NEWS & NOTES

The Hollywood Casino in Bangor Maine will have a trial run for 24-hour gaming between December 26 and January 3. The casino currently closes its doors between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. each day. Their main competitor, Oxford Casino, 125 miles to the south, is already a 24-hour operation. General manager Jose Flores says this will offer guests more opportunities to gamble, which he hopes will translate into more revenue.  •   Schenectady Real Estate is on the rise after announcement of the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor. Local agents have been bombarded with showings, phone calls, and emails. Many people are hoping to purchase multi-family homes with the hope of turning them into rental units for casino workers.  • New York isfinalizing casino details before construction begins on three casinos which recently received licenses. Environmental reviews and executive background checks need to be completed before work can begin. The Lago Resort and Casino is hopeful for a opening date of early 2016.  •  Cayuga Nation representatives are challenging Clint Halftown’s authority to file lawsuits on tribe’s behalf. Cayuga Nation Unity Council attorney Joseph Heath argued Halftown is no longer recognized as leader of the nation. The Unity Council has opposed the establishment of gambling enterprises by Halftown.  •  New York’s first licensed Casino-Dealer School,The Big Deal Casino Academy, is set to open shop in early 2015. Students will be trained in blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, poker, carnival games, or Spanish 21. To receive a certificate, each student must be proficient in at least two games. Some concern is being shown, as the three casinos which recently received licenses are not set to open until 2016. The 2,000 square-foot space will house three poker tables, eight blackjack tables, in addition to roulette, baccarat, and craps tables.  •  Nevada Job Growth is third in the nation, behind only Colorado and North Dakota for first half of 2014. The jobless rate dropped from 7.7 percent in July to 6.9 percent in November as well. The recession laden years of 2009 and 2010 saw negative growth as low as minus-10 percent. Numbers are set to get even better, with Tesla Motors’ planned battery factory, which will employ 6,500 people just 17 miles east of Sparks.  •  Oneida Nation’s Administration may be in hot water over new Wizard of Oz themed casino. While working as editor of a South Dakota newspaper, Oz Author L. Frank Baum called for the extermination of all Native Americans. Some find this casino shocking as the Oneidas have been an advocate for the removal of offensive mascots such as the Washington Redskins.  •  Organizers of February’s ICE Totally Gaming trade show are embracing its 2015 “Voyage” motif by hosting the World Regulatory Assembly (WrA) Cocktail Reception on the Cutty Sark, the 19th century clipper that sailed the high seas between Britain, China, Australia and Egypt. Kate Chambers, portfolio director responsible for ICE, said, “The Cutty Sark, which is situated just across the River Thames from our home at the ExCel Center, is a unique symbol of international trade and commerce, and represents a fantastic environment to begin the networking opportunities for which ICE week is famous.”  •  Hospitality software supplier Duetto has partnered with Revcaster on a program designed to optimize hotel revenue. The program will integrate Revcaster comp-set data to further increase revenue optimization opportunities for hotel operators. “The agreement between our companies adds Revcaster’s easy-to-use hotel rate shopping tools to our industry leading revenue strategy solution,” said Patrick Bosworth, Duetto’s CEO and cofounder. “Revcaster’s comp-set data integrates automatically with Duetto to simplify implementation for our users. It is a boon to our customers, and we are pleased to be partnering with Revcaster.”  •  GTECH S.p.A. announced that it is offering to buy back a €750 million ($924 million) bond due in 2066 as it prepares to finalize its merger with leading slot manufacturer International Game Technology. The Italian supplier and operator said it would purchase the bond at a premium of 5.75 percent to its nominal value. It will pay a further 3 percent premium to bondholders that tender their notes by January 7.  •  The Kentucky legislature is expected to take up the issue of casino gambling once again in the 2015 session, although observers once again give the measures little chance of passage. Other gaming issues face the legislature, including a crackdown on so-called internet cafes, pull-tabs for charitable organizations and an expansion of Instant Racing, which has seen success at two Kentucky racetracks.  •  The Boomtown Casino Biloxi in Mississippi announced last week that it plans to add a daiquiri bar to its welcome center, creating the Fat Tuesday at Boomtown Daiquiri Bar and Welcome Center, offering a dozen types of New Orleans style daiquiris. The facility will have outdoor music and other entertainment and some fast foods. • The government of New South Wales, Australia has decided to lift betting restrictions that forces racing operations to abide by the new minimum betting rules, requiring them to pay a minimum $2,000 bet in Sydney and $1,000 at other provincial tracks. The bet limits were actually lifted in September, but consumers complained that many racetracks were not honoring the change and had, in some cases, closed accounts of betters who insisted that they honor the new regulations. • The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation said last week that the process to choose a casino operator for the region would begin after June of this year. Two towns, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, have previously said they were willing to host a casino after the OLG announced plans to modernize the gaming system in the province. It previously declared that the area is eligible for a casino with 300 slots.