NEWS & NOTES

Bulgarian slot manufacturer Casino Technology announced that it has installed Aurora slot machines equipped with its Asian-themed link progressive 8 Peacocks in South Korea’s Kangwon Land Casino. Combining a suite of five titles—Peacock and Dragon, Five Blessings, The Great Warlord, Clover and Peacock and Magic Pearl—the progressive link went live on the gaming floor with a mix of centerpiece options. “The unique gambling style of Koreans renowned with a high-adrenaline search fits perfect to the 8 Peacocks progressive concept,” said Jin K. Sun, distributor for Casino Technology in Korea.  •  Amaya announced that Barclays Capital Canada has been appointed by the board of directors’ special committee as an exclusive financial advisor. Amaya Chairman and CEO David Baazov recently begun preliminary discussions with a group of potential investors to make an all-cash offer by the end of February aimed at giving the group the company’s full ownership. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP has been appointed as legal adviser to Amaya in relation to the unofficial acquisition proposal.  •  Hong Kong-listed Louis XIII Holdings Ltd. has promised a Chinese New Year bonus equivalent to up to two months’ salary for all general staff who were employed by the company throughout 2015. Others will receive pro-rated bonuses. Louis XIII on the Cotai-Coloane border had 2,001 full-time employees as of September 30 last year.  ?  The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved fines totaling $32,500 against three casino operators for various violations. Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County was fined $15,000 for using non-approved gaming chips. Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., operator of the Parx Casino in Bucks County, was fined $10,000 for allowing cash advances to self-excluded persons. Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, was fined $7,500 for leaving unaccounted decks of cards on the gaming floor.  •  Pinnacle Entertainment said last week it will hold separate shareholder votes on March 15 to finalize the $4.75 billion purchase of its casinos by Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., the real estate investment trust owned by Penn National Gaming. Pinnacle said it has secured regulatory approvals from Mississippi and Iowa has filed applications pending with five other state gaming agencies, including Nevada, for the takeover by GLPI.  •  International Game Technology Plc. announced that its subsidiary IGT Global Solutions Corporation has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement granting it the property licensing rights to the Life is Good brand for new lottery products. The agreement is effective as of December 18, 2015 and gives IGT the rights to develop and distribute Life is Good lottery products throughout North America, including instant scratch games, interactive online e-instant games, and draw-based games. “IGT is pleased to partner with a positive lifestyle brand, Life is Good, a company that shares our passion for giving back to the community and generating funds for good causes,” said Michael Chambrello,  IGT chief executive officer, North America lottery. “We are looking forward to bringing customers a robust Life is Good lottery program that will support the Life is Good mission—to spread the power of optimism and help kids in need.”  •  Giesecke & Devrient (G&D)  announced that its Convego CloudPay solution has achieved AMEX Enabled accreditation for cloud-based specifications. The AMEX Enabled accreditation covers core services, including digital credential management, payment card provisioning and life-cycle management, as well as online data generation and related key management. With Convego CloudPay, G&D is offering a mobile, cloud-based payment service, which meets the specifications of the leading international payment schemes.  •  Hard Rock International announced it is expanding its portfolio of hotels into Brazil for the first time, with three non-gaming hotel projects in key markets throughout the country. The new hotels will include Hard Rock Hotel Brasilia, Hard Rock Hotel Caldas Novas and Hard Rock Hotel Itapema. Each of the hotels will feature the brand’s music-based experiences, including Rock Spa with the Rhythm and Motion spa menu, Rock Shop with the brand’s iconic merchandise and Body Rock workout facilities. Each also will feature some of the famous Hard Rock collection of rock memorabilia.  •  The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians filed a federal lawsuit seeking $4 million from construction companies the tribe blames for the February 2015 collapse of a parking deck at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.  •  KISS Mini Golf in Las Vegas, based on the iconic KISS rock band, is moving from its former location near the Hard Rock casino into the Rio Hotel & Casino’s Masquerade Village this spring.  •  All six Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos properties were affected by a 2015 malware virus attack that also stole credit card information from customers at 300 Landry’s locations, Landry’s announced.  •  Iovation applied for a Nevada license to provide geolocation software for Nevada-regulated gaming sites, and the Nevada Gaming Commission held a February 18 hearing to consider Iovation’s application.  •  The Mirage in Las Vegas agreed to pay a food server $74,546 in back pay and fully restored his position, pay, and seniority to settle a wrongful-termination suit.  •  To improve safety for pedestrians and motorists alike, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani proposes converting the Las Vegas Strip into a pedestrian walkway and banning all cars from the Las Vegas Strip.   •  Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, has introduced new table games: Fortune 7 Baccarat, Mississippi Stud—a new five-card poker game where players compete against a pay table—and a 6 Card Bonus side bet to the existing 3 Card Poker. In addition the casino has added the Raise The Roof bonus side bet to its existing Blackjack tables.  •  The Idaho House State Affairs Committee has introduced legislation that would create a new agency to oversee all of the state’s gaming activities, including Indian gaming, horseracing and the lottery. The existing racing and lottery commissions would be untouched by the legislation. Instead it would create a third commission—for gaming—and all three would be under the umbrella of the new agency.  •  The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon, owners of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort, voted last week to raise the minimum wage on the reservation from $9.25 an hour to $11 an hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.  •  ThistleDown Racino in North Randall, Ohio, near
to completing a $70 million expansion, hosted a job fair this week. The racino, which opened in 2013, is adding a 150-seat restaurant, pasta bar and signature bar as part of the expansion, which is due to open early in April. Also being added are a high-limit gaming and VIP garage, parking garage and new guest lobby.   •  Chumash Casino Resort Hotel in Santa Ynez, California was recently awarded a Four Diamond Rating by AAA. About 5 percent of hotels approved by AAA are given this distinction and only 2.3 percent of restaurants receive it. This is the 11^th year the resort has earned the rating, which is given to the finest hotels and restaurants. AAA sends professional inspectors on personal inspections of all the properties that it rates.  •  eSports has announced the formation of the Indian Gaming League. This franchise-based league will focus on the rapidly growing eSports market and has already gotten 1,000 competitive entries in its first two weeks of operation. The league plans to have six city-based franchises for games that will include Halo, FIFA, Counter-Strike, Battlefield, Call of Duty and DOTA. Sponsors will include Redbull and Sony Playstation.