NEWS & NOTES

Genesis Gaming announced the release of SuperWilds, a futuristic five-reel, 25-line game available via Quickfire. SuperWilds features distinct characters who highlight the different bonuses. “This is a fun and lively game,” said James Watson, director of European sales & new product discovery at Genesis Gaming. “We’ve broken with the norm a little releasing a futuristic, super hero-themed game during the holiday season. However, SuperWilds will thrill and excite players with its game play and unique Scatter Wild feature trigger variations and give them a break from mince pies and re-runs of Home Alone.”  •  Shareholders have approved the proposed change of the name of the holding company from Unibet Group Plc. to Kindred Group plc. The change will improve synergy, clarity and flexibility around the group’s multi-brand strategy, according to officials. This will not affect the customer-facing brands such as Unibet, Maria Casino.com, Bingo.com, Stan James Casino and iGame. Unibet Group has operated with a multi-brand strategy since the acquisition of Maria Casino in 2007, a strategy which is now fully adopted with the Kindred Group brand.  •  Hong Kong-listed casino equipment maker Paradise Entertainment Ltd. issued a warning that it might record a “substantial loss” for the year ending December 31, compared to a loss of approximately HKD149 million (US$19.2 million) in the corresponding period in 2015. Paradise Entertainment develops, supplies and sells electronic gaming systems in Macau and internationally under the LT Game brand. The company also provides casino management services in Macau under service agreements with two existing Macau operators.  •  Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa near Cabazon, Southern California has opened a new lounge, the Drum Room, on the 26th floor of the resort. The lavish interior features rich, dark woods and light-colored leathers set against floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a spectacular view of the mountains of San Jacinto and the San Gorgonio Pass and the distant lights of traffic flowing on Interstate 10 below. Not open daily, the Drum Room is available for special gatherings.  •  The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled January 9, 2017 to hear oral arguments in the Lewis v. Clarke sovereign immunity case involving the Mohegan Tribe. A limousine driver working for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority caused a car wreck that injured two non-Indians in Connecticut. They are suing the driver in state court. The driver claims that because he worked for the tribe he is protected by sovereign immunity. The state ruled that immunity extended to the employee. The couple appealed.  •  The Bureau of Indian Affairs has let five California tribal/state gaming compacts take effect without taking an action to approve or deny. The compacts are with the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, Jamul Indian Village, Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, Barona Band of Mission Indians, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. The compacts became provisionally valid as of December 5, when they were published in the Federal Register.   •  Wynn Macau Ltd. and MGM China Holdings Ltd. are launching a joint shuttle bus route between Macau’s Border Gate and the companies’ downtown casinos on the city’s peninsula. The new shuttle, which became available December 1, joins a cooperative shuttle service run by Galaxy Entertainment, Melco Crown Entertainment and Sands China, which the “Cotai Connection” in June. ?  Macau’s Court of Final Appeal has rejected an appeal by former chief prosecutor Ho Chio Meng to keep onetime city official Sam Ho Fai from his upcoming trial, saying Sam gave investigators access to Ho’s declarations of income and assets during the criminal probe. Ho faces 1,970 charges including fraud, abuse of power, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization. He was Macau’s top from 1999 until 2014. He was arrested in February.  ?   A University of Macau study shows that residents of the city spend an average of MOP 1,000 (US$125) per month on gaming activities, an increase of 110 percent since 2013, but the number of residents gamble dropped from 67.9 percent to 49.5 percent from 2002, when gaming was first legalized in the territory, to 2013. Males from 25 to 34 years of age made up the largest percentage of gamblers. The study was commissioned by the Social Welfare Bureau and polled a total of 2,000 residents.  ?  Marriott International has opened a branch of its W Hotels chain on the Las Vegas Strip. The debut is comprised of a rebranding of 289 existing rooms at the SLS Las Vegas’ Lux tower and includes a separate lobby, a dedicated entry and reception area and a bar, spa and outdoor pool and meetings and event space.  •  The opening of an off-track betting and machine gaming venue in Long Island, N.Y., has been pushed ahead to February. The 250-machine facility at the Islandia Marriott Long Island was slated to open this month but has encountered construction problems, said developers Delaware North and Suffolk County Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.  •  Boyd Gaming has completed a redesign of its California Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. Elements include new interiors, three new food and beverage outlets and renovations to 491 rooms and suites.  •  MGM Resorts International has expanded its easyPLAY online slot tournament platform to gamblers anywhere in Nevada. Previously, users had to be on an MGM property and using MGM Wi-Fi to access the network, which pits slots, video poker and bingo players against each other for cash prizes.