Macau ranks eighth in per capita tourism spending Macau Daily Times · October 10, 2019 at 9:44 pm Per capita spending of visitors to Macau amounted to $2,062 last year, according to Globehunters, leading the special administrative region to rank eighth worldwide in terms of per capita tourism spend. However, the calculation was based on a total visitor spend of $35.5 billion and the number of visitors reaching 17.22 million. According to official data from the government, visitor arrivals in reached 32.6 million in 2017, the year for which data was used to compile the ranking. The ranking, which used data provided by the World Tourism Organization, shows the regions that are the priciest places to visit.
Macau sees casino smoking infractions decline through September 2019 as licensed smoking rooms rise Inside Asian Gaming · October 10, 2019 at 9:37 pm The number of prosecutions for illegally smoking inside Macau’s casinos fell 5.1% year-on-year over the first nine months of 2019, according to statistics jointly released by the Macau’s Health Bureau and Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ). While the 994 inspections conducted during the period to 30 September 2019 was the same as 12 months earlier, authorities said the number of prosecutions declined by 183 to 1,079. Of those prosecuted, 1,011 were men and just 68 women, while 901 – representing 83.5% of the total – were tourists. Another 175 were local Macau residents while three prosecutions were foreign employees.
Canada: Richmond casino announces new safety system Valerie Leung, Richmond News · October 10, 2019 at 9:17 pm The River Rock Casino and Resort in Richmond is one of the first hotels in Canada to introduce a new safety solution in the hospitality industry. The React Mobile safety system takes the form of a fob which is provided for hotel employees who finds themselves in an unsafe situation while working alone. A few months ago, two reports linked to sexual harassment and assault allegations on River Rock casino staff by customers were released by the B.C. Attorney General. However, James Fry, River Rock’s assistant general manager, told the Richmond News that the introduction of React Mobile was not a result of the allegations, saying the system was implemented because “it was the newest safety technology to become available in Canada.”
Macau: Poor Golden Week show may weigh on October revenue Daniel Beitler, Macau Daily Times · October 10, 2019 at 6:50 am A slowdown in the VIP segment in the past week may weigh on October gross gaming revenue, according to preliminary industry estimates. Analysts say that gross gaming revenue over the seven-day Golden Week dipped 1% in year-on-year terms, setting up October to become the seventh red month of 2019. Macau gross gaming revenue touched the lowest level in a year in September, falling just short of 22.08 billion patacas. The month rounded out the first three quarters of the year with a 4.1% contraction over the equivalent period in 2018. At the current growth rate, 2019 is on track to be the first year of negative growth since the anti-graft recession drew to a close in 2016. However, the mild September contraction was roughly in line with analyst predictions and follows a pattern in previous years of the month serving as a quieter prelude to busy October.
Macao suspicious gambling transaction reports down 18% YTD October 10, 2019 at 6:30 am According to statistics from the Financial Intelligence Office, the anti-money laundering watchdog of Macao, Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) from gambling operators for the first nine months of 2019 dropped 18% from 1,687 in 2018 to 1,382. Gambling operators continue to contribute the most reports, contributing 66.2% of the total for the year to date. This compares with the industry’s 2018 contribution of 54.8% of the total reports. Total STRs dropped 32.2% from 3,079 for the first nine months of 2018, to 2,089 for the first nine months of 2019. Gambling operators increased share in reports was driven by a nearly 50% decline in reports from financial institutions, insurance companies, and other institutions. However, globally, Macao’s large transaction threshold remains much higher than recommended international standards. In a 2018 report, a US government agency identified Macao and Philippines as two hotspots for money laundering due to their reporting threshold being much… [continue reading]
Online casino advert banned for targeting problem gamblers Rob Davies, The Guardian · October 10, 2019 at 6:08 am The online casino Casumo has been forced to retract an advert that offered free spins and bonuses to people who Googled ways to bar themselves from gambling. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint about an advert, paid for by Malta-based Casumo, which has previously paid penalties of £5.85m for failures in systems designed to protect problem gamblers. The advertising regulator said the complainant had searched: “How to unsubscribe from all gambling,” only for an advert for a Casumo app to appear. The advert, in the paid-for listings that appear above organically generated search results, was headed: “Welcome bonus to new players Casumo 100% and 20 free spins,” and also invited people to “create an account & play now!”
Majority of Thais gamble, report finds Asia Gaming Brief · October 10, 2019 at 5:56 am A new survey has found that 30.42 million Thais, or 57 percent of the population, have participated in gambling this year, despite a government ban. The survey was released by the Centre for Gambling Studies, Faculty of Economics at Chulalongkorn University, and based on data collected from a survey of 44,050 people across 77 provinces, local media reports. The total figure is 1.49 million more than in 2017 and includes 700,000 first time gamblers. The survey also showed that about 733,000 in the 15-18-year age bracket had also participated.
Tasmania becomes sixth Australian state to introduce point of consumption tax on wagering revenues Inside Asian Gaming · October 9, 2019 at 8:09 pm Tasmania will become the latest Australian state to introduce a point of consumption tax after confirming a 15% tax on the net wagering revenues of betting companies from 1 January 2020. But the size of the tax has been slammed by racing and wagering groups who have described it as one of the highest in the world. “This tax is almost double that introduced by Victoria’s Labor Government and the Tasmanian Liberal Government now holds the dubious honor of taxing Tasmanians at a higher rate than any other Australian state,” said Responsible Wagering Australia Chairman Nick Minchin.
Inside North Jakarta’s secret casino Bayu Marhaenjati & Joanito de Saojoa, Jakarta Globe · October 9, 2019 at 7:49 pm Police held a press conference on Tuesday inside a covert casino discovered in the Robinson Apartment complex on Jalan Jembatan Dua in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, over the weekend. One person died after falling from the 29th floor while trying to evade arrest during the police raid on Sunday. At least 91 of the 133 people arrested during raid have been declared suspects. They face up to 10 years’ imprisonment under Indonesia’s Criminal Code, which outlaws gambling.
Tensions flare around Manila’s lucrative online casinos Cliff Venzon, Nikkei Asian Review · October 9, 2019 at 7:35 pm Business along Quirino Avenue near Manila’s airport had been in a period of long decline, until it began a sudden resurgence over the last year. Restaurants, spas and apartments have opened. Locals were hired as security guards, drivers and housekeepers, all catering to the area’s new clientele: Chinese migrants. The area’s recovery could have been a perfect case study in how Manila’s diplomatic entente with China could result in tangible benefits for the people of the Philippines. The reality is more complex. The boom has been fueled by money from online gambling, an industry that is loathed by Beijing, straining relations between the two countries. At the same time, the influx of migrants has created pockets of social tension. “Business used to be dead here, but not anymore,” a firefighter assigned to Quirino told the Nikkei Asian Review on a recent visit. “But many are also annoyed.”
