Monthly Archives: September 2015

US trade union links Chinese companies to junket groups

US-based union trade has identified a number of lending and consulting firms across China that have links with junket groups.

International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), on its website Macau Gaming Watch, has released a list of about 29 enterprises in China set up by individuals that are connected to Macau junket companies.

According to the list, most of the companies are based in mainland Chinese cities Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Hong Kong and are involved in financial lending and investment consulting sectors.

“A set of Beijing-based companies linked to the ‘Cui’ family behind Macau’s Heng Sheng junket group operate as jewelry, pawnshop and loan outfits,” the union stated.

Morning Reads for When All is Right in the World

The bizjournal casino story offers a nice bait and switch with its picture of the MGM Grand-5000 rooms versus 500 proposed for the biggest Atlanta site. Two questions concerning tonight’s debate are how many times will candidates talk about Romping Ronnie Reagan and will Jebby answer questions in English or Spanish? A good line for Trump will be to call all of those with pathetic percentages the real One Percenters.

Iowa Man Wins $100K Lottery By Matching Zero Winning Numbers

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says five volunt… — A 103-year-old woman who has been attending the same church for nearly her whole life said she has been banned for disagreeing with her pastor’s way o… — Three women freed from Boko Haram militants are sharing their harrowing stories about their time in captivity. The women, all married to Boko Haram fighter… Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said Tuesday that EPA is determined to stick to its promise to issue the volume requirements under the Renewable Fu… A full house at Gering High School Tuesday night saw the home team sweep past rival Scottsbluff 25-18, 25-18, 26-24.

Legal experts suggest Macau junket regulation revamp

Authors of the book Gambling Law in Macau believed that while Macau’s gaming laws is up to date, regulations for junket operators needs a bit of upgrading.

During the book launch, Fernando Vitória, one of the authors and legal adviser to the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), pointed that casino promoters, just like any other professionals, should work under an Ethic Code—a document drafted specifically for junket professionals that could also be approved by the government.

“The government could participate in its drafting, but should outline something for the junkets. All professions have an ethics code, which is equally or sometimes even more important that current legislation in force,” said Vitória.

Vitoria also stressed that another aspect that could be perfected relates to “how the law foresees access to funding sources that they need.”

Acclaim issues badges in recognition of ITIL and PRINCE2 continuing…

The badges will be issued through Pearson’s Acclaim platform and will enable AXELOS to recognize members who complete CPD activities aligned to Best Practice qualifications of ITIL and PRINCE2 in a way that is secure, easily shared and verified online. The move means that members who use CPD to maintain their skills and knowledge in project and IT service management will be able to share their professional competencies with online networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Halex inks MoU to buy stake in Cambodian lottery firm

Halex International Sdn Bhd has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Cambodian lottery firm VW Win Holdings plc.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Halex said the MoU was signed with VW Win majority shareholder Goh Teik Keng with intent to acquire at least 51 percent stake in the Cambodian lottery firm.

VW Win, a private limited company incorporated, currently operates a licensed lottery gaming business in Cambodia and also has plans to apply for and operate an online gaming license in the country.

Halex, however, made it clear that the proposed acquisition still hinges on the fulfillment of several conditions by December 10.

Jeb Bush: Donald Trump wanted casino gambling in Florida, got told ‘no’

Was Donald Trump thwarted in his plans to bring casino gambling in Florida? That’s what former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush claimed as he went head-to-head against Trump during Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate.

The heated portion of the debate started when Bush said his record proves he doesn’t bow to special interests. As proof, the presidential hopeful said Trump tried to sway him in the past in favor of easing restrictions on casino gambling in Florida.

“You wanted it, and you didn’t get it, because I was opposed to casino gambling before, during and after. I’m not going to be bought by anybody,” Bush said, according to CBS News.

Trump shot back, “I promise, if I wanted it, I would have gotten it.”

PAGCOR extends timetable for Manila Bay Resorts to 2016

Gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has formally granted Universal Entertainment Corp. subsidiary Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment the much-needed extension to complete its $2b integrated casino-resort in Entertainment City.

PAGCOR Vice-President for Gaming Licensing and Development Francis Hernando confirmed the approval for timetable changes in Manila Bay Resorts project, pushing back the deadline to Dec 31, 2016.

The approval also means that the Tiger’s casino license is not suspended.

During a House committee hearing on Monday, Hernando said that Tiger Resorts has complied with the requirement set during the conditional approval, which was given in June. The requirements include the reinstatement of a PHP100 million bond ($214m), payment of over PHP30 million in penalties, improvement in the company’s corporate governance policies, and proof that the company has the financial resources to bankroll the development of the integrated resort.

Editorial: Squeeze Georgia Lottery to keep HOPE alive

State lawmakers are rightly trying to squeeze more revenue out of the Georgia Lottery Corp. to support the state’s popular but struggling HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs. During a joint meeting of the temporary committees created by the House and Senate to study the issue, lawmakers are looking for ways to address the shrinking share of tuition that the scholarships cover.

Don’t link casinos to domestic violence, Queensland AG says

Here’s one for the books: The Queensland government has vetoed an idea that the planned Queens Wharf casino and resort in Brisbane will give rise to domestic violence cases in the area.

The issue came after state opposition leader Lawrence Springborg questioned Attorney General Yvette D’Ath and Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman if they are aware “of the many studies that establish a root cause link between problem gambling and domestic violence” during a debate in the State Parliament, abc.net.au reported.

Other opposition MPs followed Springborg’s line of questioning, but D’Ath immediately shut them down, telling them, “it’s not in our casinos where we have the biggest problems.”

“It is in fact in our local communities. It is our pensioners who are going down to our local clubs,” the attorney general said, according to the report. “I am absolutely amazed that with everything that has been going on in this state [in relation to domestic violence] that our discussion here in parliament today is about gambling and gaming machines.”

ONE Championship™ Announces Exciting New Bouts in Kuala Lumpur

Igor Svirid to Defend One Middleweight World Championship Title Against Vitaly Bigdash in Main Event of One: Tigers of AsiaThree Malaysia Super Fights Confirmed

17 September 2015 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), in partnership with Alienware Malaysia, is set to deliver fans in Kuala Lumpur another exhilarating night of world-class mixed martial arts action on 9 October, featuring the absolute best in local and international talent. ONE Middleweight World Champion Igor “Lionheart” Svirid will now headline the spectacular fight card in Kuala Lumpur as he defends his title against Vitaly Bigdash. ONE: TIGERS OF ASIA will also feature three Malaysia Super Fights as Ann Osman takes on Irina Mazepa, Ev Ting battles Honorio Banario and Peter Davis duels Adrian Pang.

CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “You can always count on ONE Championship’s dedication to the city of Kuala Lumpur. We’ve prepared a memorable night of adrenaline-pumping thrills for fans here and all across the world headlined by an explosive world championship title fight! Witness all the action live as the best local and international MMA fighters compete inside the ONE Cage. Fans will not want to miss what goes down on 9 October!”

In the Malaysia Super Fights, Malaysia’s fighting belle, Ann “Athena” Osman, is back and ready to rock Kuala Lumpur once again in her highly-anticipated return to the ONE Cage. Working to constantly improve her overall MMA game, Osman has been deep in training on the coastal locale of Kota Kinabalu. She will get the chance to show off her new moves against Russian kickboxer, Irina Mazepa.

Watchdog chief: Premier League bets reach ‘up to €1B’ globally

The English Premier League is awashed with sports bets, according to a sports integrity watchdog.

Chris Eaton, executive director of Qatar-based International Centre for Sport Security, told Agence France Presse that “up to €1 billion is bet on each Premier League game,” noting that large sums of bets are being placed on results, regardless of which teams are playing.

The former head of FIFA security estimated that as much as 80 percent of the money gambled on Premier League games comes from countries, or even administrative regions within countries, where sports gambling is illegal. Most bets are for half-time and full-time scores, where the “big money” is made, according to the report.

Eaton pegged the sports gambling market to be worth around $1.5 trillion annually, adding that majority of wagers are spent on football, followed by cricket and tennis.

NYX Gaming Group Rolls Out NYX OGS System on Caesars Interactive Entertainment Platform

NYX Gaming Group continues to extend its brand across the online gambling industry with a deal that sees their Open Gaming System used on the Caesars Interactive Entertainment platform.

Canadian online gambling outfit NYX Gaming Group continue to spray their brand across the online gambling sphere with news of a new deal with Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE).

The pair has shaken hands on a deal that will see NYX’s Open Gaming System (NYX OGS) rolled out on their New Jersey real-money online casino CaesarsCasino.com.

40 NYX propriety slot titles will become immediately available for CaesarsCasino.com desktop users, and 38 of them will also be available for mobile users. Approved third party content will also be delivered via the new integration.

Ladbrokes Chief Financial Officer Ian Bull to Leave in Feb 2016

Ladbrokes Chief Financial Officer Ian Bull has been told he can leave the company in February 2016, or before, if the proposed merger with Coral goes through sooner.

The planned merger of Ladbrokes and Coral has chewed up and spat out its first casualty after Ladbrokes announced that Ian Bull, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), would leave the company in Feb 2016.

Bull’s planned departure date is set to coincide with the announcement of Ladbrokes 2015 full year results. A press release received by Ladbrokes stated that should the Coral merger go ahead before that date then Bull would leave immediately after.

Bull has been the Ladbrokes CFO since 2011. The UK bookmaker picked him up from Greene King plc. where he enjoyed an eight-year spell as Group Finance Director. His resume also contains experience picked up at BT, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and St. Modwen Properties.