NEWS & NOTES

Aristocrat’s games and systems performed strongly once again in the annual Goldman Sachs Slot Survey. The Australia-based manufacturing giant retained the top position for “most anticipated game” with its new Sons of Anarchy title. Two other Aristocrat games finished in the Top 10—Buffalo and Man of Steel—as did the Helix slot cabinet introduced last year. The company’s Oasis 360 casino management system was cited as the one that slot managers were most likely to switch to. The results were based on interviews with slot managers from 119 casinos in 27 U.S. states.  •  Evolution Gaming has entered into an exclusive agreement with Genting Alderney, the online casino division of Genting Group, to provide its full portfolio of live roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker games for the launch of gentingcasino.com.  •  UK bookmaker Coral has concluded an agreement with Leeds United to become the official betting and gaming partner of the English Football Association’s Premier League club.  •  Konami Gaming has installed its new multi-platform, multi-device SYNKiosk player loyalty solution in the three Minnesota casinos of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Indians. Konami’s SYNKROS system was first deployed by the tribe’s Leech Lake Gaming Division in 2012. The new installations encompass 1,700 machine games.   •  UK bookmaker William Hill has appointed Philip Bowcock as chief financial officer, replacing Neil Cooper, who is leaving the group in November. Bowcock was chief financial officer of movie theater chain Cineworld Group from 2011 until June 2015.  •  The Red Lake Tribe, which operates the Seven Clans Casinos in Minnesota, voted last week to not allow alcohol sales at the casinos in Warroad and Thief River Falls. The vote was 975 to 839. Tribal officials say the issue was heavily debated. The tribe had several community meetings to discuss the proposal.  •  Table gaming revenue at Pennsylvania’s Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville was $3 million last month, a 26 percent increase over the year before. Table game revenues for other casinos in the state were also up, although not as dramatically. The state average increased 13 percent, to $69.2 million. The Keystone state has 1,132 gaming tables, spread out among two resort casinos and ten racinos. Combined table and slots revenue statewide was 7 percent higher than last year, or $280 million compared to $263 million.  •  A revised tribal state compact between California and the United Auburn tribe, operators of Thunder Valley Casino Resort seems likely to face clear sailing. “I don’t see anything not to love about this thing,” declared Senator Tom Berryhill of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee during the first day of hearings. The new pact reduces the tribe’s revenue sharing to the state’s general fund from $40 million to $15 million, but will provide more money to non-gaming tribes and residents of Placer County. Overall the tribe’s payments will be $36 million, down from $42 million. It replaces a compact negotiated in 2004.  •  Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) a gaming technical consulting and independent certification laboratory, announced last week that it signed another North American Lottery to its Software Quality Assurance & Testing services although it didn’t say which one.  The company is providing functional testing, security testing, source code review, etc. to a growing number of lotteries, using multiple formats.  •  The Ohio Lottery Commission is partnering Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, along with the Drug Free Action Alliance to launch the “Be the 95%” campaign to fight problem gambling. The 5 percent are those who do not gamble responsibility, and thus create problems with their finances, family, even their health. The state has four casino resorts and seven racinos. Some studies show that 250,000 state residents are at risk of gambling addiction.  •  The Illinois Appellate Court has ruled against the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and upheld a Cook County tax on slot machines. The ruling will cost the casino more than $1.1 million a year and add that amount to the County’s annual budget. The three-judge panel reversed an earlier court ruling, which struck down the tax. The Rivers Casino is the only casino in Cook County. The ruling is seen as opening the way for other counties in the stay to impose similar taxes.  •  Echo Entertainment’s Jupiters Hotel and Casino is the first official sponsor of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Echo Chairman John O’Neill says the games will coincide with the completion of Echo’s new $345 million Jupiters development.  ?  Vietnam’s Jetstar Pacific Airlines has launched a Macau-Haiphong route. The carrier also flies between Da Nang and Macau, and will begin service between Ho Chi Minh City and Macau on September 22.  ?  Macau gaming labor union Forefront of Macau Gaming says junket operator Jimei International fired 20 VIP gaming workers in August and plans more layoffs before the end of the summer. During the second quarter, GGR from the VIP baccarat dropped 42.2 per cent year-on-year.  ?  The number of full-time employees in Macau’s gaming sector rose 1.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, but the number of dealers dropped by 2.5 percent, according to official data. During the period there were more than 57,400 full-time employees in the industry with the number of dealers falling to 25,000.  ?  Penn National Gaming has received approval from Nevada gaming regulators for its $360 million purchase of the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino. The company plans on spending $200 million over the next four years in upgrading the iconic property.  •  The Linq has reopened its poker room after being closed for seven months. The room has four tables, and will offer four daily $45 tournaments. The main cash game will be $1/$1 No Limit Texas Hold ‘em with a minimum buy-in of $50, which is capped at $300. This will be the smallest poker game offered on the Strip.  •  The Yellow Brick Road Casino will offer table games beginning at the end of the year, according to the Oneida Nation of New York. The bingo games will end on August 31.  •  The Lavo in Palazzo will introduce gaming into the restaurant, and turn itself into Lavo Casino Club. The club will offer blackjack alongside VIP bottle service, mixology and Italian cuisine.  •  MGM Resorts announced the first expansion phase of the Mandalay Bay convention center is complete, adding 350,000 square-feet of space. The expansion will b
e complete in January, which will see the convention space top 2 million square feet, at a cost of $70 million.  •  Evolution Gaming announced it will run Genting Alderney’s online casino. Genting Alderney is a subsidiary of Genting Group. Evolution Gaming’s games Roulette, Baccarat, Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Casino Hold ‘em and Immersive Roulette will be offered.