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India cops complain technology making gambling busts more difficult

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Police in India are having more difficulty cracking down on illegal online gambling in the country because the shift to mobile devices and various firewalls has made it hard to collect evidence.

Busting cricket betting got tougher this year, say cops (Deccan Herald)

Court urges Gujarat government to clarify online gambling law

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The Gujarat High Court has directed the state government to look into the issue of online gambling, and to clarify the law which was originally issued in 1887.

HC asks Gujarat govt to deal with online gambling as per law (PTI)

PH Resorts moves schedule of offering by two days

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PH Resorts Holdings said Tuesday that it moved the timetable for its planned PHP1.1 billion share sale by two days to avoid competing with two big-ticket equity offerings.

PH Resorts moves schedule of offering (Manila Standard)

Yokohama reveals that seven firms submitted IR concepts

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The Yokohama municipal government revealed on Tuesday that a total of seven firms submitted plans to its earlier RFC process. The seven were Galaxy, Genting, Las Vegas Sands, Melco, Sega Sammy, Shotoku, and Wynn. Of the seven, Las Vegas Sands has since dropped out of the race.

横浜市、IR誘致で7者の提案内容公表 コロナ影響検証 (Nihon Keizai Shinbun)

 

NSW premier caught up in China casino inquiry

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New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian had a secret relationship with Australian politician Daryl Maguire, who is now under investigation for possible corruption for his alleged role in brokering deals and setting up government meetings for Chinese businessmen wanting to establish casinos in the Pacific islands.

Australian politician sought to broker Chinese deals in Pacific islands, inquiry hears (Reuters)

Shambala casino grand opening set for Friday

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The Shambala casino is set to become the second such facility in the Russian Far East with its grand opening set for this Friday. This casino will become the direct competitor to the Tigre de Cristal.

В Приморье открывается второе крупное казино (Vostok Today)

Divided loyalties and dysfunctional management at Crown Resorts

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Another day at the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) inquiry was another round of devastating testimony, revealing an oversight system that appears to be quite dysfunctional.

Three “independent” directors took the stand on Tuesday, and each of them, in their own way, added to the picture of a very poorly managed firm.

Andrew Demetriou, who was also the focus of Monday’s revelations, may have inadvertently provided the core insight when it was revealed that he had told major stockholder James Packer, “I remain committed to serving the best interests of Crown and, most importantly, you.”

“How can such a statement be consistent with you claiming to be an independent director of Crown?” Demetriou was asked in response. Although Demetriou insisted that not too much be read into his statement to Packer, the picture that he emerged from the inquiry is precisely that many people at the top levels of the company were more eager to ingratiate themselves with the billionaire than to serve responsibly on behalf of the corporate interests of Crown Resorts.

Furthermore, during the questioning of deputy chair John Horvath, it was noted that when Chinese officials began interrogating Crown staffers, eventually leading to the arrests, that Chief Executive Officer, Australian Resorts Barry Felstead did not tell then-Managing Director and CEO Rowen Craigie, but instead reported what has happening in China to a director who was apparently a direct conduit to Packer.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Horvath stated directly that he no longer has confidence in Felstead, who remains in Crown’s number two executive position.

Antonia Korsanos, the third independent director that faced the hearing on Tuesday, generally performed better, but when asked by Commissioner Patricia Bergin whether she felt that some members of Crown board had been in place for too much time, she responded, “I don’t want to offend anybody.” It was not an answer that provided confidence in the firm’s culture.

It remains to be seen what the precise fallout from the hearings will be–and they are not over yet–but Crown Resorts will clearly be needing a massive overhaul if it hopes to restore public confidence in its fitness to own and operate casinos in Australia. That is, the issue has now become larger than the fate of Crown Sydney alone.

China reviews law to criminalize gambling companies luring Chinese

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The Chinese Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress will conduct a second review on an amendment to the country’s criminal law, proposing a new crime definition for overseas gambling operations aimed at luring Chinese citizens, state-owned news agency China News Service reported.

Chinese govt. considering criminalising overseas gambling operations luring country’s nationals (Macau Business)

Macau suspicious transactions down 20.4% through September

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The number of suspicious transaction reports in the first three quarters of this year fell 20.4 percent to 1,663, according to Macau’s Financial Intelligence Office. The drop was due to lower cases in the financial and gaming sector.

Macau suspicious transactions down 20.4% through to Sept. (Financial Intelligence Office)

POGOs given “ample opportunity” to settle dues, PAGCOR says

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Philippine Offshore Gaming License Operators (POGOs) have been given ample opportunity to settle their obligations to the government, though some have chosen to close down because of the impact of Covid-19 on their business, the regulator said.

According to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp website, only 33 POGO operators have been given permission to resume operations after the pandemic-mandated closures, out of about 60 operating beforehand.

As a prerequisite to reopening, PAGCOR has required the companies to pay all back taxes and fees. In addition, the government has imposed a five percent franchise tax on gross gambling revenue in an attempt to extract more revenue from the operators to make up for budget shortfalls due to the crisis. 

“A number of POGO Licensees and accredited service providers have decided to close down their respective operations in view of the dire effects the pandemic has brought to their business and gaming operations,” PAGCOR’s Offshore Gaming Licensing Department said in an emailed response to questions about departures from the country. “Cognizant of their financial difficulties, PAGCOR gave licensees ample opportunity to settle their financial obligations due to the government. This accommodation notwithstanding, other licensees still opted to close down their operations due to massive losses,” it said.

Even prior to the pandemic and the latest tax hike, there had been rising dissatisfaction in the online gaming sector in the Philippines, with complaints about ever rising costs of doing business. Many Chinese operating in the sector have also chosen to return home amidst problems with visas and rising anti-China sentiment.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reported that the number of Chinese and other foreign workers seeking employment in the POGOs sector has fallen by about half this year.

At present, PAGCOR says it’s in coordination with other government agencies such as the BIR, DOLE, and the BI to ensure that the industry is properly regulated and that it is compliant with existing policies, rules and regulations.