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Universal Entertainment flags rising customer acquisition costs at Okada Manila

Viviana Chan
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Universal Entertainment flags rising customer acquisition costs at Okada Manila

Universal Entertainment Corp said results at Okada Manila remained under pressure during the first quarter of 2026 due to intensifying competition in the Philippine gaming market, weaker mass-market performance and lower VIP hold rates, although the integrated resort improved sequentially following adjustments to its loyalty program.

The Japanese gaming and entertainment group reported that its Integrated Resort business generated net sales of JPY15.44 billion ($106 million) in the three months ended March 31st, down 16.0 percent year-on-year. Operating profit fell 92.8 percent to JPY23 million ($158,000), while adjusted segment EBITDA declined 55.7 percent to JPY2.04 billion ($14 million).

Universal said the gaming market in Entertainment City, Manila, remains in a period of adjustment, citing structural changes in the VIP market, intensifying competition for both VIP and mass-market customers, and rising customer acquisition costs. The company also said geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and higher fuel costs continued to weigh on market demand.

‘Although results fell short of the same period of the previous year, they exceeded those of the previous quarter due to measures such as the overhaul of our loyalty program,’ the company said in presentation materials accompanying its quarterly earnings release.

VIP gaming volume at Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc, the entity operating Okada Manila, increased during the quarter, but lower hold rates reduced overall VIP revenue. Rolling chip volume rose 8.6 percent year-on-year to PHP57.64 billion ($1.03 billion), while rolling chip win fell 19.0 percent to PHP1.44 billion ($25.7 million). The VIP win rate declined to 2.5 percent from 3.3 percent a year earlier.

Mass-market operations weakened more significantly. Live mass table games volume fell 29.3 percent year-on-year and mass table win declined 24.1 percent. Gaming machine handle dropped 4.1 percent, while gaming machine win decreased 8.9 percent. Overall gaming revenue declined 17.1 percent to PHP6.47 billion ($116 million).

Despite lower revenue, Universal said Okada Manila maintained operating profitability through cost-cutting measures, including reductions in selling, general and administrative expenses, optimization of fixed costs and lower depreciation expenses following an asset revaluation conducted during the previous fiscal year.

The company added that it would continue expanding its online gaming strategy in the Philippines through the ‘Okada Play‘ platform launched in partnership with PhilWeb Corp.

Japan supreme court seeks dismissal of judge over online casino allegations

Frank Schuengel
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Japan supreme court seeks dismissal of judge over online casino allegations

Japan’s Supreme Court has moved to initiate dismissal proceedings against a summary court judge who was indicted over alleged habitual online gambling activity involving offshore casino websites.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Supreme Court said it had requested that the relevant parliamentary impeachment commission file a petition with the Judge Impeachment Court seeking the removal of Akifumi Morimoto, a 52-year-old judge serving at Niigata Summary Court.

The Supreme Court stated that Morimoto’s conduct “amounted to a delinquency undermining the dignity of judges.” According to prosecutors, Morimoto allegedly accessed an online casino platform more than 60,000 times using his smartphone and tablet, and participated in gambling activities including baccarat between April and September 2023 while residing in Akita Prefecture.

The Akita District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Morimoto without arrest on 17 April. Japanese media reports said Morimoto has admitted to the allegations and expressed remorse, according to the Supreme Court.

If the parliamentary commission proceeds with the petition, the case will be reviewed by the Judge Impeachment Court, which will determine whether Morimoto should be formally dismissed from the judiciary.

Hong Kong Jockey Club and Deauville sign equine development partnership

Frank Schuengel
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Hong Kong Jockey Club and Deauville sign equine development partnership

The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the French commune of Deauville have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding aimed at expanding cooperation across equine sports development, horse welfare and racing-related initiatives.

The agreement was signed in Hong Kong by Andrew Harding, Executive Director of Racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Philippe Béhuet, Deputy Mayor of Deauville and Special Representative of the Mayor of Deauville. Under the partnership, the two sides will collaborate on areas including equine health and welfare research, racehorse supply opportunities, horse-riding tourism programmes and polo development initiatives.

The agreement also includes support for the retraining and re-homing of retired Hong Kong racehorses in France through Champs Legacy, an official partner of HKJC’s RESTART Racehorse Aftercare Programme. In addition, the partnership is expected to strengthen cooperation with French bloodstock auction house ARQANA, facilitating exchanges between breeders, agents and Hong Kong racing interests seeking to acquire racehorses.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said the agreement reinforced the longstanding relationship between Hong Kong and France’s equine industries. Philippe Béhuet said the partnership reflected shared values between Deauville and Hong Kong around horse racing, equestrian sports and innovation.

Located in Normandy, Deauville is regarded as one of Europe’s leading equestrian centres and hosts major racing and polo events alongside training, education and equine health facilities. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has maintained longstanding links with the French racing sector, including through annual trophy races staged in both Hong Kong and Deauville.

Indonesia says nearly 200,000 children exposed to online gambling

Frank Schuengel
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Indonesia says nearly 200,000 children exposed to online gambling

Indonesia’s government has warned that nearly 200,000 children in the country have been exposed to online gambling, as authorities intensify efforts to combat illegal gambling activity and its social consequences.

Speaking at an anti-online gambling forum in Medan on Wednesday, Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, said the figure included around 80,000 children under the age of 10.

The minister described the situation as a serious threat to the country’s future generations. “Online gambling is a scam with a system designed to ensure players almost always lose in the long run,” Hafid said.

Indonesia prohibits all forms of gambling under its criminal code, and authorities have in recent years stepped up enforcement efforts against offshore online gambling operators and related promotional activity targeting Indonesian users. Hafid said combating online gambling required more than simply blocking websites and conducting enforcement operations, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy and public awareness campaigns.

“We are not just blocking access or taking down sites. The most important thing is reaching the wider public with these facts so that awareness grows from within families and communities,” she said. The minister also raised concerns about the wider social impact of online gambling, particularly on women and children. According to Hafid, some families have reportedly experienced financial collapse and domestic violence linked to gambling addiction among family members.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has continued efforts to block gambling-related websites and content, but Hafid said stronger cooperation was needed across government agencies, law enforcement bodies and digital platform operators.

She also warned that online gambling advertising on social media platforms had become increasingly aggressive in targeting Indonesian users. The ministry has urged major digital platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, to take more proactive measures in removing gambling-related content. “Online gambling is banned in Indonesia. All parties must share the same moral and legal responsibility,” Hafid said.

The minister also called on religious leaders, community organizations and families to act as the first line of defense against the spread of online gambling.

Sports tourism growth in Macau faces funding, talent and logistics challenges: panel

Viviana Chan
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Sports tourism growth in Macau faces funding, talent and logistics challenges: panel

Executives from the gaming, sports and entertainment sectors said sponsorship support, talent development, logistics coordination and cross-border collaboration remain among the biggest challenges to expanding non-gaming and entertainment activities in Macau and Hong Kong, during a panel discussion held at the Asian IR Expo in Macau on Thursday.

The session focused on the integration of sports, culture and tourism as part of broader efforts to diversify regional tourism economies beyond gaming.

macau

Speaking during the discussion, Jeffrey Jiang, executive vice president of entertainment services at Galaxy Entertainment Group, said sports events have evolved into broader tourism and lifestyle platforms capable of generating spending across integrated resorts and surrounding businesses.

“Nowadays, sports is beyond an event only. It’s an integration of fan experience, a leverage to the local business,” Jiang said.

He noted that restaurants, sports bars, retail outlets and tourism attractions all benefit when major sporting events and concerts are hosted at integrated resorts.

“The fans get together here, they enjoy the experience, they share on social media, which also brings extensive exposure for Macau, the city itself,” he added.

Galaxy Arena concerts, Macau

Sponsorship and funding remain major hurdles

Panelists said large-scale events in Hong Kong and Macau still depend heavily on sponsorships and government support, particularly given the limited size of local broadcasting markets.

Robbie McRobbie, general manager of sports and content development at Kai Tak Sports Park, said many events struggle to generate meaningful domestic broadcast revenue.

“For a lot of events in Hong Kong, you’re not going to derive much income from [broadcasting],” McRobbie said. “Without that support, putting on events [is] very, very difficult.”

McRobbie added that sponsorship and government funding were particularly important for emerging sports and entertainment events that lack established international media rights revenue.

The panel also discussed how organizers are increasingly adopting a “festivalization” model that extends events beyond the main competition itself through fan villages, retail experiences, food and beverage offerings, community activities and supporting entertainment programs.

Jiang said Galaxy had signed a three-year agreement with UFC to establish an annual “UFC Macau Week,” combining fight events with open workouts, community engagement activities and fan experiences throughout the week.

“We start to build up the IP to make it sustainable for the global audiences and the regional fans to come over,” Jiang said.

macau

Cross-border audiences reshape event planning

Executives said cross-border tourism has become a defining trend for the regional entertainment industry following the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Jiang, more than 65 percent of audiences attending live entertainment and sports events now travel across cities to attend events, while over 55 percent of Galaxy’s entertainment customers come from the Greater Bay Area, primarily Guangdong province.

Both speakers said managing transportation, border crossings and visitor flow has become increasingly important as Macau and Hong Kong host multiple large-scale events simultaneously during peak holiday periods.

“We work closely with the local police and local traffic to ensure the in and out and cross-border becomes relatively more smooth,” Jiang said.

Talent shortages and hotel capacity concerns

The panel also highlighted talent shortages and infrastructure constraints as ongoing challenges for the non-gaming sector.

McRobbie said venue development in Hong Kong and Macau had progressed faster than the supporting talent ecosystem.

“The hardware is in a pretty good place. The ecosystem in terms of the software, the talent pool etc. is just lagging behind a bit,” he said.

Jiang, meanwhile, pointed to Macau’s limited supply of mid-range hotel rooms as a challenge for attracting mass-market concertgoers and sports tourists.

“One critical thing in Macau is there are lack of let’s say four-star hotels in this city,” Jiang said, adding that the company was studying future hotel development options targeting non-gaming visitors and event audiences.

The panel concluded that recurring international events, local promoter development and increasing participation-based sports tourism could support longer-term growth in Macau and Hong Kong’s entertainment sectors.

Mario Ho says esports and sports can drive Macau diversification

Viviana Chan
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Mario Ho says esports and sports can drive Macau diversification

Macau should leverage international sports and esports events to accelerate diversification beyond traditional casino gaming and attract younger travelers, according to Mario Ho Yau Kwan, who has promoted a “Sports Plus” model integrating live entertainment, technology, lifestyle, and tourism.

Ho, chairman and co-chief executive officer of NIP Group and son of late Macau gaming magnate Stanley Ho Hung Sun, made the remarks during a keynote speech on Thursday, the final day of the Asian IR Summit.

The non-gaming conference program was held alongside Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) at The Venetian Macao from Tuesday through Thursday.

“Sports break down barriers that politics, business and traditional media cannot,” Ho said. “Among all modern sports, esports is leading a new wave of global youth culture.”

He described esports as a mainstream cultural force driven by digital platforms, livestreaming and large-scale arena events that connect communities across borders both online and offline.

Ho said destinations seeking to attract younger consumers should adopt a “Sports Plus” strategy that combines sports with tourism, technology and lifestyle experiences.

“[It] is quietly redefining how cities and destinations compete for the next generation,” he said.

According to Ho, Macau is well positioned to pursue the model due to its integrated resort infrastructure, cross-border transport links, support from Beijing and proximity to a population of more than two billion people within a four-hour flight radius.

“What Macau needs now is the determination to diversify, broaden its industrial base and reduce reliance on traditional gaming as the sole growth driver,” he said.

He added that international sporting events, professional esports venues and immersive entertainment experiences could help shape the next phase of Macau’s development.

Ho also pointed to Las Vegas as an example of a gaming destination that successfully repositioned itself through long-term investment in sports and entertainment.

“The next generation of integrated resorts will not be defined solely by hotel rooms, restaurants and gaming floors,” Ho said. “It will become something far more comprehensive — a true industrial platform.”

He outlined a vision for future integrated resorts incorporating sports arenas, production studios, exhibition and cultural facilities, and innovation hubs within a connected entertainment ecosystem focused on immersive experiences.

DATA.BET reports stronger esports betting performance in Q1 2026

AGBrief Editorial
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DATA.BET reports stronger esports betting performance in Q1 2026

DATA.BET, a leading sportsbook solution provider, reported a significant acceleration in esports betting in Q1 2026, reinforcing insights from its Sportsbook Report that highlight growing player interest in niche tournaments and confirming the vertical’s continued upward momentum.

Recent performance signals:

  • Deepening market demand
  • Disciplined trading operations
  • Growing player engagement across partner platforms
  • Substantial revenue growth and commercial impact

Esports delivered standout results across every major benchmark. Compared to Q1 2025, GGR nearly doubled, and turnover grew sharply by 70,6%, supported by a meaningful improvement in margin efficiency. 

Player activity strengthened across the board, with placed bets climbing 33,2% and combo bets posting an even more pronounced jump of 72,1% — a clear signal that users are shifting toward more sophisticated betting behavior. The active player base expanded substantially, and the average single bet size also grew, pointing to higher confidence and deeper involvement from users.

Across major esports titles, performance dynamics show how player preferences and event calendars shaped the quarter. The top four disciplines – CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant – all posted strong double-digit growth across profit, turnover, bet counts, and active users.

Niche disciplines collectively delivered a striking 245% increase in profit compared with Q1 2025, demonstrating the depth of the company’s esports portfolio. This is a trend we first spotted while preparing the Sportsbook Report and one that continues to surprise the wider market, which still tends to underestimate the commercial potential of disciplines outside the established top tier.

Rainbow Six stood out as a particular success story, driven by the addition of new markets, including combined Total Over + Win and Win First Half + Win Map, alongside a sharp expansion in match coverage. The discipline has found its audience in Latin America, where DATA.BET has solidified its position as a premium sportsbook solution supplier.

Rocket League continues to confirm its status as one of the most promising esports disciplines for betting, with even greater potential to unlock should official data coverage expand in the future. Despite Q4 2025 hosting the FIFAe World Cup, typically the year’s headline event, Rocket League still delivered QoQ growth with turnover up 85,3%, bet counts rising 18,7%, and active players climbing 50,1%. This was driven primarily by the largest and almost unique market offering in the industry, alongside a 94% live coverage conversion rate.

Bohdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET
Bohdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET

According to Bohdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET, this performance reflects deliberate product and trading enhancements aligned with player behavior: “High margin efficiency has been a real catalyst this quarter. Partners have increasingly recognized that esports can deliver meaningful commercial returns, encouraging them to scale up promotional campaigns and drive more traffic into the vertical. That feeds directly into more new users, higher turnover, and stronger margins. At the same time, we continue to offer the broadest match and discipline coverage on the market, and the impact is also reflected in the rapid growth of combo bets across our partner platforms.”

The official data events were up 5.2% YoY, with the overall event calendar climbing even higher to 10.8%, reinforcing the breadth of DATA.BET’s coverage. Top-tier events outperformed low-tier events by a wide margin in turnover, profit, and bet count, yet the volume of low-tier events also grew, particularly in CS2, as Valve’s restructured Major qualification system has prompted tournament organizers to fill the calendar with new qualifying events.

Holovnov added, “Q1 of 2026 set a new benchmark for what esports betting can deliver. GGR nearly doubling year over year, combined with a player base growing by more than 56% and increasingly sophisticated betting patterns, suggests the vertical is maturing in exactly the right direction. We’re entering the rest of 2026 with strong momentum, an expanding market portfolio, and partners who are seeing tangible commercial impact quarter after quarter.”

LVS and Sands China welcome Sustaincia to Sands Cares Accelerator programme

AGBrief Editorial
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LVS and Sands China welcome Sustaincia to Sands Cares Accelerator programme

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Sands China have announced the inclusion of Macao-based NGO Sustaincia in the Sands Cares Accelerator, a three-year programme designed to enhance nonprofit impact, with the organisation leveraging technology and social initiatives to promote sustainable development.

The organization’s strategic goal for its Sands Cares Accelerator membership is to perfect the use of advanced technology in converting food waste from bakery items, rice, and cooking oil into useful products. Related to this goal, Sustaincia will also focus on establishing its community lab as a hub for technology innovation and research in food waste valorization, as well as leveraging this circular framework to create opportunities for local entrepreneurs and scientists.

“Sands and Sands China are providing us with vital resources to realize our vision for improving food waste processes through advanced technology, while driving business and job prospects to further sustainable impact,” said Terence Lee, president of Sustaincia. “We believe the progress we make in our identified focus areas over the next three years in the Sands Cares Accelerator can have an impact in Macao for years to come.”

Macao-based NGO Sustaincia

Sustaincia is advancing a pioneering model for sustainability in Macao through its focus on food waste valorization—transforming discarded materials into commercially viable products—while establishing a community-driven laboratory that brings together academic and industry experts to tackle circular economy challenges.

By leveraging the significant volume of food waste generated by the region’s integrated resorts and tourism sector, the organisation is building an inclusive platform for participatory science and sustainable waste management, positioning Macao as a leader in environmental innovation.

As the second Macao-based NGO to join the Sands Cares Accelerator, Sustaincia will benefit from a three-year programme designed to strengthen organisational capacity and expand impact, with support from Sands through funding, strategic guidance, and mentoring aligned with the legacy of founder Sheldon G. Adelson.

Sands Cares, Las Vegas Sands, Sands China

“Beyond having a solid vision to improve food waste management in Macao, Sustaincia was a great selection for our program because of its alignment with our own sustainable food initiatives,” added Ron Reese, SVP of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs at Sands. “Another factor we look for is the ability of an organization to sustain their goal after they leave the Sands Cares Accelerator, and we believe Sustaincia has established a strong plan for long-term impact.”

Sustaincia is the second member of the Sands Cares Accelerator in Macao. Current members of the global program also include the Asian Community Development Council in Las Vegas and The Food Bank Singapore in Singapore, among many others.

Groove brings regulatory insight to the spotlight at SiGMA Asia 2026

AGBrief Editorial
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Groove brings regulatory insight to the spotlight at SiGMA Asia 2026

As the Asian iGaming narrative moves beyond headline growth and licensing announcements, a deeper question emerges: which markets can truly hold up under scrutiny?

Leading platform and aggregator Groove is taking that question seriously at SiGMA Summit Asia, with CEO Yahale Meltzer attending and Business Development Director Giusy Campo joining a panel that cuts straight to the chase.

Campo will feature on the session “Jurisdiction Jungle: Who Rules Asia’s iGaming Empire?“; a panel designed to move beyond marketing hype and examine the structural resilience of Asian licensing regimes under real-world enforcement, cross-border scrutiny, banking pressure, and rising compliance demands. The discussion will evaluate which certification frameworks and operational structures can withstand audits, payment disruption, tax enforcement, evolving AML expectations, and geopolitical shifts.

Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove Technologies
Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove Technologies

For Groove, a platform that powers operators through a single API connecting over 15,000 games from more than 150 providers, regulatory integrity is not an add-on. It is the bedrock of the entire architecture.

Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove, said: “The conversation in Asia has matured significantly. Operators are no longer asking just about content volume or time-to-market. They are asking about structural resilience: how a platform handles a studio API failure without impacting player experience, what the data sovereignty protocols are, and whether the compliance architecture is defensive or reactive.

“In a region where banking pressure and regulatory expectations shift rapidly, the platforms that survive will be the ones that built integrity into their stack from the first line of code, not the ones scrambling to patch it in later.”

Giusy Campo

Campo brings deep experience navigating highly regulated environments to this discussion. Her previous commentary has stressed that in strictly regulated markets, partner questions focus on “incident history, data sovereignty protocols, and how we handle a studio API failure without impacting the player experience”. This expertise positions her as a critical voice on the panel, which will tackle how operators can strategically select partners capable of serving as the stable, reliable core of their global ambitions.

Groove has issued a White Paper specifically on this topic, outlining the pitfalls and providing a raft of insights into navigating this crucial international market.

Groove’s attendance at the summit is part of a broader strategic focus on Asia, following the company’s recent expansion moves into LatAm and Africa and its consistent presence at major industry gatherings worldwide, with Florida next on the horizon. The summit provides a platform for the company to engage directly with regional operators seeking a partner whose platform will not introduce compliance or operational risk into their business.

The “Jurisdiction Jungle” panel will be a featured session at the summit. Operators and industry professionals attending SiGMA Summit Asia are invited to connect with the Groove team to discuss how its “Unseen Architecture”, built on predictive auto-scaling, atomic transactions, and a real-time compliance mesh; can support sustainable growth in even the most demanding Asian markets .

Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and COO of Groove Technologies
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder & CEO of Groove

Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and CEO of Groove, shared: “The ‘Jurisdiction Jungle’ is not a metaphor for growth; it is a reality for every operator trying to scale across Asia’s fragmented regulatory landscape.”

Meltzer concluded that: “The mistake some make is treating compliance as a hurdle to clear. We treat it as a design constraint from day one. If your architecture is not built to generate verifiable, immutable audit trails for every transaction, you are not actually ready for Asia’s top tier. Our presence at SiGMA Summit Asia is about having serious conversations with operators who understand that trade-off.”

Endorphina partners with Uplatform to expand global iGaming reach

AGBrief Editorial
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Endorphina partners with Uplatform to expand global iGaming reach

Endorphina, a leading B2B software provider of online slot games, has announced a strategic partnership with Uplatform, a global technology provider delivering advanced iGaming solutions to operators worldwide.

This collaboration marks a significant step in expanding Endorphina’s international footprint while enhancing Uplatform’s content offering.

Through this integration, Uplatform’s operator partners will gain seamless access to Endorphina’s full portfolio of slot games — ranging from classic titles to the latest feature-rich releases. The partnership enables operators to elevate their casino offerings with engaging gameplay, striking visuals, and innovative mechanics designed to maximize player engagement.

The collaboration reinforces Endorphina’s ongoing commitment to global growth, ensuring flexible and reliable distribution of its premium content across key markets. At the same time, Uplatform strengthens its ecosystem by integrating high-quality gaming content that supports performance, scalability, and user retention.

“Partnering with Uplatform allows us to introduce our games to an even broader international audience,” said Inga Kadyrova, Sales Manager at Endorphina. “We highly value Uplatform’s forward-thinking approach and technical excellence, and we are confident that this collaboration will deliver outstanding results for both sides.”

Uplatform is recognized for its robust infrastructure and scalable technology, supporting operators across multiple jurisdictions with seamless content integration and consistent platform performance. The addition of Endorphina’s portfolio further enhances its aggregator offering, providing operators with a more diverse and competitive gaming experience.

“We are pleased to welcome Endorphina to our network of game providers,” added Anna, Business Development Casino at Uplatform. “Their portfolio complements our casino aggregator, and we believe this partnership will support operators in building stronger brands and engaging players globally.”

By combining Endorphina’s innovative content with Uplatform’s advanced technology, the partnership aims to deliver enhanced value for operators while providing players with high-quality, immersive entertainment experiences worldwide.

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