NEWS & NOTES

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group has announced that it will provide four weeks of paid leave for staff who are also members of emergency service organizations. The initiative was introduced in response to the current bushfire crisis, but will remain in place for future natural disasters, Star said. Volunteer firefighters, State Emergency Service volunteers and those representing any other organizations called into action during such events are covered. •   Striking workers at the NagaWorld casino complex in Phnom Penh, Cambodia returned to their jobs on January 13 after reaching a deal with Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp Ltd. According to Reuters NagaCorp had agreed to raise the workers’ salaries between 18 percent and 30 percent. Union workers were seeking a monthly minimum wage of US$300 for hotel employees and US$500 for casino employees; some of the striking workers said their starting wages ranged from “US$150 to US$250” a month. • Wynn Resorts is in the process of “rightsizing” operations at Encore Boston Harbor, the $2.6 billion casino that opened just six months ago but has so far fallen short of revenue projections. Among the cost-cutting measures: using automated drink dispensers to replace bartenders and other staff. The company denied reports it has laid off employees. • Penn National Gaming is reportedly looking to buy Barstool Sports, a sports media company now owned by the Chernin Group. Barstool was last valued at more than $100 million. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy said any new owner of the company “would have an extraordinary advantage in the race to becoming the leading gambling company in the United States.” • The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has denied that O.J. Simpson was defamed by staff following alleged drunk and disorderly behavior at the property. In a lawsuit, Simpson claims Cosmo employees told tabloid TV series TMZ of his alleged unruly behavior. Simpson served nine years in prison for armed robbery and assault, and was acquitted in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend, Ronald Goldman. After his reported unruly behavior, the former Hall of Fame football player was banned from the resort. • Station Casinos has renovated a number of rooms and suites at its Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa and Green Valley Ranch Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. At Red Rock, more than 700 accommodations were transformed into modern, desert oasis-inspired getaways. At Green Valley, the Strip and Presidential Suites were renovated. Each offers views of the Las Vegas Strip, an eight-acre backyard pool area, and the 35,000-square-foot spa and salon. • Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will hold a weekend-long party before it begins its transformation to Virgin Hotels next month. The property is hosting the “Last Great Party Weekend” from January 30 through February 2 with live music, giveaways, food and beverage specials and more to commemorate 25 years. • Crown Resorts’ high roller casino in Sydney is set to open three months ahead of schedule, in Christmas 2020, according to company founder James Packer. Construction on the multibillion-dollar, six-star Crown Barangaroo is now around 75 percent complete, with 55 floors in place. • Krejcik Gaming predicts that social casino revenues will grow 5 percent per year and reach $6.8 billion by 2023. Adam Krejcik advised that he expects all of the top 10 social casino companies to expand into casual gaming this year. He anticipates that social casino revenues will grow by 8.1 percent in 2020 to $5.61 billion. • Last fall, Sioux City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened its sportsbook which permits patrons to bet in person or online. In the four months since, Hard Rock casino has raked in more than $2 million, with another $500,000 from online betting, thanks to the draw of football. • Bookmaker William Hill has sold its chain of 33 shops in Northern Ireland to BoyleSports. The deal, which includes two shops on the Isle of Man, makes BoyleSports the biggest betting shop operator on the island of Ireland. • Bwin.party and Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC Holdings will consider the company’s relocation of its place of management and control—and therefore also its tax residence—from the Isle of Man to the U.K. Jay Dossetter, head of media relations at GVC, said the move will allow key meetings to be based closer to the company’s largest market. “Under the group’s current Articles of Association and tax residency, we are unable to hold board meetings or shareholder meetings within the U.K.,” Dossetter said.