NEWS & NOTES

Italy’s Abbiati Casino Equipment has appointed WPG Macau as its authorized representative in the lucrative Chinese casino enclave. CEO Georgio Abbiati cited a “need for us to sharpen our customer service and commercial focus in the region,” adding, “We are confident that the appointment of WPG is a major step forward to achieving this key objective.”  •  New York’s new Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady has set a mid-July opening for its 165-room hotel. The Landing, a four-star facility described as “upscale boutique” by management of the gaming hall, will begin taking reservations around mid-June, Rivers said. Veteran hotelier Ryan Cimei has been named general manager of the new venue. He most recently was GM of the Hyatt Place DC/U.S. Capitol.  •  The Oakland Raiders have concluded a deal with Southern Nevada’s FOX5 TV channel for live broadcast of all the teams’ games starting with four pre-season games in August. FOX5 is based in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. Beasley Media Group’s KYCE-FM and KDWN-AM radio will carry the games on radio. The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in 2019 or 2020.  •  Golden Entertainment’s PT’s Entertainment Group has opened a new PT’s Gold video poker tavern in southwest Las Vegas, the second of seven taverns planned to debut in Southern Nevada this year. PT’s Entertainment is Nevada’s largest traditional tavern operator with 55 locations statewide, including 53 in the Las Vegas Valley.  • Viejas Casino & Resort in San Diego County held a “topping off” ceremony last week for its new, five story 158-room hotel tower, between two existing hotel towers, that will offer nothing but suites. The project will include 500 more slots, a new adults-only saltwater pool, spa and three restaurants. The project should be done shortly after the New Year. This will enable Viejas for the first time to offer a “fully integrated resort,” according to a spokesman. • The New Mexico Lottery has cut the percentage of tuition costs it will pay for scholarships from 90 percent to 60 percent.  The lottery-funded scholarships last year helped fund college educations for 26,000 students. The amount the lottery will fund is expected to be $39.5 million this year, compared to the $68 million cost of tuition. The program provided 100% tuition from 1996, when it was launched until 2014. Lottery revenues have not kept pace with the number of students and the costs. • The Mashpee, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen last week voted to reaffirm its support for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s request to put 151 acres in Taunton for the $1 billion First Light Casino project. This emphasizes the town’s continuing support for putting the land into trust—a process put into disarray last year when a federal judge ruled that the Bureau of Indian Affairs erred in the methodology it used for putting the land into trust in early 2016. The BIA, which is considering a different approach to putting the land into trust, had asked the town council for the tribe. • The Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission has hired ADL Compliance to help enforce compliance and fight money laundering in Bermuda’s infant gaming industry. Bermuda-based ADL currently conducts background criminal, civil and credit checks on people in the gaming industry, including vetting of professional and social contacts and employment history. ADL also handles compliance, operational risk management and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing. The firm’s staff is taking classes at the University of Nevada on regulations and casino background investigations.  •   The headquarters of the Cooperation and Development Fund between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries has opened in Macau. The establishment of the office will give local companies easier access to their counterparts involved in PCS projects. The organization has invested US$35 million in three projects so far.  ?  From January through May of 2017, Macau residents and tourists have been hit with more than 3,300 citations for smoking violations. A total of 256 people, mostly tourists, have been cited, according to the Health Bureau, while some 1,760 fines have been issued to residents, 1,400 to tourists and 187 to non-residents for smoking infractions.  ?  Chilean lawmaker Ramón Farías of Parliamentarians for Global Action recently visited Macau to learn more about its gaming industry. He met with José González Serrano, consul general of Chile in Macau, and Sonia Chan, vice president of the Macau Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Serrano suggested a free trade agreement between Macau and Chile to strengthen economic and trade cooperation.  ?  Swedish online gaming supplier Evolution Gaming announced that it was approved for listing on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange. The first day of trading for the company on the exchange was expected to be June 7. “The list change is an important milestone for Evolution Gaming,” said CEO Martin Carlesund. “Our public journey started in 2015, with the listing on Nasdaq First North Premier, and now continues on Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market. The change is another confirmation of the company’s continued development. A listing on the main list will further enhance the brand and support our growth.”  •  Amaya, Inc. has completed the purchase of Rational Group, paying associated fees totaling $870,000. Under the terms of the deal, Amaya was able to defer immediate payment of the full purchase price of $350 million.  In its statement announcing the completion, the company said it had used cash flow from operations to raise the remaining payment amount of $47.5 million.