NEWS & NOTES

Police in Zhoushan in China’s Zhejiang Province have arrested 98 people suspected of running an illegal gambling ring in which civilians gambled over 290 million yuan (US$41.3 million). According to Xinhua, Zhoushan mahjong parlors teamed up with developer Shanghai Technology Co. Ltd. to open what amounted to an online casino using the “Zhoushan Mahjong” app. Gambling is illegal on the Chinese mainland. • Pansy Ho, executive director of Hong Kong-listed MGM China Holdings Ltd., has sold 4.5 million shares in the firm’s U.S.-based parent MGM Resorts International. Ho made US$140.2 million on the deal, which reduced her stake from 3.06 percent to 2.26 percent. • Wakayama Prefecture in Japan has agreed to purchase the IR development candidate site at Marina City in the event it wins its licensing bid for an integrated resort. The government will pay about JPY7.6 billion (about US$70 million) for the land. • French casino group Tranchant says the relocation of its Pau casino license in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region of France has caused attendance to spike by 61.34 percent in the second half of the year. The casino moved from its previous downtown location to the outskirts of the city in May, and saw GGR increase 40.87 percent by October. • The annual Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo Awards recognized BetConstruct for its outstanding achievement. Held in Sofia, Bulgaria, the event honors iGaming enthusiasts who bring innovation and excellence to the industry. Spring is the core of operations and services provided to its partners. The platform powers more than products, over 20 services and allows for easy integration with 3rd party providers and any existing system. • The gambling industry in Ireland is governed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 and sets the limits for payouts and stakes for each game and player. A government spokesperson said that the limits as they stand are “archaic, unpractical, and unimplementable.” A new proposed limit was originally set at €750 (US$825.30) per game, but a revised version has reduced this figure to €500. The changes would lift the maximum stake per game in a licensed venue to €5 per player and increase the minimum age to gamble from 16 to 18 under. Many gaming organizations, including industry group the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, have opposed these changes. • The Multi-State Lottery Association said a legal review has determined it does not have to disclose its recent settlement of a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages. The group helps run the Powerball game in Iowa and other states. The Associated Press requested a copy of the association’s agreement with Larry Dawson, an Iowa man who won a $9 million Hot Lotto jackpot in 2011. Settlements involving government bodies are public records in Iowa. But lottery association general counsel Patricia Lantz says the group “has operated as a private entity” since the 1980s. She says the settlement agreement is confidential. Dawson’s lawsuit contended that his jackpot would have been $16.5 million bigger if the association’s information security director, Eddie Tipton, hadn’t rigged the previous prize. • Fans in India will be able to livestream NBA games thanks to an agreement between the league and FanCode, a multi-sport aggregator platform offering a wide spectrum of content, commerce and community engagement. Fans who subscribe to FanCode will have live and on-demand access to select games throughout the current NBA season, including regular-season games, the playoffs and the finals. FanCode, owned by Sporta Technologies, which also owns Dream11, the NBA’s official fantasy gaming partner in India, has over 10 million app installs. Games streamed live on the platform will be the same that would be available for fantasy gaming on Dream11. • Paddy Power faces claims of offering a gambler with heavy losses unsolicited VIP status, which brings a range of benefits including increased stakes, the Daily Mail reports. Such status enables bettors to wager 10 times the stake. VIP membership encourages bettors to maintain their gambling—and as a result the bookies’ profits. Paddy Power also offered the client free bets. In addition, the company provides big-spending customers with tickets and hospitality at premium sporting events, using an association with Premier League football clubs, the Open Championship and gems of the racing calendar. • China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has banned gambling content from gaming machines and devices such as those that set betting odds on certain small wagers. Instead, the ministry has asked developers “to explore the values of fine traditional Chinese culture, advance core socialist values, and develop games with independent intellectual property, reflecting the national spirit in a healthy and positive manner.”