NEWS & NOTES

Preliminary work is under way on the Las Vegas Strip to install 700 protective steel posts between the street and sidewalks. Installation of the barriers, known as bollards, is slated to begin the end of this month near the Hawaiian Marketplace on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard South.  •  Samsung has covered two of Caesars Palace’s three fountains with a pop-up store, one of five the mobile phone giant operates in the U.S. The others are in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Washington, D.C.  •  Elton John is closing his “Million Dollar Piano” show at Caesars Palace on May 19, 2018, after 200 performances. It’s the 70-year-old pop star’s second residency at Caesars Palace. His first, “The Red Piano,” ran from 2004 through 2009. It has been reported that They Who will take John’s place once he leaves. The Who opened and closed their latest North American tour at Caesars.   •  Hong Kong-listed Ourgame International Holdings Ltd., the owner of the World Poker Tour (WPT), is aiming to raise approximately HKD416.5 million (US$53.4 million) via a share subscription. The net proceeds will be used to expand the firm’s businesses, including HKD62 million “to further develop the WPT business in high-growth geographies where the group does not currently have a presence,” Ourgame said in a Thursday filing. “The company expects to deploy approximately HKD25 million for geographic expansion including tournaments, marketing of WPT online games products and TV content development, with initial focus in Japan and South America, in particular Brazil,” the company said.  •  On October 13, Macau’s Judiciary Police arrested 41 people for alleged involvement in a loan-sharking gang that gave instant loans to gamblers. The 36 male and six female suspects told police their gang had been operating for a year. PJ officers found “considerable” quantities of usury receipts, photocopies of borrower IDs and advertising material related to the illegal business.  ?  Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau is working to prevent frontline casino employees from gaming outside of work hours. A current proposal would ban workers from entering gaming areas while off-duty; simplify sanctions for people under 21 in gaming area; and introduce a measure for taking casino chips from those who break the law. Fines could range from MOP1,000 (US$124) to MOP10,000.  • Hong Kong-based Landing International has completed the sale of its London property Les Ambassadeurs Club and Casino to businessman Paul Suen Cho Hung for an estimated $320.3 million. Landing International had operated the casino in Mayfair since 2016 when it purchased it for $173.5 million.  •  Sun International, based in South Africa, has acquired four Peru casinos from Thunderbird Resorts and Casinos Peruanos for $26.5 million. They include the Fiesta de Miraflores casino and three other properties in Lima. The purchase was made through a Sun subsidiary, Sun Dreams SA, which already operates several casinos in South America. The purchases are subject to regulatory approvals. They are expected to be executed by the end of 2017.  The sale does not include the 66 room Fiesta hotel or its offices.   •  The sale of the Ruidoso Downs racetrack and casino in New Mexico by R.D. Hubbard to All American Ruidoso Downs LLC has been finalized for an undisclosed price. The final sale was waiting for license approval. New owners include former telecommunications executive Stan Sigman, insurance broker John Andreini, Narciso “Chicho” Flores and former American Quarter Horse Association president Johnny Trotter. All own and breed race horses. Hubbard was part owner of Ruidoso Downs since 1988 and became sole owner in 2016.  General Manager Jeff True said the goal “is to make Ruidoso Downs a model for the horse racing industry.”  •  The Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington, held the grand opening and blessing ceremony for the remodeled hotel tower of the casino September 27. The Squaxin Island Tribe, which owns the casino, renovated all 90 rooms.  •  Talking Stick Resort, owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona hosted its very first eSports event over the weekend in the resort’s showroom: the Desert Showdown. It was the first time a casino in the Phoenix Valley hosted a video game competition. It featured Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Melee. About two hundred players participated with a prize pool of $5,000. The resort partnered with Ultimate Media Ventures to present the tournament. It is the first of what will be a monthly offering.