NEWS & NOTES

Saratoga Casino and Raceway has withdrawn plans to build a Vegas-style casino at the historic track in Saratoga Springs, New York. But owners may continue with a $30 million plan to build a 108-room hotel, along with a new restaurant, pool, spa and fitness center. An event center may be added later.  ?  The town board of Batavia, New York has added its voice to those opposing a new Seneca tribal casino in the western part of the state. The Senecas already operate three casinos in the region, in Salamanca, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. They want to build a fourth, possibly in Henrietta.  ?  Horse-drawn carriages have been approved for the streets of Sin City. Las Vegas City Council voted last week to allow the carriages; the majority overruled objections by Mayor Carolyn Goodman and council members Lois Tarkanian and Stavros Anthony.  ?  The Slotzilla zip line underwent testing last week, with crash dummies riding the 77-foot-high thrill ride in Downtown Las Vegas. The $11.5 million attraction will open this spring.  ?  The Spice Girls are in talks to begin a Las Vegas residency in 2015. The British girl band of the 1990s will likely appear without Victoria Beckham, fashion magnate and wife of superstar soccer player David Beckham.  ?  The Rolling Stones “50 and Counting” tour will come to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas May 11. Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards will perform at the Garden Arena.  ?  SLS Las Vegas will fill 2,700 jobs at the 1,600-room Strip resort, on the site of the former Sahara, slated to open Labor Day Weekend. The new property has already received nearly 15,000 applications.  ?  India’s Central Bureau of Investigation has set up a new Sports Integrity Unit as part of an effort to combat illegal sports betting in the country. The agency will be responsible for investigating and enquiring into matters related to sport frauds, combating malpractices in sports and coordinating with sports federations and law enforcement agencies. The unit will operate under the Special Crime Branch in Delhi.  •  Indonesian authorities have broken up what they claim to be a massive illegal sports betting ring that processed wagers online via popular Asian gambling site SBObet. Police in Jakarta arrested three men serving as agents for the operation, part of a network that has been handling “up US$2.6 million in wagers each month. Police arrested two other SBObet agents in February. SBObet sponsors many of the football clubs in England’s Premier League. The league is the biggest betting draw across Asia.  •  Casino operator Macau Legend Development has raised its stake in junket operator New Legend VIP Club from 2 percent to 42 percent. New Legend runs high-end baccarat tables at Macau Legend’s Pharaoh’s Palace casino.  •  Philippine and Macau civil aviation regulators will meet in June to discuss adding more flights between the two countries. Macau and the Philippines have had an air services agreement since 1997. They amended the agreement last year to increase capacity on flights between them to 4,500 seats a week from 3,500 seats.  •  The UK Gambling Commission plans to host a series of training workshops across the country to help local councils identify and take action against the siting of illegal gambling machines in their constituencies. Training will be provided by Westminster City Training in partnership with the commission’s Local Authority Liaison Unit. Last year’s workshops attracted almost 400 council members and police officers.  •  A Mother Nature-themed mural was unveiled last week on the facade of Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall’s West Hall.  The new mural, called “Journey,” was created by artist Mitsu Overstreet and sponsored by the Atlantic City Alliance and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. It is made up of 27 panels that wrap around the West Hall along Florida and Pacific Avenues. Each panel is about 25-feet wide and 35-feet tall, and its combined length is about 700 feet. The installation is part of a joint Atlantic City Boardwalk improvement project by the ACA and the CRDA in conjunction with the city’s beautification project.  •  Philadelphia City Council has made a move involving zoning in anticipation of Bart Blatstein’s Provence project possibly receiving the city’s second casino license. The council’s Rules Committee has approved a measure to set new zoning rules for the area surrounding the site of the Provence project, which is centered on the former Philadelphia Inquirer building in the Center City district, near the border to North Philadelphia. The zoning rules would forbid pawn shops, payday loan operations and other shady easy-money businesses normally found in casino zones from opening new businesses in the area.  The measure now goes to the full City Council for a vote.  •  Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbaugh defended the board’s caution in reaching a decision on the second casino license for Philadelphia, which was originally projected for the end of April. “The board continues to talk about it,” Harbaugh told KYW News Radio. “This is an important decision, since it is the last license for Philadelphia and the last stand-alone casino in the state. They’re simply not going to be rushed.”  •  Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson will discuss the hospitality industry with UNLV Hotel College students next month. Adelson will talk about leadership challenges and career advancement in the hospitality sector during a two-part lecture on May 5. Adelson plans to share his insights operating the Venetian, Palazzo and several resort properties in Asia. Adelson’s one-hour talk will be preceded by one from Michael Leven, the president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands.  •  The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas welcomed its 40 millionth visitor last week, a British tourist making his first trip to Las Vegas. James Kennedy of Birmingham, England, was greeted by Stratosphere General Manager Paul Hobson at the entrance to the 1,149-foot-tall tower with balloons, an entourage of Stratosphere employees and cameras. Hobson presented Kennedy with a Stay & Play Getaway at the hotel-casino valued at $2,500.  •  Scientific Games announced that the company has signed a contract with La Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), the operator of the French National Lottery. Scientific Games will continue to be the primary supplier of instant games to FDJ, including some of its top performing games, such as the No. 1-selling 5€ Cash game.  •  The Northern California Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, who run Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, is experiencing a leadership crisis over disen
rollment. Several tribal council members have resigned over the issue. However, because the casino is run by an independent business that shouldn’t create a problem, says Bruce Thomas, chief operating officer of the casino. In a press release last week Thomas noted that the Tribal Chairman, Andy Freeman, remains in office. “Chairman Freeman has asked that we remain focused on delivering outstanding guest service and preserve our position as leaders in our community,” said Thomas.  •  Yolo Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee, which has been allocated $120,201 from California’s Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund, is accepting grant applications. The committee is made up of seven members who represent Yolo County, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the public. Previous grants, which must provide mitigation from casinos to impacts made on local government, have been made for emergency services, waste disposal, law enforcement, youth programs and child care programs.  •  Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, which recently added table games, is paying an additional $7.1 million per year in state taxes as a result of higher revenues. The casino won’t reveal exactly how much its own increased revenues are, although it says they are not as high as the $44.8 million that some have estimated, due to increased costs of operating the tables. The casino has also increased the number of employees from 900 to 1,700. At the same time revenue from the casino’s slots has fallen. The state’s two casinos provide the third largest source of governmental revenue, with the state collecting 62 percent of slots revenue and 18 percent of table game revenue.  •  Navajo Nation Shopping Centers, Inc. has announced plans to break ground this summer on a retail, entertainment, cultural and residential expansion near the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino in Arizona. The expansion, on 70-acres, is dubbed “The Outlook at Glittering Mountain,” and will be developed over the next decade. Estimates are that the first phase of construction will be up to $15 million. In addition, Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise has announced that it will offer food grown by local Navajo farmers at its casinos’ restaurants. It announced the partnership with Navajo Agricultural Products Industry last week. According to NNGE CEO Derrick Watchman, “Partnering with the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry and its Navajo Pride brand products is just one component of NNGE’s larger commitment to buy Navajo and support hardworking Navajos across the reservation.”  •  The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians in Northern California could take action to oust more than 70 members from tribal rolls. The members who may be ejected include a former tribal chairman. The tribe, which operates River Rock Casino, has seen casino’s revenues decline precipitately after the nearby Graton Casino opened late last year. Since each member of the tribe receives a monthly payment from casino revenues, a declining pie means smaller pieces for each member. The tribe has declined to speak publicly about the possible disenrollment.