Good morning. Cat and mouse, at the baccarat table. Macau’s security chief says proxy betting remains under control, even as hidden phones, smartwatches and covert live streams make the activity harder to spot. The gaming regulator has now pressed all six concessionaires to tighten surveillance, patrols, staff training and reporting. In Hong Kong, the Jockey Club is pitching a “Two Cities, Three Racecourses” tourism circuit linking Sha Tin, Happy Valley and Conghua. South Korea, meanwhile, is weighing a higher cap on casino levies that could sharply raise costs for its largest foreigner-only operators.
What you need to know
- Macau’s security chief says live-stream proxy betting in casinos remains under control, with most cases isolated and probes ongoing.
- The HK Jockey Club’s Five-Year Plan submission seeks a ‘Two Cities, Three Racecourses’ tourism circuit spanning Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
- South Korea may raise the foreigner-only casino levy for the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund to 15 percent, thereby increasing operators’ costs.
On the radar
- Macau VIP baccarat GGR slides 18.8% QoQ to $1.97B in 2Q26.
- Solaire North supervisor arrested over alleged ‘ghost points’ scheme.
- Gaming and tourism recovery to lift Macau’s 1H26 GDP by 5%: think tank.
- Bloomberry returns to Philippine online gaming with in-house FUNaloMAX.
- Indonesia blocks 3.7M gambling sites, closes 32,500 bank accounts.
AGB Intelligence
MACAU
Macau security chief downplays proxy betting threat
Macau’s Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King says illegal live-stream proxy betting in casinos remains “under control,” crediting operator cooperation and swift police responses. Speaking at a July 16th crime briefing, Chan described recent cases as mostly isolated incidents. The city’s gaming regulator also met the six concessionaires on July 14th to strengthen prevention and reporting mechanisms. Overall gaming-related crime rose 12.2 percent in the first half of 2026 to 1,278 cases, driven partly by illegal money exchange activity.
Industry Updates
- SJM and Melco support Macau’s expanded Leisure Bus program.
- Kambi surpasses 100M bets in record-breaking World Cup.
- Zitro debuts ‘FANTASY’ in Northern Cyprus at Chamada Girne Casino.
Corporate Spotlight
How Crypto Adoption in Asia is Changing iGaming Payments
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.
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