Philippine-listed gaming technology provider PhilWeb Corp. has asked state regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to allow the company to provide its services to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) licensees.

PhilWeb President Dennis Valdes confirmed on Monday that the Manila-based firm was in talks with the Philippine regulator on the legalities and requirements to service POGO gaming software needs, according to ABS-CBN News.

However, Valdes quickly clarified that extending services to internationally licensed gambling operators doesn’t mean that they are interested in becoming a POGO operator as well.

“We are not opposed to being a service provider for POGO. There are a lot of players servicing China, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Valdes said, according to the news outlet.

Net revenue of Shenzhen-based online sports lottery service provider 500.com grew more than five-fold in the second quarter of 2018, thanks to the stellar performance of its newly acquired Maltese-based online lottery betting and online casino operator TMG Group.

Financial data showed 500.com’s net revenue for the second quarter of 2018 stood at CNY30.4 million ($4.6 million), 582.68 percent higher than RMB4.6 million ($673,785) reported in the same period last year.

Majority of the firm’s net revenue came from its online lottery betting and online casino in Europe, which accounted for 89.1 percent of the business, according to 500.com CEO Zhengming Pan. The company reported that TMG contributed CNY27.1 million ($3.97 million) in revenue for Q2 2018.

However, 500.com’s net revenue in the three months ending June 30, 2018 was slower than the CNY38.4 million it posted in the first quarter of the year.

The good news is that the total market value for the six casino operators in Macau is predicted to hit $146 billion by 2020. The bad news is that there could be a number of disruptions due to the city’s license bidding process and competition cropping up out of Japan and China.

According to Morgan Stanley analysts, the market value could increase by as much as 24% within two years. The value is currently around $118 billion and will increase as a result of an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13%. Key disruptions, though, are still a major concern and the analysts warn that there is a downside of as much as 41% on their base estimate for 2020, and as much as 27% on the current $118-billion market cap.

Two of the six casino operators – SGM and MGM – will see their licenses expire in 2020. The other four – Melco, Wynn, Galaxy and Sands – will be set to renew their licenses two years later. Some anticipate that SJM and MGM could receive two-year extensions so that all six are positioned for new licenses at the same time. However, there are still doubts regarding the licensing renewal process, which could cause headaches for both operators and gamblers in 2022.

The Morgan Stanley analysts said, “In case of license renewal, it could either have a negative monetary impact or outright loss of gaming profit.”

A new program designed to educate students on the management of integrated resorts (IR) is coming to Japan and Macau. Galaxy Entertainment has partnered with Japan’s Toyo University and the University of Macau (UMAC) to introduce a “Japan-Macau Integrated Resort Management Mentorship Pilot Scheme” in anticipation of casinos coming to Japan beginning sometime in the next decade. The program is designed to give Japanese university students in-depth knowledge on IR management through month-long visits to casinos in Macau.

According to a press release issued by Galaxy, “[The] Mentorship Scheme is intended to identify and give the coming generation of IR professionals in Japan a first-hand look at what it takes to develop and operate the world’s most successful IR – Galaxy Macau.”

Participants will receive an education on the management and operation of IRs through a series of lectures and mentoring sessions. The lectures will be led by faculty members of UMAC’s International Integrated Resort Management program and the mentoring will be provided by Galaxy executives. They will cover areas such as Hotel and Hospitality, Food and Beverage, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Branding and Marketing. Additionally, mentoring will be provided on Retail, Organizational Development, Training and Human Resources.

Francis Lui, Galaxy’s Vice chairman, said, “Together with the [Galaxy] Foundation and the support of University of Macau, we are very pleased to share our philosophy for sustainable and responsible IR development with what we hope will be the future home-grown leaders of IRs in Japan. As a group we are passionate about nurturing the next generation and in giving them the best possible opportunities for their future careers. We recognize that Macau, and [Galaxy], have both the vision and an opportunity to share its formula for success with Japan as it embarks on the path of IR implementation.”

The Triton Poker Series in Jeju moves into it’s final few days of action with Sam Greenwood leading a field of 22 players after Day 1 of the HKD 2,000,000 (USD 255,000) Main Event.

A few days ago, jet-lagged, hungry, and ready for bed, Sam Greenwood, snagged the chip lead at the end of Day 1 of the HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed. It didn’t work out for the Canadian after he busted well short of the money, and he will be hoping to tweak that déjà vu, later today.

Greenwood is the man everyone is trying to catch at the end of Day 1 of the HKD 2,000,000 (USD 255,000) No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. It’s the final competition of the Triton Poker Series, Jeju, and it attracted 44 entrants, including a rather expensive HKD 8,000,000 (USD 1,019,000) contribution from Ivan Leow.

Players through to the final day include the HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) Six-Max Champion, David Peters (742,000), the HKD 100,000 (USD 12,500) Short-Deck Champion, Nick Schulman (407,000) and former Triton Poker Champion Phil Ivey (230,000).

Following a requirement by the Philippines Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Council (AMLC) making registration of casinos with the entity obligatory by the middle of next month, five casinos have reportedly already stepped up. The registration comes following a suggestion by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global policy-making group that creates standards for fighting money laundering and terrorism financing, which the FATF said would help improve the status of casinos in the country.

According to the council, the five registered casinos include Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment, which operates the Okada Manila property, Melco Crown, owner of City of Dreams Manila, Resorts World Manila’s Travellers International Hotel Group, Widus Philippines and Widus International Leisure of the Widus Hotel and Casino and Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, which operates the Solaire Resort and Casino.

Earlier this year, The AMLC updated its Registration and Reporting Guidelines for Casinos. The new guidelines makes the filing of a report compulsory within five working days after a “covered transaction” where the amount is more than $100,000. Additionally, suspicious transactions, such as lack of identification or suspicion of criminal activity involvement, must also be reported.

The Philippines are working diligently to clean up its public perception. It instituted a new requirement last year that makes carrying identity – such as a passport or driver’s license – obligatory while gambling. The casinos are now also required to keep records of all gambling activity for a period of a minimum of five years.

Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT) adjusted its revenue upward twice this month, following several deals that improved its financial position. The news came a little for the company’s controlling shareholder, however, who had already decided to retreat on its stake in the operations. Ainsworth, in a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange, announced last Friday that Novomatic took a reduction in stake last May, dropping from 53.58% to 52.38% its control in the company.

Novomatic became the primary shareholder after it spent around $350 million to purchase a major stake in the company in January. That purchase had begun about two years prior.

With the acquisition, Novomatic gained access to new markets in the US and Asia, with Novomatic Chief Technology Officer Thomas Graf saying at the time that Ainsworth had “superior gaming technology, clear industry expertise and [an] impressive international footprint, especially in the U.S. market.”

Ainsworth reported less than two weeks ago that it expected its revenue for the second half of 2018 to reach $26.5 million. This was an increase of $11.8 million over previous expectations and came after the company signed a significant deal with Churchill Downs. That adjustment came after its previous fiscal year before-tax profits were adjusted to $28.97 million, up $2.48 million over the previously reported $26.49 million.

Belle Corp, a Philippine conglomerate that targets gaming operations, had a few reasons to celebrate the end of the second quarter this year. In a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange last Friday, the company saw its net income increase by 10.2%, reaching $17.3 million. This was an increase of about $1.6 million over the same period last year when the company reported $15.7 million in net income.

Belle receives a portion of the gaming revenues or earnings from City of Dreams Manila (CoDM), which is operated by an arm of Melco Resorts. This is due to a 78.7% stake in its Premium Leisure Corp. subsidiary, which has partnered with Melco in the CoDM project.

Gaming revenue for Belle climbed 43.9% year-on-year for the three-month period ending June 30. It reached just over $20.1 million, compared to the $13.98 million generated in the second quarter of 2017. Across the company, revenue increased to $47 million, up 17.1% over the $40.3 million it pulled in during the same quarter last year.

Expenses for gaming operations took a huge nosedive, plummeting 92.7% year-on-year. According to Belle, this was due to “lower consultancy fees and other costs.” Whereas in the second quarter of last year the company spent $1.04 million on gaming operations, it only had to lay $77,217 during the second quarter this year.

Kenneth Kee has won the single largest sum of money at the Triton Poker Series, Jeju, thus far, after beating Cary Katz, heads-up, to take the HKD 22,500,000 (USD 2,866,838) first prize, in the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 125,000) Short-Deck, Ante Only tournament. 

If my daughter turned out to be a hooker, I would spend a few sleepless nights wondering where I went wrong?

But what if she became a poker player?

Watching Kenneth Kee’s post-victory PokerNews interview with Sasha Salinger, I sensed an aggressive button edge in his voice when he spoke about his lack of game time in tournaments.