Macau’s new Union for the Protection of the Employment Rights of Local Workers staged a protest December 20, the anniversary of the 1999 establishment of the MSAR, urging the government to safeguard local residents’ employment rights. “We should not be second choice,” said Union President Wang Weize. ? State regulators report that the Maryland Lottery is generating revenue at an all-time high. The lottery generated $1.908 billion in fiscal 2016, $113 million more than the previous sales record of $1.795 billion in fiscal 2012, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. Record-setting Powerball sales, Mega Millions, higher scratch-off sales and the addition of the Cash4Life game, Maryland’s 10th draw game which launched in January, contributed to the record showing, according to the agency. • The new MGM National Harbor resort and casino attracted about 170,000 people in its first week and officials report that the new property has been operating at capacity almost non-stop since its December 8 opening. “Since December 8, we have had—as of this morning when I left—over 170,000 through the doors,” Mike Pappas, the resort’s general counsel, said at the monthly meeting of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. “I would say that probably after the first two days, most of them have stopped just looking around and they’re sitting at the tables and at all the machines.” • Ministers in Myanmar’s Lower House of parliament have called for a crackdown on gambling, calling a 1986 gaming law outdated. Eleven MPs called for tougher penalties in cases of illegal two-digit and three-digit lotteries. “Back in the day, playing cards was the most common. But now gambling varies from two-digit and three-digit lotteries to making bets on football matches. There are many kinds of dealers. Most of the players I’ve known got poor and deprived from excessive gambling,” she said, according to Asia Gaming Brief. • The D.C. Lottery could be one of the local organizations affected by the opening of the new MGM National Harbor resort. Lottery revenues in the nation’s capital have been on a steady decline lately, and the lottery’s acting director, John Myers, is keeping a close eye on the spectacular new resort. “We’re going to continue to monitor the effects on revenue for our state,” Myers told lottery commissioners last week. • Scientific Games Corporation announced that it has won a new, six-year instant games contract from the Kansas Lottery. The company will provide the lottery with instant game design, production and marketing support under the agreement, which began September 13 and may be extended for up to four years. Scientific Games currently provides the lottery with unique instant games such as integrated holographic games, and Scratch My Back games that offer additional play opportunities on the back of the ticket. The Company also provides the Lottery with popular licensed brands from its game portfolio, including The Walking Dead, Monopoly and Major League Baseball. • Genesis Gaming announced that its complete lineup of video slots will soon be available to play at popular U.K. online casino Royal Panda. Royal Panda players will soon be able to play the most popular games from Genesis Gaming’s critically acclaimed portfolio, including Machine Gun Unicorn, Clash of Queens, and Temple of Luxor. Royal Panda is one of the fastest-growing online casinos, providing players with a huge selection of the world’s best casino games. • Novomatic is set to acquire a 17.2 percent stake in Casinos Austria following approval of the purchase by Casinos Austria shareholders. The stake is held currently by a private foundation called MTB. • The Clark County Commission is expected to vote early next month to approve a $500,000 loan to the new authority charged with overseeing a proposed domed stadium for a Las Vegas NFL franchise. The loan will pay for administrative and legal fees. • Monarch Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. has demolished a parking garage to make way for a 23-story hotel and spa. The new offerings are part of a planned $400 million redevelopment of the property. • Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, N.Y., plans to feature a spa and a special entertainment lounge with live music and gambling when the $330 million property opens in February. • The Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nev., is embarking on $25 million in renovations to its 800 hotel rooms and convention facilities starting in January. • USFantasy Sports plans to add college football daily fantasy sports contests to the conventional wagering it currently offers in Nevada’s race and sports books. The contests will include the Citrus Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. There also will be a championship game contest including all four playoff teams. • Argentina’s Boldt group plans to acquire the remaining 50 percent stake it doesn’t own in the Trilenium Casino in metropolitan Buenos Aires. The US$8.5 million purchase is pending approval of authorities overseeing the bankruptcy of the casino’s current owners. • Las Vegas’ Neon Museum has opened a new, larger gift shop as part of a $300,000 expansion of the venue, which opened in 2012 as a tourist attraction showcasing a collection of hundreds of signs used by local casinos, motels and businesses from the 1940s through the 1970s. • The dealers’ union at Foxwoods Resort Casino and the casino management have reached a tentative contract accord. Ninety-five percent of the workers represented by Local 2121 of United Auto Workers (which represents the dealers) voted in favor of the multiyear agreement. About 1,500 union members were eligible to vote last week. The union boasted that it held the line on health insurance premium upticks and rejected a management proposal for distributing tips.
