As Japan struggles to put its newly-approved integrated resort (IR) industry in order, lawmakers continuously work to develop new policies and laws that will help the IRs succeed, while responding to concerns raised by citizens. The latest endeavor meant to shape the industry came through the government’s Council on Economic Fiscal Policy, which issued a new set of guidelines for boosting tourism in the country. The Economic and Fiscal Management Fundamental Policy, also referred to as the Basic Policy 2019, should prove beneficial as the IR space continues to advance.

According to the policy, “To achieve the goal of reaching 40 million annual visitors to Japan by 2020, 60 million by 2030 and realize Japan as a tourist destination, there will be a strategic easing of visa regulations, an expansion of duty-free outlets, speeding up entry to and exit from the country through the introduction of facial recognition systems and CIQ systems, enhancement of airport functions, promotion of commissioning direct flights to regional airports, and expansion of mutual exchange programs.”

Specifically as it pertains to IR operations, the Basic Policy 2019 asserts, “There will be work on fundamental policies based on the Act on Promotion of Development of Specified Complex Tourist Facilities Areas to promote IR facilities that will be globally competitive and attractive for long-stay tourism.

“A casino management committee will be established and world-class casino regulations implemented to mitigate and take measures against the concerns raised by casino development. There will also be the implementation of thorough and comprehensive measures against gambling and other addictions.”

Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, isn’t going to rest until the industry trash is completely picked up and properly discarded. After the country updated its gambling laws earlier this year, the organization has continued to work to ensure that Sweden’s gambling operations are clean and legitimate, continuously holding gambling providers accountable for their actions. In its latest endeavor, Spelinspektionen has announced that it is joining forces with other agencies in the country to create a new strategy designed to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

Spelinspektionen stated this week that it will work with 15 other groups to develop the strategy, which will be deployed across the gambling industry, as well as others. It will include the distribution and exchange of information between the different entities involved and will lead to the creation of a repository of data that can be used to identify, map and analyze risks tied to illicit activities.

The gambling regulator adds in its announcement, “Spelinspektionen will work to counter money laundering and financing of terrorism in the gaming sector. A gaming company could be used as a criminal tool. Therefore, in our licensing, it is important to find out who are the real principals of the gaming company that holds or applies for a license. A gaming company must also have good customer knowledge in order to counteract the use of gambling activities for money laundering or terrorist financing.”

Part of these efforts will be digging deep into the background of applicants soliciting a gambling license. The goal of that investigation is to uncover the identity of the person or persons requesting the license, not just provide a cursory review of the operator’s business name. Those companies approved for licenses will also be forced to include Know Your Customer procedures, which are often used to try to thwart illegal money exchanges and other illicit activity in money-related industries.

Melco International shareholders have decided that a little extra boost is due from the company’s performance last year. They approved a final dividend during a general meeting yesterday, after the measure was suggested by the casino operator’s management in March. The payout will be $0.003 per share (HK$0.0235) and the total to be distributed will be $4.6 million. Investors can expect the bonus to be paid most likely on July 5.

Melco International is the parent company of Melco Resorts and Entertainment, which operates several casinos in Macau and the Philippines. It is also working on a massive City of Dreams Mediterranean (CODM) on the island of Cyprus. Melco has already opened a few satellite casinos in the country as it ramps up operations in preparation of the casino resort’s grand opening in 2021. CODM was expected to open its doors by the summer of that year, but the company has been forced to delay the grand opening until the end of the year due to construction issues.

For last year, Melco International reported that its profit attributable to shareholders had increased by 10.2% year-on-year, reaching $66.77 million. That jump was enough to reward investors with their summer bonus.

The company has also announced that there has been a drop in the number of non-executive directors on its board, falling below the minimum requirement to maintain a presence on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Independent, non-executive directors have to account for one-third of a board, but Melco is losing Anthony Tyen Kan Hee to retirement, which is going to put it below that minimum threshold.

The daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry in India is booming. There have been several new companies to step into the market recently, including media company giant the India Today Group, which teamed up with news channel AajTak a little more than a week ago for a new fantasy sports platform. Another operator has emerged, an effort promoted by former cricket star, Kapil Dev.

Dev announced the new DFS portal during a ceremony at New Delhi’s The Lalit Hotel earlier this week. The platform, Apne11, features Dev as a brand ambassador and will operate similarly to other DFS platforms. It will also include its own “Kapil League,” which will reward the highest scorer on the site’s leaderboard with possibly as much as 25 lakhs (about $35,913). The top five finishers will also be able to meet the former cricket captain.

Dev said of the new platform, “I am thrilled to be associated with Apne11 as it will present an open opportunity for millions to compete against one another and have the chance to connect with sports on an even deeper level than before.”

Apne11 was founded by Ratul Sethi, who also attended the ceremony this week. He explained of the DFS industry in the country, “The gaming industry is undergoing a revolution and with one of the world’s largest youth population, India is poised to become one of the world’s leading markets in the gaming sector. Taking forward the same vision we want to make daily fantasy sports game experience simpler and reach tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Our endeavor is to unite India in coming together to celebrate sports in the country.”

Quebec’s provincial gambling monopoly posted over C$100m in annual online revenue for the second year in a row, or the first time, depending on whom you choose to believe.

On Thursday, the provincial government’s gambling monopoly Loto-Quebec reported total revenue of C$2.83b (US$2.1b) in the 12 months ending March 31 while net income rose 5.4% to C$1.4b. The revenue total represents annual growth of 3.1%, which won’t make any sense to anyone who looks at the previous year’s report, which says annual revenue totaled C$3.8b.

The wonky math is apparently the result of a new accounting process for Loto-Quebec’s mainstay lottery division, as well as bingo and other minor verticals. So, according to the accountants, lottery revenue was up 8.7% to C$955.7m, although that’s half the sum the vertical reported last year. Confused yet?

Fortunately, they’re still counting land-based casino revenue by the same standards. Unfortunately, the four venues in the province were essentially flat year-on-year at C$917.9m. The gaming establishments (VLTs in bars and other venues) vertical slipped 0.2% to C$979.5m.

The big opening day of the Encore Boston Harbor, Wynn Resorts big new casino in Massachusetts, is on June 23 and coming fast. Why is it being held on a Sunday you ask? Because Wynn is apparently very worried about traffic being a concern.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the resort has undergone its final checklist by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) on June 12, with all of its machines, tables and everything else inspected. Now the focus is on making June 23 go very smoothly, but just getting there might be the hardest part.

Robert DeSalvio, President of the resort, reportedly told the MGC they chose to hold the Grand Opening on a Sunday to avoid congestion on local streets and highways. They’ve also spent $1 million in “transportation marketing and advertising.”

Anyone planning to visit the resort is encouraged not to drive, they say, and they are pushing visitors to use public transportation, bicycles, shuttle busses, harbor shuttles, or to just plain walk.

Three brief recollections from the World Series of Poker including a miraculous recovery in the record-breaking Millionaire Maker, and wins in the 8-Game Mix and Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack.

Steven Pressfield, the author of The War of Art, had this to say about the archetypal ‘All Is Lost’ moment.

“The ‘All Is Lost’ moment is that crisis where the hero hits the wall. He has failed in all his efforts to attain his objective; he’s completely stuck. There’s no way out and no way forward.”

This morning, as he looks into the mirror, John Gorsuch sees a hero looking back at him. Here is his most recent ‘All Is Lost’ moment.