NEWS & NOTES

Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania submitted a request to reduce the number of slot machines and table games on the floor to make room for new amenities and property improvements. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has to approve or reject casino officials’ request for a reduction in the number of slot machines. Currently, there are 1,720, and the casino is asking to reduce the number to 1,580. Table games will be reduced to 42.  •  Operator Las Vegas Sands plans to introduce Macau-style live dealer electronic table games to its Pennsylvania casino property Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. Last week, Sands reps gave an informal presentation of their proposal to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The stadium-style electronic table games (ETG) seat up to 150 gamblers at a time but require only four to eight live humans to deal cards or spin roulette wheels. Bettors place their wagers on up to four different games simultaneously.  •  Cross-platform entertainment provider GSN Games has struck a deal to acquire social casino gaming company Idle Gaming. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it was confirmed that GSN will benefit from Idle Gaming’s mobile platform technologies and expert staff. The deal comes just over 12 months after GSN also acquired Bash Gaming, the firm behind hit social bingo game “Bingo Bash.” “The acquisition of Idle Gaming aligns perfectly with our strategy of leveraging first-rate teams and leading edge technology to create outstanding game experiences for our players,” GSN chief operating officer of Steve Brunell said.  •  Scientific Games Corp. announced it has signed a deal with the company that manages the lottery in Greece and will provide 5,000 slot video lottery terminals to the country’s gaming market. The games, which operate through a central server, are part of 16,500 video lottery terminals operated throughout Greece. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. The agreement calls for Scientific Games to begin deploying the games this spring and will conclude by year-end.  •  Derby Games is launching the Derby Jackpot mobile app, bringing real-money gambling on horse races to iOS in the U.S. The app is the first horse-racing real-money gambling game approved by Apple for consumers across most of the U.S. It’s part of Derby Games’ plan to create the largest community of real-money gambling consumers in the states. Derby Jackpot will let players watch, bet on, and win or lose money in horse races across the U.S. Its developer thinks people will like it because of the huge growth in social casino games and fantasy-sports titles on mobile devices.  •  Andrew Smith has been named Playtech’s new head of investor relations. Smith will manage the coordination and execution of Playtech’s global investor relations program, including interaction with investors and equity analysts. Smith has worked for the Temenos group and is a former director of corporate broking at Deutsche Bank.  •  GSN Games, part of the game Show Network has acquired Idles Gaming, the developer of social games Fresh Deck Poker, Slots of Fun, and Video Poker Tour. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.  •  Valley View Casino and Hotel near San Diego, California and AEG Global Partnerships have extended the naming rights agreement for Valley Center Casino Center, which is one of San Diego’s top venue for live concerts and sporting events and is ranked the No. 5 such facility in the world. The deal was first brokered in 2010. The center is the home of the San Diego Sea Gulls hockey team.  •  Last week the Casino at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino opened in Calgary, Canada with 550 slot machines and gaming tables, off-track betting, a restaurant and lounge. The facility will offer harness racing beginning April 25. The casino serves the Calgary and Edmonton market and sits along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, one of the busiest highways in Western Canada.  •  Mainland China’s Industrial and Commercial Bank has announced that it will put another US$360 million (MOP2.88 billion) of capital into its subsidiary in Macau.ICBC told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange its aim is to “further improve the market position and competitiveness” of ICBC Macau.  ?  The number of nonresident workers in Macau reached more than 173,000 in February, according to data released by the Human Resources Office. Nonresident workers come mainly from China, the Philippines and Vietnam.  ?  The Culinary and Bartenders unions announced a tentative contract covering 4,000 workers at MGM Grand Las Vegas has been reached. The deal was negotiated by representatives from Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165. The contract will last 4 years.  •  New York has put an end to the hopes of bringing 1,000 video lottery terminals operated by the Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. at Belmont Park. In addition, plans for a 200- to 300-unit VLT parlor in Albany were also stopped by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration.  •  Skill Provisions have been given the green light for video lottery terminals in New York. Previously, games were required to be completely based on chance. The Hotel Trades Council union predicts the provision will add 100 new jobs while the Gaming Commission said it will bring in more than $20 million its first year, and $40 million each subsequent year.  • Toronto City Council has asked for a report on the economic and social implications an increase in gaming would provide in Rexdale. Some council members feel any additional gaming would cut into casinos, which stems from the belief online gaming has done the same.  •  Developers In New York who lost casino bids saw $7.8 million returned in their pockets. Each of the 13 applicants was required to pay a $1 million application fee initially. The big winner was Hudson Valley Casino & Resort, who was given back $1.6 million. •  The Schenectady Planning Commission began review for the Mohawk Harbor Development, which will include the $330 million Rivers Casino and Resort. The development will include a marina, apartments, and retail stores in addition to the casino.