Macau Struggles to Get Off the Mat

Macau posted the worst-ever gross gaming revenues for October due to a Covid surge that killed Golden Week. Barring new viral cases, gaming analysts hope for the start of...

Published November 8, 2021

Japan IRs Get A Boost in Recent Election

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (l.) secured a healthy majority in the House in the November general election. That was good news for the country’s nascent IR industry, which...

Published November 8, 2021

MGM Cotai Wins Design Awards

The Emerald Villa (l.) at MGM Cotai has won a pair of awards for interior design, winning an SBID International Design Award and Platinum MUSE Design Awards in the...

Published November 1, 2021

Korean Resort Now Requires ‘Vaccine Passes’

Starting November 1, Kangwon Land (l.), South Korea’s only locals casino, requires patrons to show a “vaccine pass” proving they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before they can walk...

Published November 1, 2021

Singapore Opens to Australian, Swiss Travelers

Starting November 8, fully vaccinated travelers from Australia and Switzerland may enter Singapore without quarantine. Visitors from the U.K., U.S., Canada, and seven other countries are now permitted to...

Published November 1, 2021

Okada Manila Looks Beyond Philippines

Philippine IR Okada Manila, which will merge with a Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company, is looking for investment opportunities in Japan and elsewhere, says Jason Ader (l.), CEO of...

Published November 1, 2021

Cambodian Casinos Must Invest More

In August, the Cambodian government set new minimum capital requirements for casinos to improve the economy and also ensure the health of the industry. Operators have up to 15...

Published November 1, 2021

FATF Presses Philippines On Junket Controls

The global Financial Action Task Force says the Philippine gaming industry must prove it has strict anti-money laundering and terrorism-funding controls in place “to mitigate risks associated with casino...

Published November 1, 2021

Mixed Reviews for Vietnam’s Reopening Plan

Vietnamese tourism officials have identified five regions that can now accept foreign travelers, including Quang Nam, home of the Hoiana casino (l.). But the country’s ongoing quarantine rules could...

Published November 1, 2021

Bernstein: U.S. Operators Assured a Berth in Macau

Bernstein Research has encouraging words for U.S.-based casino operators in Macau. In a recent note, analysts said the Chinese government isn’t looking to cut U.S. firms out of the...

Published November 1, 2021

Korean Union Slams Jeju Layoffs

Jeju Shinhwa World (l.) in South Korea is taking heat from a local workers’ union for the mass layoff program that followed a year of hardship. The union accused...

Published October 25, 2021

Macau Operators Agree on Covid Tests for Workers

All six Macau casino concessionaires now require employees to either be vaccinated against Covid-19 or get a weekly test under new health and safety rules. Other Asia-Pac jurisdictions are...

Published October 25, 2021

Opening of Philippine IR Delayed to ’23

PH Resorts Group, a unit of Philippines business conglomerate Udenna Group, has delayed the planned opening of its new Cebu integrated resort, Emerald Bay (l.), until early 2023.

Published October 25, 2021

Sands Macau Exec: Lawsuit’s Monetary Claims ‘Exaggerated’

The Las Vegas Sands Corp. continues to duke it out in a $12 billion lawsuit in Macau. Marshall Hao, the Sands’ former partner in the SAR, says he deserves...

Published October 25, 2021

South Korea Considers Proxy Betting

To make up for gaming business lost to Covid-19, Korean officials are floating a plan to bring proxy betting to the country’s 17 foreigner-only casinos. Revenues at those properties...

Published October 25, 2021

Manila Casinos Now at 75 Percent Capacity

Some megaresorts in Manila’s Entertainment City casino zone (l.) have reopened their gaming floors at reduced capacities. The resorts closed in early August following a Covid-19 surge.

Published October 25, 2021

Macau-to-Zhuhai Travel Rules Relaxed

Starting October 19, people traveling from Macau to Zhuhai were no longer required to quarantine for two weeks on arrival. Local media reported flocks of travelers at the border...

Published October 25, 2021

Covid Stalls Singapore Regulatory Overhaul

A planned merger of Singapore’s casino and iGaming regulators into a single body has been delayed as a result of Covid-19, according to the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Published October 18, 2021

Seoul Exhibition Hall May Add Casino

The Korea International Exhibition and Convention Center (l.) is considering the development of a casino and hotels at the venue, the largest of its kind in South Korea. It...

Published October 18, 2021

Malaysian Resort Reopens to Interstate Visitors

With declining Covid infections and increased vaccination rates, the Malaysian government has reopened interstate travel in the Southeast Asian nation, and may reopen soon to international visitors.

Published October 18, 2021