Hooters out, Oyo in?; Crown in hot water

Hooters Hotel Casino, the brand that should have worked in Las Vegas but didn’t, may finally be on the way out. VitalVegas reports that hotelier Highgate may be rechristening Hooters with its Oyo brand. Highgate already operates hotels in the Las Vegas market, including Renaissance. Reporter Scott Roeben describes Oyo as “a rapidly-expanding Indian budget hotel company.” What the advent of Highgate would mean for Hooters casino operator Paragon Gaming isn’t known but since this seems to be strictly a hotel play, we figure Paragon is safe. Roeben implies that Oyo would have difficulty getting a gaming license, making Paragon all the more attractive to the new landlords.

* Troubles deepen for Crown Resorts, which stands accused of laundering money for a Chinese Triad known simply as “the Company.” The quid pro quo for Crown was getting referrals to VIP players who might have played elsewhere. Court documents also show Crown contracting with a brothel to supply hookers and to high rollers. “Some critics say Crown is regarded by police as ‘the Vatican,’ and largely above the law,” reported Global Gaming Business, with the company enjoying a special dispensation with the government to have Chinese visa applications fast tracked. Indeed, Australian Attorney General Christian Porter was moved to say “that would be one of the things that a parliamentary inquiry could explore—the degree to which there is a cultural or systemic problem among Australia’s casino industry.”

A multimedia “Crown Unmasked” exposé even implied that James Packer had triad connections through his founding of several junket operators. “Crown takes its regulatory obligations very seriously and works closely with all of its regulatory agencies,” responded the company, saying it goes above and beyond the call of duty. However, Crown associate Simon Pan has been accused of involvement with human trafficking and of extending credit to Crown players, which would be considered money laundering. Huffed Crown, “We believe these allegations are ill-informed and an attempt to smear the company. If there is any evidence of unlawful conduct, we encourage individuals or organizations to contact the relevant authorities.” However, with calls for an investigation of Crown mounting, the company will not be able to get off the defensive soon.

* The player-reward boffins at MGM Resorts International have been at it again. They are importing to the Las Vegas Strip a policy already in force at MGM National Harbor, MGM Springfield and Borgata. Now “Express Comps will be calculated based on time played, average bet, and game type.” Also, players at MGM Grand Detroit will no longer be able to cash out their points, as MGM is discontinuing the PointPlay program unique to Detroit.

* A supermajority of South Carolina residents (68%) support casino gambling. Could that help move the needle in the Palmetto State, whose resort areas would be a natural for casinos?

* The Tim Wilmott era at Penn National Gaming is ending, as he is stepping down from the company of which he is CEO. Since his term as chairman of the American Gaming Association is also ending, we’re going to be seeing a Wilmott-less industry.

* Perhaps Wilmott’s exit creates opportunities for some of Big Gaming’s many talented women, who largely go unrecognized at present. Richard Schuetz has been considering this gender apartheid and makes some powerful observations about its likeness to pre-integration America. Perhaps attendees at the Women’s Leadership Conference, beginning today at MGM Grand, could help stoke discussion of the issue.

* One woman who’s seeking to make a difference in casinos is American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation CEO Cynthia Hallet. Considering what the elimination of smoking did to casino revenues in Illinois and Baton Rouge, we’d say she’s got her work cut out for her, but she’s on the side of the angels. We don’t expect Big Gaming to roll over for Hallet but it wouldn’t kill it to open a dialogue.

* Fans of S&G cult favorite Scott “Woody” Butera will be pleased to know he’s been sighted again, in his role as MGM’s president of interactive gaming. His topic is football season and his tone could be mildly called ‘optimistic’: “We’re getting really excited. We’re geared up. We think this is going to be the best year for football at the NFL level and at the NCAA. Fans are going to have access to data and video information that they’ve never seen before. They’re going to actually be a part of the action with skin in the game—at each contest and throughout a contest. It’s going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.”