NEWS & NOTES

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has selected seven members of a panel empowered by the state legislature to oversee a .4 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Six are from the gaming industry. They are: William Ham, president of design and construction, MGM Resorts International Design; John Littell, president and chief operating officer, Wynn Design & Development; Boyd Gaming’s Vice President of Design and Construction Ron Frye; Michael Crome, vice president of finance, planning and analysis for Pinnacle Entertainment; Las Vegas Sands Vice President of Corporate Finance Rob Cilento; and Gary Bogan, vice president of facilities maintenance and compliance for Caesars Entertainment. The seventh member is Thomas & Mack Corp. owner and managing partner Tom Thomas.  •  The government of Catalonia has approved the master plan for the upcoming BCN World in Barcelona. Operators Hard Rock Entertainment, Melco Entertainment and Peralada now have three months to present their proposals for the complex, which is set to begin construction this summer.  ?  Greek police reported that in the last two weeks of December they made 300 arrests in 51 raids for illegal gambling at internet cafes and other unlicensed gaming halls. Officials arrested a total of 1,513 people for illegal gambling in 2016.  ?  The Gujarat High Court in India is considering a petition by the Hotel Ramada to allow it to organize poker games. The hotel has made its request on grounds that poker, as a game of skill, is not gambling.  ?  The members of a Macau labor group, Ngan Yu Yuen Kung Luen Mang Wui, which consists of employees of Galaxy Entertainment Group, is urging their employer to up their salaries, add year-end bonuses and compensate employees for holiday overtime.  ?  The population of Macau reached 650,900 in August 2016, an increase of 17.8 percent over 2011, according to the Statistics and Census Bureau. According to the results, the average annual growth rate was 3.3 percent over the past five years.  ?  Macau-based casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd. will give its employees a 2017 annual bonus, called a “living subsidy” by the company. The bonus is equivalent to up to two months of salary, depending on the worker.  ?   The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who operate Casino Morongo in Southern California have been authorized to trade 41 acres of equally-valued land with a private party and put it into trust thanks to an Act of Congress signed last week by President Obama. The private owner, Lloyd Fields will swap undeveloped land adjacent to the reservation. This will allow the City of Banning an easement to improve utilities to the reservation and allow for economic development in the city’s northeast quadrant. • The Synot Group has acquired a license to operate a casino in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Last year Synot opened a small casino in Kutaisi, Georgia.  Synot Group sales manager Roland Andrýsek commented, “The new casino is a truly great establishment. There are located more than 200 machines. In the future, we expect the construction of other similar casinos in this country, and even in other cities.”  •  The state of South Australia has cut the maximum bet on all slot machines in half to US$5. Any gaming machines not complying with the new limit will be switched off. Anti-gambling activists are already saying the change does not go far enough to address the Australian problem gambling challenge, and will continue to push to lower the wagering limit on pokies to $1.  •  The Mandarin Oriental hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is offering the first champagne vending machine in the U.S. In the casinos 23rd-floor Sky Lobby is the nation’s first Moet & Chandon Champagne vending machine. Those 21 and older can get a $20 token from the front desk for use in the machine.  •  Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino is holding a promotional contest pitting four of the world’s best poker players against Carnegie Mellon University’s poker-playing computer in a heads-up, no-limit Texas hold ‘em game. Dubbed by CMU as “Brains vs. Artificial Intelligence: Upping the Ante,” the event will pit the computer against Jason Les, Dong Kim, Daniel McAaulay and Jimmy Chou. Play will begin Wednesday, January 11.  •  Research firm SuperData reported a total of US$892.8 million of revenue in eSports for the year 2016. Asia holds the largest contribution to this figure, with a total profit of US$328 million. North America follows with US$275 million and Europe with US$269 million. The largest contribution to the overall eSports revenue for 2016 is from indirect sources—sponsorships and advertisement.