The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed the launch of three new direct air routes between China and Manila in May 2026, as the government seeks to strengthen connectivity and accelerate recovery in the Chinese tourism market.
The new services include Qingdao Airlines’ Changsha–Manila route, launched on May 16th, and two XiamenAir routes connecting Chongqing and Hangzhou with Manila on May 21st and May 20th, respectively. The DOT said the expanded connectivity supports the government’s broader tourism recovery strategy under the National Tourism Development Plan 2023–2028.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the additional direct services reflect efforts to restore air links from China, although seat capacity remains at only around half of 2019 levels.
“Visitor arrivals from China have already posted the strongest growth among our major source markets this year,” Angara-Mathay said, adding that the challenge now lies in converting demand into travel through “sufficient, reliable, and commercially sustainable access.”
The Hangzhou–Manila service operates four times weekly through October 31st, 2026. The inaugural inbound flight carried 76 passengers, while the outbound service departed with 122 passengers onboard. The Changsha route operates three times weekly through October 24th, 2026, while the Chongqing service runs three times weekly through October 31st, 2026.
From January 1st to May 19th, 2026, the Philippines recorded 7,779,012 international inbound air seats, up 8.31 percent year-on-year, and 30,729 international flight arrivals, up 4.71 percent. China accounted for 4.56 percent of total visitor arrivals to the Philippines in 2025.
Cambodia’s crackdown on cyber scams has led to the arrest, deportation, or voluntary departure of approximately 300,000 foreign nationals linked to online fraud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Sokha announced on Wednesday during a meeting with Swiss Ambassador to Cambodia Pedro Zwahlen.
As reported by local media outlet Cambodia China Times, Sar Sokha said the Cambodian government continues to conduct large-scale operations against telecommunications and cyber fraud crimes. He noted that the cumulative figure of around 300,000 foreigners includes individuals who were arrested and prosecuted, deported, or who left the country voluntarily.
Among them, some ringleaders of criminal groups have been arrested and repatriated to their countries of origin, while others are serving prison sentences in Cambodia. More than 200,000 foreign nationals involved in scam activities reportedly left the country on their own accord.
Sar Sokha said that although some criminals have shifted to smaller, more covert operations, enforcement agencies continue to investigate under the Anti-Telecom Fraud Law, gradually bringing those involved to justice.
According to data from Cambodia’s National Committee for Combating Online Scams, authorities deported 18,864 foreign nationals tied to cyber fraud between January 2025 and May 24th, 2026, including 2,263 women from 33 countries and regions.
Separately, between July 2025 and May 20th, 2026, enforcement agencies cracked more than 400 cases and revoked or suspended the licenses of 25 casinos suspected of involvement in online fraud operations
Las Vegas Sands views smart tables as the gateway to “a new frontier” in patron data, with the technology feeding the business intelligence the operator sees as artificial intelligence’s biggest prize, according to chairman and chief executive Patrick Dumont.
Patrick Dumont
Dumont, who also chairs Hong Kong-listed Sands China Ltd, was speaking on Thursday during a fireside chat at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference in New York, hosted by Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke.
He pointed to three areas where AI could affect the business: the development of proprietary tools, staff efficiency, and business intelligence. “But I think the biggest opportunity for us is business intelligence,” Dumont said, describing the use of customer data to understand patron behavior as a frontier that connects directly to the group’s smart gaming tables.
Dumont said Sands has been investing in smart tables for more than eight years, calling the program “very successful” while noting it remained in its “early days” in terms of efficiency gains.
“The key for us is really a combination of RFID and optical,” he said. “That allows us to really be precise about the way that we understand what’s happening at the table.”
That approach sets Sands China apart from its rivals. AGB understands the operator uses a smart table system supplied by Japan’s Angel Group across its Macau properties, while the other five concessionaires have adopted technology from US firm Walker Digital Table Systems. Industry sources indicate that smart tables now cover virtually all baccarat tables across the Macau market.
The two systems take different technical approaches. Walker Digital is understood to rely on a pure RFID solution, while Angel combines RFID with optical capture, using cameras for motion tracking and pose recognition. Angel has deployed its system across thousands of tables at Sands China’s Macau properties, including The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao and The Londoner Macao.
Dumont said the goal was to bring table analytics close to the standard already available on the slot side, improving both security and the patron experience.
Sands has no plans to extend its reach into online gaming, even through brand licensing. “We are very focused on doing the things that we’re market leaders in,” Dumont said, adding that the company would not “pursue things that are not in our core”.
Confident on the long term
The technology drive sits alongside a wider capital program in Macau, which Dumont said rested on a positive long-term view of the market.
“I have a very positive outlook for Macau for the next 3, 5, and 10 years,” he said. “And that’s the reason why we’re so confident to continue to invest there.”
Sands is focusing its spending on three areas: product, people and service. Dumont said the company was working to introduce products “more able to address the demand of higher-value patrons, because we’re missing capacity in the premium segment, particularly in the most premium areas”. It is also seeking to optimize its premium mass and base mass operations.
He pointed to a wealthier returning customer base, noting that many patrons had built significant wealth over the past five years on the back of growth in China and Southeast Asia.
Dumont said Sands was targeting property EBITDA of between $2.7 billion and $2.8 billion in Macau, driven mainly by revenue growth as the operator adds capacity in its most premium areas.
The Venetian Macao is under renovation, with newly refurbished rooms due back online over the next 18 months and completion expected by the end of 2027. Sands announced in April that it was refreshing hotel rooms at the property and adding luxury suites.
Dumont described Macau as “a product-driven market”, adding: “I always joke with people, saying that before the Venetian was built, gross gaming revenue on Cotai was zero.”
The investment case rests on the group’s Macau performance. Sands China reported net income of $294 million for the first quarter of 2026, up from $202 million a year earlier, while adjusted property EBITDA rose to $633 million from $535 million.
Las Vegas Sands expects its planned $8 billion expansion of Marina Bay Sands to exceed the company’s return thresholds, with chairman and chief executive officer Patrick Dumont saying the project should be assessed against the Singapore property’s broader investment base and long-term asset productivity.
Speaking on Thursday at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, Dumont said that about $2 billion of the expansion costs relates to a land premium payable to the Singapore government. He said the overall investment case should include Marina Bay Sands’ original development cost, recent renovation spending, historical capital expenditure and the new expansion.
Patrick Dumont, President and Chief Operating Officer, Las Vegas Sands
“When you look at all that spending in aggregate and you look at the productivity of the asset in aggregate, we would exceed our return thresholds that we expect,” he said.
The expansion forms part of Las Vegas Sands’ broader premium tourism strategy in Singapore, where Marina Bay Sands has benefited from sustained investment in luxury accommodation, service, dining and entertainment, as well as structural demand from high-value regional travelers.
“If you look at our company’s history, we’ve always created success through investment,” Dumont said, adding that Las Vegas Sands has been investing behind its Singapore thesis for more than 15 years.
Marina Bay Sands’ profitability was also highlighted during the discussion, with Bernstein’s Richard Clarke referring to a 52 percent EBITDA margin. Dumont said the property’s margin structure has historically been among the strongest in the industry at scale, supported by the quality of investment and the type of patrons available in Singapore.
“It’s a very high-end market, it is rarefied air, these are best patrons in the world, and they’re there at scale,” he said.
Dumont also contrasted Singapore’s customer base with that of Macau. He said Singapore draws inbound tourists from across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as some visitors from South Korea and Japan. Macau, by comparison, is primarily fed by China, Hong Kong and a smaller number of other markets.
The executive said Singapore’s appeal is supported by wealth creation in Southeast Asia and demand for distinctive travel experiences. He described Marina Bay Sands as a property that has consistently exceeded industry expectations since opening, helping support tourism growth and foreign direct investment in Singapore.
The planned expansion, referred to during the discussion as IR2, is expected to add a higher level of luxury hospitality, food and beverage, gaming and entertainment. Dumont said the project will use knowledge gained from Marina Bay Sands’ existing operations and recent upgrades to create a more elevated product.
“We’re looking at IR2 as a way to take all of that knowledge and experience and create a higher level of luxury, a higher level of unique hospitality experiences, a higher level of food and beverage, a higher level of gaming, and most importantly, a higher level of entertainment,” he said.
The project follows a $1.75 billion reinvestment program at Marina Bay Sands, which Dumont said improved the experience for high-end patrons and guests. The program focused on room design, material quality, service, food and beverage offerings and the creation of a new suite product.
Dumont said those upgrades helped support recent growth in Singapore. He also pointed to government investment in sectors that support high-value tourism, describing the market’s structural tailwinds as “extraordinary.”
The expansion will also add MICE capacity, including another large-scale column-free ballroom, and a 15,000-seat live performance venue. Dumont said the additional facilities would allow Marina Bay Sands to host events it cannot currently accommodate, while noting that major events such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Formula 1 have helped drive visitation to Singapore.
Good morning. The higher you climb, the harder the comparisons hit. Jefferies trimmed its May GGR growth call for Macau to 3–5 percent, warning that tougher year-on-year comparisons through 2026 are already biting — and flagging premium mass as the segment still doing the heavy lifting, with Wynn and Galaxy best placed. Speaking of which, Galaxy Macau Phase 4 is now penciled in for a 2028 opening, courting high-value travelers from Japan, Korea, and ASEAN. Meanwhile, Century Entertainment mapped a ten-stage path back to Hong Kong trading by August 2026, leaning on its Philippine partner platform launch and first licensed venue deal.
What you need to know
Jefferies turns more cautious on Macau’s May GGR outlook, now seeing 3 percent to 5 percent growth and revenue of $2.72 billion to $2.79 billion.
Macau’s May gross gaming revenue is expected to grow just 3-5 percent year-on-year, Jefferies said, citing softer late-month trends and tougher comparisons through 2026. Full-month GGR is projected at $2.72-2.79 billion, below market consensus. Premium mass remains the dominant growth driver, favoring Wynn Macau and Galaxy Entertainment. Macau’s draft Five-Year Plan also signals a two-year delay to its non-gaming diversification goal, now targeting 2030.
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.
SOFTSWISS launched a new multichannel campaign at NEXT Valletta 2026 to showcase its diverse iGaming solutions outside of its flagship Casino Platform.
The activation focused on the Sportsbook, the Game Aggregator,and the Prediction Markets Platform– three solutions within the SOFTSWISS portfolio that are often overshadowed by the company’s strongest market association.
The campaign addressed a challenge the company openly acknowledged: while SOFTSWISS has developed a broad product ecosystem, many in the market still associate the brand with the Casino Platform. The company decided to fix that by rolling out what it called “the most advanced marketing technology available: people noticing things”.
With a mix of LinkedIn activity, employee-led content, and an offline activation, the campaign focused on getting the industry to notice its broader product lineup.
Starting Point: A CMO’s LinkedIn Confession
Valentina Bagniya, CMO at SOFTSWISS
The campaign started with a LinkedIn post from Valentina Bagniya, Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS. She reflected on how the company had spent years explaining its wider offering through “brochures, banners, booths, decks, acronyms, acronyms inside decks, and decks explaining the acronyms,” while the market still simplified the story to a single product association. Her takeaway was that SOFTSWISS had been “too elegant” about its own product lineup – marketer’s language for “not obvious enough.”
According to Bagniya: “For SOFTSWISS, the Casino Platform is a strong and commercially important association, but it is not the full picture. We wanted to make our wider product lineup more visible in a way that felt simple, human, and memorable. The Sportsbook, Game Aggregator, and Prediction Markets all play an important role in how we support our partners’ growth, and we wanted people to notice them. And they did – so it worked.”
Employees Drove the Campaign’s Momentum
The LinkedIn activity quickly expanded beyond a single executive post. Employees across marketing, business development, product, and leadership teams shared photos of themselves holding signs that called for attention to products beyond the Casino Platform. The result was a steady flow of employee-generated content turning an internal marketing point into a public message.
Offline Activation at NEXT Valletta
The campaign culminated on 27 May at NEXT Valletta 2026, the conference run by NEXT.io, the world’s iGaming community, in Malta. Inside the main hall, more than 50 people held signs highlighting the Sportsbook, the Game Aggregator, and the Prediction Markets Platform. This brought the campaign’s central message into direct contact with attendees.
Pierre Lindh, Co-Founder and Managing Director at NEXT.io, added: “SOFTSWISS brought one of the most memorable activations we’ve seen at NEXT Valletta. Rather than relying on standard exhibition presence, they turned product visibility itself into the campaign and it resonated across the floor. The message captured exactly what smart conference marketing should do: make people stop, smile, and remember. It’s a great example of how brands can use an industry event as a genuine communication platform.”
SOFTSWISS continues to expand its modular product portfolio with solutions that help operators grow their offering and engage new player segments. In April 2026, the tech provider was the first in the industry to introduce the Prediction Markets Platform. Built on a fixed-odds principle, this B2B solution allows operators to offer event-based wagering across politics, economics, entertainment, and other categories.
Century Entertainment International has set August 2026 as its target date for resuming trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where its shares have been suspended since June 26th 2025, according to an update filed on May 27th.
In the announcement, the company laid out a ten-stage resumption plan, with the final stages — submission of a resumption proposal to the Stock Exchange, followed by exchange review and approval — scheduled for July and August 2026. The board said it is ‘actively managing each stage to ensure timely execution.‘
Among the milestones cited in support of the resumption bid, Century Entertainment pointed to the April 2026 launch of its app on the Philippines-based World Platinum Technologies (WPT) platform, as well as the signing of its first Gaming Venue Operator (GVO) agreement that same month. The company recorded its first revenue in the final week of April, though the announcement described the amount only as ‘small revenue.’
The company said it is in discussions with other PAGCOR-accredited Gaming Service Authority partners, including WPT, and expects to sign one to two additional licensed partners by July 2026. It is also targeting three to five direct GVO agreements by August 31st 2026, which it said would ‘significantly enhance the Company’s revenue base and market presence.’
Unaudited turnover from the company’s Phase II and III technology-based gaming operations reached ‘not less than HK$23 million’ ($2.94 million) from commencement through March 31st 2026, while its camellia oil business contributed a further HK$6.8 million ($870,000) over the same period. Marketing activities across digital, KOL, and affiliate channels have been active since March 2026.
Auditor issues still in progress
Resolution of the disclaimer of opinion that prompted the suspension remains in progress. On the recoverability of receivables owed by chairman Ng Man Sun — who was reappointed to the role on April 15th, 2026 — the company said its auditor ‘has preliminarily expressed its view that the limitation on the recoverability of Mr. Ng’s Receivables will be removed’ following an offsetting agreement dated July 2nd 2025.
To address going concern qualifications, the company said Ho Tsz Ying — who disposed of her entire 28.05 percent stake in the company earlier this year but is described in the latest announcement as still holding HK$32 million ($4.09 million) in convertible bonds — has preliminarily indicated willingness to extend the bonds’ maturity or convert them without requiring repayment. A 24-month cash flow forecast covering the period from April 1st, 2026, is being prepared for the auditor’s evaluation.
Galaxy Entertainment Group’s Galaxy Macau Phase 4 is expected to be completed in 2027 and open in 2028, targeting high-value premium consumers from Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN markets.
The details were cited by Hong Kong media outlet Ming Pao, which reported on an HSBC note following the bank’s engagement with Galaxy.
HSBC said the new phase will significantly expand Galaxy’s non-gaming offerings and focus particularly on travelers from Tokyo, Seoul, and Southeast Asia. The report said Galaxy aims to compete through quality and service amid intensifying competition in Macau’s gaming market.
According to the report, Galaxy told HSBC that geopolitical tensions have encouraged stronger demand for short-haul travel. Luxury retail categories, including high-end fashion, watches, and jewelry, have performed well, prompting the company to expand its retail space.
HSBC said Galaxy is expected to use artificial intelligence and technology to keep operating expenses under control. The bank noted that the group’s average daily operating expenses have increased only moderately, from $3.3 million in 2019 to $3.7 million this year.
The report also said that even after the completion of Galaxy Macau Phase 4, Galaxy Entertainment will still hold a substantial amount of undeveloped land. HSBC said there is also potential for the redevelopment of Broadway Macau, which could provide an additional 750,000 square feet of usable gross floor area.
Galaxy’s management also reiterated a preference for dividends over share buybacks, supported by cash holdings of HK$33 billion to HK$35 billion ($4.23 billion to $4.49 billion).
On baccarat side bets, HSBC said Galaxy is adopting an iterative approach by first introducing different side bets and then using analytics to remove games that slow table operations.
The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has clarified that jackpot prizes from casinos and other gambling activities are considered winnings and are subject to final withholding tax under existing tax laws, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The clarification was issued under Memorandum Circular No. 57-2026 on Tuesday, after the BIR received numerous inquiries on whether jackpot prizes, including fixed and progressive jackpots, fall within the definition of “winnings” under the Tax Code.
The circular appears to clarify an existing tax treatment rather than introduce a new levy, as Philippine tax rules have long subjected prizes and other winnings to final withholding tax. The uncertainty mainly centered on whether casino jackpot prizes, including fixed and progressive jackpots, should be treated as winnings and withheld by gaming operators.
The BIR said the circular applies to jackpot prizes or similar winnings derived by individuals, whether citizens or aliens, from participation in casino gaming and other gambling activities.
For resident individuals and other covered taxpayers, the tax base for computing the final withholding tax of 20 percent will be the gross amount of the jackpot prize or winnings. The BIR said no deduction should be made for service charges, administrative fees, commissions, or other similar charges.
For non-residents not engaged in trade or business in the Philippines, jackpot prizes and winnings are subject to a final withholding tax of 25 percent.
The circular also defined a progressive jackpot prize as a jackpot that increases incrementally as more bets are placed, whether across linked tables, electronic gaming machines, or bingo games, until the prize is won.
The BIR said the Philippine gaming and gambling industry has recorded significant growth under the regulatory framework of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and other authorized government instrumentalities, including the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority.
“This expansion has led to more high-value jackpot prizes for players,” the BIR said.
“In view of these developments, there is a compelling need to clarify the tax treatment of jackpot prizes to ensure consistent application of existing laws, promote equity and uniformity in taxation, and safeguard government revenue, without expanding or modifying the scope of the law,” it added.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said in a text message that “the circular addresses possible confusion in coverage and strengthens compliance moving forward.”
“Gaming operators are considered withholding agents of such winnings and are reminded that failure to withhold and remit the correct tax will make them liable for the tax due, as well as the applicable penalties under the Tax Code,” he said.
Chinese diplomatic missions in Indonesia have warned that telecom fraud cases targeting Chinese nationals are increasing, with some victims reporting heavy financial losses, as suspected scam operators shift from Cambodia and other countries into Indonesia.
In a notice issued on May 27th, China’s consulate in Surabaya said its missions in Indonesia had recently received multiple requests for help from Chinese citizens affected by telecom fraud. It said there were signs that ‘more people previously involved in telecom fraud in Cambodia and other countries are moving to Indonesia to commit crimes.’
Indonesian authorities have dismantled several telecom fraud sites, according to the notice.
The Chinese missions said scams currently reported in Indonesia include impersonation of government officials, currency exchange fraud, visa-related fraud, ‘pig butchering’ schemes, and fake trading or investment scams.
Chinese nationals in the country were advised not to disclose personal information to strangers, transfer money lightly, or click on unknown links. Those who have been defrauded were urged to report the case to police and seek help from Chinese diplomatic missions.
The warning comes as Indonesia increasingly emerges as a possible spillover destination for transnational online scam and illegal gambling networks in Southeast Asia, amid stronger enforcement in established scam hubs such as Cambodia and Myanmar.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has previously warned that enforcement pressure on scam compounds in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines has pushed some operations into other parts of the region. In Indonesia, recent cases have involved commercial buildings, apartments and hotels rather than large, purpose-built compounds.
Indonesian authorities have arrested hundreds of foreign nationals in Jakarta, Batam, Bali and Surabaya in recent weeks over alleged online gambling, investment fraud and scam operations.
