NEWS & NOTES

MGM Resorts International has acquired naming rights for the performing arts center at Fenway Park, the base of the Boston Red Sox. The center, which will open in 2021 will be dubbed the MGM Music Hall at Fenway. The 5000-seat venue will host “a wide variety of live events,” said a statement from MGM. It will be operated by Fenway Music Company, a partnership between Live Nation and Fenway Sports Management. Construction will begin before the end of the year with a target completion of late 2021. • The MGM Springfield Casino has paid $1,796,875 to seven surrounding communities in impact payments as part of its obligations spelled out in impact agreements. The payments and towns included: Agawam ($200,000), Chicopee ($200,000), East Longmeadow ($175,000), Holyoke ($115,000), Longmeadow ($281,875), Ludlow ($175,000), West Springfield ($475,000) and Wilbraham ($175,000). The towns will use the money for a variety of purposes, from transportation improvement, to public safety, to infrastructure and traffic projects. • The Puyallup Tribe of Washington brags that its Emerald Queen Casino rising within sight of the I-15 in Tacoma is called the “Las Vegas of the Puget Sound.” It’s the next step from the tribe’s Emerald Queen Riverboat, which launched in the 1990s. The tribe anticipates a December opening. Casino Manager Frank Wright, who helped bring gaming to the tribe told Q13 Fox News: “This is where I dreamed it would be one day. The tribe would make the investment and flourish.” • The Scoreboard app, launched October 16 by the Oregon Lottery has accepted more than $4.5 million in wagers. “It’s humming along,” said lottery spokesman Chuck Baumann. “People are enjoying it and they’re able to bet on everything from the Blazers to handball, to darts and cricket, and the NFL.” According to the lottery, the average wager is $20. Most of the funds go to public schools. It anticipates sportsbook will generate $26.6 million in gross revenue the first year. • The Arizona Department of Gaming reports that tribal gaming contributed about $29 million to the state during the first three months of the 2020 fiscal year. That was up 5.3 percent from last year—and marked the tenth year for an increase in state gaming revenue. The state collects between 1-8 percent of gross wagering receipts from 24 Class III casinos. Last year it collected $111 million from this source. The American Gaming Association ranks the Grand Canyon State fourth in U.S. tribal gaming. • Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has revealed that 21 people, including six staff members of Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), have been arrested for alleged corruption in relation to an illegal bookmaking ring. In a statement, HKJC said that “upholding uncompromising integrity has always been the core value of the club. It has zero tolerance for any illegal acts or activities of its employees. The club has and will continue to work closely with ICAC in its investigations.” • The Swedish Gaming Authority (Spelinspektionen) is appealing a decision to reduce a penalty levied against Svenska Spel subsidiary Casino Cosmopol for failing to comply with safeguards to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The land-based casino operator was issued with an SEK8 million (US$822,00) penalty in November last year, prompting it to launch an appeal against the decision. Spelinspektionen says the operator is guilty of “serious and systematic violations of gaming regulations.” • During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, California donated $25,000 to Susan G. Komen San Diego, a foundation whose goal is to “reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026.” Throughout October, proceeds from Viejas events and donations made at the Buffet cashier station “added up to a sum that surpassed our most hopeful expectations,” said General Manager Jim Wild. • Hotel and resort operator InterContinental Hotels Group will introduce two of its hotel brands to the Grand Ho Tram Strip on the Vietnam coast southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, developed by Ho Tram Project Company Ltd. The Grand Ho Tram hotel will be rebranded as InterContinental Grand Ho Tram “within a year after refurbishments,” the company announced. • MGM Resorts International and the Wushu General Association of Macau are once again co-hosting the MGM Lion Dance Championship, November 23-24, featuring 28 troupes from 12 countries and regions. Starting the event will be the Female Traditional Lion Dance Championship, with nine troupes competing for the championship. • Two Gary, Indiana gaming boats—Majestic Star and Majestic Star II—are listed for sale at an asking price of $6 million each. The smaller of the two, formerly the Trump Princess, was once owned by current U.S. President Donald Trump. The price tag is far less than the original construction costs. Each of the vessels was built for more than $45 million in the 1990s. • The Sugar Factory American Brasserie, which Food & Wine has called “the most Instagrammed restaurant in the United States,” will open a location next spring a Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant and confectionary shop will replace the current Garden Café and Gazebo Bar. Other U.S. locations include New York, Atlanta, San Diego, Atlantic City, Orlando and South Beach Miami. • Phil Maloof, whose family owns the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, has unloaded his 59th-floor crash pad near the resort for $12.5 million, down from the original asking price of $40 million. The 6,230-square-foot penthouse has an indoor DJ booth, an outdoor hot tub, a movie screen and bar and panoramic views of the valley. TurnKey Pads founder Bryan Ercolano, who bought the property, said he plans to install a helipad and host parties starting at $20,000 per night. • The Gamblers Treatment Program at Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island, New York opened a new headquarters on November 9. The program launched in 1982 as one of three outpatient gambling programs in the state. It is one of the only programs of its kind in New York City. • The Fremont Street Experience’s Viva Vision canopy in Las Vegas will debut on New Year’s Eve during the “America’s Party Downtown” event. Details of the December 31 festivities are still being finalized, but guests can expect live entertainment on four stages, onstage pyrotechnics, roaming entertainment, all-new lights shows and more. • A 70-year-old Army veteran found himself counting cash on Veterans Day, after he won more than a quarter of a million dollars in the North Carolina Lottery. Ernest Dodson paid $1 for the winning Cash 5 ticket. • Sports betting supplier Sportradar issued a strong rebuttal against an Italian media report that the firm has ties to a criminal investigation. The company called the allegations incorrect and defamatory. • The London Legacy Development Corp. said gambling, tobacco and alcohol companies may not sponsor the London Stadium, claiming such ads are inappropriate for the image. As a result, Betway, which currently sponsors West Ham United’s shirt, will not be able to also become the stadium’s first-ever sponsor. • In a bid to support its ongoing commitment to responsible gambling, the newly-formed Betting and Gaming Council has developed a new cooling-off feature for gaming terminals, which is due to be introduced across UK betting shops. The Anonymous Player Awareness System, which has been developed over the last two years, may identify signs of potentially harmful gambling behavior. The real-time algorithm will trigger an alert on-screen and force a break in play or cooling-off period’ while alerting staff at the same time. • Tabcorp Holdings has confirmed plans to launch a single tote pool product for Australia in 2020. The merge of three separate systems would share punter liquidity across all Australian states. The company will combine tote systems servicing Victoria and New South Wales racing, with those that service Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania racing. • A drug conviction may no longer be an impossible hurdle to casino employment if a bipartisan bill passed in New Jersey Assembly becomes law. The legislation would allow the state Casino Control Commission to issue a casino employee license and the state Division of Gaming Enforcement to issue a casino employee registration to any applicant who has successfully completed a term of special probation, or recovery court. •