There is intense competition to be among the first casinos granted a license in Japan. Hard Rock International have made it clear in the past they would want in on the bidding, and we know more now about their plans for an integrated resort (IR).

In a January 11 press release, Hard Rock details their plans for a Tomakomai, Hokkaido IR. The plans include monorail access to the airport, a guitar-shaped hotel tower, an additional Four Seasons hotel, an entertainment venue, theatres, a health and well-being center, and over 215,000 square feet of retail and dining space. The focus will be on an authentic Ainu (a local indigenous people) village experience.

The operator came prepared and isn’t messing around. They also announced partnerships with the New York Yankees and Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, a company that focuses on Broadway Theater experiences.

At the recent Hokkaido Integrated Resort showcase, Jim Allen, CEO of Hard Rock, said:

Initial reports on Macau’s gambling industry this year have stated that the gross gaming revenue (GGR) of the sector is expected to see some declines this year. Despite the decrease in revenue, however, casino stocks remain a solid investment. JPMorgan analysts add that the stocks are still worth buying, but as a long-term investment.

Yesterday, JPMorgan published its analysis of the industry, predicting that a “cyclical slow-down” in China’s economy will most likely impact Macau’s casino business. This, it points out, was not new news for investors and shouldn’t have a major influence over stock prices. Analysts DS Kim and Sean Zhuang explained, “Most of the negatives are well known and already (if not overly) priced-in.”

The analysts expect the GGR in Macau to shrink by 1% this year. They also believe VIP gambling will shrink by 6% and that mass-market revenue will increase by 3%.

The firm asserts that Macau casino stock investors need to consider long positions. It adds that the two preferred stocks are Wynn Macau and Sands China, but that the entire Macau sector is strong. The analysts state, “The trends in Macau have been surprisingly resilient if not strong – despite [a] (very) challenging macro backdrop and ever-growing concerns over [a] downturn.”

In hopes of countering cuts in wagers proposed for the UK and Irish racing industries, Ladbrokes and Coral believe they have the solution. They have announced that they will extend their best-odds guarantee on racing starting today for all over-the-counter bets. The guarantee only applies to the first £100 ($128) of a particular wager.

Beginning April 1, bookmakers are expected to see a drop in revenue as the government implements a new policy that will reduce all fixed-odds betting terminal (FOBT) stakes from £100 to £2 ($2.56). GVC Holdings, which operates both Ladbrokes and Coral, has said that the move will result in around 1,000 of their shops to be forced to close.

All customers of the two companies, provided they have a respective Ladbrokes Grid or Coral Connect card, will be able to take advantage of the new guarantee. Both brands will invest heavily into their marketing programs to ensure that word gets out quickly, and will launch campaigns in the press and on social media, as well as in the betting shops.

According to the PR director for Ladbrokes Coral, Simon Clare, “This is the biggest racing offer ever to hit the high street, and is a clear signal of our intent as we face up to a new era for betting shops from April 1. There is no question that a seismic change in our betting shop business is going to occur when the FOBT stake restrictions come into force, but we are now taking pre-emptive action with the launch of this significant betting shop offer, which will boost our horseracing business and also our betting shop footfall as we prepare for the challenge ahead.”

He didn’t mean to become an illegal sports bookie; it kind of happened by accident. Stephen Mardigan was making a decent living as a used car dealer in Portland, Maine when a few innocent requests set him on a path that ultimately led to time in a federal prison and the loss of millions of dollars and a record that is permanently marked with money laundering and tax evasion.

Mardigan began betting when he was in his 30’s, after having launched a successful used car dealership. He made his first bet with a friend over a football game, which led to his being introduced to a bookie. From there, he became virtually a full-time gambler and even started taking bets from friends to pass on to the bookie.

On one occasion, he collected the friends’ bets, but never turned them over. His friends lost their money and he kept the winnings. At this point, he went from intermediary to bookie and launched an underground career that spanned decades before he was caught.

When he was finally arrested and appeared before a judge, Mardigan asserted, “I did not set out to break the law, but somehow I crossed that line along the way.” At this point, however, the damage was already done. He was looking at time behind bars for money laundering, illegal gambling and tax evasion.

The feud between Universal Entertainment and its former chief, Kazuo Okada, continues. Okada was ousted from the company two years ago after reports surfaced that he had been involved in a number of shady deals and he has been trying to regain power ever since. Although those attempts have so far proved to be futile, he can’t resist looking for different angles at every turn in order to keep Universal on its heels. In his latest move, he has approached the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) in an effort to keep a Universal subsidiary from going public.

Okada, who is accused of absconding with $20 million of Universal’s money for his own purposes, wants the PSE to not allow Universal subsidiary Tiger Resort Asia Ltd. from being listed on the exchange. He argues that the company has no authority to proceed with the plan after it acquired a majority stake in a company that owns the $2.4-billion Okada Manila integrated resort in the Philippines last September.

According to a letter sent by Okada’s lawyers to the PSE from three days ago, which was subsequently sent to media outlets, as well, the lawyers assert, “The backdoor listing is not authorized and is opposed by the casino magnate, the true and legal beneficial owner of controlling shares, and Chairman or Sole Director, in all Okada Companies.”

They further assert that the listing should be denied because “there exists, at bare minimum, a serious issue as to whether Fujimoto et. al. are legitimate directors/officers of Tiger, and the rest of the Okada Companies, that can act for and on behalf of said Companies.”

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is taking a hard look at Lottoland, following a complaint that claimed the Gibraltar-based operator was offering betting products based on international lottery businesses.

Lottoland’s recently released “jackpot betting” product takes numbers from financial markets and international lotteries and uses them to derive a random lottery draw, from which it then pays out its winners. While the action is based on foreign draws, like the American Powerball, it does not allow direct purchasing of lottery tickets for those contests.

In late June, Australia passed laws which would ban offers on international lotteries. This current investigation will analyze if Lottoland’s “jackpot betting” is in violation of that legislation.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports Communications Minster Mitch Fifield is seeking advice from the Australian Communications and Media Authority to determine “there are no activities that are contrary to the law.”

Philippine-listed gaming technology provider PhilWeb Corp. has petitioned the Manila Regional Trial Court to stop the implementation of a new regulation that could give competitor Inter-Active Entertainment Solutions Technologies Inc. (IEST) advantages in being monitored by a third-party auditor.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the lawsuit was directed at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which is proposing an Electronic Gaming Management System, the service of which is being bid out.

PhilWeb said that IEST alone possesses an Intellectual Property Licensing and Management Agreement (IPLMA), which gives it less coverage under the new rules. The EGMS, according to the bidding document, will cover a company’s products, save for those already covered by existing intellectual property licensing agreements, which will exclude IEST from some of the new requirements.

“IEST, as the lone IPLMA holder, already possesses tremendous benefits and advantages over its competitors… But if the EGMS pushes through, as it is defined and delineated by Pagcor in its invitation to bid, the advantages in favor of IEST will be increased significantly,” the petition read. PhilWeb’s IPLMA expired in 2016.

Another round-up from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure as Lee Davy sits down with PokerStars ambassador, Chris Moneymaker, to talk about his experience with enemies, who and what he is envious of and much more.

PokerStars PCA Report: Moneymaker on enemies, envy and pro on pro-violence Audio

Genting Berhad maintains that the appearance of its Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) resort, still under construction, could not be confused with that of Wynn Resorts’ trademarked design.

In its disclosure with the Malaysian Stock Exchange, the operator said it had filed its opposition to Wynn’s lawsuit that seeks to stop construction of RWLV according to current design plans, due to similarity in appearance to Wynn properties. Such a petition, Genting said, was based on “speculative extrapolation,” with construction of the resort still at an early stage, and nearly two years before a scheduled 2020 opening.

“The design and construction of [Genting’s] resort and casino are on-going and the completed project, when open for business in late 2020, will look dramatically different from [Wynn’s] properties,” the opposition read.

Included in the opposition were pictures showing how RWLV will look when completed, “to dispel any suggestion that a reasonable consumer could confuse [Genting’s] and [Wynn’s] resort and casino for each other.”