A move in the right direction. Andy Jeon, COO of Winn Tech, believes the lowered fee enhances POGOs' competitiveness against both land-based casinos and the grey market, which often faces lower taxes.

POGO operators still comprise some 20 percent of the office space transactions in Metro Manila, despite a drop in demand amongst ongoing changes to the online space. Real estate group Colliers notes that there has been "no significant effect on the overall office market".

For lawyer Tonet Quiogue, POGOs have made significant contributions to the Philippine's economy, and authorities should be more focused on enforcing existing laws for the sector, rather than shutting them down.

The Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) as of Tuesday has added Smarc Group International, a POGO operator, to its list of uncooperative covered persons.

CNMI Governor Ralph DLG Torres says he is willing to form a working group aimed at coming up with a more reasonable annual license fee hike for e-gaming machines. 

Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is seeking feedback from the public on proposed amendments to the existing gambling legislation.

Until now, it has been largely unknown how video game “skins,” and the virtual economy in which they are traded have a place in the online gambling world. In our guest piece this week, risk advisory firm Purbrick and Associates explains these interesting phenomena, and what this means for the traditional wagering industry.

The Commonwealth Casino Commission wants to reach out to online gaming operators who may be potentially interested in investing in the island, should a bill allowing internet gaming come to pass. 

Analysts from J.P. Morgan believes that Crown is likely to retain its licenses in Victoria and Western Australia, despite the royal commission revealing a number of skeletons in the closet for the casino operator.

Star Entertainment has given a vote of confidence to the potential of the Gold Coast’s tourism industry, pressing ahead with plans to build a A$400 million “Tower for Tourism” despite the Covid-19 crisis.