NEWS & NOTES

Brokerage Nomura is lifting its forecasts on fiscal-year 2018 operating profit for Japanese gaming and amusement conglomerate Konami Holdings Corp. It is now expecting such profit to be JPY2.8 billion (US$25.2 million), with a JPY1.1-billion contribution from the mobile games business, JPY1.2 billion from the amusement business, and JPY1.3 billion from the gaming and systems business, which includes casino products. Nomura said the new estimates reflected “an overhaul of the pipeline for mobile games and the prospect of improved margins at amusement and gaming and systems operations.”  •  A tourist is suing Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip for at least $10,000 in damages because he was allegedly injured fleeing after being startled by a life-sized mannequin inside his darkened hotel room as he entered. The mannequin, locked in a glass cabinet, is typical of the memorabilia in Planet Hollywood hotel rooms, much of it being removed as part of a renovation this year. The plaintiff in the case claims he suffered undefined serious injuries after being startled by the mannequin, and that Planet Hollywood should have warned him and other customers about the mannequins.  •  Germany is developing regulations to fight online and land-based money laundering in the gaming industry. The new regulations are in keeping with the European Union’s Fourth AML Directive, which requires all EU members to implement the new standards and requirements by June 26.  ?  On-arrival visas to Macau and Hong Kong and more relaxed border inspections are among the ideas that were proposed in plans for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. They’re part of China’s strategic plan to turn the coastal part of the Pearl River Delta into an integrated economic zone.  ?  The number of visitors to Macau in the first quarter of 2017 rose 5.6 percent year-on-year, to just over 7.87 million, according to data released in April by the city’s Statistics and Census Service. Visitors from Mainland China made up 67.5 percent of the first-quarter total, or nearly 5.32 million arrivals, an increase of 7.6 percent year-on-year.  ?  The Macau Jockey Club will seek a license renewal of more than two years when its current extended term lapses in August. MJC’s 10-year concession expired in 2015 but the government threw it a lifeline with the current extension. Last year, the racing operator faced a shutdown after posting a 59 percent loss for full-year 2015.  ?  An investigation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge has raised concerns about the safety of the structure. Two senior executives and 19 staff members of a government contractor were recently arrested for allegedly falsifying a lab test evaluating the bridge strength.  ?  Gaming-related crime in Macau increased more than 15 percent in the first quarter, according to official data. The number of people arrested and forwarded for prosecution rose almost 13 percent to 1,822. Of those, 445 were charged with gambling-related crimes, 5 percent higher than last year. Total gaming-related crimes, defined as taking place in or around casinos, were up 15.2 percent to 424.  ?  Minnesota’s Treasure Island Resort & Casino has opened the first phase of an $86 million Lagoon water park, spa and outdoor recreation attraction. The 1,900-square-foot expansion features a splash pool, a river ride, a children’s play area, an indoor deck with seating and a Wave spa. The casino hotel, located just southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul, is owned by the Prairie Island Indian Community. •  The poker room at the Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip is closing on June 18. The nine-table venue will be the 22nd to close in Las Vegas in the last six years as revenues from traditional poker continue to decline from their peak years prior to the recession. The closure will leave the Strip area with 18 rooms and about 260 tables. At the game’s 2007 peak, there were 26 poker rooms on the Strip with a combined 396 tables.  •  Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) will pay $120 million to the mother of its controlling shareholders, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, to buy the land under the company’s Boulder Station and Texas Station gaming resorts in Las Vegas. The total of 75 acres has been owned by a trust for the Fertittas’ parents, Victoria and the late Frank Fertitta Jr., since before the family casino business went public in 1997 as Station Casinos. The purchase will save Red Rock $7 million a year in rent, according to CFO Marc Falcone.  •  The Nevada Gaming Commission has unanimously approved a license for Rio co-founder James “Jay” Barrett. The approval allows Barrett to serve as a director of Rancho Mesquite Casino Co., which operates the Eureka Casino in Mesquite, Nev., and Eureka Las Vegas.  •  Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino plans three food festivals and has added an outdoor dining area to welcome summer. The al fresco dining area, Bean and Vine Terrace, joins the Sun Terrace Pool area. It will offer handcrafted coffee, breakfast and wines and outdoor entertainment, all part of the upcoming Hot Summer Fun celebration set to begin in June. The food festivals include the Sun BBQFest in June, Sun Tequila Tasting in July and New England Food Truck Festival in September. The new features are a result of $50 million in renovations, and are overall part of a revamping of the facility that began last year. Last fall the casino unveiled its $130 million, 400-room Earth Tower hotel next to its original Sky Tower.  •  The Northern Quest Resort and Casino, operated by the Kalispel Tribe of Washington, is being forced to hand out bottled water to patrons because contamination was discovered last week in the water system. Restaurants continue to operate, but with limited menu options and have thrown out foods that were washed with the bad water. The city and Fairchild Air Force Base announced a ban on cooking or drinking local water due to high levels of Perfluorooctanesulfonic and Perfluorooctanoic acids, both of which are believed to originate with the air base. Bathing, doing dishes and laundry are considered safe.  •  The American Athletic Conference has announced that it will keep its women’s basketball tournament at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has signed an agreement with the Sun extending the hosting through the 2020 season. It has been at the 8,000-seat casino arena for the past four years. The arena is home of the WNBA Connecticut Sun basketball team.  •  The Legends Casino near Toppenish, Washington, owned and operated by the Yakama Nation, has made a $150,000 grand to the city’s Public Works Department, a part of $900,000 it handed out during its annual disbursement to communities in the region. The grant to the city was the largest grant made this year.  City Manager Lance Hoyt said the city will buy a new, or at least a good used sewer truck, replacing an outdated model. The casino has 1,500 slots, 18 gaming tables, and a hotel. It employs more than 800 workers.  • &
nbsp;The Mohegan Sun has reacted to the Manchester, Britain terrorist massacre at an Ariana Grande concert by announcing it will beef up its vigilance at all events, including an upcoming appearance by Grande. “The safety of our patrons is our number one priority,” said Ray Pineault, president and general manager. “We are constantly reviewing and re-evaluating our security protocols to ensure those who visit us are always in a safe environment.” The Mohegan Sun Arena already searches bags, purses, coats and hats — containers whose contents are not displayed at not allowed. Pineault didn’t say what new procedures would be implemented but said, “We do have one of the most secure venues in the country.”