NEWS & NOTES

Best Sunshine International’s $25 million live casino training facility on Saipan will have glass enclosures for smoking as soon as it receives approval from landlord T Galleria. The addition of the enclosures as well as “air curtains” comports with the island’s environmental regulations.  ?  Three Macau unions have set up a charitable fund for casino workers.The Gaming Employees Advancement Association, the New Gaming Employees Advancement Association and the Sands Venetian Employees Union have created a federation to help gaming workers make ends meet. The federation of unions, calling themselves Macau Positive Energy, have also asked the government to require casino operators to pay out holiday and year-end bonuses.  • The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos of the State Society (IPLyC) in the Argentine province of Misiones has launched a state-sponsored online sports betting and casino site called Mision Bet. IPLyC president Eduardo Torres announced last week that the plan is to expand to all of Argentina. The plan has been in the works since 2003, he said.  •  Film star and bombshell Sophia Loren is scheduled to perform a one-woman show at the Venetian Theater in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 26. Loren, 81, will share memories and answer audience questions.  •   The Nakash family and investor Eli Gindi on December 2 paid $82.85 million for a 42,000-square-foot portion of the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip, ending former owner Barry Feldman’s 25-year hold on the property.  •   Wynn Resorts Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn spent $63.8 million to a 1,003,977 shares on the NASDAQ market in early December.  •  Sycuan Casino in San Diego County is announcing $75,000 in donations to 30 charities. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation holds the “Gift Giving Ceremony” every year, a tradition that began in 2006. The tribe gives money to over 700 organizations during the course of the year.  •  Pala Casino Spa & Resort in Southern California is building a $5.6 million 10-acre RV park that will open next May. The RV facility will hang connections for 100 vehicles of differing sizes. The park will be located across the highway from the casino resort.  •  Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island has turned up the heat on the regional casino competition by offering poker. Last week it added 16 poker tables and within an hour of their introduction 130 players were participating or in line to play. The tables offer seven-card stud and Texas hold ‘em.  •  Eight racing associations all over the U.S., including Santa Anita and Pimlico have filed suit in federal court against the DerbyWars fantasy horseracing site, claiming that it violates racketing laws and Federal Wire Act and uses racing outcomes without their consent. “DerbyWars does not hold, nor has it ever held, a license to conduct wagering on horse racing in California, Maryland or Oregon,” say the racing groups. The lawsuit contends that DerbyWars does not meet the definition of a fantasy sports game because it is based on actual games.  •  888 has launched a new bingo website for Christmas. Jingle Bingo is packed with an array of festive themed games and prizes that can only be found during the holidays. Traditional players can choose between 75-ball or 90-ball games. All the different bingo styles are offered, the company said in a press release.  •  British 1950s-inspired real-money gambling site 777 is holding a promotion at The Diner in London—a “food casino.” Visitors will be given burgers and fries—actually, “chips,” in the British vernacular—and will gamble the potato “chips” at table games to win more food. “777 is all about combining the good ol’ times of the 50s with the fun and thrills of a casino,” organizer Sivan Finn Shalev said in a press release. “There’s no better 50s icon than The Diner, and what could be better than combining an ‘all -American’ food experience with the fun of classic casino games?” Guests who run out of chips can purchase more for a £5 donation to Cancer Research UK.  •  The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has granted approval to Turfway Park racetrack to install at least 250 historical racing machines. The approval makes Turfway the fourth Kentucky racetrack to install the machines, known as Instant Racing. Players wager on entries to an anonymous historical horse race and a video of the race plays on the screen, paying wagers on the winning horses like a slot machine would.  •  Joseph Eve CPAs has won a competitive RFP to conduct an external audit for a large tribal casino in northern California.  “We work hard every day to earn our reputation for excellence, innovation, and leadership in our work with tribal governments and casinos across the U.S.,” said Joseph Eve partner Grant Eve. “Our team is committed to delivering unparalleled levels of professional service and solutions to our clients, and we are thrilled to welcome this northern California casino to the Joseph Eve family of clients.”  •  Scientific Games Corporation announced that Pacific Online Systems Corporation has extended the company’s contract through July 2018 for the supply and maintenance of an electronic lottery system in Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines. Under the three-year extension, the company will supply 1,500 new WAVE lottery terminals this month. “Scientific Games has demonstrated a strong commitment to our systems technology over the last decade, and we are pleased to continue working together to grow lottery sales in the Philippines,” said Willy Ocier, president, Pacific Online Systems Corporation.