SJM Launches New Round of Employee Bonuses

The first installment of the “living subsidy,” as Macau casino operator SJM calls it, was distributed this month. A second installment is scheduled for this summer. The payments are...

Published January 11, 2021

Vietnam Casino to Undergo Expansion

Macau junket investor Suncity Group has announced that its Vietnamese casino resort Hoiana, which opened last year, will begin Phase 2 of its development this year in hopes of...

Published January 11, 2021

Air Macau Opens More Routes in China

Air Macau will fly to 12 more mainland Chinese cities during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. Macau’s leading carrier will be running regular routes to 19 cities in...

Published January 11, 2021

South Korea Locals Casino Granted New License

Kangwon Land Inc., which runs the only South Korean casino serving local gamblers, has won a new three-year gaming license. The new license term began January 1 and will...

Published January 11, 2021

Nagasaki Launches Casino RFP

On January 7, Nagasaki, Japan (l.) became the third of four integrated resort candidates to launch a request for proposals. The Japanese government finally completed its basic policy...

Published January 11, 2021

Macau Adds Chinese Cities to Quarantine

In Macau, new mandatory quarantines for visitors from some Chinese cities, including Shenyang (l.), have taken effect due to a surge in Covid-19 infections. The government’s blanket ban on...

Published January 11, 2021

Resorts World Malaysia Proves Resilient

Thanks to the patronage of local VIP players, Resorts World Genting in Malaysia has bounced back somewhat from the Covid-19 crisis, returning to almost three-quarters of pre-virus revenues.

Published December 28, 2020

Moody’s Cautious on Naga Expansions

Moody’s Investors Service is taking a dim view of NagaCorp’s announced plan to build a multimillion-dollar resort property near the historic temple complex of Angkor Wat, calling it “credit...

Published December 28, 2020

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