NEWS & NOTES

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cordish Companies are developing plans for a retail development at its Harrah’s Casino Resort.  •  Macau’s Court of Final Appeal has ruled that a tourism tax paid by Galaxy Entertainment Group for “complementary services” at its StarWorld Hotel is in accordance with the law. The gaming operator has filed several appeals saying it should not have to pay taxes because it is not the direct provider of the services. In 2014, Galaxy paid MOP2.57 million (US$320,488) in tourism taxes for StarWorld Hotel.  •  The Chumash Casino Resort held a jobs fair this week in Buelton, California. The casino is offering many positions in food and beverage, hospitality and facilities to accommodate the fact that the resort’s hotel rooms have increased from 106 to 320 and dining has been expanded and upgraded.  The tribe has more than 1,700 employees.  •   Toledo, Ohio, Hollywood Casino will soon have a neighbor. A developer has announced plans for a $70-85 million hotel and shopping complex with restaurants and an aerial gondola on 20 acres next to the casino. There will be about 25 boutique and high-end shops. Penn National Gaming, owner of the casino, has no financial interest in the project, but says it supports it.  •  Three celebrity chefs will be opening restaurants at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut this fall. They include Guy Fieri of TV’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, who will open Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar, his fifth Kitchen. Iron Chef winner Cat Cora will open Cat Cora’s Wine Bar, which will feature taps and Mediterranean small plates. Fast N’ Loud star Richard Rawlings will open the Garage Bar & Grill, specializing in roadhouse style barbecue. A fourth new restaurant will be Sugar Factory American Brassierie, an import from Las Vegas.  •  Construction of the $100 million new Bay 101 Casino has begun less than a mile from San Jose International Airport in Northern California. Besides poker, which the old Bay 101 Casino was known for, the new incarnation will have entertainment and fine dining. It will be part of Bay 101 Technology Place, offering a nine-story office tower, high-end hotel seven story hotel, dining and entertainment, all built around a casino.  Project manager is the Borelli Investment Company. Says project CEO Tom Purtell “Most people have less time than ever today and to be able to stay, play and work in one location with so many options within mere steps is a compelling proposition.”  •  Because many employees at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colorado have CPR training and there are external defibrillators (AEDs) scattered around the casino, a patron who had a heart attack on March 24 is alive today. The patron went into cardiac arrest, employees started CPR and used the AED and called 911. Three staff members who were “first responders,” and medical staff from the  Los Pinos Fire Protection District were honored at the casino in a ceremony on June 10. The training and AED are provided by Heart Safe, a volunteer organization.  •  Charles Betters, a Pittsburgh-area developer who submitted a losing bid in 2006 for one of the state’s Category 1 racetrack casino licenses, is selling the 660-acre site he planned for a racetrack, casino and hotel to the city of Pittsburgh at a bargain-basement price for development of a park. Betters’ company, Pittsburgh Development Group II, is selling the land to Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority for $5 million, which is tens of millions below the property’s market value. Pending the authority’s approval, the land would become the city’s largest park.