NORTH AMERICA ROUND-UP

In Nevada, the Las Vas Vegas Sands Corporation has announced the retirement of Michael Leven from its board of directors. Leven was named president of the company in 2009. In that position he oversaw the Sands expansion in Macau, as well as its entry into the Singapore market, before retiring from his executive role in December 2014.

Leven initially retained a position on the board of both Sands and its Asian subsidiary, Sands China, but his resignation from both took immediate effect as of April 12.

Meanwhile, in Michigan, a bill petitioning for the creation of a regulated online gaming market has been introduced to the state senate. Senate Bill 889 – also referred to as the Lawful Internet Gaming Act (LIGA) – is being sponsored by a party of five senators who advocate the creation of a remote market modelled on the New Jersey standard. In line with the Garden State, LIGA calls for licenses to be issued through existing brick-and-mortar casinos. Under its terms, tribal casinos would be eligible to apply for a remote license, but a limit of eight licenses statewide would cap the size of any prospective market.

Finally, back in Las Vegas, increasing convention attendance figures has been proposed as a key factor behind last year’s record level of visitation to the city, according to a study commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Its Economic Impact Study found that the number of convention visitors grew by over 13 per cent in 2015, to a combined headcount of more than 1.3 million.