NEWS & NOTES

For the 16th straight year, the Chumash Casino Resort Hotel in Santa Barbara, California has received AAA Four Diamond Awards for excellence. The resort is owned and operated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the largest employer in the Santa Ynez Valley, providing jobs for more than 2,000 county residents. • Muckleshoot Casino has pushed the opening of a new hotel to 2022. The 18-story, 400-room tower in Auburn, Washington is part of a three-year phased expansion that includes new restaurants and a 20,000-square-foot events center, scheduled to open in April. • A Topgolf Swing Suite and an indoor laser tag area are set to open in the spring at Wind Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Alabama. The attractions are expected to draw more family business and make Wind Creek “a complete entertainment destination,” said Property Manager Tim Ramer. • A grand opening celebration for the $375 million, 550,000-square-foot Caesars Forum conference center is set for March 18. The venue will host the 2020 NFL draft, expected to be one of the biggest events in Las Vegas history. • Casino Rama near Toronto, Canada, was evacuated due to a threat on February 26. The anonymous threat was called into the Ontario Provincial Police; neither the casino nor police provided details about the threat. • A national gambling addiction service has been launched in Ireland. Helplink Mental Health is a free national counseling service available seven days a week to people over 16 years of age. Helplink aims to tackle problem gambling through counseling, information provision and education. • The Osage Hotel and Casino in Skiatook, Oklahoma opened a $1.2 million addition last week. It includes 4,000 square feet of new gaming space with 50 new electronic games and a high-stakes area. The Osage Nation also operates casinos in Tulsa, Sand Springs, Bartlesville, Hominy, Pawhuska and Ponca City. • The schedule for this year’s World Series of Poker has been finalized. The 51st annual event will run May 26-July 15 at the Rio Convention Center in Las Vegas. Bracelets will be awarded in 87 tournaments at the Rio and 14 online events. The Main Event will begin July 1 and run until a champion is crowned July 14. • The Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California, has changed its name to Tachi Palace Casino Resort. The property is owned and operated by the Tachi-Yokut tribe, who opened it in 1983 as the 1,100-seat Southgate Bingo Palace. • Denmark’s gaming regulator Spillemyndigheden has revealed that it successfully blocked access to 25 iGaming sites in 2019. The regulator and the Tax Authority are working together to identify and block access to illegal sites. • Running Aces Casino and Racetrack in Columbus, Minnesota will open a new $17 million Scandinavian-style hotel on March 11. The property, which first opened in 2008, offers live harness racing, viewable throughout the casino, and horse racing simulcasts from around the country. • Construction of an illuminated archway in Downtown Las Vegas will begin March 16 and be complete in September. The $6.5 million, 80-foot-tall structure will create a gateway to Downtown on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Stratosphere, Las Vegas officials said.