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

Abe Throws His Support Behind Casinos

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (l.) has come out publicly in support of casino legalization in Japan, saying he considers the industry one of the keys to reviving the economy....

Published June 30, 2014

Kangwon Land—Korea’s Growth Story

Despite its remote location the only casino open to South Korean nationals continues to show fairly robust growth, according to a new report on the domestic market. The foreigners-only...

Published June 30, 2014

Cotai Could Spark VIP Growth

Morgan Stanley says 35 percent of the table games in the next wave of megaresort development on Cotai will be VIP. The bank says the fresh capacity will light...

Published June 30, 2014

Cambodia Weighs Regulatory Reforms

Cambodia is home to a thriving casino industry but a loosely regulated one, and that makes it a scary proposition for foreign investors. The government wants to change that,...

Published June 30, 2014

Korean Law Would Regulate Video Games

A meeting was held in Korean to discuss the nation's Game Addiction Law, which would regulate video games like drugs and alcohol. The government is concerned with gaming addiction...

Published June 30, 2014

Musical Kiosks for Bitcoin in Macau

Macau’s first bitcoin kiosk has moved out of Sands Macao and into a non-casino pawnshop in another part of town. The company behind it says the move was for...

Published June 30, 2014

New Life for Japan Casino Bill

The lower house of Japan’s Diet has finally begun formal debate on a much-anticipated casino legalization bill. As late as last week the bill looked to be dead for...

Published June 23, 2014

Macau Limits Stays for Mainland Tourists

Macau’s government has responded to widespread abuses of rules allowing Mainland Chinese tourists to visit Macau by shortening the number of days they can stay in the city while...

Published June 23, 2014

Tycoon Seeks Second Malaysian Casino

Malaysian billionaire Vincent Tan (l.) is soliciting government approval for a casino to compete with Genting’s longstanding monopoly at Resorts World Genting. Vincent Tan says he’ll spend more than...

Published June 23, 2014

Pawnbrokers Flourishing in Singapore

Casinos in Singapore has been a perfect storm for the city-state’s booming pawnshop industry, adding large numbers of gamblers hard up for cash to residents oppressed by a rapidly...

Published June 23, 2014

China Lotteries Enjoy World Cup Boom

Online and mobile sales are driving China’s legal Sports Lottery toward its best World Cup ever. The first day of betting saw revenues of US$24 million, easily surpassing the...

Published June 23, 2014

Ho Raises His Russian Bet

Lawrence Ho’s (l.) Russian partner is in jail, and the Macau casino magnate is responding by buying him out of the US$700 million casino they’re building together near Vladivostok....

Published June 23, 2014

CoD Manila Budget Bumped to $840 Million

City of Dreams Manila will cost US$160 million more than forecast as it progresses toward an October opening. To pay for it the increase Macau’s Melco Crown Entertainment is...

Published June 23, 2014

Tokyo Governor: Casinos Not of Interest

Tokyo’s governor, Yoichi Masuzoe (l.), dealt another blow to supporters of casino legalization in Japan, saying casinos are not a priority for the country’s capital and largest city. He...

Published June 16, 2014

VIP Fears Weigh on Macau

Analysts see declines ahead in Macau’s VIP gaming revenue and are downgrading their forecasts for the market for the rest of the year. The effect has wrought havoc with...

Published June 16, 2014

Big Plans for Solaire, Says Bloomberry

Bloomberry Resorts boss Enrique Razon (l.) envisions a fourfold increase in the size of its Solaire Resort & Casino. November will see the addition of 300 hotel rooms, more...

Published June 16, 2014

Macau Launches World Cup Crackdown

Macau police are working with authorities in China and Hong Kong to battle an expected surge in illegal betting during the World Cup. It’s part of a broader operation...

Published June 16, 2014