AGBrief Editorial

Led by the horse racing industry, other sports bodies globally have been establishing integrity units. As the role and prominence of integrity units in sport increases they become more expensive to maintain and the question thus arises: are they worth it?

The Imperial Pacific casino has been been given a six-month extension for payment of US$20 million it owes the Northern Marianas government.

A sanctioned Chinese casino magnate is backing the construction of a new international port on the Mekong River in Laos, adjacent to his Golden Triangle gambling and tourism complex.

There has been a reset of the IR development timeline in Japan, adding a degree of credibility to the process that has been missing for many months. Down in Australia, it has been impossible to miss the calamity which has befallen Crown Resorts, whose central figure, James Packer, has in the wake of his testimony at the New South Wales probity hearings made a transition from being merely controversial to becoming positively toxic.

The Bodog list of branded online casinos and sportsbooks have been pulled out of numerous Asian markets in order to respect their respective gaming regulations and to provide better protection to their players.

BetMakers has reported cash receipts up 63 percent on previous quarter (A$3.9 million versus A$2.4 million) in a filing to the ASX. This is for the quarter ending September 30, 2020.

A District Court for the NMI declared that Imperial Pacific International has no 5th Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination as she denied the firm's request to suspend the court proceedings in the lawsuit of seven construction workers who have alleged labor and other violations.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has received a financial boost as it received an additional remittance from the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) that it hopes to use to fund the anticipated return to training by its Tokyo-bound athletes and other Olympic hopefuls.

The Widus Group says its casino and hotel at Clark Freeport Zone in the Philippines have “gradually resumed activities” in line with the guidelines from the local government regarding prevention of Covid-19.

The Philippines’ gaming tax regime puts it at an advantage over some Asian peers and makes the business commercially viable, according to gaming industry consulting firm The Innovation Group.