Two centuries after the first proper bookie, betting’s future is no banker Greg Wood, The Guardian · April 21, 2019 at 7:54 pm The world’s first bookmaker, so the story goes, was a man called Harry Ogden. One afternoon in the early 1790s, when organised thoroughbred racing was already almost a century old, Ogden went to Newmarket races and did something no one in the business of taking bets had ever done before. He chalked up odds about every runner on the card. In doing so, he immediately became the only proper bookie on the planet. He was not the only one for long. Until then the standard offer for punters had been a binary choice between the favourite and “the field”.
Are 76 percent of young Kenyans really gamblers? A look at where that number comes from AFP Factcheck · April 18, 2019 at 10:37 pm When Kenya’s Interior Minister Fred Matiang’i announced tougher measures on the betting industry earlier this month, he cited — as evidence that the country has a serious problem with gambling — a claim that 76 percent of young Kenyans are involved in the practice, ‘leading on this continent’. In fact, the figure comes from a survey that only looked at six countries. Matiang’i cited the figure at a press conference on April 1, during which he announced that gambling companies will have their permits revoked if they do not provide proof by July 1 that they have paid their taxes.
No need to delay gaming licences tender: Macau government GGRAsia · April 18, 2019 at 5:33 pm Macau’s Chief Executive, Fernando Chui Sai On, says there is no need to delay the launch of a fresh public tender process for gaming rights prior to the expiry in 2022 of the current concessions for the city’s six casino operators. But the official didn’t specify whether such a process would be in that expiry year, saying that a time frame would depend on relevant preparatory work. “I think that the Macau government has now sufficient conditions to launch a public tender [for gaming concessions], and that involves some internal work and amendments to existing legislation,” said Mr Chui on Thursday. He mentioned two main tasks: revising the Macau gaming framework law – also known as Law No. 16/2001 – and revising Administrative Regulation No. 26/2001, which provides the terms and conditions of the public tender organised to grant concessions to operate casinos in Macau.
Osaka strengthens IR stance with unconventional deputy governor appointment Tomo Yamamoto, Inside Asian Gaming · April 18, 2019 at 12:05 am Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has announced his intention to appoint Deputy Mayor of Osaka City, Seigo Tanaka, as Deputy Governor. Kyodo News Agency is reporting that Yoshimura will submit a staffing plan to the opening Diet meeting in May. His goal is to shore up support for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo and IR promotion, scheduled for a 2024 opening. It is an extremely unusual choice to appoint an acting leader of a major city as Deputy Governor and according to the government, it will be the first time a city official will take up the position. Tanaka heads the technical department of Osaka city.
UK Gambling Commission targets fairer and safer gambling market in year ahead iGaming Business · April 18, 2019 at 12:01 am The Gambling Commission for England, Scotland and Wales has set out its business plan for the 2019-20 year, with a continued focus on protecting consumers, preventing gambling-related harm and raising overall standards in the industry. The plan highlights the projects and milestones that the UK regulatory body aims to reach or meet over the next 12 months as part of its ongoing strategy, which runs from 2018 until 2021. “We put consumers at the heart of our approach, which requires us to strike a balance between the enjoyment people get from gambling and the risks that gambling can present,” Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said.
Galaxy bringing Manchester City to Yokohama under new EuroJapan Cup sponsorship Inside Asian Gaming · April 17, 2019 at 8:06 pm Galaxy Entertainment Group has signed a two-year title sponsorship agreement for the new Galaxy Entertainment EuroJapan Cup, an annual showcase featuring some of European football’s biggest clubs against J-League opposition. The maiden game, to be played on Saturday 27 July at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, will see English Premier League giants Manchester City face Yokohama F. Marinos, with the yet-to-be-finalized 2020 contest to take place in Osaka. The Galaxy Entertainment EuroJapan Cup aims to promote sports participation activities in Japan and contribute to local communities by conducting various outreach events, including soccer clinics led by some of the world’s top soccer players, Galaxy said in its announcement.
Canadian couple says they were scammed by Dominican casino on resort, bullied into paying $6,500 CBC News · April 17, 2019 at 8:03 pm One minute they were close to winning $100,000, and the next, they were at an ATM being ordered by guards to take out thousands of dollars. Jay Lush and Steve Bungay say their relaxation vacation quickly turned into chaos, as they fell victim to a popular scam at resort casinos in the Dominican Republic. “You feel safe and you feel secure, and then that’s ripped away from you and you’re 3,000 miles from home in a country, in a third-world country, where you don’t speak the language,” Lush told The St. John’s Morning Show, from a hotel room in Punta Cana.
Macau Legend seals Hengqin expansion plan with US$10.8m investment Phil, G3 Newswire · April 17, 2019 at 7:10 pm Macau Legend Development has bought a 21.5 per cent share in Lai Ieng Investment Company Limited, the developer behind the Ponto shopping complex in Hengqin for HK$84.5m (US$10.8m). This ‘first large-scale shopping complex in Hengqin’ will offer over 300 shops including shopping, dining and entertaining experiences. Macau Legend already owns Macau’s Fisherman’s Wharf complex, including the Legend Palace, as well as Savan Legend in Laos. It is also building a €250m integrated casino in Cape Verde, due to open in 2019.
Macau casinos can implement artificial intelligence to comply with casino entry ban – expert Yi Wei Wong, Macau Business · April 17, 2019 at 7:02 pm The Director of Gaming Teaching and Research Centre in the Macau Polytechnic Institute (MPI), Wang Changbin, told MNA in an interview that facial recognition technology can be implemented into the latest version of surveillance technologies used by casinos, which may be used to fulfil the requirements of the new casino entry bans that were passed in a law on December 18, 2018. Wang claimed that casino operators are currently combining cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) in order to track data such as the flow of people throughout the resorts, how much money had been put on the gaming table and the value of cards held by players.
Melco Resorts Finance to pay down Macau debt with senior notes offering Inside Asian Gaming · April 17, 2019 at 12:05 am The operating entity of Melco Resorts’ Macau integrated resorts City of Dreams and Altira Macau, Melco Resorts Finance Limited, is set to conduct an international offering of senior notes to pay down debt. The new notes are proposed to be senior obligations of Melco Resorts Finance, ranking equally with all of Melco Resorts Finance’s existing and future senior indebtedness, the company said. The interest rate and other terms of the new notes will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering.
