NEWS & NOTES

The Macau government has lifted the mandatory health code entry requirement for most businesses. But casinos including Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau and MGM Macau still require guests to show their health codes before accessing gaming floors or retail areas. ● Hong Kong has ended it 0+0 quarantine scheme as part of a larger shift in policy ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations in January. People who test negative are free to roam the city, and cross-border travelers entering Macau and Mainland China are no longer submitted to a PRC checkpoint. ● Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) has signed an agreement to acquire the casino affiliate websites Askgamblers.com, Johnslots.com, Newcasinos.com and several smaller domains from Catena Media Plc. Closing is expected in the first quarter of 2023. ● New South Wales’ Responsible Gambling Fund Trust recently announced the appointment of two new trustees, those being veteran corporate executive Sara Pantzer and financial counselor Kylie Holford. The pair will offer advice regarding potential funding for various responsible gaming and harm minimization programs. Additionally, existing trustee Elizabeth Lyne has been reinstated for another term, and former trustees Mark McCrindle and Janett Milligan will step down to make room for the new appointees. ● Casinos Austria International has received a US$6,725 fine from Queensland authorities for soliciting a local junket agent, Lawrence Fu, to bring groups of players to its Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns, which is a violation of the state’s Casino Control Act. Per ABC News Australia, Fu was paid by Reef in betting vouchers in exchange for bringing groups of 20-plus players to the casino from late 2020 to early 2021. Under state law, such agreements must be approved by the gaming minister.