NEWS & NOTES

The Madera County, California Board of Supervisors refuses to approve a settlement agreement to assist the Chukchansi tribe reopen the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, closed since October. The board won’t sign an agreement until the tribe resolves the issue of governance. Several tribal factions are vying for control. One of them conducted an armed incursion into the casino in October, causing it to be closed by the state and federal government. Reggie Lewis, tribal chairman, says the federal government has recognized as legitimate a council elected in 2010. The tribe is currently in talks with the state and National Indian Gaming Commission for permission to reopen the casino.  •  Garden City Inc., parent company of Casino M8trix in San Jose, California has been fined $1.5 million in a settlement reached with the California Bureau of Gambling Control. The casino was accused last year of many violations of state gaming regulations. The company admits to having an illegal financial relationship with a gaming services company, and that one of its owners provided false information to the city of San Jose, among other infractions. One of the 50 percent owners, Eric Swallow, did not agree to the settlement. The Peter Lunardi and his wife Jeanine, who own the other half, agreed to the settlement. Their licenses were renewed while Swallow’s has not yet been determined.  •  Officials at Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. in Black Hawk, Colorado said expansion and improvement projects totaling $295 million are moving forward. Plans include a 23-story hotel with a 500-room tower and parking structure. The facility would compete with the 536-room Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, opened in 2009. Monarch Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Farahi said, “Work on our upgrade and expansion of Monarch Black Hawk is ongoing and we continue to make excellent progress throughout the property.”  •  Gauselmann Group Chairman Paul Gauselmann was confirmed in his position as chairman of the industry association ‘Verband der Deutschen Automatenindustrie e.V.’—VDAI (German Amusement and Vending Machine Industry Association) during its annual general meeting. Gauselmann, head of one of Europe’s largest producers of machines for amusement and some gaming markets, has headed up the VDAI since 1981. “He continues to campaign with great vigor for the future of commercial gaming and the interests of the German amusement and gaming industry,” said a statement from the organization. He will be supported by the Gauselmann board directors Jürgen Stühmeyer (Merkur Sales), Dr. Werner Schroer (Technology) and Manfred Stoffers (Marketing, Communication, Politics), who were appointed as committee members of the VDAI board.  •  Software supplier and consultant Rainmaker Group announced it has acquired SlopeJet, LLC, the leading provider of leasing performance management solutions. Colorado-based SlopeJet provides its leasing performance management solution to help property owners and operators measure and improve the effectiveness of advertising, call centers and leasing processes, at both the property and portfolio level. Amar Duggasani, chief strategy officer for Rainmaker, said, “With the SlopeJet acquisition, Rainmaker further delivers on its commitment to be the partner of choice who enables its clients to more effectively perform demand generation, demand management, and demand optimization.”  •  A panel of gambling experts in Canada has recommended that the Nova Scotia Provincial Otteries and Casino Corporation replace My-Play, a responsible gambling feature on video lottery terminals, with a different system designed to use an access card or a password-protected account. The governing Liberals pulled the plug on the My-Play system with no replacement. The system had been mandatory on VLTs in Nova Scotia since April 2012. The government had said replacement systems designed to interrupt play wouldn’t have been any more successful than the My-Play system, but that opinion is not reflected in the expert panel’s review.  •  The Club Regent Casino in Winnipeg, Manitoba has announced a $24 million expansion. A boutique hotel will be built with 100 to 150 guest rooms, while two new restaurants are set to be built as well.  •  The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission is moving forward with a proposal to allow blackjack dealers to hit on a soft 17. The change still needs to be approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review.  •  Lakes Entertainment Shareholders have approved the company’s merger with Golden Gaming. Nevada gaming regulators will consider the merger in July. Maryland regulators approved the merger last week, while approval is still needed from regulators in Montana.  •  Gaming Companies in Las Vegas have decided to delay exit applications looking to leave Nevada Power Co. Wynn Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas Sands Corp. were looking to go their own way and find power wholesale, but a recent denial by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission for data storage company Switch to leave Nevada Power Co. has led the gaming companies to delay their application.