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Mario Ho says esports and sports can drive Macau diversification

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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

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

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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

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.

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

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.

SOFTSWISS heads to SiGMA Asia 2026 to help operators scale across Asian markets

SOFTSWISS will attend SiGMA Asia 2026 at stand 2566 to support operators entering or scaling across Asian markets by showcasing solutions that reduce time-to-market across multiple jurisdictions while ensuring full compliance readiness.

Asia remains one of the most diverse iGaming regions, with different player preferences and operational requirements across markets. SOFTSWISS will be available throughout the exhibition to discuss practical approaches to product launches, localisation, and regional scalability for both established operators and those entering Asian markets for the first time.

SOFTSWISS
Miranda Guliashvili, Head of Regional Growth at SOFTSWISS

One of the key topics at the event will be prediction markets. Miranda Guliashvili, Head of Regional Growth at SOFTSWISS, will join the panel discussion Prediction Markets in Asia: ‘Event Contracts’ vs iGaming – Charting Regulatory Frontiers and Product Horizons on 3 June at 11:35.

The session will focus on how prediction markets fit within Asia’s evolving market landscape and how operators can launch products successfully in the region. The discussion follows the recent launch of SOFTSWISS Prediction Markets, a fixed-odds solution that allows operators to offer wagering on the outcomes of real-world events across global economies, technology, and culture.

Miranda Guliashvili, Head of Regional Growth at SOFTSWISS, said: “Asia is one of the most operationally complex regions in iGaming, because player behaviour and product expectations differ significantly market by market. At SOFTSWISS, we focus on helping operators adapt faster to those local requirements. We already have experience working in fast-changing markets and understand how important flexibility and speed are for regional growth. This is especially relevant for newer verticals such as prediction markets, where regulation and product formats are still evolving across jurisdictions.”

SOFTSWISS and SA Gaming will also host a private networking event during SiGMA Asia 2026, bringing together operators focused on sustainable growth in the Asian market. The event reflects both companies’ shared commitment to building long-term regional partnerships and signals continued investment in the region.

Visitors can meet the SOFTSWISS team at stand 2566 to explore how the Casino Platform, Sportsbook, Game Aggregator, and Prediction Markets solution can be configured for regional compliance requirements and local player preferences.

Global regulators grapple with technology, illegal gambling and blurred market boundaries: panel

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Regulators across global gaming jurisdictions are increasingly focused on illegal gambling, technological disruption, talent shortages and the blurring lines between gambling and entertainment, according to International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) president Ben Haden during a panel discussion at G2E Asia.

Speaking with MdME partner Rui Proença on the third day of the conference, Haden outlined four major regulatory trends shaping the global gaming industry as more jurisdictions move toward regulated gambling frameworks.

Haden said the growing number of regulated markets was pushing regulators to reassess existing frameworks and learn from international models. He cited Ontario as an example of a jurisdiction that combined regulatory elements from different regions while adapting them to local cultural conditions.

“I think that’s a brilliant example of how regulatory thinking is moving forward,” Haden said. He added that new jurisdictions frequently challenge established regulators by questioning why certain approaches were adopted.

Global regulators grapple with technology, illegal gambling and blurred market boundaries: panel

A second common challenge identified by Haden was attracting qualified talent into regulatory bodies. He said regulators globally were struggling to secure the technical expertise needed to oversee increasingly complex gambling markets, particularly as technology continues to evolve.

“The same is true of the regulatory community,” Haden said, noting that both regulators and commercial operators are competing for skilled professionals.

Technology and artificial intelligence were also identified as major concerns for regulators. Haden said gambling supply chains had become “far more open” than in the past, creating additional oversight challenges as new technologies rapidly reshape the industry landscape.

He also pointed to increasingly blurred boundaries between gambling, gaming and broader entertainment sectors, particularly in emerging areas such as prediction markets in the United States.

“I think that starts to lead to tough questions,” Haden said.

Illegal gambling remained a central topic during the discussion, particularly in Asia, where Proença cited estimates suggesting annual illegal gambling revenue exceeds $100 billion. Haden said illegal gambling could not be completely eradicated, but regulators should focus on “disrupting” illegal operators and making large-scale operations more difficult.

He also called for greater involvement from social media platforms, technology companies and payment providers, arguing that such firms could no longer remain passive participants in the broader gambling ecosystem.

“Technology’s a bit like water, it will find a way,” Haden said, adding that regulators must continue adapting as digital channels reshape gambling markets globally.

Sega Sammy wipes out Stakelogic goodwill less than a year after $146M acquisition

Japanese conglomerate Sega Sammy Holdings has booked a full impairment on the goodwill tied to its acquisition of Netherlands-based iGaming supplier Stakelogic, less than a year after the deal closed, contributing to a group net loss for the fiscal year ended March 31st, 2026.

The company recognized approximately JPY18 billion ($114 million) in extraordinary losses against Stakelogic goodwill, alongside a further JPY0.7 billion ($4.4 million) impairment linked to the planned downsizing of the supplier’s Netherlands operations. The combined write-off effectively erased the goodwill value Sega Sammy had attributed to the €125 million ($146 million) acquisition, which closed in April 2025.

Sega Sammy attributed the impairment primarily to ‘market contraction in the Netherlands following regulatory tightening.’ The Dutch online gambling market has been under pressure since the introduction of mandatory deposit limits and other player-protection measures.

Stakelogic

The Stakelogic write-down, together with a JPY32 billion ($203 million) impairment on Finnish mobile game developer Rovio Entertainment, pushed Sega Sammy to a group net loss of JPY5.7 billion ($36.1 million), compared with a net profit of JPY45 billion ($285 million) a year earlier.

Consolidated net sales rose 13.7 percent year-over-year to JPY487.5 billion ($3.09 billion), while operating income edged down 2.1 percent to JPY47.1 billion ($298 million). Adjusted EBITDA fell sharply to JPY16.6 billion ($105 million) from JPY62.2 billion ($394 million).

Within the gaming segment, the operating loss widened to JPY7.2 billion ($45.6 million) from JPY0.7 billion ($4.4 million) a year earlier, reflecting the consolidation of Stakelogic and U.S.-based GAN Ltd.. Segment sales nonetheless climbed to JPY25.3 billion ($160 million) from JPY5.4 billion ($34.2 million). The company expects the gaming operating loss to widen further to JPY10 billion ($63.3 million) in the fiscal year ending March 2027, due to upfront investments to build a B2B solutions platform in the United States.

In response to the impairments, Sega Sammy announced a significant strategic shift. The company said it has decided to ‘suspend large-scale M&A activities for the time being’ and revised its capital allocation policy, reallocating approximately JPY20 billion ($127 million) previously earmarked for strategic investments into a share buyback program executed between February and March 2026.

The medium-term plan targets have also been substantially lowered. The three-year cumulative adjusted EBITDA goal for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 has been cut from ‘over JPY230 billion’ ($1.46 billion) to JPY142.5 billion ($903 million), while the average return-on-equity target has been reduced from ‘over 10 percent’ to ‘over 6.5 percent.’

For Stakelogic, Sega Sammy outlined a restructuring plan for the fiscal year ending March 2027 that includes downsizing Netherlands operations, streamlining its development pipeline, and shifting focus toward porting Sega Sammy Creation Inc. titles online for expansion into the U.S. social casino market. The company described the approach as a ‘shift from quantity to quality.’

Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City

Paradise City delivers record year

In contrast to the troubled iGaming acquisitions, Sega Sammy’s equity-method affiliate Paradise Sega Sammy, operator of the Paradise City integrated resort near Incheon International Airport in South Korea, posted record-high results for calendar 2025.

Paradise City’s total sales rose to KRW597.4 billion ($400.2 million) from KRW539.3 billion ($361.2 million) the previous year, with casino revenue climbing to KRW480 billion ($322.0 million), driven by both Japanese VIP and mass-market customers. The number of casino visitors increased to 434,000 from 363,000. Hotel sales also reached an all-time high, supported by strong occupancy and average daily rates.

Sega Sammy’s equity-method earnings from the affiliate rose to JPY4.5 billion ($28.5 million) from JPY3.2 billion ($20.3 million), boosted by operating performance as well as the recognition of deferred tax assets and tax refunds. The company has also acquired an adjacent hotel building, which is scheduled to open as the Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City and is expected to expand the resort’s customer base.

Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Genting Singapore profit halves in 1Q26

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Good morning. Pressure points. Genting Singapore is juggling rising transformation costs, weak VIP play and mounting competition from Marina Bay Sands — and the numbers are wobbling. First-quarter profit was cut in half as Resorts World Sentosa absorbed refurbishment disruption and softer premium gaming volumes, with Maybank warning the turnaround may take time. In Macau, a G2E Asia panel said disconnected data systems are holding operators back from delivering smarter, more personalized gaming experiences. And MGM China’s Kenneth Feng explained why suite conversions are less about luxury hospitality and more about squeezing more gaming yield from every square foot.

What you need to know

On the radar


AGB Intelligence

Resorts World Sentosa, Genting Singapore

Resorts World Sentosa transformation costs pressure Genting

Genting Singapore posted a 55 percent decline in first-quarter net profit, hurt by elevated RWS transformation costs and record-low VIP gaming volumes, while Maybank said 2026 is likely to remain another transitional year as gaming recovery slows and competitive pressure from Marina Bay Sands continues to intensify.

Industry Updates


Corporate Spotlight

How Crypto Adoption in Asia is Changing iGaming Payments

Yevhen Krazhan, CSO for GR8 Tech

Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, explores how surging crypto adoption across Asia is revolutionizing iGaming payments, stating: “When I look at what’s changing fastest in Asia, it’s payment behavior,” as wallets, stablecoins, and seamless cross-border transfers become deeply ingrained in player habits. The winning operators will be those that offer fast, reliable, and local deposits and withdrawals. To make sense of it, Yevhen breaks Asia into two crypto realities.


INTELLIGENCEASEAN | AWARDSCAREERS | EVENTS

Okada Manila expands online push with Okada Play launch

PhilWeb Corporation and Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment, Inc. have formally launched the Okada Play online gaming platform in the Philippines, marking a new phase in Okada Manila’s digital expansion strategy.

The companies confirmed the commercial rollout on May 13th, 2026, following the partnership unveiled between the two entities in March.

The platform is powered by PhilWeb’s Online Gaming Platform solution and combines gaming content, platform technology, and customer service infrastructure within what the companies described as a regulated framework for the Philippine online gaming market.

According to the announcement, the launch is intended to support Okada Manila’s broader omnichannel strategy by extending its land-based gaming operations into digital channels and creating additional revenue opportunities beyond the physical resort.

“The official launch of Okada Play demonstrates our capability to execute and deploy end-to-end digital infrastructure for the industry’s most recognized luxury brands,” said Brian Ng, president of PhilWeb Corporation. He added that the platform would allow Tiger Resort to extend the Okada Manila gaming experience to digital players nationwide.

Nobuki Sato, president and chief operating officer of Okada Manila, said the launch represents an important step in the resort’s digital expansion. He said Okada Play complements the company’s land-based operations and existing online platform while leveraging PhilWeb’s technology and operational expertise.

Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment, Inc. is a subsidiary of Universal Entertainment Corporation and operates Okada Manila, the integrated resort in Entertainment City.