NEWS & NOTES

Australian financial regulator AUSTRAC has announced that iGaming providers will be required to complete additional pre-verification steps when opening new accounts, known as applicable customer identification procedures (ACIPs), starting in September 2024. Under the new framework, customers will be barred from depositing funds or placing wagers until all ACIPs are completed. The main purpose of the added steps is to ensure that self-excluded gamblers are not able to make new accounts and to limit instances of fraud or criminal activity. ● The Palazzo recently unveiled a new 15,000-square-foot high-limit lounge, which includes a total of 67 slots and 18 tables. The lounge is part of an overall reinvestment package totalling $1 billion that was first announced back in November of last year. Additional amenities for the high-limit lounge include a private bar, dedicated cashiers and its own host. “This is the next step forward in the resort’s multi-year transformation and will provide an artfully designed setting that reflects our vision and exceeds the expectations of our casino guests,” President and CEO PatrickNichols said in a statement. ● On September 30, police in Macau announced the arrests of two men who have since been linked to JPEX, a Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange that has reportedly been operating without a license. According to Inside Asian Gaming, the Macau Judiciary Police said the men are suspected of using accounts at Macau casinos to launder money. They’re also wanted in Hong Kong for allegedly committing fraud. It was recently reported that the exchange does not hold a formal trading license.Hong Kong authorities says JPEX members channeled illegally obtained funds to Macau, and the suspects in question visited Macau casinos in September, opening accounts in at least one of them. On their arrest on September 28, authorities seized about $830,000 in casino chips, $9,000 in cash and luxury watches, and $383,000 deposited in a casino account. • Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) announced that Rivers Casino has now paid $109.2 million toward construction of PPG Paints Arena. Rivers Casino will contribute a total of $225 million by 2038.