AGA SmartBrief

Ren&eacute Descartes,French mathematician and philosopher

Tim Maland, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England, said the company would shoulder the costs of additional police and fire services in West Springfield, Mass., if its $800 million resort casino is built in the city. "Hard Rock is there to compensate the city for the additional costs," Maland said. Hard Rock said it would also offer a training program for bartenders and transportation services for guests as part of security measures for the casino. The Republican (Springfield, Mass.) (5/15)

Greenwood Racing is making an unexpected bid to build an $800 million hotel casino in Fort Washington, Md. The proposed resort, which would include 4,750 slot machines, 170 gaming tables and a 250-room hotel, would be similar to Greenwood's Parx casino near Philadelphia. Greenwood CEO Anthony Ricci said that the company is "very strong on community outreach and diversity" and assured that it would be a "good neighbor" to the community. The company is the third to make a pitch for the chance to build a resort in Prince George's County, after MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming. The Examiner (Washington, D.C.) (5/15)

Revel Entertainment Group's reorganization plan, which was recently approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, has obtained clearance from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and is now appealing to its customers to do the same. "Everybody deserves a second chance. We're looking for a second chance. We are trying to listen to and respond to customers," said Jeffrey Hartmann, Revel's interim CEO. The Philadelphia Inquirer (5/15)

Boxborough, Mass., selectmen decided against holding talks with Cordish Companies regarding its proposal to convert the Holiday Inn Boxborough into a slots parlor. Selectman Frank Powers said that residents should have had a chance to express their views on the matter. Wicked Local (5/15)

Officials of World Series Poker said the company hopes to get clearance from the Nevada Gaming Control Board so it can launch its real-money gambling website, WSOP.com, during the WSOP tournament, which begins May 29. It would become the second legalized pay-to-play site in the U.S. "We intend to be in this business 100 years from now so for us, it's not about when we start. We just have a lot of boxes to check off to meet the requirements, which is fine and it won't be too much longer," said WSOP spokesman Seth Palansky. VegasInc.com (Las Vegas) (5/15)

The Massachusetts House Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, led by Rep. Joseph Wagner, said it wanted assurances from Gov. Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanaog tribe that a revised compact to build a $500 million casino would gain federal approval. The revised compact includes a provision under which the tribe would pay 17% of its revenue from its proposed Taunton casino to the state, provided it is the only casino in the southeastern region. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (5/15)

Crown Resorts Chairman James Packer named Wilkinson Eyre Architects, designer of Singapore's Garden by the Bay project, for construction of a planned $984 million Crown casino at the Barangaroo site in Australia. "This was my personal preference. It wasn't even, from my perspective, close. I think the curvature of this building is sympathetic to Sydney Harbor and unique to Sydney Harbor," Packer said. Bloomberg (5/16)

SJM Holdings executives Ambrose So and Ng Chi Sing are selling 20 million of their shares in the company in a bid to raise up to $57 million. The company's stocks surged after receiving final land approval from the Macau government to build a casino resort on the Cotai Strip. The planned casino resort would include an estimated 1,000 slot machines, 700 table games and a 2,000-room hotel. Bloomberg (5/15)

Whether you play slots, craps, blackjack, roulette or any other game in a casino, it is important to remember that games of chance are based on random outcomes and always favor the casino. Understanding this fact is an important part of responsible gaming. Learn more about the "house advantage" here, and pass the information on to your patrons and employees.

G2E Asia is welcoming a long list of brand new exhibitors to the G2E Asia 2013 show floor. These companies bring vast experience from the construction, design, digital, entertainment, food & beverage, gaming equipment, software, video and iGaming industries. Check out the G2E Blog for more information on these exhibitors and register now for G2E Asia 2013, taking place May 21-23 at The Venetian Macao.

C.S. Lewis,Irish writer

MGM Resorts International has asked Springfield, Mass., to schedule on July 16 a citywide referendum for its proposed $800 million casino project. "MGM is grateful to have the confidence and enthusiasm of Mayor [Domenic] Sarno and now City Council members as we move into the next phase of this competition," said MGM Springfield President Bill Hornbuckle. The gaming company intends to kick off a marketing campaign called "Yes for Springfield" once the suggested referendum date is approved. The Hartford Courant (Conn.) (5/14)

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission said it would include casino plans for Davenport on its June 6 meeting agenda. The city plans to invest $33 million to move Rhythm City casino riverboat operations onto dry land. Developer Rodney Blackwell would purchase the casino, which is currently owned by Isle of Capri. "We'll wait and see if they have a recommendation. ... We want to keep the process moving," said Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba. Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa) (5/14)

U.K.-based bookmaker William Hill entered a deal to provide the upcoming Downtown Grand hotel in Las Vegas with its mobile sports wagering application and self-service betting kiosk. The casino hotel, expected to open in September, will also feature a storefront like William Hill's U.K. shops. "Downtown Las Vegas is undergoing an exciting transformation and Downtown Grand and other new businesses nearby will bring many new customers to the area," said William Hill CEO Joe Asher. VegasInc.com (Las Vegas) (5/14)

State-owned investment firm Dubai World said it would consider selling its 5.3% stake in MGM Resorts International despite turning down a purchase offer in 2012. According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Committee, the firm has no timeline in mind for selling the shares. Whether it also plans to sell its 50% share in CityCenter, its joint venture with MGM Resorts, is uncertain. Las Vegas Review-Journal (5/14)

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe on Tuesday presented architectural renderings of its proposed $550 million resort casino to the City Council of Taunton, Mass. The proposal for East Taunton includes the construction of two 15-story hotels with an S-shaped design connected to smaller buildings in the complex. Other features are an entertainment lounge, two restaurants, a 400-seat buffet, retail stores and a water park. The Herald News (Fall River, Mass.) (5/15)

On behalf of the state of Arizona and the Indian communities of Gila River and Salt River Prima-Maricopa, a legal team filed a motion to reconsider a decision favoring Tohono O'odham Nation's proposed casino in Glendale. The plaintiffs say state law bans casinos in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The decision handed down last week by U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell affirmed the legality of the Tohono O’odham Nation proposal on grounds that a 2002 state gambling compact had no provisions banning new casino construction. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (tiered subscription model) (5/14)

The Macau government has given its final approval to SJM Holdings to develop a five-star casino hotel with a renewable 25-year lease on the Cotai strip. "SJM is now formally entitled to develop that land. Its next step is getting the construction approval," said Union Gaming Group analyst Grant Govertsen. Bloomberg (5/14)

MGM Resorts International announced its new partnership with China State Construction Engineering Corp. in its bid to accelerate expansion efforts across the globe. MGM says China State will serve as the primary contractor for all of its global resort projects, including its planned Cotai Strip resort in Macau. "The MGM Cotai is a key project for our company. We intend to pursue projects with China State not only in Macau and China, but elsewhere around the world," said MGM Resorts CEO James Murren. Travel Weekly (5/14)