NEWS & NOTES

Aristocrat Leisure Limited has doubled the annual compensation package of CEO Trevor Croker following his relocation from Australia to the United States, according to a company filing. According to the company, Croker’s total target compensation rose 109.6 percent, from AUD2.7 million (US$2.1 million) to US$4.4 million, effective October 1. The CEO’s fixed salary went up from AUD1.1 million to US$1.1 million, while his short-term incentive target increased from AUD600,000 to US$1.1 million. The long-term incentive target was raised from AUD1 million to US$2.2 million. The firm said the short- and long-term incentives are paid “subject to achievement of performance hurdles and are structured in order to drive delivery of Aristocrat’s strategy and continued growth.”  •  According to a statement recently released by the Dutch Gaming Authority, Kansspelautoriteit, social games in Holland may arise as an activity that could facilitate the proliferation of unlicensed and illegal online gambling services and could also possibly trigger gambling addiction among vulnerable players. As a result, the Dutch gambling regulatory body will be paying more attention to curbing the potential risks social casino games pose to players as well as to the regulatory regime it has been trying to create. According to Kansspelautoriteit, there is a very thin boundary between social gaming and gambling for money, and players can often feel tempted to cross that boundary. The regulatory body has pointed out that playing for real money could be considered more exciting by many players, hence their urge to convert to that type of activity.  •  The Nevada Department of Transportation has awarded a $7.7 million contract to CA Group to study how planned improvements to Interstate 15 might affect traffic near the site of the stadium that will be built for the National Football League Raiders just west of the Las Vegas Strip. The improvements include a reconfiguration of the Tropicana Avenue interchange at I-15 and construction of direct-access ramps connecting a new carpool lane on I-15 to Harmon and Hacienda avenues.  •  Regulatory fines levied on Singapore’s two gaming operators were down 60.5 percent in the 2016 financial year compared to the prior-year period. In the 12 months leading to March 31, 2017, the fines on Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa totaled SGD165,000 (US$121,708) compared to SGD417,500 in fiscal 2015.  ?  Melco International Development plans to renovate  Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen Harbour, says Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho. The restaurant was opened by casino tycoon Stanley Ho, his father, in 1976.  ?  Two non-gaming attractions in Macau have closed. Sands Cotai Central ended its weekly Po’s Kung Fu Feast Character Breakfasts and Studio City closed its House of Magic attraction.  ?  All eight restaurants in the SOHO food district at City of Dreams Macau, which closed in June, remain closed, the Macao Government Tourism Office says.The restaurants were closed due to a lack of operating licenses and fine MOP600,000 (US$75,000).  ?  Macau junket investor Rich Goldman Holdings Ltd., formerly the Neptune Group, has announced that its stock ticker code changed from “Neptune Group” to “Rich Goldman” as of October 9.  ?  The Macau Health Bureau is investigating into the Wynn Macau for allegedly breaching the city’s ban on smoking in public places.According to the bureau, the resort failed to post mandatory no-smoking signs inside the casino or inform customers where they were allowed to smoke.  ?   Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau will launch a public consultation next month on a possible statutory minimum wage for all workers in the city. There is already a minimum wage law in effect (30 patacas per hour, or less than US$4) for cleaners and doormen in the property management sector.  In addition, the Macau government announced a 45-day consultation period, starting September 25, for public comment on proposed changes to the Labour Relations Law, which was first enacted in 2009. Proposed amendments include a total of 10 weeks unpaid leave for new mothers and three to five days of paid paternity leave for new fathers.  •  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, operators of the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Palm Springs, California, has announced it will build a large cultural center and spa near its historic hot spring. Construction of the expanded Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will begin early next year and take about two years to finish. The location was the site of the old Spa Hotel for decades, until 2014 when it was torn down. The tribe recently began work on plans for a new hotel and casino.   •  Thunderbird Resorts has agreed to sell all of its casino operations in Peru to South Africa-based SunDreams for $26 million. The sale is subject to regulatory approvals. Thunderbird won’t be selling its Fiesta hotel or leasable offices. The sale does include the Fiesta de Miraflores casino and three operations in Lima, Tacna and Cusco. Fiesta has 680 slot machines while the other three properties have a total of 560. SunDreams was formed out of the merger of Dreams and South African Sun International.  •  NetEnt Americas LLC, a provider of digital casino solutions, has signed a customer agreement with the gaming operator Caliente Interactive to provide a wide selection of games to the online gaming market in Mexico. Caliente is the largest regulated provider of online games in Mexico.  This is the second customer agreement NetEnt has signed in Mexico. Caliente CEO Emilio Hank commented “We are very excited to integrate NetEnt’s world class gaming portfolio. We are confident the games will expand our growth and solidify our leadership in the regulated Mexican market.”  •  California Governor Jerry Brown last week signed AB 394 ratifying the state tribal gaming compact with the Tule River Indian Tribe. The Assembly and Senate approved the compact unanimously. It updates the compact allowing the tribe to operate Eagle Mountain Casino, which expires in 2020. The new compact expires in 2037. The tribe will need a new compact if it obtains federal permission to relocate its existing casino to land near the Porterville Municipal Airport—which is off reservation land.  •  Arizona’s Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler is midway of a $3 million upgrade of its 242 rooms, with completion expected in December. The upgrade includes everything from new mattresses to fixtures and furniture, with a new bright and contemporary décor motif. Forty-inch TVs, mini-refrigerators and USB ports will also be added. One of the biggest casinos in the state, with 950 slots and 65 gaming tables, the Wild Horse lies adjacent to Interstate 10.