Gary Bowerman

2 POSTS0 COMMENTS

Gary Bowerman is the director of Check-in Asia, a tourism-focused content, marketing, and trends research company with bases in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur – and co-host of The South East Asia Travel Show podcast.

LATEST ARTICLES FROM AUTHOR

South East Asia

Starting on the backfoot

Gary Bowerman - December 17, 2021

South East Asia

Covid sparks innovation in domestic tourism

Gary Bowerman - August 5, 2021

LATEST NEWS

Australia

SkyCity secures $43.6M from Auckland property sale under monetization drive

Viviana Chan - July 17, 2026

SkyCity confirms the unconditional sale of its Auckland office properties to Mainland Capital for $43.6 million, settling September 1st.

Macau

Macau VIP baccarat GGR falls 18.8% QoQ in 2Q26

Viviana Chan - July 17, 2026

Macau's VIP baccarat GGR fell 18.8 percent QoQ to $1.97 billion in 2Q26, with its share of casino revenue slipping to 26.1 percent.

Indonesia

Indonesia blocks 3.7M gambling sites, closes 32,500 bank accounts

Frank Schuengel - July 17, 2026

Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi) has blocked 3.7 million online gambling sites and pieces of gambling-related content since October 2024, and has referred some 38,000 suspected gambling-linked bank accounts to the financial regulator, of which 32,500 have been closed.

South Korea

South Korea considers lifting foreigner-only casino levy cap to 15%: report

AGBrief Editorial - July 16, 2026

South Korea could lift the casino levy paid into its Tourism Promotion and Development Fund to 15 percent, adding up to $33.6 million in annual costs.

Macau

Gaming and tourism recovery to lift Macau’s 1H26 GDP by 5%: think tank

Viviana Chan - July 16, 2026

Macau GDP is seen rising 5% in 1H26 as gaming revenue and visitor growth support a moderate expansion in the local economy.

Philippines

Solaire North supervisor arrested over alleged ‘ghost points’ scheme

Viviana Chan - July 16, 2026

A casino pit supervisor at Solaire Resort North was arrested over alleged manipulation of VIP gaming point accounts and rewards.

Philippines

Bloomberry relaunches online gaming as FUNaloMAX after MegaFUNalo shutdown

Viviana Chan - July 16, 2026

Bloomberry officially launches FUNaloMAX, its in-house online platform, after shutting down MegaFUNalo over technical problems in May.

Hong Kong

Cross-border racing tourism circuit tops HKJC’s Five-Year Plan wishlist

Viviana Chan - July 16, 2026

The Jockey Club's Five-Year Plan submission seeks a 'Two Cities, Three Racecourses' tourism circuit spanning Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

Philippines

Genting Hong Kong exits Philippine gaming with completion of Newport stake sale: AGI filing

Viviana Chan - July 16, 2026

Alliance Global completes buyout of Genting Hong Kong's 40% stake in Newport World Resorts operator, ending the 2009 joint venture.

South Korea

South Korea extradites alleged operator behind $7.5B illegal gambling network

Frank Schuengel - July 16, 2026

South Korean authorities have extradited and charged a man in his 30s accused of operating an illegal online gambling network with total wagering volume of KRW10.3 trillion ($7.5 billion), marking his first return to the country in more than a decade.

Macau

Macau expands casino-backed community shuttle to 14 routes, extends run to 2027

Viviana Chan - July 15, 2026

Macau expands its casino-backed community shuttle on Friday, adding four landmark-to-neighborhood routes and extending the scheme to January 2027.

China

China’s 2Q26 GDP growth slows to 4.3% as investment contracts

Viviana Chan - July 15, 2026

China’s second-quarter GDP growth slowed to 4.3%, as weaker investment offset gains in income, industry and retail activity.

Philippines

China, Philippines repatriate suspect linked to gambling and fraud

Viviana Chan - July 15, 2026

China and the Philippines repatriated a Chinese fugitive accused of organizing cross-border online gambling and telecom fraud.

UAE

Playtech subsidiary joins UAE regulator’s licensed vendor register

Viviana Chan - July 15, 2026

Playtech-linked VSTechnology is now licensed as a gaming-related vendor in the UAE, according to the GCGRA’s public register.

Thailand

Thai cyber police arrest 12 in World Cup betting crackdown, allege almost $30M monthly turnover

Frank Schuengel - July 15, 2026

Thailand's Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has arrested 12 people over an alleged online gambling and money laundering network, seizing and freezing assets worth more than THB13 million ($388,000) in coordinated raids across Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Tak provinces.

Hong Kong