Good morning. There are only two more days until Yokohama’s mayoral election, which will determine the fate for one of Japan’s most closely watched IR locations outside of Osaka. Hachiro Okonogi, an anti-IR candidate with majority LDP backing remains being tipped as the most likely winner of this Sunday’s mayoral race, though industry expert Daniel Cheng says this does not necessarily mean its all over for IRs in the city. Be sure not to miss our Face-to-Face interview with Daniel Cheng.
What you need to know
- Star CEO Matt Bekier says he remains interested in a takeover deal with rival casino operator Crown Resorts, and will consider buying Crown’s casino in Sydney if it is forced to break up its casino empire.
- Crown Resorts former chairman says that there were some “dubious” customers and that the “competitive pressure” pushed the company to do more.
- SkyCity Auckland has been identified as one of the locations visited by a positive covid-19 case, forcing 240 staff and thousands of patrons into isolation.
- Singapore is furthering its strategy to open up, changing how it defines entry for vaccinated travellers and those who come from low-risk areas.
- Duterte has announced the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the Manila region, despite the country reporting its second-highest number of daily covid-19 infections.
On the radar
- Starlight Culture has recorded a $41.1 million net loss for H121
- PointsBet has been approved by NFL as appointed sports book operator
- Visitation to Macau surges nearly 50% in July m-o-m
- Aspire Global sees a near-28% increase in revenue on new growth
- PH Resorts is looking to raise $11.9 million to fund Emerald Bay construction.
What the papers say
- The U.S. District Court has appointed a receiver in USA Fanter Corp. / IPI lawsuit
AGB Intelligence
DEEP DIVE
All is not lost if Okonogi wins this Sunday: Cheng
Hachiro Okonogi, an anti-IR candidate with majority LDP backing remains being tipped as the most likely winner of this Sunday’s mayoral race in Yokohama, though gaming and hospitality expert Daniel Cheng says this does not necessarily mean it’s all over for an IR in the city. Cheng however told Asia Gaming Brief that not all is necessarily lost if Okonogi wins the race.
“I have a sense that if Okonogi wins, all may not be lost because after all, he was part of the IR [cohort] at the national government level. So he does personally support IR, he’s just saying he won’t support it for Yokohama because there has been too much negative opinion against it from the people of Yokohama.”
“If he wins there could still be a second wind for IRs in Yokohama but it would be in the next phase of cities, which would be around seven years later,” he said.
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