NEWS & NOTES

To give more emphasis to its CasinoFlex brand, 888 Holdings relegated its Drangonfish brand to B2B poker and bingo, while CasinoFlex becomes its primary casino component for its clients.  •  UK-based Realistic Games appointed former Ladbrokes gaming director Robert Lee to its commercial team.  •  TopGolf announced a May opening of its four-story, 105,000-square-foot golf “experience” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  •  The British Columbia Lottery’s PlayNow.com now is accessible to mobile users and features many player favorites, including CashSpin, Montezuma. Cash Wizard, and other games.  •  Ladbrokes announced Kristof Fahy is its new chief marketing officer, in charge of digital and retail operations.  •  Toronto-based Amaya named the Crispin Porter + Bogusky Group its lead creative marketing agency to promote BetStars.com.  •  Eilers Research is changing its name to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, to better reflect the names of the company’s principal owners, while also shifting its focus to services other than marketing and research.  •  Evolution Gaming agreed to be the sole live provider of Ultimate Texas Hold ‘em for Scientific Games for the next 3.5 years.  •  The Plaza Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas plans to open a new 70,000-square-foot rooftop pool deck, with new cabanas, bars, daybeds, and décor, in time for the summer tourism season.  •  Quinault Beach Resort and Casino in Washington has announced a $25 million expansion plan that includes a new 500-car parking garage that will serve as a tsunami evacuation shelter on the North Beach in Ocean Shores. Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp announced the expansion. The resort recently completed a 159-room remodel. It will now add two bars and a gift and coffee shop.  •  The Mohegan Sun Arena in 2015 hosted a record year, winning the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s national award for “Arena of the Year,” the ninth such award that it has earned. The same year the arena welcomed its 10 millionth guest. The Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut operates the arena. The arena is ranked #1 in the world for its size.  •  Quinel M, the internationally recognized testing laboratory, has certified BetConstruct’s sportsbook product for physical devices in a casino environment. Vahe Baloulian, CEO of BetConstruct, stated, For BetConstruct providing land-based operators, including those working in a casino environment, with increased revenue opportunities is of strategic importance. I am proud of our ability to continuously meet the requirements set by the regulators and expected by our partners.”  •  Genting Malaysia Bhd has acquired a 100 percent interest in Big Apple Regional Center LLC for $150,000. The casino investment company said it acquired the Delaware-based firm, “to assist with potential financing for possible future development projects in the Northeastern region of the United States.” Genting did not elaborate on what those projects might entail. The company currently operates two casinos in New York. A year ago that state’s Gaming Facility Location Board turned down proposals for two other projects in upstate New York.  •  The Coconino County, Arizona, Board of Supervisors last week approved of the $14 million the Outlook at Glittering Mountain project, a 70 acres mixed-use development proposed by Navajo Nation Shopping Centers Inc. The project is located near Flagstaff. Phase one will be a 50,000 square foot entertainment center, plus retail and shopping. Phase two will be an artisan village and retail such as Costco and Wal-Mart. A museum is planned for Phase three. This is the first time the county has entered into an agreement with the Navajo Nation, but it was necessary because the land is not held in trust.   •  A U.S. District Court last week denied a motion by a group called Save the Valley, which had challenged the land rights of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians near Monterrey, California. The lawsuit had challenged a 1906 agreement between the tribe and the Catholic Bishop of Monterrey that transferred land to the tribe, land that eventually became the tribe’s reservation. The judge ruled that the challenge came more than a century after the land transfer took place and was thus not timely. Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta hailed the decision and called the lawsuit “frivolous.” The tribe plans a casino and hotel expansion on the land.   •  Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California has been named highest ranked casino in Southern California by Yahoo Travel. It also named the casino one of the top three casinos outside of Las Vegas. The article called Morongo a “desert oasis” and noted that it is one of the largest casinos in the Golden State.  •  A casino, hotel and office complex is being planned for San Jose, California. Developer Brian Bumb said the casino would be built by the Bumb Family of San Jose. It will include a 49-table card room and two hotels with a total of 414 rooms and a nine-story office tower. The family is working with Hilton hotel chain, he said. The casino will be built across from U.S. 101 from a casino whose lease is expiring in less than two years. According to city’s director of economic development, “This development is very much in line with the jobs and revenue and plans that the city has been seeking for years for north San Jose.”  •  Melco Crown’s Studio City in Macau debuted its new Ibiza-style party club, Pacha last week. The 1,000-square-meter (3,820-square-foot) dance floor can host up to 3,000 partygoers. Pacha Macau’s website said the club will bring an “exclusive lifestyle experience not currently available in Greater China.”  ? Lawrence Ho’s bid for a gaming license in Barcelona may be stalled due to “uncertainty about urban planning” in Catalonia. Melco International Development said the uncertainty may delay the license auction.  ?  A total of 355 people were excluded from Macau casinos in 2015, up 26.8 percent from the previous year, said the city’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. That number includes 328 self-exclusions; the remaining 27 exclusions were applied for by third parties, such as family members. Those who fail to comply with the exclusion order can face up to one year in jail or a fine.  ?  The gaming equipment manufacturing sector saw a positive 2015, as the
Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) Index improved by 15.47 points, an 8.5 percent increase year-on-year to 197.32. This represents the third consecutive month of year-on-year growth. December 2015 saw the index increased by 2.99 points, a b1.5 percent increase compared to the previous month. In December, six of the 14 global gaming equipment manufacturers reported month-on-month increases in stock price, while eight manufacturers reported declines in stock price.  •  In the first good news after two down years, the Pennsylvania casino industry reported in increase in revenues. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that overall revenues for 2015 were up 2 percent over 2014. revenue for 2015 was $2.37 billion or 1.99 percent above gross revenue of $2.32 billion in calendar year 2014. Slot revenue for December showed a 4.8 percent increase over December 2014, with gross slot revenues of $197.5 million statewide. Slots gaming in 2015 generated $1.27 billion in tax revenue, which is used, in part, to reduce property taxes for all Pennsylvania homeowners.  •  Britain’s bookmakers have soured on the chances of Donald Trump becoming the U.S. president. Trump’s controversial campaign has drawn much interest in the U.K., and consequently, heavy betting. Initial odds had Trump as the favorite to win the Republican nomination, but due in part to a stream of outrageous comments from the candidate, at press time the odds put him at second place with a 26 percent chance to win the nomination, behind Marco Rubio’s 31 percent.  •  Genesis Gaming announced the general release of its latest video slot, Deep Sea Diver, on the Quickfire Network.  Deep diving is the theme of the five-reel, 25 line video slot game featuring a unique collection mechanism that empowers players to trigger, choose and customize their own bonus rounds. “The game is designed to engage players in a new way consistent with the theme’s underwater adventure,” said Scott Sims, head of global design at Genesis Gaming. “Our research has shown that players are seeking a sense of control within their casino game experience, and our design team found a great way to combine a unique game mechanic with an engaging theme.”