Macau’s casinos have been relying on VIPs, but the mass market is crucial to future growth Muhammad Cohen, Forbes · March 3, 2018 at 5:32 pm Everyone agrees Macau’s future lies with the mass market, not VIPs. No one can agree on when that future will begin, though. Macau’s recovery since August 2016 has been largely fueled by VIP play, and that trend accelerated in last year. Analysts diverge on whether the mass market future starts in 2018, and evidence so far remains decidedly mixed. For casino operators, mass-market play is easy … [Read more...]
Macau GGR growth to accelerate in March: analysts GGRAsia · March 2, 2018 at 7:58 am Several analysts forecast the rate of year-on-year growth for Macau’s March casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) will accelerate compared to February, when it expanded at a modest 5.7 percent year-on-year. February’s tally was MOP24.30 billion (US$3.01 billion), according to figures from the local regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, issued on Thursday. In a note the same … [Read more...]
Hokkaido governor emerges as supporter of IR Asia Gaming Brief · March 1, 2018 at 9:34 pm Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi emerged this week as a strong advocate of hosting an IR, encouraging the central government to grant four or five licenses around the nation. The governor's words comes a week after Kushiro Mayor Hiroya Ebina revealed last week that his city was effectively giving up its independent bid to host an IR, instead, they have placed their support behind Tomakomai … [Read more...]
About the Legality of Online Gambling in Costa Rica Q Costa Rica · March 1, 2018 at 9:33 pm Having a fairly tolerant governance style, the government of Costa Rica is pretty cool about the presence of online gambling operators within its boundaries; despite the fact that online gambling is illegal for Costa Rica residents. The residents are not legally allowed to gamble on any online casino games, including online poker, online roulette and others. In fact, Costa Ricans are prohibited … [Read more...]
Gambling-mad Japan could get badly burned by legalised casinos The Nation · March 1, 2018 at 9:22 pm With Japan about to legalise casinos, the government is seeking ways to tame an explosion of gambling that could be worth $40 billion a year. Tokyo aims to pass a bill on gambling resorts during the current Diet session, making it possible to open casinos in the next two years. Under the draft bill, Japanese nationals and foreign residents will be limited to three casino visits per week and … [Read more...]
Genting HK completes latest sell-down of Norwegian Cruise Line shares for US$543 million Inside Asian Gaming · March 1, 2018 at 9:17 pm Genting Hong Kong has announced the sale of most of its remaining stake in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH), reducing its shareholding to 1.41% from a high of 11.13% less than seven months ago. In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company revealed it had agreed to sell a 4.26% stake of NCLH’s total issued shares for a consideration of around US$543.6 million, reducing its … [Read more...]
A shaky time for Casinò di Venezia and Campione d’Italia translated by Luke Haward for CDC Gaming Reports · March 1, 2018 at 3:11 pm In a tense pre-election atmosphere in Italy, two Italian casinos are facing a crucial time. On February 28th, the current agreement on the reduction of labour costs at the Casino Campione d'Italia expired. Given the profoundly difficult current situation, with as many as 156 announced redundancies, it will be necessary to extend this agreement or to reach another. This situation is … [Read more...]
Germany: Online gambling warning against illegal data retention translated by Luke Haward for CDC Gaming Reports · March 1, 2018 at 3:08 pm Germany's Treaty on Gaming allows supervisors to use financial service providers to combat unauthorized providers of online gambling. Constitutional lawyer Matthias Rossi warns against "data protection collateral damage". Mr. Rossi says that relevant measures are required so that credit and payment institutions may collect and evaluate a range of data. The personal information of players, such … [Read more...]
Malaga: 350 sports betting terminals authorized translated by Luke Haward for CDC Gaming Reports · March 1, 2018 at 2:55 pm Since the Junta de Andalucía approved sports betting last September alongside regulations to govern competition across the region, 350 sports betting terminals have been installed across 67 gaming rooms, four bingo halls and two casinos in the province. Sports betting has sprung from the virtual world and make the leap to the traditional gaming halls of the province. Codere, Sportium and Luckia … [Read more...]
UK Responsible Gambling Alliance Publishes ‘Good Practice’ Guidelines Luke Haward, CDC Gaming Reports · March 1, 2018 at 12:34 pm The Responsible Gambling Association (RGA) is a trade body for the online gambling industry in Europe, and they’ve just put out a set of guidelines for responsible practice. These guidelines are not simply arbitrary dictates, or common-sense advice, but are drawn from hard studies and based on behavioural analytics. They cover several key areas, including what policies to set as operators, how to … [Read more...]
