NEWS & NOTES

The Golden Gate casino hotel in Downtown Las Vegas has reopened after a week of remodeling that has added 20 feet to the casino floor, nearly doubling its size, new carpeting and fixtures, refurbished restrooms and a 24-foot-high, 360-degree “television fountain.” It’s the historic property’s second major remake in five years. A five-story hotel and a new lobby and exterior were added in 2012.  •  The Malta Gaming Authority has launched a new web portal to manage relationships with its online gaming and betting licensees. The first phase of the system allows operators to apply for licenses and electronically track their applications and handles dynamic seal URL requests and submissions of player liability and tax reports.  •  Three advance deposit wagering platforms in New York?SaratogaBets, BataviaBets and EmpireCityBets?are hosting a first-ever New York State Online Handicapping Championship on December 2. Winners are eligible for cash payouts and a grand prize of a paid seat at the NHC Championship in Las Vegas in February with hotel and airfare included.  •  The Ho Tram Project Company Ltd. has announced the launch of its Ho Tram Strip’s Kahuna “condotel” and villa project. The 244-room resort will include 164 condo units in a 12-story hotel tower; 36 two-unit villas; and eight beachfront villas priced from $88,800 to $900,000.  •  Casinos Austria International has confirmed reports that it will sell off all holdings outside of Austria. This includes 27 land-based casinos in 11 nations, six seagoing casinos, online operations among others. It will focus on its Austrian-based business, including the Win2Day online division, Austrian Lotteries and WinWin VLT facilities. A company spokesman said the international division had become profitable again, making it viable to sell it. The company has recently posted dramatic financial news following a restructure. The most significant profits came from properties in Belgium, Canada and Germany, which were 34 percent more profitable than the year before.  •  The government of Brazil may put up the lottery unit of state bank Caixa Econômica Federal by the end of 2017. Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told reporters that the government is in talks with the owners of the lottery service Lotex to buy the lottery and operate it.  •  The National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Mid-Year Conference & Expo will be held September 19-21 in the Phoenix Renaissance in Phoenix, Arizona. Tribal leaders of gaming tribes will meet, share ideas and network. NIGA has 184 members from all over the U.S.A. Urban Expositions is organizing the conference.  •  Graton Resort and Casino in Northern California has debuted a slot machine that combines luck with the skill of a video pinball machines. The IGT game Texas Tea Pinball employs an Old West theme. The game has a bonus round of video pinball.  According to Graton General Manager Brian Green, “This is IGT’s first step into skill games to attract younger crowds.”  The game will be a favorite of those who cut their gaming teeth on arcade pinball machines. Green expects other skill based games to be arriving soon.