Cypriots looking for work, or those from other countries that might be able to secure a work permit, listen up. Melco Resorts and Entertainment is looking for a few good men and women for its third satellite casino on the Mediterranean island, which will be located in Ayia Napa. That venue is expected to open this summer.

Melco needs 35 individuals for the “C2” satellite, which is joining other satellite casinos at the Larnaca International Airport and in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The company needs slot attendants, cage cashiers, security officers and supervisors, and other positions could become open later.

Melco has hired over 800 people on Cyprus since it opened its first temporary casino in Limassol last summer. Most have been citizens of the nation, but there could be opportunities for foreign workers, as well, provided they meet certain requirements.

Melco will also need to hire more employees when it launches its fourth satellite casino, scheduled for Paphos. Another hiring spree will take place when the company is close to completing its City of Dreams Mediterranean (CoDM) resort in Limassol, which should be ready to open in 2021. The temporary casino in Limassol will continue its activity until CoDM’s main casino floor is under development.

Cypriots looking for work, or those from other countries that might be able to secure a work permit, listen up. Melco Resorts and Entertainment is looking for a few good men and women for its third satellite casino on the Mediterranean island, which will be located in Ayia Napa. That venue is expected to open this summer.

Melco needs 35 individuals for the “C2” satellite, which is joining other satellite casinos at the Larnaca International Airport and in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The company needs slot attendants, cage cashiers, security officers and supervisors, and other positions could become open later.

Melco has hired over 800 people on Cyprus since it opened its first temporary casino in Limassol last summer. Most have been citizens of the nation, but there could be opportunities for foreign workers, as well, provided they meet certain requirements.

Melco will also need to hire more employees when it launches its fourth satellite casino, scheduled for Paphos. Another hiring spree will take place when the company is close to completing its City of Dreams Mediterranean (CoDM) resort in Limassol, which should be ready to open in 2021. The temporary casino in Limassol will continue its activity until CoDM’s main casino floor is under development.

The Philippines task force, charged with running black market online operators out of town and getting a better picture, and tax revenue, from its employees, is starting to see results. Local media reports that three operators have closed up shop in an effort to avoid getting “over-taxed.”

The three firms, which have not been named, were apparently licensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairperson Andrea Domingo said they went elsewhere, and relayed, “I was told that they got scared because they might be over-taxed or something like that.”

She’s not fazed by the news though, as she expects other efforts by PAGCOR will help make up for lost business. “But we don’t worry because what we’re doing now is that we’re marketing outside Asia, we started marketing in London,” she noted. She added that two firms, from Europe and London, may decide to set up in the country later this year.

It’s unclear if these POGOs left due to increased taxes on their operations, or on their employees. PAGCOR has been working with the recently revealed task force to tally up lists of foreigners who might not be paying their fair share.

The Philippines task force, charged with running black market online operators out of town and getting a better picture, and tax revenue, from its employees, is starting to see results. Local media reports that three operators have closed up shop in an effort to avoid getting “over-taxed.”

The three firms, which have not been named, were apparently licensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairperson Andrea Domingo said they went elsewhere, and relayed, “I was told that they got scared because they might be over-taxed or something like that.”

She’s not fazed by the news though, as she expects other efforts by PAGCOR will help make up for lost business. “But we don’t worry because what we’re doing now is that we’re marketing outside Asia, we started marketing in London,” she noted. She added that two firms, from Europe and London, may decide to set up in the country later this year.

It’s unclear if these POGOs left due to increased taxes on their operations, or on their employees. PAGCOR has been working with the recently revealed task force to tally up lists of foreigners who might not be paying their fair share.

Equality in the workplace is important, not just for the principle of it, but so that employees know their worth to the company is based on merit, and not due to something out of their control. Recognizing that, MGM Resorts have prioritized LGBTQ equality, and as a result have been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, as they have revealed in a recent press release.

MGM received a perfect 100 score from the group’s Corporate Quality Index (CEI), indicating that they are an ideal place for LGBTQ persons to work. The score is based on LGBTQ-related policies and practices, benefits, workplace protections, health care benefits, competency programs and public outreach. A perfect score indicates that MGM is doing their best work in all of those areas.

Phyllis A. James, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity & Corporate Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts International, said:

“At MGM Resorts we have a long-standing history of making Diversity and Inclusion a priority, we put the action behind our words and we will continue to stand with the LGBTQ community.”

Hot off the presses, GVC Holdings PLC, one of the largest sports gambling and gaming groups in the world, has released its latest financial update, which covers the first quarter of the year. According to the Financial Times, the company has seen increases across the board and expects to see continued growth, despite the recent changes in the UK regarding fixed odd betting terminals (FOBT).

The company has reported growth of 8% on its net gaming revenue for the quarter, driven by better performance in virtual sports and gaming bets. That improvement in online operations helped to offset losses incurred due to the changes in the UK, where retail revenue for GVC remained flat and online revenue increased by 17%.

According to GVC CEO Kenneth Alexander, “This trading update reflects a continuation of the strong trends reported on 5 March 2019, and represents an excellent start to the year. We continue to see good volume growth across all major online brands and territories and we remain very confident of achieving our target of double-digit online NGR growth. The impact of soft gross win margins in Italy and the UK was offset by improved margins in other territories, demonstrating the benefit of both geographic and product diversification across the Group. In UK Retail and European Retail, improved sports wagering growth helped offset softer sports gross win margins. New B2 machines stakes restrictions were implemented in the UK on 1 April 2019 and we expect it to be several weeks before we can start to assess the impact. At this early stage of the year, the Board is confident of delivering EBITDA and operating profit in-line with expectations.”

As of April 1, FOBTs in the UK had to have a maximum wager amount of £2, down from the £100 previously allowed. The change has already been shown as ineffective, much to the surprise of virtually no one, and it won’t be long before any temporary losses due to the switch are recuperated through other mechanisms.

As Gateway Casinos has had its eyes set on becoming the dominant casino company in Canada, it has led what seems like a non-stop expansion plan, purchasing existing venues or building new ones across the country. Its latest project is proposed for Wasaga Beach and the company has now figured out where it will be built.

Gateway wants to put its new casino on a piece of property in Wasaga Beach that is next to the Mosley St. roundabout at Lyons Court and Beachwood Rd. The 7.5-acre lot sits at the west end of Wasaga Beach and the new venue could have its groundbreaking as early as this spring. For that to happen, Gateway will need to expedite the provincial and municipal approvals and complete the purchase of the land.

According to Gateway’s Senior VP and Managing Director, Keith Andrews, “We are very pleased to announce that we expect to soon be able to move forward with our plans to build an exciting new casino and entertainment destination in the Town of Wasaga Beach. We look forward to receiving all the necessary provincial and municipal approvals and concluding the land transaction so we can start construction as quickly as possible.”

Earlier this month Gateway announced that it had completed a massive renovation project at a newly acquired venue. That property, located in Hanover, just went through a US$13.4-million renovation and rebranding project. Gateway is also getting ready to wrap up construction of the Cascades Casino in Chatham-Kent, a project that cost about $27 million. That casino is preparing to hold its grand opening this July.

New Mexico has lost a federal court case involving virtually all of the state’s native Indian tribes and a $60-million bill it wanted them to pay, per a report by the Santa Fe New Mexican. The two sides were forced to take their case before a federal judge in the state who has now ruled that New Mexico is going to have to back down from its insistence on the compensation.

The case goes all the way back to 2011. The New Mexican Gaming Control Board (NMGCB), in 2017, crunched some numbers and decided that, according to its own interpretation of gaming compacts between the state and the tribes, it was owed a considerable amount of money for free-play credits that were issued by the tribes onto customer reward cards.

In previous compacts, credits that were lost by customers were expected to be treated as revenue, for which the state would get a cut. If a player played with $20 in free credits and lost $15, that $15 was revenue and the state was due 9%.

When those compacts were expiring in 2015, the tribes successfully argued to the federal government that the free-play credit deals were not consistent with standard accounting practices and the system was removed from the new compacts issued that year. However, New Mexico asserted that it was still entitled to their cut from 2011 to 2015 based on the status of the system during that time.

Alaska could be close to allowing something that hasn’t been seen in a very long time – legalized commercial gambling. Lawmakers are now discussing a bill that would authorize card rooms in the state and, if approved, the long-standing ban on commercial gaming could finally be lifted.

The bill, House Bill 103 (HB 103) was introduced by Representative Colleen Sullivan-Leonard last month. It seeks to allow licensed commercial gambling facilities, with each license carrying a $100,000 fee. Operators would be required to pay a 9.5% tax on their gross gaming revenue (GGR).

According to Sullivan-Leonard, HB103 will expand the gaming laws in Alaska to include operation of card rooms hosting banked and non-banked card games. Card rooms in the state of Alaska have been contemplated for years, now is the time to stop contemplating and make them a reality. Let’s bring the cards out of the back rooms and in a fun, social setting for all to enjoy.”

There are several native Indian tribes in Alaska that operate gaming facilities, but the state has no commercial gambling venues, which are illegal under state law. They are seen as what is defined as a “sin industry” that is prone to causing addiction, but that argument is, at best, extremely weak.

In Massachusetts’ investigation into Steve Wynn’s sexual misconduct, April 4 was his ex-wife Elaine Wynn’s turn to talk. She appeared before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to testify about her knowledge of her ex-husband’s impropriety. The MGC wanted to see if she may have been involved in a cover-up.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Elaine first found out about the allegations of sexual misconduct from a 2009 email, sent to her about a 2005 rape of a Wynn Resorts employee. This came right in the middle of her divorce proceedings with Steve.

After consulting with the company’s corporate counsel, Kim Sinatra, and family friend Frank Schreck, Elaine Wynn was satisfied that the situation was being handled, and from Steve’s personal funds. The MGC’s report said:

“At the time, Ms. Wynn had no reason to doubt Ms. Sinatra and reasonably believed that Ms. Sinatra and Mr. Schreck and the company’s attorneys knew best how such allegations should be handled.”

The World Poker Tour has partnered with Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association to hold WPT Taiwan in Taipei City, and WPT-themed Spin & Win games arrive on Zynga.

I doubt you’re going to see too many Taiwanese kids trekking down to HMV, Timberland boots skipping in the air as they listen to J-Lo, but according to a recent survey from the  Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF), 75.8% of Taiwanese children are satisfied with their lives on an island containing close to 24 million souls.

How that would change should China continue their desire to swallow them into the belly of the People’s Republic of China, especially given hostile tension between the two presidents after Chinese fighter jets crossed into Taiwanese airspace for the first time since 2011.

Reading through the lines, it seems that relations between the two presidents are as wobbly as man boobs so I adopt a more reasonable solution – Presidents Xi Jinping and Tsai Ing-wen should play heads-up for rolls.

Two World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event wins to catch up on including Asher Conniff winning in Bally’s, and Adam Cedric winning in St. Maartens. 

Asher Conniff has added a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) title to his World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club achievement, after taking down the WSOPC Main Event in Bally’s, Las Vegas.

The $1,700 buy-in event attracted 607-entrants, creating a $919,605 prizepool, and the 30-year-old from Brooklyn, New York banked $193,147 for the win. It’s Conniff’s third highest score, with the other two coming in a crazy May 2015 run that saw him win two tournaments for over a combined million bucks, including that WPT title.

Conniff came into the final day as the chip leader, and by the time he rolled into the final table, he was in esteemed company. Fellow WPT Champions Club member, Justin Young, finished third, Stan Lee followed up his gold ring win in the 492-entrant $400 buy-in, $100k GTD No-Limit Hold’em Multi-Flight with a ninth-place finish, and the UK’s Simon Deadman placed seventh.

Before the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Texas Tech was probably best known among sports bettors as the alma mater of current NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the former employer of new Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Football is definitely king in Texas, but the Red Raiders are making basketball cool in the Lone Star State – Coach Chris Beard is a god in Lubbock – as they have reached the first Final Four in school history. Third-seeded Texas Tech, the surprise West Region champion, takes on No. 2 seed and East Region champion Michigan State in Saturday’s second Final Four game from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Spartans, in their 10th all-time Final Four and the only school still standing to have won a national championship (1979 and 2000), are 2.5-point favorites.