Melco Crown will withdraw its listing from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 3. Melco sites a lack of opportunities to raise additional equity in the Hong Kong market, and an increasing administrative burden. The company will still keep its listing on the NASDAQ. • Sullivan County, NY panelists at a recent conference have unanimously agreed the county’s people are its hospitality industry’s primary asset. They all said the people who work in the field make all the difference through dedication and warm personalities. The comments re-iterate the importance of a dedicated staff for the upcoming $630 million Montreign Casino Resort. • Celine Dion will return to Caesars with a new show. The artist, who has not performed since last July due to an illness which caused inflammation to her throat, is slated to take the stage once again with a target date of September 23. • Melco Crown Entertainment has begun recruiting for some 10,000 people to work at its new Studio City resort in Macau. According to a release, in 2014 Melco’s in-house learning academy trained more than 10,000 employees and also launched a “Back to School Program” for employees who want to earn a high school diploma. ? Sands China Ltd. has given 5 percent pay raises to some 26,000 full-time employees, effective March 1. The company also paid out workforce bonuses last month.Sands ChinaPresident Rob Goldstein said the company “is very pleased to reward its team members for going above and beyond in delivering excellent customer service and world-class experiences to our guests.” ? The head of the Ghana Football Association has reported players following allegations that they were betting on their own team to lose. The players have not been named, but their team lost the match in question. ? Air China has resumed daily service between Macau and Beijing, Macau International Airport Company Ltd. has announced. Previously, its subsidiary Air Macau flew the Macau-Beijing route, offering return flights three times a day. Air China last served Macau more than 10 years ago. ? Macau’s Labor Affairs Bureau temporarily suspended scaffolding work on the site of the second phase of Galaxy Macau after a building worker fell to his death, the third death on a Cotai construction site this year. The bureau found that the worker’s safety harness was not secured properly. ? India’s Department of Industry has approved a partnership of Goa Costal Resorts and Recreational and Nepal-based Entertainment and Recreational to build a US$3 million casino. Operating under the Casino Pride brand, the team will now submit an application to operate a casino in the country. ? The Gaming Standards Association has elected new board members, as announced by GSA President Peter DeRaedt. The board members are: Roman Czubak, Rachel Barber, Byron Bridger, Syed Hussain, David Oh, Shay Segev, Kevin Trombo, and Jeanne-Marie Wilkins. · Wells-Gardner Technologies has announced the naming of Suzo Happ as its exclusive distributor of LCDs for the U.S. amusement market. The partnership is expected to grow the business and support its customer base. • Nevada Assemblyman Harvey Munford introduced a resolution for the state legislature to create a lottery. If passed, it would require lottery profits to fund public education and senior citizens. The passing would require two consecutive legislative sessions before going on a ballot for voters in 2018. • U.K.-based British slots and table games supplier Realistic Games has released The Great Pyramid, an innovative three-reel slot with an Egyptian theme. The Great Pyramid features a top prize of 200 times total stake, nudges, and a note -trail bonus round. Players who line up three gold pyramids on the reels trigger the bonus. Between one and three nudges can be awarded at random at the end of any non-winning spin, and the Super Spin provides winning re-spins when lit. “Slots fans have always loved the ancient Egyptian theme,” said Andy Harris, commercial director of Realistic Games. “But the innovative features of The Great Pyramid take it to a new level.” • GTECH and Genera Networks have signed an agreement that will enable GTECH to provide Genera Networks’ Nabor game to World Lottery Association customers. Nabor offers lotteries an opportunity to launch a modern draw game that increases revenue and attracts new players. Nabor gives players a social experience of winning with their community and their neighbors. Players participate in a simple lottery raffle where their home address acts as the lottery ticket. Once a jackpot winner is drawn in the random raffle, secondary prize pools are awarded among players who live the closest to the original winner. • The fourth-quarter results of cash-access supplier Global Cash Access reflected its acquisition of Texas-based slot manufacturer Multimedia Games. The Las Vegas-based provider of payment processing products to casinos said its net loss of $5.7 million in the quarter than ended December 31 was attributed to $10 million in costs and accounting adjustments from the $1.2 billion deal to acquire the slot machine company, which translated into a loss of 9 cents per share. A year ago, Global Cash Access reported net income of $5.7 million, or 8 cents per share. • The city council of Chula Vista, in San Diego County, California last week approved allowing more tables at the Village Club Card Room as part of a five-year operating agreement. The club will now be able to have up to 20 tables. The agreement also allowed the card club to change location to Bay Boulevard, which the owners said would bring in more players and revenue. The Village Club Card Room is the only card room operating in the city. • The Idaho House Ways & Means committee has pulled a bill that would have banned all gaming in the state, including the lottery and Indian gaming. A spokesman for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe said the attempt had been a way to retaliate against the tribe for trying to ban “instant horse racing” machines at the state’s racetracks.
NEWS & NOTES
Small Nuggets of News
