Japan Moves Closer to Casinos

A special task force is being assembled in Japan to help develop regulations for the country’s nascent casino industry. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga (l.) says they will be...

Published July 28, 2014

Labor Troubles at Sands China

A group representing Macau dealers and pit staff staged a public protest against what they claim are pay inequities and arbitrary promotion policies at Sands China’s casinos. The company...

Published July 28, 2014

Manila Resort Mulls Expansion

City of Dreams Manila hasn’t opened yet, but the resort casino’s local joint venture partner is already negotiating with nearby landowners to add to the property’s holdings. The resort...

Published July 28, 2014

Nepal Casinos Back in Business

Nepal will allow the casino industry it shut down in April to reopen in order. The move signals the government is retreating from a new, tougher stance on licensing...

Published July 28, 2014

Movie Studio Plans Casino in Korea

South Korea’s gaming expansion push has a new player—20th Century Fox, which is looking to develop a movie-themed leisure park with a casino near the southern city of Busan....

Published July 28, 2014

New Partner for Ho Tram

Vietnam’s largest casino hotel has a new investor in budget hotel tycoon Chien Lee. The Grand – Ho Tram (l.) has struggled in the absence of domestic play, but...

Published July 21, 2014

New Research Points Up Risks of ‘Side-Betting’

Macau needs to improve its regulatory oversight of side-betting in VIP rooms and of the unlicensed investors in the profits the rooms generate. A local law professor Jorge Godinho...

Published July 21, 2014

Triads Infiltrate Hong Kong Casino Cruises

Triad criminal gangs have muscled into Hong Kong’s casino cruise ship business, are competing for mainland gamblers and raising concerns among police that a turf war could erupt. Police...

Published July 21, 2014

Regulator Defends Macau’s Slots

Slot machine malfunctions have become fodder for discussion in Macau’s Legislative Assembly. Two lawmakers are concerned about perceptions that players are being cheated. The city’s top regulator maintains that...

Published July 21, 2014

Theme Parks Join Crowded Japan Field

Universal Studios wants a casino to complement its Osaka theme park, and Huis Ten Bosch wants one in Nagasaki, where it operates a popular Dutch-themed park. But Universal is...

Published July 14, 2014

Lui Bullish on Macau

Galaxy Entertainment Group is having a banner 2014 and looking ahead to next year’s opening of the first big expansion at its Cotai flagship. The HK$19 billion project is...

Published July 14, 2014

Caesars Pays $10 Million Toward Incheon Casino

Caesars Entertainment is a step closer to its dream of a megaresort in Asia, anteing up a $10 million down payment on a site close to South Korea’s Incheon...

Published July 14, 2014

Pachinko Looks to Casinos for Legitimacy

Japan’s pachinko industry may be massive in absolute terms, but it’s a lot smaller than it used to be, and it isn’t growing. Its major players are hoping the...

Published July 14, 2014

Macau Sees First Revenue Drop in Five Years

A VIP slowdown has been weighing on Macau casino revenues, and last month the World Cup took another bite. Revenue in June was down 3.7 percent year on year,...

Published July 7, 2014

UnionPay Will Stay

Reports have proved unfounded that Macau’s government plans to crack down on the use of China’s popular UnionPay bank card by mainland gamblers sneaking cash out of the country...

Published July 7, 2014

Okada Versus Former Employee

Japanese businessman Kazuo Okada (l.), who is head of Universal Entertainment, has filed criminal charges against a former employee for allegedly embezzling $5 million. The employee was not named,...

Published July 7, 2014

Cheating Alleged at Jeju Casino

Four Chinese tourists are suing a casino on the popular Korean resort island of Jeju for refusing to pay them more than US$1 million in baccarat winnings. Casino management...

Published July 7, 2014

Laos Readies for Tourism Boom

Scores of new hotels are under construction or on the drawing board in Laos in preparation for a forecasted surge in foreign tourism. Chinese travel is expected to lead...

Published July 7, 2014

China Halts ‘World Cup Regret’ Policies

Chinese Insurance firms have been ordered to stop issuing novelty policies linked to the FIFA World Cup that, among other things, covered favorite soccer teams losing. Though the policies...

Published July 7, 2014

Las Vegas Sands Sues 35 Asian Websites for Trademark Infringement

The Las Vegas Sands Corp. has started legal proceedings against 35 website domains in a Nevada federal court charging that the Asian sites are using the Sands trademark to...

Published July 7, 2014