Former US base at Gournes on Crete set to host new casino Vangelis Mandravelis, Ekathimerini · January 16, 2020 at 6:49 am The government is moving ahead with the utilization of the plot that used to host the US military base at Gournes, near Iraklio on Crete, and is now preparing to decide on the precise position of the island’s casino. Sources say that the joint ministerial decision that the Finance Ministry is drawing up will set Gournes, in the municipality of Hersonissos, as the geographical location for the construction of the casino by the owner of the permit already issued for Crete. This decision, which is to be completed in the next few days, will put the property back on its utilization course set by state sell-off fund TAIPED.
Macau: Visitor numbers went up 10.1pct y-on-y in 2019 to more than 39.4 mln Nelson Moura, Macau Business · January 16, 2020 at 6:32 am The number of total visitor arrivals increased 10.1 per cent year-on-year in 2019 to more than 39.4 million, preliminary data revealed today by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) showed. Of this total, over 27 million visitors came from Mainland Chinas, up by 10.5 per cent, with 45 per cent of these visitors coming from Guangdong Province. Visitor arrivals from Hong Kong also rose by 16.2 per cent to 7.3 million while visitor arrivals from Taiwan remained almost unchanged at over 1 million. However, the number of international visitor arrivals dropped by 2.8 per cent to 3 million, with the number of visitors from the Philippines having increased by a considerable 35.6 per cent.
Osaka bans even short meetings between government staff and operators amid Japan IR bribery scandal Tomo Yamamoto, Inside Asian Gaming · January 16, 2020 at 5:54 am Osaka prefecture and city have issued strict new guidelines forbidding, in principle, short-term meetings between their staff and operators. The guidelines are in response to the ongoing bribery scandal involving Chinese online company 500.com, which is alleged to have offered bribes to some Japanese lawmakers in pursuit of a license to co-develop an integrated resort in either Hokkaido or Okinawa. Osaka has been one of the most active in condemning the actions of politicians caught up in the scandal, with mayor Ichiro Matsui stating earlier this month,“In the comings and goings of politicians, you need to take responsibility for your own actions.”
NHS tells betting firms to stop ‘vicious gambling cycle’ BBC News · January 15, 2020 at 8:57 pm The head of mental health services in England has written to five major gambling companies, demanding urgent action on tackling gambling addiction and its impact on people’s health. Claire Murdoch said incentives such as free bets and tickets should be banned to stop the “vicious gambling cycle”. The industry said it was determined to make gambling safer. Bets using credit cards are to be banned from 14 April, and the regulator is investigating “bet to view” schemes. In her letter to the chief executives of William Hill, BetFred, bet365, GVC and Flutter, Ms Murdoch said she was worried that problem gamblers were being targeted.
Sydney casino worker charged over $90k con Associated Press · January 15, 2020 at 8:50 pm A casino worker and another man are due to face a Sydney court accused of joining forces to illegally obtain more than $90,000 in gaming chips. Police discovered the elaborate scheme after receiving reports of fraudulent activity involving a gaming supervisor and a patron at a Sydney casino. The men, aged 23 and 25, are due to face the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday on 13 counts each of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception in August last year. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press.
Saipan: $456k seized from Imperial Pacific consultant CDC Gaming Asia · January 15, 2020 at 10:28 am The Internal Revenue Service issued a notice it has seized $456k from Alfred Yue, a consultant for Imperial Pacific, a Chinese investment holding company developing a casino on the United States overseas territory of Saipan. The notice was issued January 4, but was only brought to light Tuesday by the Marianas Variety. The money forfeited to the IRS came from two different Bank of Saipan accounts and one Bank of Guam account.
BOS slams Spelinspektionen for proposed yellow card bet ban iGaming Business · January 15, 2020 at 7:19 am Sweden’s trade association for online gambling, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), has criticised gaming regulator Spelinspektionen’s proposal to prohibit operators from offering odds on rule violations, such as a yellow card in football or a fault in tennis. Spelinspektionen said it believed these rules would ensure that fixers do not attempt to influence individual athletes. However, BOS argued that – by bringing bets on these events out of the regulated market – the authorities will lose the ability to monitor suspicious betting on these events and to effectively police match-fixing. “Of course, it is unfortunate to open the door to the decriminalization of the manipulation of sports events,” BOS secretary general Gustaf Hoffstedt said.
Platinum Entertainment Limited appointed exclusive manager of gaming operations at Vietnam’s Royal Casino in Ha Long Bay Ben Blaschke, Inside Asian Gaming · January 15, 2020 at 6:16 am Asian-based management consultancy firm Platinum Entertainment Limited has been appointed as the exclusive manager of gaming operations at Royal Halong Hotel’s Royal Casino – a boutique casino in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. Formed early last year by Asian gaming industry veterans Paul Simmons and Tim Nguyen – both having most recently worked for Silver Heritage Group – and Mike Walker, Platinum Entertainment will be responsible for streamlining business operations at Royal Casino and implementing strategies aimed at maximizing the property’s untapped potential. “It’s a wonderful property in a beautiful location; Vietnam’s renowned Ha Long Bay, however, in recent years the venue has unfortunately been underperforming” Simmons, Platinum Entertainment’s CEO, told Inside Asian Gaming.
Deconstruction work on Skycity convention center to begin soon Asia Gaming Brief · January 14, 2020 at 8:07 pm Demolition work on the upper floors and roof of SkyCity’s partly built-but-burnt-out convention center in downtown Auckland is set to begin shortly. About 200 workers have now assembled on the site of the building and work could begin as soon as Monday to remove damaged material from the roof and other material from the upper levels – floors five six and seven – of the building. A company specializing in demolition and recycling has been brought in for the job even though full assessments of the building’s services, façade and architecture are still being completed.
UK: Gambling on credit cards to be banned BBC News · January 14, 2020 at 8:04 pm People are to be banned from using credit cards to place bets, in an attempt to curb problem gambling, the Gambling Commission has said. The ban, which starts on 14 April, comes after reviews of the industry by the commission and the government. A total of 24 million adults in Britain gamble, with 10.5 million of those doing so online. Separate commission research shows that 22% of online gamblers using credit cards are classed as problem gamblers. Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: “Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimise the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.
