Cambodian gaming operator NagaCorp has announced its decision to let initial grants of shares lapse and terminate the Share Award Scheme due to worsening business performance.
The Hong Kong-listed company disclosed the decision on December 27th, 2024, via a filing with the Stock Exchange.
The company explained that, due to ‘changes in the circumstances of the Group’ and the significant amount of time that has passed since the initial grants were proposed by the Board and approved by the shareholders, it is no longer appropriate to proceed with the initial grants.
As a result, the initial connected grants of up to 10,226,667 award shares and the initial non-connected grants of up to 9,000,000 award shares will lapse under the Share Award Scheme, and the company will no longer seek to make the initial grants.
At the same time, the Board believes that the Share Award Scheme is no longer aligned with the company’s objectives and has decided to terminate the scheme immediately.
The company stated that, after reviewing and updating its employee retention and incentive strategy, it may consider implementing a new employee equity incentive plan in the future.
Previously, due to the ‘negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic’ had on the Group’s business, the Board determined it would be prudent to defer the initial grants to the financial year ending 2024.
In October, NagaCorp announced that for the nine months ending September 30th, 2024, the group achieved gross gaming revenue of $411 million, an increase of 8.4 percent year-on-year, and net gaming revenue of $359 million, an increase of 10.6 percent year-on-year.
Corona Resort & Casino in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, has announced that it will ‘temporarily suspend Vietnamese citizens from playing at the casino’ starting January 1st, 2025, ‘until further notice’.
According to a notice published on the company’s website, this decision has been ‘made to ensure full compliance with current legal regulations while preparing for adjustments in accordance with future policies.’
The Vietnamese gaming operator stated that ‘during this suspension period, we are committed to preserving all benefits for Vietnamese customers in accordance with our current business policies. We will also provide timely updates and inform our customers and partners as soon as new regulations are issued by the government.’
‘Corona Resort & Casino Phu Quoc firmly believes that, with the proper adjustments, we will soon resume operations to comprehensively serve our valued customers and partners, continuing to build meaningful value for the future.’
On November 4th, 2024, the government issued Decree 145/2024/ND-CP, amending Clause 2, Article 12 of Decree 03/2017/ND-CP, which extends the pilot scheme allowing Vietnamese citizens to play at casinos.
Under this scheme, local Vietnamese are permitted to enter specific casinos approved by the relevant authorities for a three-year trial period. For the first casino-operating enterprises approved, the pilot scheme will be extended until December 31st, 2024.
For any other casino-operating enterprises, the pilot scheme will last for three years from the date they receive their Certificate of Eligibility for Casino Business.
Macau gaming operator Sands China has announced the much-anticipated return of the Dual Celebration – New Year’s Eve Countdown event, and this time, it’s set to be even grander.
Sands China invites everyone for a joyous farewell to 2024 and an unforgettable start to 2025, with superb entertainment and a state-of-the-art fireworks display.
At 9:30 pm the party begins and revellers can immerse themselves in the upbeat ambience at Le Jardin. Enjoy live entertainment from Tess Collins & The Party Animals and DJ Ryan, all versatile musicians who excel across a wide range of music styles, keeping the energy high.
At 11:55 pm The Parisian Macao’s Eiffel Tower will be the canvas for a sensational sound and light show, setting the tone for the spectacular to come. At the stroke of midnight, a 360-degree display of pyrotechnical wizardry will light the night sky for eight minutes, accompanied by a specially created soundtrack, wishing residents and visitors a wonderful year ahead.
Fireworks will be launched from various locations at Sands China Ltd. properties, including The Venetian® Macao, The Parisian Macao, and The Londoner® Macao.
To allow as many as possible to experience uninterrupted views of the display, special traffic arrangements will be in place on sections of Cotai Strip from 11:00pm to 1:00am, including the temporary relocation of public bus stops, and adjustments to shuttle services and self-parking arrangements.
SPAYZ.io, a global payment provider that enables hassle-free payment acceptance and growth in the Asian, African, and European markets, has announced that it will be participating in ICE Barcelona from 20 to 22 January 2025 at Stand 4F24, at Fira Barcelona Gran Via.
ICE Barcelona is already building up to be a headline event for the iGaming community, offering professionals the opportunity to connect with leading payment firms. It is the reason why SPAYZ.io will be attending in force with its team of renowned payments experts.
SPAYZ.io is calling for all event attendees, including partners and potential partners to reach out and book an appointment with our industry experts to hear about our latest developments and industry insights.
In addition, to celebrate its participation at the event and its network of industry leaders, SPAYZ.io will be running a raffle with exclusive giveaways, including its high-in-demand branded merchandise and iPhone16s. The raffle will take place on 22 January at 14:30 with winners to be announced on SPAYZ.io’s stand. You can sign-up, subscribe and follow now for the latest raffle updates on Instagram and LinkedIn
Dmitrii S, Head of Strategic Partnerships at SPAYZ.io
Dmitrii S, Head of Strategic Partnerships at SPAYZ.io commented: “SPAYZ.io’s attendance at ICE comes at a significant time for us. We have set ambitious goals for 2025 to ensure that our merchant network can take full advantage of our payments solutions.”
“We have launched new locations (Africa expansion), new local methods and we are actively integrating the Open Banking solution with our partners. Our IT security team has also improved the reliability of the infrastructure, we have become even more fault-tolerant and stable in fraudulent attacks”
“At ICE, we plan to meet with our strategic partners, and we will also look forward to new collaborations with operators where we can offer flexible and innovative payment solutions for your business needs.”
Revolver Gaming, a leading developer of premium online slot games, has announced its latest partnership with Blazesoft, a leading provider of online social casinos with sweepstakes elements.
This partnership will see Revolver Gaming’s acclaimed portfolio of slot games delivered to Blazesoft’s brands, enriching their offering and providing players with cutting-edge entertainment.
Blazesoft is a well-established leader in the social sweepstakes market with leading brands in Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, Sportzino, Yaycasino.com that deliver engaging and compliant gaming experiences to players. By introducing Revolver Gaming’s innovative titles, Blazesoft strengthens its position as a prominent group operating the largest online social casinos in the U.S. and Canada for players seeking immersive and high-quality content.
As part of the collaboration, players on Blazesoft social gaming platforms will gain access to Revolver’s top-performing titles, including Badlands, Irish Coins, and Thor of Asgard. These games, celebrated for their stunning visuals, unique features, and dynamic gameplay, align perfectly with Blazesoft’s mission to offer exceptional entertainment to its users in North America.
Ryan Lazarus, CEO of Revolver Gaming, commented:”We’re thrilled to partner with Blazesoft, a standout operator in the social sweepstakes sector. This collaboration highlights our commitment to bringing top-quality games to players in innovative and growing markets. The social sweepstakes space is booming, and Blazesoft’s platforms provide the perfect home for our titles to reach and engage new audiences.”
Yuliya Ivanisova, Chief Commercial Officer at Blazesoft said: “With Blazesoft’s established reputation and Revolver’s innovative content, this collaboration sets the stage for enhanced player experiences and strong market performance.”
The partnership underscores Revolver Gaming’s dedication to supporting operators in the social sweepstakes gaming industry, which continues to experience tremendous growth. With Blazesoft’s established reputation and Revolver’s innovative content, this collaboration sets the stage for enhanced player experiences and strong market performance.
Good morning. Happy Holidays! The festive season never disappoints, so let’s quickly recap. In Macau, junkets and operators are partnering up, finding a new model for collaboration. In the Philippines, the Quadcom Committee pushes three bills aimed at killing POGOs for good. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea aim to increase Chinese tourism via new policies. Also, the Philippines finally gets praise for its AML/CFT improvements. And back to Macau, it’s bonus season at SJM, even as official data show last year equated to a booming increase for gross national income, bolstered by strong gaming returns.
Established over a decade ago, The MongolZ has experienced numerous roster changes. However, in 2023, The MongolZ made a triumphant return, fueled by a robust partnership with 1xBet and the emergence of a new generation of talented Mongolian players.
Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider is bringing its global expertise to Asia, looking to expand its operations. Since 2011, Altenar has powered hundreds of online sports betting sites worldwide and is a major B2B provider in Europe and Latin America licensed markets.
Macau gaming operator Sands China recognized some of its most exemplary team members at The Londoner Macao on Nov. 29 at the Because We Care Team Member Annual Awards Ceremony 2024.
The awards celebrate individuals and teams who demonstrate exceptional dedication and excellence in embodying the cultural values of Sands China’s Because We Care service philosophy. It honours team members who exemplify this service culture, through which they can continually support Sands China’s promise to deliver memorable, attentive and entertaining experiences to guests, colleagues, clients and community.
Over the years, Sands China has continuously worked to exemplify the meaning of ‘Because We Care’ through concrete actions and the team spirit of “We Care About You and Beyond.”
Grant Chum, CEO and Executive Director at Sands China
Grant Chum, chief executive officer and executive director of Sands China Ltd., said: “Since 2013, Sands China has hosted this awards ceremony to honour the dedication and excellence of our team members who have resolutely incorporated our four ‘Because We Care’ cultural values — We Are Friendly, We Are Professional, We Are Active Listeners and We Are One Team — into their day-to-day work. The awards demonstrate the company’s appreciation for the efforts of its 27,000 team members.”
“This year the nomination process attracted 1,800 team members from 30 departments to submit their workplace stories. We invited and encouraged team members to commend and appreciate each other by nominating outstanding colleagues and departments, thereby fostering a culture of mutual recognition within the company. By sharing stories, both big and small, the company aims to increase a sense of belonging among team members and strengthen team cohesion, as we share our experiences in providing unmatched service to hundreds of millions of guests.”
“We would like to congratulate to all the winners and top nominated individuals and teams, and express our gratitude to all who participated in the nomination and voting process. It is thanks to your efforts that the company can continue to fulfil its commitment to providing exceptional service to all our guests and visitors.”
All team members have access to a recognition platform where they can review the stories of the shortlisted nominees. This award nomination process engaged team members from all levels of Sands China’s operations, who nominated nearly 1800 individuals and teams this year. Following the nominations, all team members were enthusiastically invited to participate in voting, resulting in team members casting almost 50,000 votes on the recognition platform.
This platform provided team members with the opportunity to review the inspiring stories of the shortlisted nominees, express their preferences through voting, share valuable comments, and endorse individuals and teams based on the Because We Care core values. Subsequently, a committee meticulously selected the top 100 nominees – some as individuals and some as teams, totalling 326 team members – who advanced to the final stage of the competition for the prestigious awards.
Wilfred Wong, President, Sands China
At the ceremony, winners were announced in nine award categories, which comprehensively cover the various elements of the Because We Care culture: “Because We Care” Premium Award, People’s Choice Award, Active Listener Award, Best Team Player Award, Professional Award, New Team Member Award, Manager of the Year, Outstanding Team Award and Fellowship Award.
Over 650 of the nominees’ department heads and fellow team members attended the ceremony. Chum was joined by Sands China Ltd. Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Wilfred Wong to personally present certificates to each of the top 100 award nominees on stage, and the winners received trophies, cash prizes, or other sought-after rewards valued close to MOP 750,000 in appreciation of their dedication and contributions.
A total of 19 individuals and 7 groups were winners in this year’s Because We Care Team Member Awards:
AWARD
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
“Because We Care” Premium Award
Amy Ouyang, Ivy Lam
People’s Choice Award
Rebecca Chen
Sweelee Tang
Forcer Ho
Active Listener Award
Alan Liu
Sarah Wen
Sany Huang
Best Team Player Award
Mio Lam
Thompson Yang, James Jiang
Kevin Chan
Professional Award
Pan Lou
Nana Zhou
Iong Iong
New Team Member Award
Cosia Kou
Harevy Hu
Alice Kuok
Manager of the Year
Lily Chi
Ming Ruan
Andy Si Tou
Outstanding Award
Venetian PAD Team
Casino Room Optimization Team
Casino Project & Support Team
Fellowship Award
Astor Long, Jin Zhang
“BWC” The Venetian Product Knowledge Project Team
Chris Lam, Bimbong Bayot, Joe K. Kyaw Kyaw Oo, Alex Leong
Digitain, a global leader in Sportsbook and iGaming solutions for over 20 years, has announced its new company slogan: “BUILT TO LEAD“. Launched ahead of ICE Barcelona 2025, this slogan highlights Digitain’s fresh perspective on its vision, positioning, strategic pillars, and essence.
Digitain’s new vision reflects its dedication and commitment tocreating genuine connections, ensuring meticulous attention to detail, and maintaining a dynamic, leading-edge approach to innovation. The company’s lasting success is grounded in the strength of its partnerships, an obsession with achieving excellence, and a relentless drive to set new industry benchmarks.
Guided by its strategic pillars—next-generationproduct innovation, unsurpassed service, industry expertise and pioneering new standards—Digitain is further solidifying its position as the trusted partner of choice for leading operators worldwide.
Aregnaz Hakobyan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Digitain, stated: “A strong foundation and well-defined brand architecture are the cornerstones of our success and the roadmap to our future. The Brand Reboot Project was a project that we have worked for over 4 months and is more than a refresh—it’s a powerful step forward that enhances our value and clearly articulates our purpose. Our slogan,’BUILT TO LEAD.‘ encapsulates who we are and where we are heading, embodying our unwavering commitment to excellence and leadership. It also signifies that our company has reached a pivotal point—leading the iGaming and tech industry with innovation and unmatched expertise.”
“Our vision clearly indicates that we are shaping the future of iGaming as the leading technology giant and the partner of choice for top-tier operators globally. With unrivaled service and a passionately committed team, we are setting new industry standards, making iGaming safer and more socially accepted than ever before.”
Japan and South Korea are set to ease visa policies for Chinese tourists, with the changes expected to take effect in the coming months.
On December 25th, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi announced in Beijing that Japan will relax its visa conditions for Chinese citizens. In addition to introducing a 10-year tourist visa, the stay duration for group tourist visas will be extended to 30 days.
The new measures are expected to take effect in the spring of 2025.
Meanwhile, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated on Thursday that the country is considering a visa-free pilot project for Chinese tourist groups.
According to South Korea’s newly released tourism revitalization plan, the government has set a target of attracting 18.5 million tourists in 2025, with a goal of generating KRW30 trillion ($22.8 billion) in tourism sales and KRW40 trillion ($30.4 billion) in domestic travel consumption. To achieve this, the South Korean government plans to allocate 70 percent of its tourism budget in the first half of the year, focusing on stabilizing the inbound tourism market.
These measures are expected to significantly boost the tourism sector, as Chinese tourists have long been a major contributor to the market.
Currently, South Korea’s casinos are primarily for foreigners, with Chinese gamblers being the main patrons. Additionally, the first casino in Japan, MGM Osaka, is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2030.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised the Philippines for its ‘significant progress’ regarding its AML/CFT issues, hopefully paving the way for it to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s ‘grey list’.
Following the IMF Executive Board’s consultation with the country, the IMF indicated that ‘authorities have made significant progress in address outstanding anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CTF) issues, which should continue’.
The group furthers that the FATF’s ‘determination that the Philippine has substantially completed its action plan is welcome’.
The IMF furthers that it ‘keeping up with evolving FATF requirements will be important in the context of the next mutual evaluation in 2027’.
The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in October pledged to double down on removing the country from the FATF’s ‘grey list’.
An on-site visit is expected from the FATF Asia/Pacific Joint Group early next year, aimed at verifying the implementation of AML/CFT reforms.
Regarding the country’s economy as a whole, the IMF indicates that there are still some key priority areas, namely ‘upgrading infrastructure, making significant investments in healthcare and education, addressing land fragmentation and low productivity in the agricultural sector, and enhancing governance.
The group points out how ‘digitalization provides an important opportunity’.
