I’m diverging from gaming for a week to highlight a unique event that took place at the outset of the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix. Happy Thanksgiving and I’m thankful for the readers of this newsletter. 

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After spending an afternoon touring pit row at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and learning all he could about Formula One, 13-year-old Alazar Daniel was asked if he would someday want to drive one of the high-tech vehicles that cost between $12 million and $16 million.

“No. I’d rather build one,” said the eighth grade student at Jim Bridger Middle School in North Las Vegas.

His answer wasn’t surprising. Alazar is a student in a Clark County School District science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program and took part — along with more than 500 students from a dozen middle schools — in an event sponsored by the Grand Prix. 

With tours led by a group of motorsports professionals, the students gathered in front of the pit row garages as crews worked F1 race cars for the sport’s leading drivers. The guides covered physics and chemistry as they discussed fuels and the materials used to build high-performance race cars. 

“The students were very prepared,” said Charlie Hollins, a former race car driver and one of tour guides. “I asked questions and their hands all shot [up] with the answers. They were very prepared.”

Guide Andre D’Cruze, who was discussing the McLaren Racing team’s vehicles, said some of the questions he received from the junior high students could have been posed by technology industry professionals.

The students work with robotics and technology daily. 

“Getting to come here and see these careers firsthand is maybe something for them to aspire to in the future,” said Brad Keating, the school district’s assistant superintendent for community partnerships. “For our STEM students to have this type of opportunity at a facility like this in our community can go a long way.”

Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm said the machinery behind the race cars has changed dramatically in just the last few years.

“From the software to building out the actual technology, the hardware and the engines is an incredible feat,” Wilm said. “The mechanics into these race cars was so much different years ago.”

She said Grand Prix organizers approached the school district about hosting the STEM students, and this was the first of several community events the Las Vegas race will host in the next few years. 

Wilm also said she plans to discuss the program with Formula One officials in Austin, Texas, and Miami, the two other U.S. stops on the racing circuit, so those markets could potentially duplicate the event.

Following the tour, the students received one last surprise — a question and answer session with seven-time world champion and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who shared insights about his career and the importance of STEM skills in Formula One.  

“Seeing the students have a firsthand experience of the sport was a real joy,” Wilm said. “We hope it’s a day that inspires new dreams for future careers.” 

Reid Airport launches platform for reserving long-term parking 

In an effort to improve the parking situation at Harry Reid International Airport — which has seen a 1.7 percent increase in passenger volume during the first 10 months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023 — the Clark County Department of Aviation launched a program for customers to reserve spaces in long-term parking lots, which reach 100 percent capacity on most weekends.

Through an online platform, Parking.HarryReidAirport.com, a combined 636 parking spots in Terminals 1 and 3 have been set aside, allowing passengers to reserve spaces for several days. 

Under the reserved parking plan, the airport is offering 286 spaces at $28 a day for Terminal 1 located at Level 2M, and 350 spaces at $21 a day for Terminal 3 at Level 1.

In a statement, Clark County Director of Aviation Rosemary Vassiliadis said the reserved parking program comes as the holiday season increases the strain on the facility, which has 16,000 public parking spaces across two garages and three surface lots.

The reserved parking program is part of a multiphase overall expansion plan for the airport that was unveiled to Clark County commissioners in October.

What I'm reading

GCGRA chair: Regulator will take its time with UAE resort licensing — Robin Harrison, I-Gaming Business

Jim Murren, chairman of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, said the United Arab Emirates is not rushing the licensing process. “That is incredibly important to the government and I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Longtime sportsbook director retires as head of Westgate SuperBook — Todd Dewey, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Jay Kornegay, one of the gaming industry’s most respected sportsbook executives, will transition from day-to-day operations to an adviser/ambassador role.

Atlantic City casino earnings fall nearly 14% in 3rd quarter — Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

More Atlantic City casino customers are playing online, where the properties have to share gaming revenue with operators of the gambling platforms.

Ted Olson, lawyer who successfully argued to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), dies at 84 — Brett Smiley, Casino Reports

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who hired Olson, said the attorney was “the one advantage that we had” in legalizing sports betting throughout the U.S.

News, notes and quotes

IGT hit with a cyberattack; customer data was not affected

International Game Technology was the victim of a cybersecurity breach last week, more than a year after a cyberattack took down resort operations and management systems at casinos operated by MGM Resorts International. IGT disclosed the breach in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, saying the company experienced disruptions in portions of its internal information technology systems and applications. Stifel Financial gaming analyst Jeffrey Stantial, in a research note, said the breach was limited entirely to internal IT systems and did not affect customer-facing platforms or cause the theft of any customer data.

Light & Wonder addressed ‘Dragon Train’ issue 

On last week’s quarterly earnings conference call, Light & Wonder CEO Matt Wilson responded to copyright concerns surrounding the company’s Dragon Train slot machine since late September. He said the company converted some 2,200 Dragon Train slot machines to another title. A judge ruled in September the game infringed on a trade secrets claim by a rival slot maker. “Management reiterated Dragon Train was just one out of 130 games it makes every year,” wrote Truist Securities gaming analyst Barry Jonas.