The New Macau Gaming Professionals Association is urging SJM Holdings Ltd. to investigate cases of senior dealers being dismissed to make way for less experienced, lower-paid dealers. SJM Chairman Ambrose So has denied the charges, which are being evaluated by the Macau Labor Affairs Bureau. ? Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau is in the process of hiring 26 new inspectors.The bureau received more than 4,900 applications for the posts, and the new recruits will join 120 other inspectors to oversee the city’s 39 casinos. ? Macau saw strong visitation during the Easter weekend, with some 427,000 visitors entering the city between Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17, according to official data. That represented an increase of 5.6 percent over 2016. ? China’s economic recovery is gaining traction, with growth rising to its fastest pace in over a year in January-March.The 6.9 percent annual pace of expansion for the world’s second-largest economy, reported yesterday, surpassed economists’ forecasts and was an improvement from 6.8 percent growth in the last quarter of 2016. ? Isleta Resort & Casino, the second largest casino in the state, owned by the Pueblo of Isleta near Albuquerque, New Mexico, last week unveiled plans for a $40 million renovation, including an expanded casino floor, new concert venue and more space for retail shops. Construction will start before May and could take as long as two years. The tribe will also add a bingo hall and upgrade its hotel and spa. The casino celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. • The $285 million Pechanga Resort & Casino expansion marked the “topping off” ceremony last week, celebrating the placing of the last girder on the 14-story hotel tower that will have 568 rooms. This makes the casino, located in California’s Riverside County, the largest on the West Coast. The ceremony included hoisting a small oak tree sacred to the tribe to the top as a symbol of strength and perseverance. It will be planted when the expansion is completed. • Construction has started on a 102-room Hampton Inn and a 104-room Residence Inn at the Outlets in Sparks, Nevada. The hotels are expected to open in spring 2018 as the first phase of a mixed-use project that will include a casino called Legends Bay. A 2018 groundbreaking is slated for the 70,000-square-foot gambling hall, which also will feature an array of dining and entertainment attractions. • A fire that did an estimated $450,000 in damage to a section of Bellagio’s retail shops on April 13 was caused by a faulty light fixture, the Clark County Fire Department said. The blaze started around 10:45 p.m. and was extinguished within 20 minutes. No injuries were reported. The area, which features high-end stores like Tiffany & Co. and Chanel, was evacuated, but the shops and restaurants were open the next day, Bellagio owner MGM Resorts International said. • The Tropicana Las Vegas plans to bring one of the world’s largest darts competitions to the Strip. The U.S. Masters Darts Tournament, part of the internationally televised 2017 World Series of Darts competition, will be held July 13-15 at the resort’s Trinidad Pavilion. • Caesars Entertainment Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Frissora received 25 percent less in total compensation last year, as no stock options were awarded. Frissora, who succeeded Gary Loveman as Caesars CEO in 2015, received $9.5 million last year, compared with $12.8 million for 2015, according to SEC filings. The 2015 compensation package was boosted by $5 million in option awards. Frissora’s base salary rose last year from $1.6 million to $2 million. Loveman, who remains the company’s chairman, also saw his total compensation decline year over year to $6 million from $7.6 million. • Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania recorded in a record $21.4 million in revenue from last month, easily beating the $15.3 million brought in by second-place Parx Casino in Bensalem. The take not only beats Sands’ previous record of $21.2 million last July, but it helped propel Pennsylvania to its biggest month since table games were legalized in 2010, with revenues of $79.4 million for the state’s 12 casinos. Sands has typically led the Pennsylvania industry in table-game revenue. The casino is likely to be acquired by MGM Resorts International later this year.
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