End Run Planned for Japanese Casino Bill?

Proponents of legal gaming in Japan led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) could try to push the casino bill forward by bypassing the busy cabinet committee and resubmitting...

Published March 16, 2015

Macau On the Ropes

Analysts continue to be divided about the future of the world’s premier gaming market. Nomura Securities and Wells Fargo are on the side of the bears. Fitch Ratings is...

Published March 16, 2015

Okada Gets Extension on Manila Bay

Japanese gaming mogul Kazuo Okada and his Tiger Resort development firm has received a two-year extension on its Manila Bay Resorts project. The US$2.3 billion venture, which was supposed...

Published March 16, 2015

Macau Junkets: Comply or Die

Las Vegas Sands Corp. president and COO Rob Goldstein (l.), who is also interim head of Sands China Ltd., has some advice for junket operators hoping to be welcome...

Published March 16, 2015

Clearing the Air on Macau Smoking Policy

SJM chief Angela Leong (l.) has criticized the government of Macau for its “ambiguous” policy on smoking in casinos. Casino VIP rooms are exempt from a ban on smoking...

Published March 16, 2015

Imperial Pacific Plans Temp Casino on Saipan

Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. plans to open a temporary casino on the island of Saipan sometime this year. The company previously announced plans to develop a...

Published March 16, 2015

Wynn Cuts Some Losses in Macau

Wynn Resorts Ltd. has announced a special stock dividend will be paid out at the end of the month, in hopes of combating the continual gaming decline in Macau.

Published March 16, 2015

High Hopes for Entertainment City

Manila is just one of global tourism destinations hoping to grow its gaming industry on the back of Macau’s big slump. When fully developed, its massive Entertainment City complex...

Published March 9, 2015

Vladivostok the ‘Heir to Macau’?

The Russian government is hoping to lure gamblers who once patronized Macau with a huge casino settlement near the Russia-China border. Muravyinaya Bay will be located about 70 kilometers...

Published March 9, 2015

MGM Chief: Casino-Related Crime No Worry for Japan

As Japan considers a bill that would legalize casino gaming, some lobbyists and lawmakers are concerned that the introduction of integrated resorts with gaming could lead to an increase...

Published March 9, 2015

Singapore Shuns Junkets

Global gaming markets including South Korea, Australia, Philippines and even Las Vegas are benefiting from the surge of high rollers who have left Macau. Yet Singapore continues to keep...

Published March 9, 2015

Macau Restarting Phone Bets?

According to a recent report, at least one Macau casino that banned proxy telephone bets “has recently begun to allow this activity” again. Telephone betting is frowned upon because...

Published March 9, 2015

Japan’s Diet Still Looking at Casinos

Japanese lawmakers may reintroduce a bill that would legalize casino gaming during the current legislative session. But gaming halls in the country are years in the future, according to...

Published March 3, 2015

Macau May Limit Tourism

Putting even more pressure on Macau’s casino industry, the government may limit the number of Mainland Chinese who visit the destination. At the height of the Lunar New Year...

Published March 3, 2015

Crown’s Ups and Downs

Crown Resorts of Australia saw net profits decline by almost 50 percent in the last half of 2014. The slump was attributed in part to the Macau crackdown and...

Published March 3, 2015

Taking a Bite Out of PAGCOR

A bill recently submitted to the Philippine House of Representatives by Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao (l.) would reduce the authority of PAGCOR, the country’s gaming regulator. Among other adjustments, the...

Published March 3, 2015

SJM’s So: Don’t License More Casinos in Macau

Ambrose So (l.), CEO of leading Macau casino operator SJM Holdings, says more casino licenses in Macau would be superfluous and counterproductive. The industry has lost a reported $75...

Published March 3, 2015

Virtual Betting Rises in India

Indians love to gamble. And though online sports gambling is technically illegal in the country, that hasn’t stopped virtual sports betting sites from proliferating in the digital space. It’s...

Published March 3, 2015

MGM Ups Investment in Macau

In a long-term plan to bolster mass-market play in the world’s leading gaming destination, MGM China Holdings Ltd. will spend US $100 million this year to renovate its MGM...

Published February 23, 2015

Vietnam Casino to Break Ground in April

As Vietnam prepares to name the companies that will develop a casino resort in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the site near a planned new airport is already...

Published February 23, 2015