NEWS & NOTES

Scientific Games Corporation announced that De Lotto, the national lottery of the Netherlands, has extended its contract with the company to provide instant games and a cooperative services program (CSP) for an additional four years beginning April 1, 2015. The CSP services include instant game design, planning and production, as well as call center ordering services for De Lotto retailers, instant product training workshops and strategic marketing support. Under the contract, which was awarded following a competitive procurement process, Scientific Games will continue as the sole supplier of the Lottery’s instant games. From 2012 to 2014, the company’s work with De Lotto has resulted in a 12.8 percent increase in instant product sales.  •  In what the Asbury Park Press is calling “jackpot fatigue,” slumping New Jersey Lottery numbers are being blamed on the nature of multi-state jackpots. The huge jackpots of recent years have caused people to shrug at playing for jackpots until they reach around $300 million—fewer people play, which leads to longer periods waiting for jackpots to grow, the end result being sales of multi-state games like Mega Millions and Powerball diving around 30 percent this year. Lottery officials say the use of a private manager has allowed the state to better withstand the negative results.  •  Daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel has launched a new Android app that allows players to enjoy “the full FanDuel experience.” FanDuel already had an app for Android devices, but its functionality was limited to providing live scoring updates so players could track their teams’ performance. Last week FanDuel released a new Android app that provides players with all the options available via their website, including finding contests, building and editing team lineups, tracking live scores plus the ability to withdraw, deposit and manage their accounts. The app is currently available for download exclusively via FanDuel’s website, as Google’s Android Play store doesn’t permit apps that facilitate real-money gambling.  •  French sports betting operator and supplier France Pari has had its license extended for until June 2020. France Pari received its first five-year license in June 2010 when the French iGaming market opened. Founder and CEO Hervé Schlosser said the firm is “well established as an operator but also as a global betting provider on a European scale.”  ?  Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. has authorized a 2015 stock repurchase program that will allow it to buy back up to US$500 million worth of shares of outstanding common stock in the open market over the next year. The stock repurchase may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program.  ?  The government of India has identified three possible locations for casino cruise ships to dock: the Chapora River, Aguada Bay in North Goa, and the Zuari River in South Goa. Four casino vessels—the MV Horseshoe, MV Pride of Goa, MV Boa Sorte and MV Casino Royale—are due to be relocated from the Mandovi River by December 2015.  • San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Southern California last week unveiled its new High Limit Room, which includes a plush lounge, dedicated bar, high definition TV screens and nearly 70 high limit slots and eight gaming tables. The 5,000 square foot High Limit Room was built from scratch. • The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland and Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati have been hit with hefty fines over the use of surveillance cameras and table games, according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission. The Cleveland casino will pay $50,000 and the Cincinnati casino will pay $125,000. The cameras were not providing adequate coverage of the games in Cleveland. The casino aggravated the problem by not addressing the issue when it was originally discovered. • Pala Casino Spa & Resort in San Diego County, California last week opened an underground bar and wine cave (the CAVE) that has 70 seats, as part of a $5.7 million renovation. The wine cave’s entrance leads down a stone staircase. The renovation also includes the Starlight Theater, a new eatery called Luis Rey’s and a fine dining restaurant.  The underground wine bar will feature 480 labels. The renovation took four months.   •  The Detroit Lions have signed a 10-year deal with MGM to sponsor the club. A new premier club at Ford Field, known as the MGM Grand Tunnel Club, will allow fans to be adjacent to the locker room and player entrance tunnel. The club will feature bars, tables, video screens, lighting, Detroit decorations and seating. Two-ticket season packages will be sold for $19,000.  ·  Pinnacle Entertainment stockholders rejected all seven proposals by UNITE HERE, who represent hotel and restaurant workers. The union launched a proxy fight in response to Pinnacle spinning off into a REIT.  •  Saratoga Casino and Raceway construction is underway. The $34 million hotel will have 108 rooms and over 1,700 machines. Other amenities will include an indoor pool, fitness center, lobby bar, meeting rooms and a fine-dining restaurant.  •  Century Casinos successfully opened three casinos on cruise ships. The Mein Schiff 4 is a joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises and TUI, and will feature 15 slot machines in addition to live and electronic gaming tables. Two additional casinos will offer two blackjack tables and 11 slot machines apiece.  •  The New York State Gaming Commission said they are expecting at least two applications for a fourth casino license in the state by the July deadline. Currently, the only application submitted was by Tioga Downs Resort and Casino.  •  The Lucky Dragon, a nine-story, 201-room boutique hotel near Sahara Avenue and the Strip, laid the concrete foundation. The PENTA Building Group of Las Vegas, known for turning the Sahara into the SLS Las Vegas, is in charge of Lucky Dragon.  •  The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board members approved a $228.1 million budget proposal. $93.5 million is allocated for advertising Las Vegas. The board anticipates $294.4 million in revenue, of which 82 percent comes from motel and hotel room taxes.