Luxury South Korean Resort Opens

On December 18, Lotte Tour Development Co. opened its US$1.4 billion integrated resort on Jeju Island in South Korea. The 1,600-suite Jeju Dream Tower will eventually include a foreigners-only...

Published December 28, 2020

U.S.: Saipan Operator Caused ‘Humanitarian Crisis’

The U.S Department of Labor says Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International has created a “humanitarian crisis” in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands through its failure to...

Published December 28, 2020

VIP Stays at Studio City For Now

Two times, the Cotai resort has said it’s leaving the business and twice it’s changed the plan. In both instances, the reasons have not been entirely clear.

Published December 28, 2020

Macau Raises Quarantines to 21 Days

The government is imposing the stricter regime on all arrivals except those from Taiwan and select regions of mainland China. The measure is reported to be a response to...

Published December 28, 2020

Macau Forecasts $16 Billion in Gaming Revenue in 2021

The projection, if it holds up, would amount to less than half 2019’s total. Visitation expectations are relatively modest as well. And both are based in no small part...

Published December 28, 2020

Report: Marina Bay Sands Used Questionable Methods to Transfer Billions

Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands (l.) used rouge employees and members of illegal junkets to attract high rollers and transfer money from their accounts, according to a report in Bloomberg...

Published December 28, 2020

U.S. Says Myanmar Casino Mogul Is Triad Member

The United States Treasury Department has accused casino investor Wan Kuok Koi (l.) of bribery and corruption as the boss of a Chinese triad called 14K. The U.S. has...

Published December 21, 2020

Marina Bay Sands Stages First Big Concert in Months

Some 500 attendees were expected for live performances last week at Marina Bay Sands. It was the Singapore resort’s first event on such a scale since the pandemic hit....

Published December 21, 2020

Singapore Reopens to Tourists From Taiwan

The island nation of Singapore has been added to an expanding list of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, China included, that Singapore authorities now consider safe for two-way travel....

Published

Study: Macau Leads Region in Economic Decline

The territory’s economy plummeted by more than 50 percent in 2020. That’s the biggest fall of 30 Asian-Pacific countries and cities surveyed by an agency of the United Nations....

Published December 21, 2020

Korean Casinos Close in Cautionary Measure

South Korean gaming operator Paradise Co. announced last week that it would close its Seoul casino, Paradise Walkerhill, for seven days as the country battles a new surge in...

Published December 21, 2020

Saipan Operator Under Fire for Payment Lapses, Other Violations

Legal troubles continue for Saipan’s sole casino operator as the local chamber of commerce and island lawmakers demand past-due payroll (workers protest at left) and tax payments. Meanwhile, Imperial...

Published December 21, 2020

Londoner Macao Set to Debut Next Month

The newest addition to Macau’s Cotai resort district, and one of its most elaborately-themed, opens its first phase to the public on January 22. From there, it’s on to...

Published December 21, 2020

In Japan, Suga Government Still Invested in IR Plan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (l.), who succeeded Shinzo Abe in September, is as interested as his predecessor in the introduction of integrated resorts in the country. The IR...

Published December 21, 2020

Macau’s South Shore Survives Dissolution Vote

A major investor requested a shareholder meeting on its motion to unwind the debt-laden Hong Kong-listed company. The motion was defeated, and South Shore continues to search for a...

Published December 14, 2020

South Korean Casinos Brace for Big Losses

Grand Korea Leisure, which operates casinos in South Korea including Seoul’s Seven Luck (l.), is projecting higher-than-expected losses due to an extended shutdown of its foreigners-only gaming halls. Other...

Published December 14, 2020

Under-Construction Cebu Casino Marks Milestone

Emerald Bay, a casino resort now under construction in Cebu, the Philippines, celebrated its topping-off ceremony last week, a major milestone in the development by PH Resorts Group Holdings...

Published December 14, 2020

Osaka Pushes Casino RFP to the New Year

Japan’s first foray into the integrated resort industry has been tabled until 2021, with Osaka hoping to get its request-for-proposal (RFP) process in motion starting sometime in January. MGM...

Published December 14, 2020

Singapore Casinos Welcome Locals Vouchers

To boost domestic tourism, the Singapore government is giving adult residents up to 100 dollars each to spend on local attractions, including the city-state's two casinos. Both Marina Bay...

Published December 14, 2020

Sizing Up Pandemic’s Massive Toll on Macau

The Macau government expects the year to end with total visitation of around 5 million. That’s down more than 85 percent from 2019. Not surprisingly, most of the visits...

Published December 14, 2020