NEWS & NOTES

Asian casino operator and developer Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd. is launching a JPY27 billion (US$248 million) fund to invest in non-gaming tourism and hospitality projects in Japan. Melco is one of several global operators vying for one of Japan’s three initial casino resort licenses. It has set its sights on Yokohama as a location. • A California sports gambler has pleaded guilty to sending violent, racist threats to players whom he felt lost or played poorly in games he was betting on. Addison Choi, 23, will spend 18 months in federal prison, pay a fine of $5,500 and complete a year of supervised release on his release. • More than 14 million passengers and 1.5 million vehicles have crossed the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) since it opened in October 2018, but those figures—about 4,000 vehicles per day—are below the projected estimates of 9,000. The Hong Kong, Macau, and Guandong governments are working on making this permit process easier for the average citizen and brainstorming other ways of attracting more travelers to the use the bridge. • The Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma has begun work on its new gaming venue near Perry which will offer 290 electronic gaming machines and create jobs for 90 full-time and part-time employees. The Fancy Dance Casino is expected to be completed in nine months. • The Tokyo Port Authority has issued a request for proposals for “innovations and entertainment” to be developed on a land reclamation area at Aomi in Koto Ward. It’s unclear if the RFP is linked to a potential integrated resort in the city. The RFP will close in January. • The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Riverside County have broken ground at the site of the tribe’s third casino, on a 14-acre site in downtown Cathedral City. The casino will have 500 Class III gaming machines and eight table games.   • Japan’s fourth largest financial institution, Resona Bank, has created a 50-member team dedicated to the promotion of business for the 2025 World Expo and Osaka’s integrated resort (IR) bid. The team will largely scout business for local companies at the expo and at an IR development if one is approved for the city and prefecture. • National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell will be the featured speaker at the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce’s annual Preview Las Vegas on January 17 at Wynn Las Vegas. Nearly 2,000 business and community leaders are expected to attend the popular regional forecasting event. Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, also will speak. • Central New York’s Yellow Brick Road Casino is hosting a live weekly eSports competition offering cash and other prizes. The Madden ’20 Tournament, based on the popular football video game, is held at the Lounge with Caesar’s Sports, the casino’s new sportsbook. The tournament is produced in partnership with UMG Media, a Canada-based eSports provider. • New York’s Saratoga Casino Hotel has opened a new sports bar offering race betting and featuring two tiers of 360-degree multimedia TV screens. The Mane Bar is part of $8 million in additions at the upstate resort, slated for completion in 2020, that include a new high-limit gambling area and VIP lounge. • New York’s Oneida Indian Nation is opening a new tourist attraction in the summertime resort of Sylvan Beach on Lake Oneida. The Lake House at Sylvan Beach is slated to open in May with up to 15,000 square feet of new space and 100 gaming machines. The Oneidas own three casinos in and around greater Syracuse in central New York: Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, the tribe’s flagship, and two smaller venues: Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango and Point Place Casino just south of the lake in Bridgeport.