NEWS & NOTES

Allegiant Air has donated $362,358 to a charity established to support the victims and families affected by the October 1 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The money, earmarked for the Las Vegas Victims Fund, was raised from donations of paid leave time by employees of the Las Vegas-based discount carrier in a dollar-for-dollar match by Allegiant’s executive management.  •  The Las Vegas Country Club has been sold to Korea-based Samick Musical Instruments Co. for a reported $20 million. The private 18-hole course, located about a mile east of the Strip and now in its 50th year, includes tennis courts, banquet facilities and other amenities. CBRE Group brokered the sale. Samick also owns and operates Redhawk Golf Course in Temecula, Calif.  •  Ticket marketplace Vivid Seats has named Las Vegas the best city for live music in 2018. The ranking was derived from a composite of factors that included number of concerts, the quality of the performers and the revenue they generate.   •  The Macau Labor Affairs Bureau may decrease the quota of non-resident workers that can be hired by employers who allow them to do work they were not hired to do. Employer in breach of the law face fines of up to 10,000 patacas (US$1,240).  •  The home-ice success of the Vegas Golden Knights expansion NHL hockey team is giving headaches to operators of Las Vegas sports books, who say the team’s home record during its inaugural season has cost them more than $1 million to gamblers who have wagered on their success. “We’ve been getting our butts kicked,” South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro told ESPN’s Doug Kezirian. “We should rename it ‘free date night.’ A guy invites a girl out to dinner and stops at the sports book on the way to the game. What she doesn’t realize is we are paying for everything.”  •  Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Arizona has opened the hipster pleasing Oak & Fork, a wine bar and small plate restaurant. The new offering is part of a multi-million-dollar expansion. It offers wine pairings with charcuterie, vegetable platters, crab dip, and shrimp scampi.  •  Harrah’s Southern California Resort on the Rincon Reservation will host one of the National Indian Gaming Commission’s (NIGC) tribal consultations on February 8.  The NIGC holds regular consultations in Indian Country. This one will focus on the commission’s core initiatives of staying ahead of the technology curve, promoting rural outreach and creating a strong workforce. Specifically (1) Proposed changes to Management Contract process; (2) Audit Submissions; (3) Management and Sole Proprietary Definition.  •  Sycuan Casino in San Diego County plans to fill more than 700 positions, mainly in hospitality and the casino sector, as part of a hotel and resort expansion. The first of these will be a new director of sales. Job fairs will be held beginning this summer. Almost a year ago Sycuan began a $226 million expansion that includes a 12-story, 300-room hotel, dining, convention and conference spaces—all due to open next year.  •  The 474-member Kalispel Tribe of Indians, which owns the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway, Washington, is diversifying by buying a minority share in an investment banking company, Blacklock Van LLC, which is based in Oakland, California. As part of the partnership, the company will offer mentoring and internships to members of the tribe. The company employs more than half of it workforce from women and minorities.  •  Several weeks after laying off tribal employees and slashing services, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is hosting a job fair this week in which 30 regional and national companies will be represented. The tribe has hit a so-far insurmountable legal roadblock in developing its $600 million First Light Casino in Taunton and reportedly owes the Genting group more than $425 million in debt. This has led to cutting the budget and jobs.