NEWS & NOTES

Online gambling websites are offering increasingly attractive odds that President Donald Trump will either be impeached or resign before his first term as president ends in 2021. As of last week, Ireland-based Paddy Power was offering 2-to-1 odds that Trump will be impeached, with 15-to-8 odds that he will resign. Bet365, meanwhile, rates the likelihood of impeachment and conviction slightly lower, with 6-to-1 odds, but has the chances of him resigning at 11 to 8. Ladbrokes has the possibility of either happening at 11 to 10. Those odds were slightly more favorable to Trump before his inauguration. Despite these odds, most gambling sites still make Trump the favorite to win the 2020 election. • The Hometown Volunteer Fire Company in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania is raising money through its second adults-only “naughty bingo night.” Instead of cash prizes, winners get “adult toys.” Last year’s inaugural event drew a standing-room-only crowd. For the March 11 event, the fire company is selling 160 tickets at $20 apiece. According to officials, the event is designed to raise money from a larger, more diverse crowd than traditional bingo enthusiasts. • Gaming technology supplier Suzohapp announced the launch of its new company logo, which it says portrays the company strategy, mission and dedication to serving its customers around the world. In a statement, the company said the new “revolutionary” logo represents a new and modern technology-focused company. Suzohapp has advanced to become a leader in technology-driven cash management, self-service, and gaming devices. The icon within the new logo represents the company’s focus in serving its customers through the key concepts speed, flexibility and agility. The logo also can be seen as a stack of coins, relating to the company’s focus on cash management.   •  Macau’s 107 hotels and guesthouses served 12 million guests in 2016, an increase of 13.6 percent year-on-year, the Statistics and Census Bureau has announced. Guests from the mainland totaled 7.6 million, an increase of 12.8 percent. Visitors from Hong Kong reached 1.78 million, up 17.8 percent. Taiwanese tourists reached 477,000, a 24.7 percent jump. The number of South Korean guests rose 34.3 percent to 304,000.  ?  Macau casino operator SJM expects to reopen its Jai Alai casino-hotel complex in the Outer Harbour early this year, says Chairman Ambrose So Shu Fai. So said the company is “pleased to report substantial progress on the construction of our Grand Lisboa Palace” project in Cotai.  ?  PokerStars will hold its first-ever PokerStars Festival in South Korea at the soon-to-launch Paradise City casino resort. The event will run from July 14 to 24 with buy-ins ranging from US$1,000 to US$1,500.  ?  More than 13,000 jobs will be created by ASF’s Spit casino development on Australia’s Gold Coast. That includes more than 4,100 construction jobs and a reported 9,100 “direct and indirect positions” once the Queensland resort opens.  •  The administrative law judge in the case of whether to approve a permanent liquor license for the Hollywood Casino Jamul in San Diego County has removed himself and a new judge will be appointed. The judge, John W. Lewis, said it would be hard for him to remain fair after he was sent emails questioning the legal status of the tribe. The license is opposed by Jamul Action Committee, which has fought the casino from the beginning, and included in its reasons for doing so questions about the tribe’s status. A new administrative law judge will now be appointed.  •  For the second year in a row Casino Del Sol has been included in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels in Arizona list. The publication’s annual evaluation of hotels also called the casino one of the Best Hotels in Tucson. The 2017 Best Hotels examines more than 3,000 properties in North America and the Caribbean, employing guest and expert opinion.  •  Caesars Palace’s Alto Bar is allowing customers who buy a drink to try out an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for 10 minutes. On December 28 Caesars opened the Oculus Virtual Reality Lounge in the VIP area of the bar. Guests can try a basketball shooting challenge, a rock climbing game, a role-playing game and a virtual world build. There is a waiting list each night to use the headset.  •  Republican Assemblyman Jim Wheeler has introduced a bill in the Nevada legislature to lower the gambling age in the state from 21 to 18.  •  Las Vegas boasts the second-highest number of top-tier hotels in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “2017 Best Hotels Rankings.” Eleven of the city’s resorts scored “gold badges,” the most outside of New York City, which had 23. The rankings were culled from 3,000 4.5 and 5-star properties, taking into account the number and prominence of awards and recommendations they’ve received and data collected by TripAdvisor’s guest reviews.  •  GVC Holdings has concluded an agreement with Novomatic’s Greentube interactive division to deploy more than 70 Greentube slot games with its online brands, which include bwin, PartyPoker, PartyCasino and Gamebookers.  •  A newly formed Gambling Authority in the African nation of Botswana plans to issue six or more casino licenses and a lottery license to the existing eight casino operations in the country.