NEWS & NOTES

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter has been named chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure. The 25-member committee, created by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015, is charged with advising the U.S. Transportation Department on travel-related infrastructure needs. Members include mayors, airport executives, transportation, travel and tourism officials and transportation industry representatives.  •  Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas has unveiled the first phase of a $13 million remodeling of the resort’s Casino Tower. The project encompasses renovations and enhancement to 575 rooms. A second phase will upgrade 65 luxury suites. The Hard Rock has 1,500 rooms in all in three towers.  •  Michael Gaughan, owner of Las Vegas’ South Point casino hotel, has bought a 13.6-acre parcel of land adjoining the resort for $7.05 million. The land has been vacant since a luxury mixed-use residential project planned for the site fell apart in the financial collapse of 2008. According to reports, Gaughan has spent $17.1 million since last year to acquire more than 29 acres around South Point.  •  Las Vegas locals giant Station Casinos has upgraded the bingo offering at its Santa Fe Station casino in the city’s northern outskirts. The new 10,000-square-foot, 350-seat venue features enhanced sound and lighting systems, a mix of round and traditional long tables, 30 television screens, a 12-by-15-foot video “wall,” electronic play stations and USB charging outlets. Other improvements include private restrooms for players, a glass-enclosed smoking area and a VIP area for special events or parties.   •  Caesars Entertainment has filed paperwork with Nevada regulators to exit the NV Energy network. The company joins MGM Resorts International and Wynn Las Vegas, which left NV Energy in the fall to be able to buy power on the open market, which is expected to deliver significant savings. The two paid more than $100 million in exit fees. Caesars also is likely to be assessed a sizable fee to ensure energy rates do not spike as a result of its departure.  •  ASAP Italia and Sportradar have confirmed a partnership agreement under which they will work together to develop the daily fantasy sports (DFS) sector in Europe. Under the agreement, ASAP Italia, owner of the odds comparison platform Superscommesse.it, will launch its new DFS platform Sportito.co.uk. ASAP Italia and Sportradar will strengthen their existing partnership, under which they work on the supply of data and statistics to the Superscommesse.it platform.  •  With a view to extending the services offered, electronic bingo supplier Zitro has created its first educational event, Zitro University, to be held on December 5 in Mexico City. Zitro University will be provided in collaboration with the Totally Gaming Academy, which provides training sessions to gaming operators from all over the world. Within this new event, the company is preparing a workshop that will include sessions focused on achieving excellence in operating video rodillo and video bingo machines. Sebastián Salat, CEO of Zitro, said, “At Zitro we are continuously innovating and creating products and services in order to meet our clients’ needs. After launching the Zitro Partnership Program, a package of products and services that covers the supply of Big Time promotional systems, expert advice in the design, programming and management of promotions, and advertising them at the point of sale via social and online media, we now have the first Zitro University event. This is an exclusive event aimed at Zitro clients which will include general training for casino operators. We advance it will be very useful and of great interest.”  •  The Cahuilla Casino operated by the Cahuilla Band of Indians near Anza, California, is getting a new entranceway. The current entrance is designed to look like the opening of a mineshaft. The new entrance will be supported by decorated steel pillars, according to Bruce McClure, Cahuilla Casino general manager. He said the new feature will be finished in about five weeks. In recent months, since McClure became GM, the casino has gotten new carpets, improvements have been made to restrooms and new slot machines have been added.   •  California’s Pala Casino, Spa and Resort has unveiled an online social gaming free play casino called MyPalaCasino available on a standalone website and Facebook and Smartphones. It will offer slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker and Texas hold ‘em. Pala plans to add a virtual sports game soon. The purpose of the social games is to bring business to Pala’s physical location through loyalty points that can be spent at the casino. It’s also a way to offer online gaming, if that is legalized in California. It uses Pala Interactive, gaming software developed for New Jersey, where online gaming is legal.  •  Christchurch Casino in New Zealand will build a 10-story, $85 million hotel with more than 200 rooms called the Peterborough. The hotel will include 600 square meters (6,450 square feet) of conference space, food and beverage outlets and shops. Construction will start next year and should be finished in early 2019.  ?  Junket operator Tak Ieng International Ltd. was declared bankrupt by Macau’s Court of First Instance on November 10. Tak Ieng first appeared in DICJ promoters list in 2010 as Tak Ieng Internacional Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada.  ?  Imperial Pacific International on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands will conduct a study on gambling problems in the jurisdiction. The results are due by December 31. There is only one casino on Saipan, the temporary Best Sunshine Live gaming hall. It will be replaced next year by a permanent integrated resort, the Imperial Pacific.  ?  Macau’s gaming service quality scored a record 132 points this year, up from 100 points in 2013, according to the 2016 Gaming Service Index released by the Macau Gaming Research Association. The index rated casino departments including security, dealers, slot machines, cashiers, bathroom and shuttle bus services, among others, analyzing whether staff members smiled, showed a proactive attitude and worked well with other employees.  ?  The trial of a man who allegedly ran an illegal online casino in China began last month. The defendant, identified in news accounts only as Zhou, reportedly processed nearly US$60 billion in bets through the website games998.net. Eight of Zhou’s accomplices were sentenced in an earlier case and several are still at large, according to the Xinhua news agency.