Editor and reporter with 10 years of experience in Greater China, namely Taiwan and Macau, in printed and online media, with a focus on finance, gaming, politics, crime, business and social issues.
Goa has amended its casino rules to bar anyone under the age of 21 from entering designated gaming areas, while introducing an 18 percent annual penal interest charge on operators who delay payment of their recurring license fees.
An investigation by The Straits Times has found that an offshore online gambling platform targeting Singaporean players has been using locally registered companies to process deposits and payouts via PayNow during the FIFA World Cup.
Macau's June visitor arrivals fell 3.1% year-on-year to 2.8 million, as overnight visits slid 9% amid the World Cup, though first-half arrivals rose 9%.
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 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.