NEWS & NOTES

Phases 2 and 3 of Resorts World Manila in the Philippine capital will have additional gaming space and more hotel rooms, said Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. in a report to the Philippine Stock Exchange. The resort will add a 4,000-occupancy Marriott Grand Ballroom; an expanded Marriott Hotel Manila; and “related facilities, such as an underground parking lot, dining facilities and a golfer’s terrace,” the company said.  ? The Macau government is forming a special task force to deal with possible layoffs in the casino industry.A statement from the Secretariat of the Economy and Finance said casino workers who lose their jobs will get “practical help to get new jobs and training.”  ?  The first Poker World Cup has been scheduled for March 21-22 at the Hilton Portomaso in Malta. The event sponsored by Global Poker Index will bring together eight national teams to compete for the title of Poker’s World Champion Nation.  •  In Louisiana, the numbers are in for the first month of operation of Tilman Fertitta’s new $700 million Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel in Lake Charles, locatednext door to L’Auberge du Lac Hotel and Casino. Golden Nugget, which had a soft opening December 7, averaged $1.1 million in revenue per day of operation, versus L’Auberge which averaged was $1.06 million. But Golden Nugget posted gaming revenue for the month at $27. 5 million versus L’Auberge’s $32.8 million; however, Golden Nugget was open six fewer days. From November to December, the southwest Louisiana market reported 66 percent growth. L’Auberge spokeswoman Kerry Anderson said, “What held up is that the market did grow with the opening of the Golden Nugget. Early indicators are very good.” Isle of Capri Lake Charles posted $11.6 million in gaming revenue.  •  The Bureau of Indian Affairs is preparing an environmental review of the Coquille Tribe of Oregon’s proposal for a Class II casino in Medford. The BIA is seeking public comments on this off-reservation request. The Medford City Council says it plans to do a thorough review of possible impacts of the proposal on its infrastructure and social structure. Medford, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe, which operates a neighboring casino, oppose the proposal. The Cow Creek Band asserts that the land in question is not Coquille ancestral land.  •  Tbilisi, Georgia, will host the Georgia Gaming Congress on February 20. The congress is expecting leaders from the largest casinos in Georgia and Europe to attend the event, plus investors, gaming manufacturers, bookmakers, casino operators and tourists. In 2015 Georgia will celebrate 25 years of offering gaming. Activities will include reports, guest speakers and discussions of regulation and taxation of gaming. Smile-Expo is organizing the congress.  •  The Arizona Department of Gaming and Arizona Attorney General’s office jointly raided two internet cafes, two homes, and a business and storage facility in Phoenix last week as part of an ongoing investigation of illegal gambling. Agents seized cash, weapons, vehicles and gambling machines. Several bank accounts were also frozen.  •  The 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the federal government acted improperly when it ignored the offer of Northern California’s Redding Rancheria to close a smaller casino in return for being allowed to open a larger one. The Rancheria has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to put 230 acres into trust for a second casino. The tribe is a “restored tribe,” that is only allowed to operate one casino by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The BIA acted improperly when it ignored the tribe’s offer to close its existing Win-River casino in return for opening a new one. The BIA has been ordered to reopen the tribe’s application.  •  The Linq poker room in Las Vegas closed last week. Its jackpot reserve was given away in a frequent player freeroll. Harrah’s poker room lowered its max rake from $5 to $4 . Caesars Palace stopped taking a $1 jackpot drop as well. Since September 2012, Las Vegas has now closed 12 poker rooms.  •  The California Casino in Downtown Las Vegas opened the California Noodle House, a move seen as Boyd Gaming going after more non-gaming revenue. The restaurant will include distinctive flavors such as Hawaiian, Korean, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese.  •  Quebec officials are currently sweeping through the province in a large-scale gambling crackdown. An operation, who is suspected to be run by the Mafia, has been accused of illegal bookmaking throughout several cities. More than 100 police officers will be part of a special operation looking to bring the organization down.  •  Olympic Entertainment Group, an Eastern European gambling and sports betting operator,reported 2014 net revenues of $162.15 million, up 3.8% from $156.4 million in 2013. The increase was strongly driven by Latvia, who’s 2013 revenue of $41.6 million soared 21% to $50.5 million. Lithuania also showed a small gain, while Estonia and Poland slumped.  •  Investors purchased a larger portion of the Showcase Mall, located on the Las Vegas Strip, next to MGM. The Nakash family, Egli Gindi, and Elyahu Cohen paid $140 million for a roughly 97,500 square feet of space. The space was sold by Unilev Capital Corp. who bought the space for $93.5 million in 2011. 42,000 square feet is owned by original developer Barry Fieldman.  •  The California Nations Indian Gaming Association is preparing for their annual Western Indian Gaming Conference on February 10-12 at Harrah’s Resort Southern California, in Valley Center, California. There will be several seminars, for everyone from tribal leaders, to casino managers, and regulators alike.  • Turning Stone Resort Casino hired Ron Ross as executive chef, to oversee all food and beverage operations in the resort. Ross has a 35 year career with highlights that include executive chef for Borgata Hotel Water Club and Spa in Atlantic City, Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and has also worked for Hilton and Caesar’s resorts.  •  Oneida Indian Nation CEO Ray Halbritter released a statement regarding the upcoming Wizard of Oz themed casino. In the statement, Halbritter asks the Oneidas to look past Oz author Frank L. Baum’s bigoted views towards Native Americans. Halbritter points to the fact Baum’s family has since apologized for his views, and that a person’s body of work should not be judged because of a viewpoint not related to their work.  • Las Vegas Sands filed a complaint in June 2014 against overseas online casinos using their name illegally. A judge has issued a fine of $2 million to be paid if the culprits are ever found. The infringements include the Venetian trademarked design of a winged lion, a background image of the Marina Bay Sands, a
mong other infringing materials in Chinese writing found on other websites.  • Connecticut tribal leadersand lawmakers met last week to discuss the impact a Springfield, Massachusetts casino would have on state gaming revenue. While no formal plan was discussed, the prospect of a third Connecticut casino arose last November when plans for the Massachusetts Casino moved forward.  •  Pennsylvania casinos suffered a second straight year of declining revenues. Gross revenue at the state’s 12 casinos dropped 1.44 percent in 2014 to just over $3 billion, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The 1.4 percent decline in 2013 came after six years of growth. “Increased competition from surrounding states, which are also offering conveniently located casinos to their highest population centers such as in Pennsylvania, continues to be the biggest impact to growth here,” gaming board spokesman Dough Harbach told the Associated Press.  • Maryland’s two largest casinos, Maryland Live! and Horseshoe Baltimore, each proposed eliminating 300 slot machines and adding additional table games, according to state documents. Maryland Live, which has 4,222 slots and 189 table games, recently submitted a request to the state to remove 300 machines and add at least 13 table games. Horseshoe, which has 2,500 slots and 147 table games, requested eliminating 300 slots and adding 30 table games. Regulators are expected to approve the requests. Casino officials say the moves are being made to react to market conditions. Casinos keep more money from table games—80 percent, compared to only 33 percent on slots.  •  The Event Center at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem ranked among the world’s top 10 concert venues in 2014, according to entertainment industry publication Pollstar. The Sands venue’ sold around 200,000 tickets to concerts and other shows last year, making it the sixth-ranked venue of its size.