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Your Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Covid changed online gambling in Asia

The rate of online gambling in Asia’s unregulated markets may have spiked as much as 300 percent during Covid, according to Bhavesh Parthi, managing director of Oppa Asia.

AGBrief Editorial AGBrief EditorialJune 8, 2022 · 1 min read
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Good Morning. The rate of online gambling in Asia’s unregulated markets may have spiked as much as 300 percent during Covid, according to Bhavesh Parthi, managing director of Oppa Asia. He takes us through some recent changes that he has noted in the region’s online markets and discusses whether the pandemic will finally push the needle when it comes to encouraging governments to regulate and tax. 

ASEAN Gaming Summit 2022

What you need to know

  • Responsible Wagering Australia said Queensland’s surprise decision to effectively raise its point of consumption tax unfairly benefits land-based wagering providers.
  • Monthly sales figures for South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos improved in May and the outlook for hard-hit Jeju is also picking up as Covid restrictions are lifted.

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Asia’s first conference since the pandemic.


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Online Gambling, Asia,Competition, Asai Gaming ebrief

Online gambling jumps under Covid, but Asia competition fiercer than ever

Covid triggered a surge in online gambling in Asia’s unregulated markets, but competition is intense and if you don’t understand the culture you will waste money on player acquisition, says igaming specialist Bhavesh Parthi of Oppa Asia. Analysts have estimated that online gambling increased by about 84 percent in regulated markets. Although, if you take Asia’s unregulated markets there has been an increase of almost 300 percent, he said. “With no land-based places to visit, more users made use of Google search engines to find suitable online casinos, this is where SEO played a much bigger and more important role than prior to Covid.” 

Industry Updates

  • Melco to open family fun zone at Studio City on June 30th.
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AGBrief Editorial
Written by AGBrief Editorial The AGBrief Editorial Team is a group of contributors living around the world that are connected to Asia Gaming Brief. They are active members in pursuing the sources of our news, making them reliable and accurate for our readers. More from AGBrief Editorial →