Philippine Senator Files Anti-POGO Bill
Last week, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). He said the ban would take effect immediately, but also gave the industry until the end of 2024 to wind down.
Senator Joel Villanueva, a longtime critic of POGOs in the country, has proposed legislation to make the ban permanent, and make the tainted industry cease operations within 30 days.
In lurid headlines, POGOs have been linked to online scams, kidnapping, human trafficking, money laundering, and even murder. In September 2022, Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 1281 calling for an end to the industry and barring “wagers or bets (placed) through the internet in any form.”
His new legislation, Senate Bill No. 2752, would repeal the legislation that taxes POGOs, recently rebranded as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs). The bill includes penalties of 12 to 20 years in prison for violators, and fines of up to PHP100 million (US$1.7 million). “Foreign offenders” would also be deported “after service of sentence.”
New Zealand to Regulate iGaming for First Time
The government of New Zealand has announced that it will draft and develop a regulatory framework for online gambling for the first time. The new market is expected to go live by 2026.
According to Brooke van Velden, the country’s minister of internal affairs, her department will spearhead regulation. The available licenses will be awarded via auction, and players must be 18 or older. Operators will also be barred from offering sports betting or lottery alongside iGaming.
“We remain supportive of the regulation of online casino gaming in New Zealand, with an emphasis on strong host responsibility and delivering community benefits in New Zealand,” SkyCity, the country’s premier operator, said in a statement.
Star Awaits Fate as Bell Report Submitted
Star Entertainment is awaiting the fate of its Star Sydney casino license after the NSW Independent Casino Commission announced Wednesday that it had received the Bell Report regarding its suitability. The inquiry, launched in February, is the second that Star Sydney faced in the last three years. As it stands, the company could be given another chance to right itself, or its license could be revoked, which would open up a number of different possibilities.
The same day the report was filed, Star’s Chief Risk Officer Scott Saunders announced his resignation. Saunders will stay on through January 31, 2025, but his exit casts an uncertain outlook on the company’s future.
North Korean Casino Looks for Angel Investor
The government of North Korea has a deal for investors: Finish an unfinished skyscraper in the capital of Pyongyang, and win the right to run a casino there.
The 105-story Ryugyong Hotel is North Korea’s tallest building and the biggest unoccupied structure in the world. Originally planned as a 3,000-room luxury hotel, it broke ground in 1987, and was scheduled to open in 1992. But the project ran aground in 1991. In that year, the Soviet Union collapsed, ending longstanding subsidies from Moscow. It was a catastrophe for the Korean economy, which suffered another blow when flooding destroyed 15 percent of the country’s farmland. That kicked off a years-long famine that affected millions of people. The empty hotel facade was abandoned.
North Korea presently has two casinos, both serving foreigners only. One is located at the luxury Yanggakdo Hotel, also in Pyongyang. The second is in the Bipa Hotel in the Rason Special Economic Zone, near the border with China and Russia.
MGM CEO Looks to ‘New Markets,’ Including Thailand
In a second-quarter earnings call on July 31, MGM Resorts President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said the firm is “(looking) forward to new markets,” including Thailand, which is mulling a legal casino industry.
Lawmakers in the Buddhist kingdom are actively considering a legal casino industry with up to eight entertainment complexes. If the casino act is approved, the country is expected to fast-track development as a way to boost tourism. The first complex could open as early as 2029.
Hornbuckle told analysts he and MGM China Executive Director Pansy Ho will soon visit Thailand to “look at that opportunity. That is a venture that we’re interested in. And if we do, we’ll do it through MGM China Holdings.”
