Zitro, a leading company in the gaming industry, announced the implementation of an energy efficiency policy that aims to improve energy management across all company facilities.
Through measures such as optimizing energy consumption, implementing efficient technologies, and promoting behaviors among its employees to reduce unnecessary consumption, Zitro seeks to mitigate its environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Zitro’s Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Committee will conduct an employee training program to promote the adoption of responsible practices in all daily activities. In this way, Zitro is committed to strictly complying with all applicable legislation and other energy efficiency, use, and consumption requirements.
“We recognize the importance of sustainability and are fully aware of the environmental impact of our energy consumption,” stated Marta Cuesta, VP of Product and Development at Zitro. “Therefore, we are committed to implementing an energy policy that helps us mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions, setting an example in our industry and driving significant changes towards a more sustainable future.”
Good morning. Crown Resorts has sold the One Queensbridge development site in Melbourne for $57.05 million as part of Blackstone’s strategy to recover the group from financial struggles. Originally intended for a $1.17 billion hotel and apartment complex, those plans were suspended in 2019. Meanwhile, INTERPOL announced that a major international sting operation against illegal football gambling has resulted in over 5,100 arrests and the recovery of more than $59 million in illicit earnings. In Macau, authorities are investigating complaints by mainland Chinese tour groups that they were asked for entry fees by tour guides when entering casinos in Macau.
What you need to know
Crown Resorts has officially sold the One Queensbridge development site in Melbourne as part of efforts to improve its financial condition.
INTERPOL led global sting against illegal football gambling leads to over 5,000 arrests and the recovery of more than $59 million in illicit earnings.
Crown Resorts has sold the One Queensbridge development site in Melbourne for AU$85 million ($57.05 million) as part of a financial restructuring strategy led by its private equity owner, Blackstone. Originally intended for a $1.75 billion hotel and apartment complex, the plans were abandoned in 2019. Crown Resorts reported a narrowed loss of AU$164.8 million ($111 million) for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2024, a 17.4 percent improvement from the previous year.
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.
For global betting company 1xBet, Asia is a key market for several reasons. This is why 1xBet pays special attention to the Asian market and actively promotes its sports betting platform and the most popular gambling games on the continent.
Asian American Entertainment (AAEC) has seen its latest appeal denied by the Court of Second Instance in Macau, in another blow to its legal dispute with Las Vegas Sands and Venetian Macau.
The firm helmed by Marshall Hao had its claims against the gaming giant rejected again, now leaving it with only a high court appeal possibility for the billions that it’s seeking in claims linked to the initial Macau gaming concession dating back to 2002.
According to public broadcaster TDM Canal Macau, the courts in 2022 had rejected its claim that a partnership signed between Asian American and Las Vegas Sands was valid. The Taiwanese-led firm had claimed that the American partner had breached its contract with the company and signed on with Galaxy to be granted a sub-concession for Macau gaming.
Las Vegas Sands
Two years later, the appeal has again been rejected by the courts, putting in question whether the company’s claim for some MOP90 billion ($11.3 billion) in damages will be deemed legitimate by a future legal action, now only possible via the Court of Final Appeal.
According to the company’s lawyer cited by the broadcaster, the ruling by the Court of Second Appeal was met unfavorably by Asian American, however the lawyer has not yet received the ruling and what possible countermeasures that could be filed.
The legal team behind Asian American has promised to continue its legal battle and will move the case to the Court of Final Appeal.
Genting Singapore has officially declared the members’ voluntary dissolution and liquidation of seven several indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries incorporated in Japan.
The subsidiaries affected by this decision include Acorn Co., Ltd., BlueBell Co., Ltd., Genting Japan Co., Ltd., Genting Tokyo Co., Ltd., Resorts World Japan Co., Ltd., Resorts World Tokyo Co., Ltd., and SunLake Co., Ltd.
Genting Singapore previously pursued a bid to develop an integrated resort in Yokohama City, in a consortium including Sega Sammy. However, in 2023 confirmed it had decided to step out out of the race to develop an IR in the country.
The company has indicated that the dissolution process is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets or earnings per share of the Group for the financial year ending December 31, 2024.
Furthermore, it was emphasized that none of the Directors or substantial shareholders of Genting Singapore hold any direct or indirect interest in the voluntary dissolution beyond their respective shareholdings in the Company.
Genting was just one of many operators who had expressed interest in Japan – including Las Vegas Sands, Melco Resorts and Entertainment, Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Suncity Group, MGM Resorts and Casinos Austria, among others.
Mainland tour group visitors have recently complained on social media that they were asked for entry fees by tour guides when entering casinos in Macau.
Helena de Senna Fernandes, Head of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO)
In response, Helena de Senna Fernandes, Head of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), announced on Sunday that an investigation will be launched to address these illegal practices.
According to a complaint found by AGB on China’s social media platform Xiaohongshu, a netizen reported being charged RMB200 ($28) for entry to The Venetian Macau.
Speaking to local media outlets, Fernandes acknowledged the concerning posts and stated that authorities would investigate whether the actions stemmed from local travel agencies or cross-border tour guides. She emphasized that inspections will be carried out.
Fernandes explained that if local travel agencies are found responsible, they will face fines, and depending on the severity of the situation, their licenses could be affected. If non-local tour guides are involved, different penalties will apply.
MGTO has pledged to not only conduct its own inspections but also to collaborate with relevant departments for joint inspections. She reiterated that monitoring efforts have never ceased, and the authorities will work with the Greater Bay Area to combat these issues. In a recent meeting in Macau, information was exchanged regarding suspected problems or violations, which will be reported to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Fernandes also stated that the authorities will continue to enhance public education efforts, highlighting that low-priced tour groups are often the source of many issues. She reiterated her call for tourists to avoid such options.
When asked whether the MGTO received any complaints about tour group violations this year, Fernandes noted that the number of violations discovered through inspections exceeds the number of complaints received. She described these violations as a persistent issue, indicating that while some patterns may fade, new ones often emerge. She emphasized that the authorities will continue to monitor, combat, and raise awareness about these practices.
Boosting international visitors on the way
As reported previously, by the end of the second quarter, Macau’s tourism authorities had introduced over 70,000 discounted flight tickets to attract international tourists and boost overseas arrivals.
This initiative follows the Macau government’s allocation of MOP235 million ($29.36 million) to support tourism recovery and increase international visitation.
Fernandes revealed on Sunday that they have already spent half of the MOP 235 million budget so far, noting that the results are encouraging.
When asked if there would be another edition of this type of allocation, the head of MGTO replied that, due to next year’s budget still not entering the approval process, they are currently unable to disclose all details.
The MGTO has set a target of 2 million foreign arrivals by year-end. Preliminary data indicate that Macau received 1.68 million international tourists from January to September, marking a 95.2 percent year-on-year increase. However, this figure still represents only 70.8 percent of the international visitor numbers recorded during the same period in 2019.
Crown Resorts has officially sold the One Queensbridge development site in Melbourne for AU$85 million (US$57.05 million), as part of a strategic move by its private equity owner, Blackstone, to recover from poor financial performance.
The sale, finalized in August, marks a significant shift for the casino operator, which had originally planned to create a $1.75 billion (US$1.17 billion), 90-floor hotel and apartment complex on the site, set to be Melbourne’s tallest tower, with development plans shelved in 2019.
The recent transaction follows Crown’s earlier divestiture of its 20 percent stake in Nobu, the globally recognized restaurant chain partly owned by Hollywood actor Robert De Niro, in a deal valued at AU$1.3 billion (US$871.81 million).
The Australian Financial Review has indicated that Crown is also exploring the sale of its prestigious Melbourne golf club and the high-end Aspinall’s Club in London.
Blackstone acquired Crown Resorts for AU$8.9 billion (US$5.95 billion) in 2022 and has focused on liquidating non-core assets to improve the company’s financial standing.
The group reportedly injected nearly AU$500 million ($337 million) into Crown Resorts in 2023 following its significant penalties for breaking anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) legislation.
In its latest filings with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Crown revealed it had reached agreements to sell various parcels of land and had found a buyer for one of its private jets, a Bombardier Global Express XRS.
The One Queensbridge site was initially a collaborative project with the Schiavello Group, which Crown purchased out of its 50 percent stake in 2020 for AU$80 million (US$53.69 million), intending it to become a fourth hotel under the Crown brand.
While the development plans have been abandoned, the sale includes a profit-sharing agreement that could yield additional revenue for Crown if the buyer, identified as commercial property developer PDG, secures planning permits and advances the project.
Crown Resorts reported a narrowed loss of AU$164.8 million (US$110.43 million) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, a 17.4 percent improvement from the AU$199 million (US$133.56 million) loss recorded the previous year.
However, this improvement is largely attributed to cost-cutting measures rather than a significant increase in business volumes. The company’s revenues stood at AU$2.8 billion (US$1.88 billion), a slight decline of 0.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Crown’s recent financial challenges resulted from multiple inquiries that deemed the company unsuitable to hold casino licenses across its properties in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
Crown SydneyCrown Melbourne
These investigations uncovered systemic issues related to money laundering controls, responsible gambling practices, tax compliance, and other regulatory concerns. Following a comprehensive transformation led by CEO Ciarán Carruthers, Crown has since regained its suitability in New South Wales and Victoria.
A major international sting operation led by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) against illegal football gambling has resulted in over 5,100 arrests and the recovery of more than $59 million in illicit earnings.
The operation, known as SOGA X, ran from June to July 2024, coinciding with the UEFA 2024 European Football Championship, a time of heightened betting activity that drew the attention of both law enforcement and organized crime networks.
SOGA X was a collaborative effort led by INTERPOL, bringing together law enforcement agencies from 28 countries and territories. The operation targeted illegal online football betting, aiming to curb the surge in illicit gambling that accompanies major sporting events like the UEFA European Championship. The global illegal gambling market is valued at an estimated $1.7 trillion, according to the Asian Racing Federation, with criminal groups taking advantage of its massive profitability to fund other illicit activities.
The operation’s success extended beyond the seizure of illegal earnings, as tens of thousands of unauthorized gambling websites were shut down, disrupting a web of illegal operations spanning multiple countries. In many cases, the investigations unearthed broader criminal activity, including human trafficking and money laundering rings.
In the Philippines, SOGA X led to a significant breakthrough when local authorities, supported by INTERPOL, dismantled a scam center operating in tandem with a licensed gambling site. The raid resulted in the rescue of more than 650 victims of human trafficking, including nearly 400 Filipinos and over 250 foreign nationals from six countries. Many of these individuals had been deceived with false job offers, only to find themselves trapped in abusive working conditions, facing threats, intimidation, and the confiscation of their passports.
The victims were forced to work for the licensed gambling operator while also running illegal online scams, such as romance frauds and cryptocurrency scams. INTERPOL’s Operational Support Team provided crucial on-the-ground assistance, from analyzing digital evidence on seized devices to tracing financial flows and identifying suspects across different jurisdictions.
The SOGA X operation also dealt a blow to illegal betting syndicates in countries with strict gambling laws, including Vietnam, where all forms of online gambling are banned for citizens. Authorities there dismantled a highly organized operation that was handling an astonishing $800,000 in daily transactions. This syndicate relied on servers spread across various countries and used a complex web of bank accounts and e-wallets to handle bets and process payouts.
The extensive financial networks employed by the syndicate made it difficult to track, as criminals sought to evade detection by distributing funds across numerous accounts and jurisdictions. This strategy is common among organized crime groups, which use these methods to launder money and obscure the origins of their illicit gains.
In Thailand, law enforcement officials targeted two locations that served as hubs for illegal betting, apprehending the leaders of the operations and confiscating assets valued at over $9 million. These raids exposed not only illegal gambling but also complex money laundering schemes designed to funnel criminal profits back into the underworld.
Greece also saw a significant takedown, with authorities dismantling a ring that manipulated fake and mule user accounts to place bets on sports events. This group leveraged VPNs to bypass internet restrictions, operating at least seven illegal gambling sites and accessing accounts on 60 others. Using stolen identities and fabricated documents, they managed a network of around 3,000 fake accounts on legal gambling websites across Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. During the investigation, laptops containing over 9,000 images of fake identification cards were seized, revealing the scale of the operation.
The syndicate’s strategy of dispersing large sums of money across multiple accounts is a classic method used to evade scrutiny from financial institutions and law enforcement. By breaking down larger transactions into smaller, less suspicious amounts, these groups effectively obscure their operations, making it more challenging for authorities to track and dismantle their networks.
SOGA X’s success is a testament to the power of international cooperation. With the support of the Asia-Pacific Expert Group on Organized Crime (APEG), the INTERPOL Match-Fixing Task Force (IMFTF), and UEFA, INTERPOL played a central role in facilitating intelligence sharing and providing training to local law enforcement agencies.
Stephen Kavanagh, INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, emphasized the importance of global coordination in tackling these complex criminal networks. “Organized crime networks reap huge profits from illegal gambling, which is often intertwined with corruption, human trafficking, and money laundering. The successes of Operation SOGA X would not have been achieved without global information sharing and significant efforts by law enforcement authorities on the ground,” he said.
Illegal gambling operations are often closely tied to match-fixing, as criminal groups seek to manipulate game outcomes to secure guaranteed wins. By controlling the results of sports events, these syndicates can cash in on bets placed through their illegal networks. One of the goals of SOGA X was to intercept such manipulation efforts, with investigations continuing in several jurisdictions to uncover and prevent potential match-fixing incidents.
Push Gaming, a B2B gaming supplier, has undertaken a significant reorganization of its C-level executives to position the company for growth. Among the changes, Andy Bentley is appointed as Chief Operating Officer, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the leadership team.
Andy assumes his new COO role having worked with Push Gaming extensively on various strategic projects over the past six months. He brings a wealth of experience at major industry brands including Ladbrokes, Genting and the Gauselmann Group.
His remit will major on marketing, project delivery, and the multiple opportunities that Push Gaming now finds available following its acquisition by MGM Resorts.
The key hire comes as Co-Founder Winston Lee also moves to Co-CEO, a position he will share with previous sole incumbent James Marshall.
Winston will continue to oversee the company’s legal, compliance, finance, and live operations, while James will maintain oversight on games and product development, people and culture, and sales and account management.
James Marshall, CEO, Push Gaming
James Marshall, CO-CEO at Push Gaming, said: “As we move into the upcoming year, we have ambitious plans in place. With Andy joining our team, I am confident that we will build our momentum, launching a range of new games in Q1 and further developing our global partnerships.”
Andy Bentley, the new COO at Push Gaming, added: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time consulting with the incredible team at Push so far and I’m honored to have been offered the opportunity to take on such an exciting permanent role. Push Gaming is a brand that I have long admired and is a company with fantastic scope for future growth- so I’m thrilled to be a part of that mission.”
Galaxsys is proud to announce a new partnership with SOFTSWISS, a leading iGaming supplier that has been providing powerful software solutions for over 15 years.
The company has an immaculate track record, supplying over 23,500 games to more than 1,000 brands across the globe. With its extensive expertise and reputation for delivering quality solutions, SOFTSWISS has become a trusted partner for operators that offer exceptional gaming experiences.
Now, Galaxsys’ portfolio of unique and innovative games—including crash, plinko, mines, turbo, bingo, and more—will join this vast selection, further expanding SOFTSWISS’ offering and broadening the reach of Galaxsys’ award-winning games to new markets and players worldwide.
Teni Grigoryan, Chief Sales, and Partner Management Officer at Galaxsys, commented: “Thanks to SOFTSWISS’ strong network, our games will become available to even more players in various markets. We trust SOFTSWISS, an industry veteran, to help our games gain the visibility they deserve. Galaxsys is now joining the network of 270+ prestigious providers, and we’re certain our games will stand out for their quality.”
Gil Soffer, SVP of Sales and Business Development at Galaxsys added: “We see tremendous potential in this partnership with SOFTSWISS. Their established network offers us an invaluable platform to showcase our games, and we’re excited to see how this collaboration will further extend our unique game portfolio to new markets.”
Nikita Keino, Head of Partnerships at SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator, commented: “The SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator boasts the largest game portfolio on the market, and we take great pride in that. Thanks to new partners providing high-quality content, we are also proud that there’s still room for growth.”
Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, donated $95 million to her Pro-Trump super PAC, Preserve America, last quarter, bringing her total contributions for the year to $100 million.
According to several US-based outlets, this positions her as one of the largest donors in the current election cycle, a position held several times before by her late husband and Las Vegas Sands founder, who passed away in 2021.
Adelson’s significant funding comes amid a surge of billionaire contributions to Pro-Trump groups, particularly as Trump faces fundraising challenges against Vice President Kamala Harris. Notably, Tim Mellon (Mellon banking heir) has contributed $125 million to another Pro-Trump PAC, and Elon Musk is associated with a third PAC.
Preserve America PAC has spent $92 million so far, focusing heavily on advertising in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Adelson’s contributions this year already surpass the $90 million she and her husband donated to a Pro-Trump PAC in 2020.
Additionally, she donated $5 million to the GOP-affiliated Senate Leadership Fund, raising her total contributions to that group to $15 million this year.
The 2024 United States presidential election is set to be held on November 5th, 2024.
Adelson and her late husband gave the most – over $218 million – to Republican and conservative causes in the 2020 US election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political spending.
The Adelsons were mostly focused on philanthropy and business ventures in Israel and donations to Jewish causes.
In related news, Las Vegas Sands, largely controlled by Miriam and her family, will invest up to HK$800 million ($103 million) to further increase its stake in Macau subsidiary Sands China, boosting its controlling interest to almost 72 percent.
