Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT) has announced the appointment of Novomatic board member Birgit Wimmer as a non-executive director, subject to regulatory approvals.
Birgit Wimmer
The group announced the appointment on Thursday, with the appointment of the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Novomatic ‘to take effect immediately’.
Speaking of the appointment, AGT’s Chairman Danny Gladstone noted “We welcome Birgit as a non-executive director of AGT. Given her extensive knowledge of international gaming gained through her corporate experience at Novomatic AG we believe she will complement the Board’s current skills and provide added value to Board deliberations”.
Nvomatic’s last disclosed holding on January 29th stood at 66.59 percent of AGT, up from 52.9 percent at the start of the offer in August 2025, but still short of the 75 percent required to take Ainsworth private.
Wimmer personally has a 5 percent stake in Novomatic, with the group’s Thursday filing noting that ‘the Board does not consider Ms. Wimmer to be an independent director of the company. Accordingly, strict governance protocol will be initiated to ensure Ms Wimmer does not participate in any matters that could or could be perceived to give rise to a conflict of interest’.
Ainsworth heir Kjerulf Ainsworth, a major shareholder, in early March announced plans for an all-cash proportional takeover bid for AGT, aiming to purchase 5.5 percent of the company’s outstanding stock that he does not already own.
Ainsworth currently holds about 27.5 million shares in AGT, representing approximately 8.17 percent of the company’s issued capital. If the offer is fully accepted by other shareholders, his stake would rise to roughly 13.25 percent.
DigiPlus Interactive Corp. has backed the creation of a tighter regulatory framework for the Philippines’ online gaming sector, saying stricter rules would help build a more sustainable industry rather than undermine its long-term prospects.
At a media roundtable in Bonifacio Global City on Wednesday, company executives said they were participating in a Senate technical working group considering new measures for the sector, while stressing that they do not expect any outright prohibition on licensed online gaming.
“As a licensed and leading online gaming operator, we continue to welcome collaboration and active participation in discussions with the Philippine government to achieve our shared goal of raising the standards of the industry,” Chairman Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.
The company said discussions are focused on tighter controls around payment channels and marketing restrictions, with the broader aim of strengthening consumer protection, compliance and industry transparency.
Speaking at the roundtable, DigiPlus president Andy Tsui said regulatory change remains one of the key issues the company is monitoring in 2026, but indicated the tone of discussions so far had been constructive. “We’re quite comfortable that there will be no big surprise, meaning that there will be no total ban, it’s just stricter regulation for the market,” Tsui said. “These are all positive to establish a long-term, sustainable industry.”
The comments come as DigiPlus continues to recover from the de-linking of its products from a major mobile wallet platform last August, an event executives repeatedly referred to as a major disruption to business momentum.
Results still strong
The company recorded PHP12.6 billion ($176.68 million) in net income in 2025, while total revenue reached PHP84.2 billion ($1.4 billion), up from about PHP75 billion ($1.25 billion) a year earlier. Gross gaming revenue rose by around 12 percent year-on-year, although Tsui suggested the company could have delivered significantly more had the disruption not occurred.
“In the first half of 2025, we reported around PHP24 billion to PHP25 billion ($400 million to $417 million) a quarter,” he said. “Assuming there’s no hiccup, we think we can probably achieve close to PHP90 billion to PHP100 billion ($1.5 billion to $1.66 billion) for 2025.” In the group’s recently published financial results, it didn’t specify GGR figures for FY25.
Recovery mode
According to Tsui, the de-linking took effect in mid-August and the business has been in recovery mode ever since. He said DigiPlus had spent the past six months focusing on its long-term, high-value users and migrating them to its own proprietary platform, with more than 50 percent of users now moved across.
The company is still not fully back to where it wants to be. Tsui said a full recovery is more likely in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. He added that gross gaming revenue fell by around 25 percent from the second to the third quarter of 2025, while fourth-quarter revenue was another 10 percent to 15 percent lower than the third quarter as the full-quarter impact of the disruption became apparent.
Executives said the response has included stronger recall programs, more promotional credit activity, new deposit channels such as Pay&Go kiosks and Bayad Center outlets, faster customer service response times, and new features including player balance insurance of up to PHP1 million ($16,900).
Positive outlook
Despite broader concerns around rising fuel prices and pressure on household budgets in the Philippines, DigiPlus said it has not yet seen any material impact on user behavior, though it is watching the trend closely over the next one to two quarters.
Celeste Jovenir, Vice President for Investor Relations, said the company did not view the current energy crisis as a business opportunity and would continue with business as usual rather than attempting to capitalize on economic strain.
Even so, DigiPlus believes industry conditions may improve as regulation tightens further. Tsui pointed to PAGCOR’s new minimum guarantee fee regime, under which operators will have to pay at least PHP90 million ($1.5 million) in gross gaming revenue fees or 30 percent of GGR, whichever is higher. He said that could force some smaller operators out of the market and accelerate consolidation, while the government’s continued crackdown on illegal operators could help channel more traffic toward licensed platforms.
Move into land-based
The company itself is keeping an eye on strategic opportunities. Tsui confirmed DigiPlus is proceeding with its PHP12 billion ($200 million) investment in convertible notes issued by International Entertainment Corp. (IEC), owner and operator of New Coast Hotel Manila and Casino Filipino New Coast, formerly known as Casino Filipino Waterfront. The first PHP6 billion ($100 million) tranche was paid in early March, with the balance due by the end of May or early June. If converted, the investment would give DigiPlus around 54 percent of IEC equity, although Tsui said conversion still requires Philippine Competition Commission approval and is unlikely to take effect before next year.
He said the move reflects DigiPlus’ ambition to build an omni-channel ecosystem combining online and land-based entertainment. The company is also exploring further land-based opportunities, particularly integrated resort-style assets, as well as more digital entertainment content to strengthen engagement and retention.
More in the pipeline
On product development, Tsui said DigiPlus now has more than 2,000 games across its platforms, with all live-streaming localized titles such as traditional bingo, color games and ball race developed in-house. Around 15 percent of revenue currently comes from self-developed games, a share he expects to increase over time.
The company is also using AI across promotions, product personalization, game development and responsible gaming. Tsui said AI tools help customize offers and login screens for individual players while also flagging potentially problematic behavior, allowing the company to intervene with reminders or other monitoring measures.
Internationally, DigiPlus said it is continuing preparations for Brazil, where it already holds a license, but is still developing localized content before launch. It has also applied for a South African license, with approval expected in the second quarter of 2026.
For now, however, the Philippines remains firmly at the center of its strategy. Executives argued that, despite near-term regulatory tightening, the country remains the most structured online gaming market in Asia and is already emerging as the region’s leading regulated hub.
This recognition highlights MGM’s pioneering position in the hospitality sector and its continued commitment to outstanding service and memorable guest experiences.
Dr. Iwan Dietschi
Dr. Iwan Dietschi, Senior Vice President of Hospitality of MGM, said, “MGM COTAI’s continued recognition as ‘Best Business Hotel in Macao’ over the years is a strong testament to our comprehensive strengths in the MICE and business travel sectors. By integrating versatile meeting and event venues, award‑winning dining experiences, and a diverse range of arts, cultural, and entertainment offerings, MGM delivers a seamless one‑stop integrated hospitality experience catering to the needs of various market segments. Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our products and overall guest experience, further strengthening MGM’s position as the preferred hotel brand in Macau and high-end business travel markets.”
Established in 2008, the TTG China Travel Awards—organized by TTG China under TTG Travel Trade Publishing—has become one of the most respected annual honors in the Greater China travel industry.
The awards recognize outstanding performance among travel and hospitality organizations, including hotels, airlines and travel service operators. MGM’s latest recognition once again highlights its excellence among a field of industry leaders.
ProgressPlay has shared an increased global demand for its recently launched Dual‑Engine strategy, a powerful confirmation that the market is ready for a multi‑dimensional approach rather than a single path forward—one where gaming operators are no longer asking for templates but demanding tools sharp enough to match their specific ambitions.
As the iGaming landscape fractures into distinct opportunities, some demanding total sovereignty, others demanding agile market entry, ProgressPlay has answered with two purpose-built engines:
The Standalone Solution is for the visionary who refuses to rent their future.
It delivers complete commercial sovereignty: your brand, your data, your player relationships, your legacy. This is not a white label. This is your own B2C entity, powered by ProgressPlay’s proprietary technology, built for partners who see iGaming as a core, owned vertical requiring depth and total control.
The Sweepstakes Solution is engineered for the growth strategist chasing the next wave
It bridges the gap between social engagement and regulated play, offering dual-currency mechanics, low-friction entry, and community-driven retention loops. This is not a niche experiment. It is a strategic funnel into markets where traditional models cannot yet reach.
Itai Lowenstein, CEO of ProgressPlay, framed the moment: “The monolithic market is a memory. Today’s operator is a strategist, and strategists don’t ask for one-size-fits-all. They ask for the right instrument for the composition they’re writing. Some partners want to build empires and Standalone gives them the stone and the blueprint. Others want to move fast through new territories where Sweepstakes is the vehicle. The conversations we’re having now are not about what we can plug in. They’re about what we can build together.”
Itai LowensteinMarina Nahhas
Marina Nahhas, Head of B2B Sales and Marketing, added: “We’re watching a shift in how partners see themselves. The Sweepstakes conversation is no longer ‘is this allowed?’ It’s ‘how fast can we get there?’ Visionary leaders recognise it as a community-builder, a brand-amplifier, a doorway into rooms they couldn’t previously enter. Meanwhile, Standalone partners arrive with deep equity in their own names, they don’t want a supplier. They want an ally who understands that their brand is their inheritance. We deliver the right tool for the right ambition. Nothing less.”
ProgressPlay is now converting this momentum into long-term strategic partnerships. The company’s platform remains open to licensed operators in all markets, offering robust, scalable, and compliance-ready infrastructure engineered for global leadership without the global-generic compromise.
Lowenstein concluded: “The path forward is not a single road. It’s a network of possibilities, and the only wrong choice is choosing a tool misaligned with your ambition. Our engines are built. Our partners are stepping into their futures. And we are right there beside them, not as vendors, but as architects of what comes next.”
SPORTEL’s comeback in Singapore concluded on a high note, strengthening its role as the leading connector between global sports media and the dynamic Asia‑Pacific region.
Held from 24 to 25 March at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, SPORTEL Asia brought together 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries.
SPORTEL Asia Key Takeways
Over two days, the event featured a strong international mix of industry leaders, broadcasters, rights holders, technology providers, and media companies through a programme combining exhibition, conference sessions, and multiple networking opportunities under one roof.
Beyond the scheduled meetings, networking remained at the heart of the SPORTEL experience, with highlights including the Welcome Cocktail hosted by World Table Tennis and an exclusive immersive tour of the National Stadium and the Singapore Sports Museum in collaboration with The Kallang, offering participants additional moments to connect, exchange ideas, and extend conversations well beyond the formal programme.
SPORTEL Asia in numbers:
370 participants from more than 220 companies
20% of new companies
63% of C-level attendees
1/3 of content buyers
35 countries represented
55% of participants from APAC and the Middle East & 45% from Europe and the Americas
The event also demonstrated strong commercial activity, with around 1/3 of participants representing content buyers and approximately 1/3 of rights holders — creating ideal conditions for discussions around future partnerships, rights acquisitions, and distribution strategies.
A Key Moment for the Asian Sports Media Market
Alongside the exhibition, the Conference Summit programme explored the key forces shaping the future of sports media across Asia-Pacific. Sessions addressed the evolving landscape of sports media rights in the region, strategies for commercial expansion for European leagues in APAC, the growing legacy and economic influence of women in Singapore’s sports industry, and content acquisition approaches in an increasingly digital-first market.
Industry leaders also discussed emerging trends in sports technology — including cloud production, generative AI, and automation — alongside panels on streaming personalisation, piracy, cybercrime in sports broadcasting, and the rapidly evolving sports media ecosystems in Australia and New Zealand.
To close the event, the Pitch Perfect Innovation Contest spotlighted five innovative companies — Phygital International, BitMovin, S.O. Casual Creative, Appear and Layer Cake — some attending SPORTEL for the first time and offering them an exclusive opportunity to showcase their solutions to the broader SPORTEL community.
The lucky winner, Padraig O’Donovan from Layercake, was awarded a full-access Attendee pass for the next edition of SPORTEL Monaco (19–21 October), providing them with the opportunity to further engage with the global sports media industry.
Expanding the SPORTEL Community
SPORTEL’s international editions play a pivotal role in expanding the community by introducing the SPORTEL brand to new regional stakeholders. Hosting events in key markets such as Singapore enables companies discovering the platform for the first time to connect with the global industry while building long-term relationships within the SPORTEL network.
This edition in Singapore serves as a stepping stone for companies across Asia-Pacific and beyond before attending SPORTEL Monaco (19–21 October), the flagship event where the global sports media industry gathers each year.
Commenting on the successful 2026 edition, Agnès Marsan, Executive Director of SPORTEL Asia, said: “Singapore has once again proven to be a strategic gateway for connecting the Asia‑Pacific sports media industry with the global SPORTEL community. Beyond the business conducted during the event, these regional editions are essential for welcoming new companies into the SPORTEL ecosystem and introducing them to the opportunities it offers — because SPORTEL is where deals are made, partnerships are built, and announcements come to life.”
Cambodia is moving toward enacting what could become the region’s first dedicated telecom fraud law, with penalties of up to life imprisonment, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Koeut Rith.
The draft of the Anti-Telecom Fraud Law has already been approved by the Cabinet and submitted to the National Assembly’s legislative and judicial committee, as reported by local media outlet The Cambodia China Times.
Under Cambodia’s legislative process, Cabinet approval marks the first step. The bill will next proceed to formal parliamentary deliberation and voting, although no timeline has been disclosed.
Koeut Rith said the draft sets out stringent penalties aimed at preventing the resurgence of telecom fraud. Organizing or operating scam centers is a serious offense punishable by five to 10 years in prison, with sentences rising to as much as 30 years or life imprisonment in cases involving aggravating crimes such as illegal detention, extortion, or homicide.
The draft also targets individuals who recruit or train others for fraud activities, as well as property owners who lease premises to scam operations. Landlords will not be allowed to claim lack of knowledge to avoid liability.
Officials said the legislation identifies five categories of telecom fraud-related offenses and introduces fines of up to $500,000 for serious violations.
The Deputy PM noted that once enacted, the law would establish a systematic legal framework to combat telecom fraud and strengthen enforcement efforts following recent crackdowns.
Previously, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasized that the government’s campaign against telecom fraud is ongoing and not symbolic, describing the issue as a regional and global challenge that has affected Cambodia’s international reputation.
The government has also set a deadline for the end of April to crack down on all telecom fraud operations nationwide.
Macau’s five-star hotel room prices actually dropped in February, by 2.4 percent year-on-year, despite the Chinese New Year holiday falling completely within the month this year.
According to data from the Macau Hotel Association, the average room rate of five-star hotels was MOP1,56 ($194.05), compared to MOP1,598 ($198.78) in February 2025.
The figure was a slight increase from the MOP1,522.5 ($189.39) average registered in January, which itself saw a 2.9 percent yearly fall.
Amongst the price reduction, the occupancy rate of five-star hotels rose by 1.2 percentage points yearly, to 96.6 percent, topping January’s figure of 95.8 percent.
Four-star hotels, meanwhile, saw a 2.6 percentage point increase in occupancy in February yearly, at 93.3 percent, despite a 4.7 percent yearly increase in the average room rate – to MOP1,233.5 ($153.44). January’s figures for four-star hotels showed 90.1 percent occupancy (down 1.7 percentage points yearly), with a rate of MOP1,105 ($137.46) – down by 7.9 percent yearly.
Looking to three-star hotels, occupancy during the month fell by 0.7 percentage points, to an average of 97.6 percent – lower than January’s 97.7 percent occupancy rate.
The average room rate was also down, by 2.7 percent yearly, to MOP949.8 ($118.15), still a rise from the MOP898.3 ($111.74) rate registered in the previous month.
Room rates for the two months combined were down across the board, with five-star hotels seeing a 2.7 percent reduction in price, four-star hotels registering a 1.7 percent decline and three-star hotels seeing an 8.4 percent drop.
The average occupancy rate for all of the hotel types stood at 95.4 percent, a 0.8 percentage point increase, with that of five-star hotels rising by 1 percentage point to 96.2 percent.
Four-star hotels in the two-month period saw average occupancy rise by just 0.5 percentage point, to 91.7 percent, while that of three-star hotels fell by 0.3 percentage point, to 97.6 percent.
The Macau Hotel Association gathers data from 27 five-star hotel members, 14 four-star hotels and seven three-star hotels.
iGaming Select has officially launched as a new supplier hub focused on reviewing and highlighting iGaming technology, aiming to simplify how operators discover standout products in a competitive, marketing‑saturated environment.
Founded by BetComply CMO Martin Hodges, iGP CMO Michael Baker-Mosley and Digital Footprints founders Sharon McFarlane and Steve Lee, iGaming Select compiles verified reviews of hundreds of iGaming products, giving genuinely innovative solutions the chance to compete with larger incumbents.
Martin Hodges
Martin Hodges, Co-Founder at iGaming Select, said: “The way operators select suppliers is no longer working. It has become less about technology and product, and more about visibility, marketing budgets and noise. iGaming Select is founded on the simple principle that great technology should be easy to identify, giving operators a place to evaluate and compare suppliers based on what they actually offer.”
With operators now faced with hundreds of suppliers offering overlapping solutions, iGaming Select helps decision-makers identify the signal from the noise via clear descriptions of product capability, structured categorisation, operator-relevant detail and reviews grounded in real-world use.
The platform will also provide insight into how innovation can scale sustainably, offering operators, suppliers and investors a clearer understanding of where long-term value is being created.
SkillOnNet has selected ClearStake to streamline its enhanced due diligence (EDD) and source of funds processes across its portfolio of brands, including PlayOJO.
The partnership will see SkillOnNet deploy ClearStake’s bank-based verification technology to replace document-heavy, manual processes with real-time assessments and automated workflows.
ClearStake applies a gambling-specific intelligence layer which allows operators to configure what to request, when to request it and how to automate outcomes. The result is faster, more consistent decision-making, reduced operational burden and significantly less friction for players.
The rollout will begin in the UK, with a roadmap to extend into additional regulated markets worldwide.
Eyal Naor, COO of SkillOnNet, said: “Enhanced due diligence is central to sustainable growth in regulated markets. ClearStake allows us to strengthen controls while improving speed and consistency across the player journey.”
Martin Burt, CEO of ClearStake, added: “EDD is a core revenue, risk and operational challenge for operators. The ClearStake platform is built to optimise these processes, helping these operators make faster, better decisions without relying on manual document checks.”
The announcement underlines a broader shift in the industry post-budget, as operators look to protect margins, scale efficiently and operate confidently in an increasingly demanding environment. It follows a series of recent deployments of ClearStake by other leading UK brands.
Macau’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) per visitor fell to MOP4,943 ($618) in February, down 20 percent sequentially from January, as a surge in non-gaming tourists during the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday diluted per capita spending, according to CreditSights.
The decline came despite strong overall visitation and solid GGR performance during the month. CreditSights analysts said the drop in GGR per visitor was “as expected,” noting that “a larger portion of the visitors traveling into Macau over the CNY holiday had likely been non-gambling tourists and families”.
On a year-on-year basis, GGR per visitor also declined by 21 percent, highlighting a shift in visitor mix toward mass tourism rather than gaming-focused travel. The metric is considered a proxy for gaming spend per capita, as Macau does not disclose standalone per-visitor spending data.
Visitor arrivals surged during the month, reaching 4.17 million, up 33 percent year-on-year and marking the second-highest monthly total on record. The increase was driven largely by the extended nine-day CNY holiday period, compared with eight days in 2025.
Mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 79 percent of total arrivals, rising 44 percent year-on-year to 3.3 million. Of these, approximately 2 million entered under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), a 53 percent increase from a year earlier.
During the CNY period alone, Macau recorded 1.55 million visitors, including 1.2 million from mainland China. Even when adjusting for the longer holiday, visitor growth remained solid, at 9 percent to 10 percent year-on-year.
Despite the lower per-visitor spend, overall GGR for February exceeded expectations, rising 4.5 percent year-on-year to MOP20.6 billion ($2.63 billion), ahead of market consensus forecasts of around 1 percent growth.
For the first two months of 2026, total GGR reached MOP43.3 billion ($5.54 billion), up 14 percent year-on-year and slightly ahead of the pace required to meet the government’s full-year target of MOP236 billion ($30.2 billion), CreditSights said.
