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.
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.
Giulia Timarco new ASEAN producer
Asia’s first conference since the pandemic.
On the radar
- Galaxy to issue almost 1.2m subscription shares to satisfy stock awards.
AGB Intelligence
DEEP DIVE
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.
MEMBERSHIP | MAGAZINE | ASEAN | CAREERS