to include a 300,000-square-foot adventure and water park and two more hotels. • The Philippines is fighting back against loan sharking in casinos with facial recognition technology, according to an announcement by the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). PAGCOR said it’s working with the country’s central bank; the local Securities and Exchange Commission; and other regulatory agencies to draft measures to curb the activity. The country is also fighting casino-related kidnappings in Manila. Since 2017, police have recorded more than 50 such kidnappings and arrested more than 100 Chinese nationals in relation to the crimes. •. Swedish-based NetEnt, which provides digitally distributed gaming systems, has agreed to buy Red Tiger Gaming Ltd., a supplier of online slots, based in the UK’s Isle of Man. The purchase was for GBP£200m, plus another GBP£23m in three years. With Therese Hillman as chief executive officer, NetEnt provides gaming solutions to some of the most successful online casino operators. It employs about 1,000 in seven international locations. The purchase gives NetEnt a leg up in creating a global infrastructure focused on customer reach and regulated markets, says the company. Red Tiger was formed in 2014 and employs 170. • Foxwoods Resort Casino and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park have formed a three-year partnership. Roy Colebut-Ingram Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships commented: “It was one of those things we were talking about for a long time and the timing was right and the energy was right on both sides and Thompson is a great team to work with . . .” Foxwoods also partners with New Hampshire Motor Speedway for crossover promotions, something it will do with Thompson. There will be a Circuit One Driving Experience twice yearly at Foxwoods and other details not yet ironed out • Rush Street Interactive has partnered with AGS to offer AGS’s online real money gaming content at New Jersey’s PlaySugarHouse.com’s online sportsbook and casino, which RSI launched in three years ago with titles such as “Golden Wins” and “Jade Wins.” Included is RSI’s online casino in Columbia, RushBet.co and RSI’s Casin4Fun social gaming sites. This is AGS’s first real money gaming agreement in North America. Rush Street is the first online operator to offer AGS content in both New Jersey and the Central American country. • Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong told state lawmakers last week that the state won’t offer sports betting before the end of the year and maybe longer because the new regulations must be drafted and go through a public comment period. The legislature legalized sports betting this spring. Wong called the implantation of new rules, “quite a task.” • The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, which owns Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, August 22 signed a tribal state gaming compact with California Governor Gavin Newsom. That will allow it to open a second casino in the Coachella Valley. The casino would have up to 2,250 slots once the compact is approved by the legislatures and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Currently the tribe is limited to 1,800 slots. • Route 66 Casino Hotel near Albuquerque, New Mexico is opening the Stadium 66 sportsbar and sportsbook. This $3.4 million project replaces Route 66’s ENVY Nightlife club. The bar will offer Class III gaming and later this month will unveil The Book, with full-service sports wagering, 74 TVs to watch the games and full service bar and grill. •. General contractor PCL Construction has sued Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. (MCRI) in Black Hawk, Colorado over details to the remolding project whose completion has now been postponed until possibly next summer. MCRI claims the lawsuit is an attempt to direct attention away from its own delays and cost overruns. It assures customers that their experience will not be marred by the delays. •