You’d think casinos in Massachusetts, where job applicants far outnumber available positions, could get by without hiring convicted criminals. Think again. A bill before the Lege would 
open a loophole for people with criminal records to hold down jobs in the gaming industry. It’s the brainchild of Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, who found a receptive ear from Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo (D, left). The latter assures reporters that cash-handling jobs would remain off-limits but “whether it be in a parking lot, whether it be in a kitchen, whether it may be in a hotel or whatever it may be,” jobs should be available for the hard to employ.
In a statement that ought to set off bullshit detectors across the Bay State, House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jeffrey Sanchez (D) painted a picture of a hiring crisis. “This change was necessary because both MGM Casino [sic] in Springfield and Wynn Boston Harbor in Everett are currently beginning their hiring processes and current restrictions could impact their ability to be adequately staffed and to fulfill our statutory goal to encourage casino employment of the unemployed, under-employed and also the hard-to-employ,” he said. MGM Springfield and Wynn BoHar understaffed? Pardon me while I fall down laughing.
* Steve Ruddock sampled the skill-based slots on display at Global Gaming Expo and reviews them in detail. ‘Match 3’ games are described as “underwhelming,” with IGT‘s Lucky’s Quest getting the harshest notice. By contrast, GameCo‘s Nothing But Net is the most highly praised game. Drawing a contrast between the established manufacturers and the upstarts, Ruddock writes, “the larger companies’ skill games reminded me of a blockbuster movie converted to 3D; whereas, the startups’ skill-based games were originally shot in 3D and feel less forced.” (emphasis in original) Incidentally, if you wanted to play IGT’s Mario Kart, you had to sign a personal-injury waiver beforehand. How dangerous could a slot machine be?
* Because Wall Street analysts don’t cover Kansas, insight into its casino revenues is rare. However, last month the state-owned 
gaming houses had their best September on record. Boyd Gaming‘s Kansas Star Casino led the pack with $15 million, followed by Penn National Gaming‘s Hollywood Casino (pictured) at Kansas Speedway ($12 million). Much further back were Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City ($3.5 million) and newbie Kansas Crossing ($2 million).
* Class III compact newly in hand, Washington State‘s S’Kallam Tribe is setting about exponentially expanding the amenities at its 7 Cedars Casino. It will start with the first of a planned three hotel towers, and will also add an RV park, an event center and a spa. The casino itself will be enlarged from 600 slots to 750. The S’Kallam are in no hurry: The tribe has set a 10-year timeline for the project, at a cost of $22 million. The S’Kallam also have state approval to build a second casino, but they’re keeping that ace up their sleeve for the moment.
* Not so long ago, Azov City was a casino environment so promising that Caesars Entertainment was kicking the tires on it. Now it’s marked for termination by Russian tsar Vladimir Putin by 2019. This is prompting much dismay for casino operator Maxim Smolentsev. He leaked a letter to “dear Vladimir 
Vladimirovich,” begging Putin not to close down the Shambala casino (750 slots, 40 table games) and throw its 2,000 employees out of work, to say nothing of losing its $7 million annual gross. Just to be safe, Smolentsev is building a $34.5 million casino near Vladivostok, joining Lawrence Ho and Cambodian NagaCorp, but he won’t be able to open until late 2019 at best. Ho is already making money hand over fist at Tigre de Cristal, so we don’t understand why Smolentsev is reluctant to open up shop nearby.
