NEWS & NOTES

A new political party in the Malaysian state of Penang promises to bring an economic boost with foreigners-only casinos. According to the website Says.com, Chairman Lee Poh Kong of the newly registered Penang Front Party says gaming “will generate RM3 billion (US$711 million) in income, which would greatly help the state economy.” Poh Kong says the industry could be worth $700 million.  •  The sponsor of Brazil’s gaming bill has made changes to the draft, postponing the debate until October 19. Fernando Bezerra Coelho has added amendments including the obligation for gaming halls to keep a register of bets and a record of security camera footages over a period of five years. The new draft also bans officials and their families from operating gambling activities.  ?  Lawrence Ho’s Melco International Development Ltd. has reached a cut-rate ferry ticket deal with Shun Tak Group, which operates the TurboJET Ferry connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China.The deal gives Melco a 5 percent discount on tickets and is valid for three years until December 2018.  ?  Portugal’s Economy Minister Manuel Cabral has signed a tourism agreement with Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng. The pact was signed during the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic & Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries which ended earlier this month.  ?  Hong Kong-listed casino giant NagaCorp Ltd. says its casino resort in the Russian Far East is “on schedule.” The project is expected to open in summer 2018 in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone, said Chairman Tim McNally. The firm’s flagship NagaWorld is located in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.  •  Oklahoma has collected a record $132 million in tribal gambling fees in the year ended June 30, the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services. The fees, which guarantee the tribes gambling exclusivity, were derived from nearly $2.2 billion in revenue generated from Class III electronic games and non-house-banked card games. State officials say 88 percent of the money supports public education and 12 percent goes to the general revenue fund.  •  A new 289-room hotel at the SLS Las Vegas has begun taking reservations for a December 1 soft opening. The W Las Vegas will have a private entrance and amenities including a rooftop pool, a lounge, where guests and visitors can mingle, imbibe and lounge and 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space. A grand opening is planned for February.  •  Machine games have begun arriving at New York’s Tioga Downs racetrack, the first of some 950 units slated to become operational at the new racino by year’s end. The state awarded the track a casino license earlier this year, and plans call for table games to be part of the mix, pending regulatory approvals. The track broke ground on a supporting hotel in September.  •  Two table games supervisors have launched a federal class action lawsuit against Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas, claiming the resorts improperly pay floor and table games supervisors. The suit says at least 100 supervisors who have worked at the properties over for the last three years were only paid for partial days instead of their full daily rate when they are sent home due to overstaffing, and they were not permitted to use accumulated paid time off to make up the difference. The suit also claims the properties illegally avoided paying overtime by deducting hours from salaried supervisors for partial days, wrongly classifying them as exempt from overtime in violation of state and federal laws.  •  Navegante Group announced that it has concluded its four-year tenure as the licensed gaming operator at Las Vegas’ Hooters Casino. The firm, specializing in hospitality and casino development, management and strategy, was brought in to run the casino when the resort ran into financial difficulties and was taken over by investors. The terms called for Navegante to remain until a buyer was found. The property was sold in May 2015.  •  The Swinomish Casino & Lodge near Padilla Bay, Washington plans to renovate and expand with new restaurants, but no more bingo. Construction will begin soon and take about a year. Commenting on the closing of the bingo hall, Co-General Manager Jay Ellenberger commented, “Though Bingo has been an integral part of Swinomish history — we got our start as Swinomish Tribal Indian Bingo, opening our doors in 1985 and building countless fond memories and experiences — we are thrilled to begin our next chapter.” • APEX gaming recently installed VLTs in all sixteen cafe and bar outlets of WINWIN in Austria. WINWIN is a joint venture of Austrian State Lottery and Casinos Austria. APEX offers games using the latest HD technology and high performance CPU’s. They also employ the G2S protocol, which is only required in a limited number of jurisdictions, but which APEX has invested strongly in.  •  The Las Vegas Sun reports that MGM Grand is the latest Strip casino to scale back on free drinks, with a pilot program using paper vouchers for complimentary cocktails, distributed after a certain level of play on slot machines. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas implemented a similar system in August.  “The new technology has eliminated the guessing game for bartenders about how many drinks each guest is eligible to receive based on play,” MGM said in a statement to the newspaper. “Further, it has made the number of comped drinks the players receive consistent for all slot players at these bars.”  •  The Nevada Senate voted 16-5 to pass a bill raising hotel taxes to fund a Las Vegas NFL stadium and expand the convention center. The bill would raise hotel taxes by 1.4 percent, yielding an estimated $750 million for the stadium and $429 million for the convention center. Senators added a provision to require that small local firms get at least 15 percent of the work on the projects. The bill was passed over the objections of Democrats who oppose using public funds for a project backed by billionaire Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson. Local officials are trying to lure the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas.  •  MGM National Harbor in Maryland announced that singer Bruno Mars will be among the new casino’s first headliner, slated to perform in The Theater venue at the property on December 27. The casino opens December 8.