NEWS & NOTES

State House Republican leaders in Pennsylvania passed a bill to authorize borrowing $1 billion against future revenues to attack the government’s $2.2 billion budget deficit. The plan also would institute spending cuts in mass transit, environmental protection and economic development. It is opposed by Governor Tom Wolf, who notes it fails to address underlying problems in the budget and would leave a $700 million deficit for fiscal 2018. It also faces likely opposition in the Democratic-led state Senate, which previously passed a massive tax package to close the deficit, combined with projected revenue from gaming expansion including online gaming, satellite casinos and tablet gaming at airports.  •  Genting Hong Kong is preparing to launch the second cruise ship of its Dream Cruises brand. The 3,400-passenger World Dream, featuring a casino and a virtual reality gaming area, will leave its home ports of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, on November 17 and 19 for six-day/five-night runs to Manila and Boracay in the Philippines and Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang in Vietnam. It will also ply a three-day/two-night route around the Pearl River Delta.  •  Storm International has set a mid-October opening for its newest Shangri La-branded casino. SL Casino Riga in the Latvian capital will feature slots and table games on two floors, a sports bar and a VIP gaming salon called X.O.  •  Eldorado Resorts has opened a medical clinic to serve employees of its Circus Circus, Silver Legacy and Eldorado casinos in Reno, Nev. The 4,450 square-foot facility, which includes three exam rooms and a pharmacy, offers workers the chance to be seen by a doctor or nurse any time, 24 hours a day, with no co-pay.  •  The National Indian Gaming Commission last week delivered its first virtual training sessions, something NIGC Chairman Jonodev O. Chaudhuri announced earlier this year. Noting that technology is key, the chairman said, “Everything dovetails with technology; it has allowed us to expand our reach to deliver quality and interactive training to Tribal Leaders, Gaming Commissions, and operations. We recognize that budget and staff constraints can make attending training away from the workplace difficult.” The two courses offered were on Internal Audit and Active Shooter training.  •  The Phoenix City Council this week will consider approving social gaming in the Oregon city.  The council unanimously approved the ordinance on the first reading September 5. It would allow the Shoppes at Exit 24, a mall to allow a social-gaming operation that would have poker. State allows a business to make money from such an enterprise by selling admission and refreshments, but not from the games themselves. Minors are prohibited from playing.  •  The Arizona Department of Gaming last week closed an illegal poker room: Poker Room Live in Sierra Vista, arresting four people on suspicion of operating an unregulated poker room. They face a variety of misdemeanor and felony charges. This is the first time the department has every made such arrests in Sierra Vista.  •  A small fire broke out September 15 in a storage room at the under-construction MGM Cotai casino resort. MGM China said the fire “was contained very quickly and caused minor damage.” The firm would not say if the fire could delay the opening of the Cotai property, which is supposed to take place in the fourth quarter.