NEWS & NOTES

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission is reviewing an application by Peppermill Casinos Incorporated to cease buying power from NV Energy for its resort in Reno. Peppermill wants to buy its power from the open market.  •  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a complaint against Wynn Resorts and filed in 2012 by the Louisiana Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System, which sought damages for a $135 million donation Wynn Resorts made to the University of Macau Development Foundation. The Ninth Circuit ruled the retirement fund did not show Wynn Resorts’ board members lack independence.  •  MGM Macau has allegedly violated the Special Administrative Region’s ban on smoking in public places. Macau’s Health Bureau announced that the agency found nine people smoking in unauthorized areas inside the casino. The violators were fined by health authorities, who also noticed the hotel did not display ‘No Smoking’ signs in some parts of the casino. ?  An overwhelming majority of Australians in a Facebook poll favor a federal ban on greyhound racing. The New South Wales government recently announced it would end the sport in 2017 due to a report that documented widespread animal cruelty. Australia is one of only eight countries in the world where commercial greyhound racing is still legal.  ?  The Jack Cleveland Casino in Cleveland kept special hours due to the Republican Convention, including selling alcohol until 4 a.m. on all nights of the convention and offering specials such as a Pink Elephant martini. The casino also offered 50 percent off on its buffet beginning the week prior to the convention.  •  The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Northern California has won its lawsuit against Butte County, which tried to prevent the tribe from building a casino near Chico. A federal judge ruled that the Bureau of Indian Affairs acted correctly when it put land into trust for the tribe in 2014. This clears the way for the tribe to build a casino with 500 slot machines and 10 table games on 91 acres in Butte County. It would be located near where Highways 99 and 149 meet.