The Culinary reached a tentative contract agreement with The Venetian last week and the union is seeking similar agreements with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Fontainebleau and the Sphere. 

So why does the Culinary care about a workers' strike in an Eastern European country that was once part of the Soviet Union? Read on.

Please click here to sign up for Indy Gaming.

As they do at practically every Nevada gaming regulatory meeting, representatives of Culinary Union Workers Local 226 offered a few minutes of remarks during the public comment session at last week’s Nevada Gaming Commission meeting in Las Vegas.

The target, however, wasn’t the union’s usual focus — Red Rock Resorts and its Station Casinos operating division.

Instead, Culinary representative Rory Kuykendall focused on a Swedish company set to buy Galaxy Gaming, a small Las Vegas-based table game provider that doesn’t have any relationship with the union.

In a statement Friday, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said the labor organization wanted to bring a dispute involving the Swedish company to the attention of Nevada gaming commissioners, who will ultimately have to approve the sale.

Galaxy announced last month it was being acquired by Evolution AB for $85 million in an all-cash deal. Galaxy has 25 million shares outstanding and is traded on the over-the-counter market, most recently at $2.80 per share. The company told investors it expects to produce $29 million and $30 million in revenue in 2024.

Evolution, which is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority, has a large presence in the Republic of Georgia, a transcontinental country bordering Eastern Europe and West Asia. It also has a U.S. presence, providing live table games for online casino operators in the U.S., including DraftKings and Hard Rock Casino. 

An estimated 5,000 Georgia-based employees of Evolution have been on strike since July. Several workers started a hunger strike earlier this month.

Papageore requested the gaming commission reject Evolution’s license application in Nevada if the company “continues to refuse to treat its employees with respect and provide for decent wages and safe working conditions.”

As of Monday, according to a Gaming Control Board spokesman, Evolution does not have an application on file with the agency.

Culinary spokeswoman Bethany Kahn said UNI Global, a federation of gaming industry unions, asked them to highlight the issue to Nevada gaming regulators.

“The Culinary Union offers solidarity to the Evolution workers in Georgia and asks the Nevada Gaming Commission to take into consideration the labor practices of this company,” Pappageorge said in a statement.

Galaxy has more than 130 licenses worldwide for different table game titles as well as side wagers and bonus enhancements to traditional table games including blackjack, baccarat, craps and roulette. 

In its July 18 announcement, Galaxy Gaming said Evolution would retain the company’s management, employees and the gaming equipment provider as a separate and independent subsidiary.

Galaxy CEO Matt Reback said in the July statement the sale would allow the company to increase its global reach while empowering it to “sustain and maintain its independence while continuing to focus on growth and expanding its operations.”

A spokeswoman for Galaxy said company representatives declined to comment on the matter.

The company’s board of directors is chaired by Mark Lipparelli, a former state senator and one-time chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board whose management company operates the Westgate Las Vegas. Galaxy board member Gavin Isaacs, a longtime gaming industry executive, is leaving the board Friday to become CEO of Entain Plc.

BetMGM makes it easier for Nevada customers to wager in other states

BetMGM customers from Nevada can now use their mobile sports betting app in other states without opening new accounts.

The company, a 50-50 venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain Plc., launched a single-account digital wallet that eliminates the need to have multiple BetMGM accounts for different states. BetMGM is available in 30 states — including Nevada — and provinces across North America.

However, BetMGM users from outside of Nevada still need to register in person at an MGM Resorts International property — as required by Nevada law. 

For Nevada customers with registered accounts, the app automatically provides a pop-up message any time they arrive in another state where BetMGM is legal, allowing them to switch their account to that location. 

“Your bets, your money, your account credentials all travel with you,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, noting they had been working on the program for almost two years.

What I'm reading

🏈 NFL extends partnership with $6.4 grant to National Council on Problem Gambling — Rege Behe, CDC Gaming Reports

The three-year grant exceeds the original $6.2 million three-year grant announced in 2021.

💸 Atlantic City casino earnings declined by 1.3 percent in 2nd quarter of 2024 — Wayne Parry, Associated Press

The results were “less encouraging than Atlantic City’s operators may have hoped,” said the director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies Atlantic City. 

🏛️ Op-Ed: No more broken promises: Protect tribal gaming rights; tell lawmakers to pass SB 549 — John Christman, Erica Schenk, Tracey Hopkins and Danielle Cirelli, Palm Springs Desert Sun

California tribal leaders want to hold card clubs accountable for hosting games that are legally exclusive to tribes.

News, notes and quotes

🎰 Aristocrat opens manufacturing facility in Henderson

Aristocrat Gaming has opened a 265,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Henderson. The building will serve as the manufacturing and distribution hub for the gaming equipment provider’s clients throughout North America and Latin America. The new facility is more than double the size of the previous location and has 12 production lines. Aristocrat’s North American corporate offices are in Summerlin.

👨‍💼 MGM says new board member will help push the company’s international strategy

MGM Resorts International appointed longtime hospitality executive Keith Barr to the company’s board. Barr is the former CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts and is the company’s 12th board member. MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said the appointment would help the company in its international growth strategy. MGM is planning a $10 integrated resort development in Osaka, Japan, and is developing a non-gaming resort in the United Arab Emirates.

🛑 Nevada cannabis board issues warning about deceptive websites 

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) said it received reports of Google search engine button hyperlinks that redirect from licensed cannabis business URLs to deceptive websites that advertise cannabis products for sale with a payment app. In a statement, the board said the fake websites often look legitimate by mimicking a business' branding or domain. The board also warned of websites that offer delivery to Strip resorts or other gaming properties, which is illegal.

🎲 Full House may move its Indiana casino to another community

Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts could move its Rising Star Casino in southern Indiana further north to New Haven, according to a local media report. The property is within driving distance of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and near Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky.  On the company’s Aug. 7 second-quarter earnings call, Full House CEO Dan Lee said Rising Sun “is a pretty small earnings contributor” to the company and has considered moving the casino closer to Cincinnati.