NEWS & NOTES

The Navajo Nation has broken ground on the new $12.5 million Crownpoint Hotel and conference center, in Crownpoint, New Mexico. It’s part of a five-year plan developed by Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development and the Crownpoint Chapter of the nation. Navajo President Jonathan Nez said “Today’s groundbreaking is the result of years of the hard work and persistence of local leadership working in partnership with Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development. This symbolizes what can be accomplished when we work together with our communities at the local level.” • Agua Caliente Casinos last week announced a new free mobile app giving guests easy, instant access to all of casino amenities. Available for iOS and Android devices, the app will work at both Aqua Caliente casinos, in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. ACE Club members can access account information such a club points, resort credits and win/loss statements. They can buy concert tickets, schedule spa appointments, make restaurant reservations and book hotel rooms. They can store their ACE Club card on their phone, using the app, which, through Bluetooth technology, will enable them to use their cards with slot machines. • Arizona Department of Gaming reports that tribal gaming has set a record for contributions to the state: $111.3 million. This is the highest since tribal gaming began in the state in 2003 and is a 4.2 percent increase over FY 2018. Since 2003 tribal gaming have contributed $1.51 billion to education, tourism, wildlife conservation, health services and local government. • Evolution Gaming, which supplies live dealer online casino games, withdrew its products from 16 operators in Sweden last week. All were identified by local gambling authority Spelinspektionen as serving the market illegally. According to Online Poker Report, Evolution wants to steer clear of illicit offshore activity to protect its interests in strictly regulated legal U.S. markets. • SkyCity Entertainment Group has created a hotel management division. SkyCity Hotels Group is meant to “deliver on SkyCity’s hotel growth strategy and manage on-going projects, including the Horizon Hotel in Auckland, the Adelaide Casino hotel, as well as day-to-day operations across the SkyCity precincts,” according to a press release. The new division will be led by Group GM Hotels Brad Burnett, and will be supported by Colin McClean, general manager, NZ Hotel Operations, Glenn Hallam, director of development and integration, and Caroline Ah Chong-Douglas, director of sales and marketing. • Genting Hong Kong Ltd., an operator of casino cruise ships and investor in Asian land-based casinos, will sell and lease back its Genting Dream vessel for US$900 million or 80 percent of the closing market value, whichever is lower. The buyers are units of three mainland Chinese banks: BCLC SPV, an investment holding company controlled ultimately by the Bank of Communications Ltd; CMBFL SPV, a subsidiary of China Merchants Bank Co Ltd; and CCBFL SPV, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of China Construction Bank Corp. Along with eight cruise ships, the company also has a stake in the Resorts World Manila casino resort in the Philippines. • In Spain, a nationwide campaign against underage gambling is under way with simultaneous raids and inspections being carried out at bookmakers, arcades and casinos across Spain. Operation Arcade was launched after a report by the Directorate General for Game Management revealed gaming addiction is prevalent among young people. The outcome of the large-scale operation was due to be made public October 3.