Macau’s government has issued a travel alert for numerous countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, due to the ‘continued deterioration of the situation’.
On Tuesday, the Macao Government Tourism Office notified that the lowest of the three-tier travel alerts has been applied to the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Oman. The authority also noted that residents who plan to visit Iraq, Kuwait, and Yemen, or reside there, ‘are advised to stay vigilant for safety’.
The MGTO also urged residents to ‘avoid visiting Iran and Israel’, advising any residents currently in the two countries to leave ‘as soon as possible’. A level 3 alert – the highest in the system – was issued for Iran on February 28th and for Israel on March 1st.
The MGTO noted that it had received 18 inquiries or assistance requests so far in March, with nearly 80 percent involving Macau residents being stranded in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain, or reporting their presence in the Middle East to the authorities. Some 20 percent of the enquiries concerned refund and booking cancellations for tour groups that have not yet embarked.
Macau has three alert levels, with level 1 for emerging threats with ‘an imminent threat to personal safety’. The alert does not specifically warn against non-essential travel to the destination.
Wynn Macau’s parent company, Wynn Resorts, is currently developing the Wynn Al Marjan Island project in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, while MGM China’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, is developing a non-gaming resort in Dubai. Both companies have indicated they are working to ensure the safety and security of their employees as the projects progress.
Good morning. Premium mass. A segment that operators throughout Asia are scrambling to attract, diversifying gaming offerings, and ratcheting up marketing. For NagaCorp, this strategy was highly successful last year, with Premium and VIP play heavily contributing to a 27 percent GGR boost to $691 million. Looking at Macau, analysts say March’s seasonal softness is nothing to worry about, as premium mass was up even though fewer players were seen. Also in the gaming hub, Sands China is urging diversified tourism growth, as demand changes and regional competition intensifies.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has announced it is the first in the Philippines to be named by PAGCOR as an Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) for iGaming.
In a Monday release, GLI noted that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has authorized GLI as the first gaming company to be accredited to ‘test and certify iGaming platforms in the Philippines’.
PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco
The group notes that the new certification helps ‘ensure PAGCOR meets its policy and regulatory objectives […] GLI’s presence and its GLI-19 Standard will also help suppliers who wish to successfully and compliantly enter the marketplace’.
The group’s GLI-19: Standards for Interactive Gaming Systems are widely accepted and adopted by jurisdictions worldwide. The move also comes as PAGCOR has commenced enforcement of its compliance verification for B2B vendors for iGaming suppliers ahead of a March 31st deadline.
Under PAGCOR’s framework, B2B accreditation generally applies to companies providing gaming content, technology platforms, or operational services to licensed operators. The process may involve corporate filings, probity checks, technical system reviews, and potential inspections before final board approval.
Speaking of the new rules and GLI’s accreditation, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco noted, “PAGCOR now requires all iGaming B2B suppliers operating in the Philippines to be accredited to ensure they comply to the rigorous requirements needed to protect iGaming players. We are pleased to acknowledge GLI as the first testing and game certification provider to be accredited in the Philippines under this new framework”.
GLI President and CEO James R. Maida thanked PAGCOR’s Chairman and team “for the trust they continue to place in GLI”. The executive furthered that “we are honored to be the first company to be accredited for iGaming testing and certification, and we look forward to working side- by-side with PAGCOR to meet their policy objectives.”
GLI boasts a network of laboratory locations across six continents, with US and international accreditations for compliance standards for technical competence in gaming, wagering, and lottery. Since 1989, the group has certified nearly 2 million items and tested equipment for over 710 jurisdictions, approving over 5.3 million gaming components.
Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau has dismantled a Macau-linked money laundering operation that processed approximately NT$330 billion ($1 billion) in illicit funds within a year, according to local media reports.
Authorities said the scheme was orchestrated by a 31-year-old suspect, who recruited individuals to act as money mules and exploited credit card overpayment mechanisms to move funds through Macau casinos. The case has been formally indicted by the Yunlin District Prosecutors’ Office following a series of coordinated arrests across Taiwan.
Investigators found that the group worked in coordination with the Jiuzhou casino gambling network to channel illegal proceeds overseas. Funds were first routed through shell company accounts and transferred into personal credit card accounts as overpayments, artificially increasing available credit limits. Recruited participants were then sent to Macau, where they reportedly used the cards to purchase casino chips, which were quickly converted into cash.
Participants in the scheme received commissions of between 1 percent and 2 percent, along with incentives such as travel perks and reward points. In one case, a single money mule processed NT$19 million ($575,000) in transactions within just 10 days.
Police said the operation laundered NT$330 billion ($1 billion) between mid-2024 and mid-2025. Authorities conducted four waves of raids across northern, central, and southern Taiwan, arresting 20 suspects and seizing related evidence.
Wynn Macau has granted a total of 5.59 million shares to employees under its employee ownership scheme, aiming to align staff interests with long-term corporate performance and shareholder value.
According to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the awards were granted on March 23rd, 2026 to 166 employees, including executive director Frederic Jean-Luc Luvisutto. The shares represent approximately 0.11 percent of the company’s issued share capital.
Of the total, 500,451 shares were awarded to Luvisutto, while the remaining 5.09 million shares were allocated to 165 other employees. The awards were granted at no cost, with the company’s closing share price at HK$5.37 ($0.69) on the grant date.
The awards are subject to various vesting conditions. Some grants will vest in tranches between 2027 and 2029, contingent on continued employment or the achievement of performance targets linked to the group’s financial and operational results. Other awards will vest on a cliff basis, with the majority scheduled for January 2029.
The company said the scheme is designed to incentivize employees, attract talent, and support long-term growth. It also includes clawback provisions under which awards may lapse in cases such as resignation or misconduct.
Wynn Macau added that no financial assistance was provided to employees for the share subscriptions and that the grant falls within the scheme mandate, requiring no shareholder approval.
Among the more than 60 innovations on display, highlights at the tradeshow include the debut of several Class 2 games; Class II Mobile; Modernized Membership, designed to strengthen operator–player relationships; and the newly acquired Gaming Analytics, delivering powerful data‑driven insights to operators.
Aristocrat Gaming at IGA 2026
Aristocrat Gaming will reinforce its position as the leader in Class 2 gaming with several tradeshow premieres and expansions of player-favorite game families, including:
Mr. Money Bags Makes Another Mint is a sequel to the original player-favorite, now with Triple Metamorphic features that can be triggered by themselves, in pairs, or all three at once. Plus, a new Frenzy Cash feature can trigger a wheel bonus for a chance at the Frenzy Jackpots SSP.
Mr. & Ms. Money Bags brings the ever-popular Mr. Money Bags to a new stepper game and introduces a new VGT character – Ms. Money Bags. This all-new game appears on the new Marquis cabinet with a digital wheel showcase and a double metamorphic that can be triggered independently or together.
Other titles on display include popular Class 3 hits, now available in Class 2: Coin Trio Buffalo, Spooky Link, and Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Ignite Blue and Red Prosperity.
Hardware also takes center stage, and the company’s games will appear on the industry’s leading cabinets in both Class 2 and Class 3. Aristocrat Gaming will show a breadth of content for The Baron Portrait, The Baron Upright, Crown Bartop, King Max, Marquis, MarsX Portrait, MarsX Upright, and Neptune Single cabinets.
Class 3 titles include Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Firecracker Express, Lightning 10 Year Storm, and Spooky Link Grand, which all recently made their official U.S. debuts. Also on display will be MONOPOLY Big Board Bucks and NFL Super Grand Champions, both first seen by attendees at G2E 2025. Finally, show attendees can look forward to seeing player-favorite titles such as The Hunt for Neptune’s Gold, Crazy Dragons, and Fo Mo Mummy.
Aristocrat Interactive
Gaming Systems from Aristocrat Interactive are modernizing both the cardless and cashless membership journey, all while increasing operator efficiency, player loyalty, and maximizing loyalty programs. Software solutions on display include OASIS Loyalty, OASIS Connect, PlayerMax, and Oasis Digital Wallet. Transformative hardware solutions in the booth include nCompass and Intelligent Card Reader Pro.
Aristocrat Interactive iGaming & Sports will display the Class II Mobile Solution, which bridges the gap between the casino floor and the digital world by delivering player-favorite games anytime, anywhere on approved tribal gaming land.
Class II Mobile is a full turn-key solution and is built on a proven tech stack, extending the casino brand directly into players’ hands and helping to boost retention with built-in loyalty and real-time engagement, all while offering geolocation solutions. Class II Mobile can evolve into a full-scale digital ecosystem with built-in Sports and iGaming PAM built to scale.
Gaming Analytics
Gaming Analytics, recently acquired by Aristocrat, is a U.S.-based provider of A.I. technology for real-time player analytics, slot optimization, and marketing automation, designed to work alongside traditional casino management systems.
At IGA, Gaming Analytics will exhibit at booth #1406 with live demonstrations across slots, database marketing, and player development. The company will present examples of how casino teams use GA’s A.I. to reduce operational friction, speed decision-making, send real-time insights to host teams through its mobile app, and gain clearer floor visibility to identify performance issues.
The global betting company 1xBet will take part in the prestigious iGaming exhibition, the Africa Gaming Expo (AGE), which will be held at Chief Yesufu Abiodun Road, Oniru, in Lagos, Nigeria, from March 24 to 27, where the brand will present new ideas regarding the digital transformation of its products and create a welcoming environment for business activities.
The Africa Gaming Expo is one of the region’s key iGaming events, attended by leading industry experts, representatives of regulatory bodies, and CEOs of international companies. Forum guests can look forward to panel discussions, keynote speeches, and productive networking to exchange contacts and build promising deals.
Last year, this prestigious forum welcomed over 7,300 delegates, including more than 90 speakers. Africa is one of the fastest-growing markets with a high level of business activity. That is why the scale of AGE 2026 has expanded greatly.
The 1xBet booth (A01) will serve as the event’s main hub for business connections, where the brand’s team will foster a comfortable atmosphere for open dialogue and idea exchange. There will also be a mini-bar serving refreshing cocktails and delicious coffee. 1xBet is also proud to be a sponsor of the Opening Cocktail Ceremony, reinforcing its commitment to creating exceptional networking opportunities at AGE 2026.
1xBet partners and all AGE 2026 participants can look forward to interactive entertainment, including a giveaway of company merchandise and an Apple iPhone 17 Pro, scheduled for March 25 at 4:00 P.M.
For 1xBet, Africa is a strategically important region, and participation in regional industry events provides the brand with a unique opportunity to deepen its understanding of the local market context and strengthen its leadership position.
The 1xBet team is here to share valuable insights and expertise that will help you fully unlock the potential of this rapidly growing region. You can do this by joining the 1xPartners program, which has been in the market for over 10 years and has brought together more than 500,000 partners from over 150 countries.
Contact your 1xBet manager and make an appointment! See you at AGE Africa 2026.
Casino information systems group AXES.ai has joined the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) as its newest committee member, with CEO Earle G. Hall appointed to the Emerging Technologies Committee.
Mark Pace
In a Monday release, IGSA President Mark Pace stated the group is “excited to welcome back AXES.ai to the organization at the Committee Level. I am fortunate to have had a great working relationship with the President & CEO, Earle G. Hall, who has previously served as our Chairman of the Board, and I am looking forward to Earle and the rest of the team at AXES.ai sharing their insights on the Emerging Technologies Committee.”
Earle G. Hall also expressed his excitement for the appointment as Chair of the committee, noting it comes at a “pivotal time for our industry”.
The executive furthered: “As technologies like AI, stablecoin, and cybersecurity accelerate, we will work closely with our members, regulators, and the operators we all support to bring clarity, guidance, and global standards for responsible innovation.”
Earle G. Hall served as Chairman of IGSA’s board in 2023 and has held multiple board positions since 2019.
New Coast Hotel Manila operator International Entertainment Corporation (IEC) has tapped former Playtech and Evoke gaming executive Brian Mattingley as its latest member of the board.
Brian Mattingley
Mattingley, who served as a non-executive chairman of Playtech and CEO of Evoke, joins IEV as a non-executive director, following the resignation of Cheng Hong Wai.
The gaming veteran has been appointed for an initial term of three years, starting March 23rd, at a rate of $80,000 per year.
Regarding the departure of Cheng Hong Wai, IEC indicated that the executive has retired from the group ‘in order to devote more attention and dedication to his other engagements’, expressing ‘its sincere gratitude to Mr. Cheng for his valuable contributions to the company during his tenure of office’.
Cheng has also ceased to be chairman of the Audit Committee, with Danica Ramos Lumawig assuming the role from Monday.
The board changes come at a crucial time for IEC, as upgrades to its integrated resort in Manila are finished, with a hotel reopening targeted for July.
IEC recently reported 2H25 gaming revenue of HK$442.5 million ($56.6 million), up 84.4 percent yearly, with gaming activities accounting for 96.4 percent of the group’s total revenue. Despite the strong revenue, IEC registered a loss of HK$85.8 million in 2H25, narrowing by 9.7 percent yearly.
Phnom Penh casino operator NagaCorp saw a significant boost from VIP and premium mass in FY25, boosting its gross gaming revenue (GGR) by 27.4 percent yearly to $691.6 million.
According to the group’s financial results, published on Monday, the group recorded net profit of $309.9 million – up by 56 percent yearly, excluding an $89.11 million non-cash impairment loss on its suspended integrated resort project in Vladivostok, Russia.
The group’s focus on growing its mass market player base and ‘optimizing players’ experiences’ included ‘the introduction of higher-margin products such as side bet games’.
Mass market revenue contributed 69.3 percent of the group’s total during the year, with the group noting it is ‘the engine driving our sustainable and high-quality growth’.
Premium mass and VIP shine
Pagani-Huayra-Imola-Roadster-Naga
Mass market tables revenue at its NagaWorld IR in Phnom Penh was up 27.2 percent yearly, to $342.4 million, with an improved win rate of 22.9 percent, compared to 20.3 percent in FY24. Buy-ins were up by 12.6 percent, to $1.49 billion.
Mass-market EGMs also saw an increase, with revenue up 13.5 percent yearly to $142.6 million, and a slight 0.1 percentage-point drop in the win rate to 7.1 percent. EGM bills in were up 12.5 percent yearly to $2.93 billion.
The group noted that its ‘Premium Mass high-limit areas continue to attract higher-value patrons, significantly enhancing Mass Market table yield and driving a notable shift in customer mix’. Premium mass accounted for 38.5 percent of total mass market tables GGR, up by 33.9 percent yearly.
The group’s VIP segment also saw a significant increase in 2025, with Premium VIP revenue up by 32.1 percent to $136.2 million, despite a slightly lower win rate of 3.5 percent (compared to 3.7 percent in 2024). Rolling chip was up by 51.6 percent yearly, to $5.5 billion.
Looking to the Referral VIP market, revenue was up by 57.2 percent, to $70.4 million, with a strong increase in the win rate, from 2.3 percent in FY24 to 3 percent in FY25. Rolling chip was up by 17.2 percent yearly to $2.32 billion.
High-value visitors
The group notes that ‘the strong rebound was fueled by the increased influx of higher-value business travelers into Cambodia and higher gaming spend among our Premium VIP clientele’. The group notes that these clients ‘consist primarily of regional business owners, who demonstrate stronger spending power, extended stay durations and frequent repeat visitation’.
The group also highlighted that increased Chinese visitation to Cambodia during the year contributed to increased footfall and gaming activity in Premium VIP.
Regarding potential risk from its VIP segment, the group noted that the ‘majority of Premium VIP players are cash players, resulting in minimal credit exposure’, highlighting that the increase in rolling chip volume ‘was driven purely by a higher volume of visitors, not by extending credit terms or taking on additional credit risk’.
At the end of 2025, the group had trade receivables amounting to $4.9 million, up from $2.6 million in 2024.
NagaCorp currently has capital and reserves amounting to $2.4 billion, up from $2.2 billion in 2024.
Considering the results, the group has announced a dividend of $0.19 per share for the year for shareholders registered before July 3rd, 2026. The dividend is payable on August 7th, 2026.
No update to Naga 3
Regarding the group’s Naga 3 investments, following the mutual termination of a funding agreement for the project in December of last year, ‘there has been no material update to the Naga 3 project during the year’.
The agreement was signed in 2019 and encompassed the group’s then-controlling shareholder, Dr. Chen Lip Keong, contributing 50 percent of the expected costs for the build-out, around $1.76 billion, as well as any potential cost overruns.
NagaCorp, in December of last year, indicated that it will continue the development of the project, but ‘will evaluate the remaining development plan of Naga 3 and explore alternative sources of funding, if necessary’. NagaCorp had previously announced that it was pushing back the completion of Naga 3 by four years, to September of 2029, after previously expecting its completion by September of 2025. This also included a project resize.
Initially, the project was expected to elevate the resort’s offerings to 5,000 hotel rooms, 1,300 gaming tables, and 4,500 electronic gaming machines.
