Good morning,
Major operators in Australasia have been reporting half-year results in the past 24 hours, and we’ve got you covered on the southern hemisphere action. Namely, that means Crown, The Star, SkyCity, and Tabcorp. Up north, we also present the latest on the Japan IR race, which is beginning to come back to life after a more dormant period. In our Nippon Weekly, we train our gaze on Nagasaki’s regional IR bid, which is probably the best managed in the entire process, enhancing the possibilities for a local win.
First, the news
- Crown Resorts and The Star report half-year results
- SkyCity sees opportunity in local business, online gaming
- Tabcorp H1 profit falls 7% on Covid impact
- 500 .com stock surges as bitcoin transformation takes shape
- Caesars Entertainment may have withdrawn from Korea project
- Macau’s CNY revenues poised to disappoint
- Delta Corp ekes out profit in Q4
- Goa grants further six-month extension to casino ships
- Karnataka state government plans online gambling regulation
- Kerala High Court demands clarity on state gaming law
- Bloomberry loses Singapore appeals court ruling in GGAM case
- Sega Sammy income down 51.8% in April-December 2020
What you need to know
500 .com stock surges as bitcoin transformation takes shape
Chinese sports lottery company 500 .com has continued its transformation into the bitcoin space with the all-stock acquisition of bitcoin mining company BTC .com and investors appear to approve. Stock in the New York Stock Exchange-listed company jumped as much as 75 percent on Tuesday after announcing the acquisition and gained a further 10 percent at the open on Wednesday. The company’s share price has been surging since the beginning of the year when it was announced it was venturing into bitcoin.
SkyCity sees opportunity in local business, online gaming
SkyCity Entertainment Group saw mixed financial results for the six months ended December 31, 2020, with strong local gaming performance, but weaker tourism-related business over the half-year. Skycity said local gaming was stronger than expectations, particularly for EGMs. International business, understandably, fell by 86.7 percent in the period.
Crown Resorts and The Star report half-year results
Crown Resorts fell into financial losses in the six-month period from July to December 2020, but The Star Entertainment Group managed to eke out a small profit. Crown’s NPAT attributable to the company in the period fell more than 155 percent year-on-year to a loss of A$121 million (US$94 million), while Star had a statutory NPAT of A$51 million.
Insights
NIPPON WEEKLY
Nagasaki seen as best-managed IR bid contender
The Nagasaki Prefectural Government continues to distinguish itself as having the best-managed bid in Japan’s IR development race, giving them a strong chance to become a licensed municipality. Surely at the top of the list of their accomplishments is political. Not only does the local political establishment back the Nagasaki bid, but unlike any other candidate location in Japan they have gathered regional support from nearby governors and even the general public is not strongly opposed.
Industry Updates
- Novomatic implements new sales and production structure
- IGT extends agreement with Global Payments
- Sportradar launches global fraud detection system
Supplier Special
Pragmatic Play wheels out latest Live Casino innovation, Mega Roulette
Taking a casino classic and reinventing it to appeal to a wider range of players through special features is a task that excites many a supplier and Pragmatic Play’s upcoming Live Casino release, Mega Roulette, does just that.
JCM: FUZION sets new standards
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AGB Initiatives
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