The temporary Cyprus casino opened last week by Melco International Development is so far performing “below expectations,” according to its property president.

The ‘pop up’ casino in a converted Limassol supermarket space that launched last Thursday welcomed around 2k visitors per day over its opening weekend. The property played host to around 7k unique visitors, of whom over 4k joined the casino’s reward club. Local residents made up the bulk of visitors, with Greece, Ukraine and Russia providing the most foreign guests.

But Craig Ballantyne, president of the Cyprus Casino aka C2, told the Cyprus Mail that, while the launch had been “a real rollercoaster ride,” the reaction had been “below expectations.” Ballantyne referenced the roughly 30 casinos in the Turkish-controlled northern half of Cyprus, saying “we’re not the only game in town.”

Ballantyne added that those northern casinos had an operational advantage over C2 because their comparatively lax regulatory oversight meant they could “give everything free” to customers, including alcohol, tobacco, “just about everything and anything … it’s not a level playing field.”

China and Vietnam have earned more results in their war against unauthorized online betting on the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Over the weekend, Chinese state-run media reported that police in the capital Beijing had arrested 46 individuals connected with an illegal betting operation that handled RMB320m (US$48m) worth of World Cup wagers.

The media reports indicated that the gambling ring used social media channels such as WeChat to promote the day’s betting odds. The ringleaders wagered the sums with unspecified internationally licensed betting sites, while local agents collected losses and distributed winnings.

In an attempt to suppress World Cup betting interest, Beijing authorities issued warnings to its citizens claiming that 95% of operators promoting themselves as online betting sites are actually engaged in phishing operations aimed at stealing individuals’ private financial data.

Argentina has handed down its first conviction of an unauthorized online gambling operator, in what local prosecutors hope is the first of many such actions.

Last week, local media in the province of Buenos Aires reported that Judge Rodolfo Ariza Clérici had sentenced Quinton Gregory Marshall to three years in prison for his role in operating multiple online gambling sites linked to the Miljugadas brand.

The Miljugadas sites were shut down one year ago after the Buenos Aires’ Public Prosecutor’s Office accused Marshall and several other individuals of offering gambling to the province’s punters without permission from the government-owned Loteria de la Ciudad. In January, Marshall and three other individuals were ordered not to leave the country ahead of their court proceedings.

Fortunately for Marshall, Judge Clérici agreed to suspend his prison sentence based on his lack of prior convictions. Marshall has agreed to a number of restrictions regarding his actions and movements, and failure to comply with these restrictions will result in enforcement of his custodial sentence.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of Macau casinos for the second quarter of 2018 may not be as rosy as the previous quarter, according to international brokerage Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley analysts forecast Macau casino property EBITDA to fall by as much 6 percent during April to June 2018 period as reflected by the declines in both VIP and mass market segments. The brokerage firm is also expecting Macau casinos’ gross gaming revenue (GGR) to slow down to US$9.2 billion in the second quarter, 4 percent lower than the recorded US$9.46billion casino GGR in the three months ending March 31, 2018.

On the flip side, Morgan Stanley analysts noted that Macau casino GGR in the second quarter of 2018 will still be 17 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

Morgan Stanley explained that rising labor costs, lower win rates, and softer gross gaming revenue in the last two months of second quarter will drag Macau’s EBITDA lower. It also didn’t help that there’s a significant drop in VIP players, according to the gaming analysts.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of Macau casinos for the second quarter of 2018 may not be as rosy as the previous quarter, according to international brokerage Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley analysts forecast Macau casino property EBITDA to fall by as much 6 percent during April to June 2018 period as reflected by the declines in both VIP and mass market segments. The brokerage firm is also expecting Macau casinos’ gross gaming revenue (GGR) to slow down to US$9.2 billion in the second quarter, 4 percent lower than the recorded US$9.46billion casino GGR in the three months ending March 31, 2018.

On the flip side, Morgan Stanley analysts noted that Macau casino GGR in the second quarter of 2018 will still be 17 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

Morgan Stanley explained that rising labor costs, lower win rates, and softer gross gaming revenue in the last two months of second quarter will drag Macau’s EBITDA lower. It also didn’t help that there’s a significant drop in VIP players, according to the gaming analysts.

Reports that casino operator Las Vegas Sands wants to build a gaming venue in North Korea don’t have any basis in fact.

On Saturday, Mondoweiss reported on a speech given by Sands boss Sheldon Adelson at a June 27 meeting in Jerusalem of his Birthright Israel travel program for Jewish youth. During the speech, Adelson made the following comments on the recent dialogue between the US and North Korean governments:

“I wasn’t born here. I wasn’t raised here, I didn’t serve in the army here. I did serve in the United States army. I’m a veteran of the Korean war. Actually, I hope Trump gets North and South Korea to finish the war. I feel as though I might be called back up. I fight enough. I don’t want to go back to Korea to fight. I want to go back to Korea to open up my business.”

Numerous gaming media outlets have since claimed that Adelson was referencing Sands’ ambition to establish a North Korean casino. This appears to have been sparked by reports in June that North Korea was seeking US help to fund construction of a large-scale integrated resort in a new proposed international tourist zone.

Reports that casino operator Las Vegas Sands wants to build a gaming venue in North Korea don’t have any basis in fact.

On Saturday, Mondoweiss reported on a speech given by Sands boss Sheldon Adelson at a June 27 meeting in Jerusalem of his Birthright Israel travel program for Jewish youth. During the speech, Adelson made the following comments on the recent dialogue between the US and North Korean governments:

“I wasn’t born here. I wasn’t raised here, I didn’t serve in the army here. I did serve in the United States army. I’m a veteran of the Korean war. Actually, I hope Trump gets North and South Korea to finish the war. I feel as though I might be called back up. I fight enough. I don’t want to go back to Korea to fight. I want to go back to Korea to open up my business.”

Numerous gaming media outlets have since claimed that Adelson was referencing Sands’ ambition to establish a North Korean casino. This appears to have been sparked by reports in June that North Korea was seeking US help to fund construction of a large-scale integrated resort in a new proposed international tourist zone.

U.S.-based casino operator Century Casinos Inc. has expanded its footprint into the Polish gambling market with yet another casino license secured in the country.

Century announced before the Nasdaq Capital Market that the Polish government has awarded its unit, Casinos Poland Ltd. with a casino license, bringing the total number of its gambling halls in Poland to eight.

Casinos Poland also won the renewal of licenses for its seven casinos despite criticisms on the official awarding process, according to Century.

In total, Casino Poland has three casino licenses in Warsaw and five casino licenses in Wroclaw, Katowice, Bielsko-Biala, Krakow, and Lodz. The casino operator said at least six casinos are already in operation. Century expects the third casino in Warsaw and the casino in Lodz to open next month.

Australian billionaire James Packer has taken the necessary steps to relieve himself from day-to-day stress as he continues to recover from his mental illness.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Packer has stepped down from the board of his private investment company, Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH), in June as part of his plan to reduce his work commitments.

His departure from CPH came four months after the Aussie billionaire resigned from his position as director of Crown Resorts. CPH, which has been the Packer family’s primary bread and butter for more than 60 years, owns 46 percent of Crown Resorts.

In an e-mailed statement to SMH, a CPH spokesman confirmed Packer’s resignation from the company board as the Australian billionaire “continues to recover from illness” that was triggered by his failed overseas expansion, his very much publicized breakup with singer Mariah Carey, and connections to a corruption scandal involving Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.