Macau is desperate for tourists, and it needs them more from neighboring China and Hong Kong than anywhere else. These two sources of visitors make up the bulk of Macau gambling tourists to the Special Administrative Region, but ongoing negotiations about a travel bubble between the three regions, which would be great for Macau, is possibly leaving it out of the loop.

Hong Kong’s attempt to create a travel bubble spurred rumors recently that Macau would not be part of the deal. The Chinese province of Guangdong is expected to figure into the quarantine zone Hong Kong is looking to create, but local media quoted Chief Executive Carrie Lam as saying there would be “technical issues” blocking Macau from the group.

If the deal pushes through, the governments of each region would mutually recognize COVID-19 test results conducted by local testing facilities. To be allowed to travel within the bubble, a visitor would not be allowed to have left the bubble for the last 14 days.

Lam later dismissed suggestions that the bubble would open without Macau, offering that she has spoken with Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng about involving the region. Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan added:

Now that the coronavirus has, relatively speaking, been brought under control, it’s time to get back to work. For the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA), this means restarting its investigation of Crown Resorts. The casino operator had come under fire for a questionable relationship with top figures behind Melco Resorts & Entertainment, which had caused its suitability to hold a gaming license to be brought into question. With the ILGA returning to action, one of the first orders of business will be the Crown scrutiny, which the gaming regulator says will get going “immediately.”

Previously, the ILGA was more interested in the relationship between individuals connected to Melco and their interactions with Crown after Melco purchased almost 10% of the Australian casino operator a year ago. However, Melco has now backed down, selling its complete interest, which will allow the regulator to put aside its co-mingling concerns. The ILGA said in a statement from Tuesday that it had made a decision that “all work of the casino inquiry will resume immediately,” adding, “The Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has decided that all work of the Casino Inquiry will resume immediately. Most of the Inquiry’s work was deferred in April 2020 in light of the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. After carefully considering the current COVID-19 situation, and Commonwealth and NSW Government advice and restrictions, the Authority considers it safe and practicable to resume the Inquiry’s work. Following changes in the ownership of shares in Crown Resorts by Melco Resorts, the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference have been updated. They will also shortly be posted on the Inquiry’s website at https://www.nswcasinoinquiry.com/.”

That update includes a shift to Crown’s worthiness as a casino operator. The company is working on the Crown Sydney in Barangaroo, which is scheduled to open sometime next year, and the ILGA wants to be confident that Crown is capable of continuing to run the $1.5-billion project. Reports that the operator had actively allowed cash to flow through its properties that was traced to drug traffickers, money launderers and war criminals have cast serious doubts over Crown’s ethics.

Those doubts were compounded by the interaction between Crown and Melco. According to an agreement Crown signed with the NSW Casino, Liquor and Gaming Authority in 2014, the company was prohibited from any contact with the founder of Melco, former chairman and CEO Stanley Ho. When Melco announced its stake purchase last year, it didn’t take long for gaming regulators to be concerned about the relationship. Ho died last month at the age of 98.

At some point, every industry undergoes a paradigm shift, whether people want it to or not. While there will always be those who oppose change simply because they don’t understand it, it’s all part of the cycle that keeps the world turning. One of stalwarts of society has always been health care, and hospitals are inarguably at the center. However, that might not always be the case, as a new initiative begun by the Mayo Clinic seems to indicate.

The Mayo Clinic, in conjunction with Medically Home, is changing the hospital paradigm, creating a healthcare model that includes more at-home advanced care treatment that has previously only been offered at hospitals. As one of the leading healthcare companies in the U.S., the Mayo Clinic is certainly able to take the bull by the horns and facilitate change. By teaming up with the tech company, it is creating a partnership that can have a lasting impact on how healthcare is viewed.

According to a statement by the Mayo Clinic, “Under the direction of Mayo Clinic physicians, advanced care at home offers comprehensive and restorative health care services including infusions, skilled nursing, medications, laboratory and imaging services, behavioral health, and rehabilitation services from a network of paramedics, nurses and an ecosystem of support team members.” The idea is to put health care where it’s needed, when it’s needed, and provide safer, more comfortable surroundings for the patients.

The Mayo Clinic has already invested in Medically Home after signing over a check for an undisclosed amount last year. The tech company has also received other investments, like the $10 million it received from Cardinal Health. The investments are being used, in part, to help fund “virtual hospitals,” which essentially turn a patient’s home into a temporary hospital.

Jose Huizar’s wife and four children are the recipients of the big black badge of disgrace. Soon, when asked what their father does for a living, the city councilman’s children might have to stand up and announce that he’s in jail for abusing his position and accepting bribes, including casino gambling chips, in exchange for political favors. What a wonderful legacy to leave.

Jose Huizar is a soon-to-be-former city councilman in Los Angeles who has now been charged for reportedly running a scheme that allowed certain companies, including real estate developers, to provide certain cash considerations in exchange for his assistance in getting permits and approvals. His plot included receiving almost anything of value, including cash, casino chips and travel, to boost a lavish lifestyle. In return, he would assert his political power on City Hall in order to speed up applications or give companies priority over others.

In a press release distributed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California Tuesday, the 51-year-old Huizar had been arrested that day by the FBI and charged with federal racketeering. He was to make an appearance in court that same afternoon and had been taken in without incident from his home in Boyle Heights. The politician can now only sit back and watch what happens as his 15-year career as a City Councilman along with his family, are put under the microscope.

US Attorney Nick Hanna says in the statement, “This case pulled back the curtain on rampant corruption at City Hall. Councilman Huizar violated the public trust to a staggering degree, allegedly soliciting and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from multiple sources over many years. Using the power of his office to approve or stall large building projects, Huizar worked through a web of other corrupt city officials, lobbyists, consultants and developers to line his pockets and maintain his hold on Council District 14, which he turned into a money-making criminal enterprise that shaped the development landscape in Los Angeles.”

Investors looking for the best place to park some money need to pay attention to the latest from Morgan Stanley. Analysts with the financial firm have put together their preferences for the industries with the strongest growth potential in the U.S. as the coronavirus recovery begins and have given significant support to both online gaming and sportsbooks. This isn’t too surprising, given the fact that, when you’re at the bottom, the only way to go is up. 

According to the financial brokerage giant, “The impacts of Covid-19 on macro trends and individual consumer behaviors will affect investing fundamentals for years to come.” As a result, Morgan Stanley has identified 50 “mega-trends” that are now receiving more attention as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the initial phases of the recovery. Leading the way are gambling services, due to several factors. 

There had already been a feeling at Morgan Stanley that sports gambling was going to be big business in the U.S. Last November, before COVID-19 came in, it predicted that the industry would grow to be worth around $8 billion by 2025. As a result of the global pandemic and the massive loss in revenue incurred by many states across the U.S., there will now almost certainly be a greater push for legalized sports gambling across the country, possibly even at the federal level. That could push the $8-billion figure much higher. The fact that DraftKings increased its value right in the middle of the pandemic speaks volumes. 

As casinos in the U.S. were forced to halt operations due to public lockdowns, stocks began to plummet. However, this has been nothing more than a temporary glitch that won’t last forever. Casino executives know this, which is why many decided to take shares in lieu of cash as gambling operators tightened their belts. Despite current coronavirus hotspots appearing in the U.S., those investors who can part with their money would be wise to invest in casino stocks and then walk away, knowing that, within a decade, the return will be astronomical. 

Australian rugby has been thrown into turmoil with the news that Aussie players are threatening to strike, on the eve of the new Super Rugby competition. With kick-off nine days away, Rugby Australia (RA) is in talks with the Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) over a proposed 40% salary cut to the players for the remainder of 2020. RUPA representatives have been angered by the proposed cuts, pointing out that the RA executive team have only taken on a 5% wage cut.

The players are standing firm and a strike has the potential to cripple rugby after the code posted a $6.5 million deficit over the last 12 months. A strike potentially would eat up the goodwill generated from the Fox broadcast agreement for the new competition. Fox have agreed in principle to a short-term broadcast deal for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Any strike action from the players would cripple the code financially as they continue to play catch-up with the NRL and AFL in the Australian market.

The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria have forced Rugby Australia to relocate the Melbourne Rebels to Canberra, nine-days out from the Super Rugby opening game. The move has forced the players to question the need for further salary cuts moving forward into the season.

The Netherlands’ regulated online gambling market probably won’t make its latest launch target, and a Dutch court has ruled that the country’s licensing procedures need to comply with European Union trade rules.

Last week, several motions were put forward by members of the Dutch parliament’s Lower House regarding the Remote Gaming Act, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2021, with the ensuing six months used to vet license applications ahead of an official market launch on July 1.

In May, Minister for Justice and Security Sander Dekker stated that “the possibility of some delay” in this schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic “cannot be entirely ruled out.” This week, Dekker (pictured) confirmed that the current timeline – which had already been delayed six months once before – would likely be pushed back by “a few months.”

One of the MPs had sought assurances that the government’s online gambling self-exclusion register (Cruks) would be ready to go before the online licensees start taking customers. Dekker offered a “guarantee” that the register would be tried and tested before the market’s launch.

Casino operator Caesars Entertainment has become the first US gaming firm to impose a mandatory mask policy for both staff and customers following a spike in US COVID-19 cases.

On Wednesday, Caesars announced a new “universal mask policy” that took effect at noon at all Caesars properties currently open in Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Nevada, plus tribal casinos in Arizona, California and North Carolina, and will apply to casinos in other states as they reopen.  

“Everyone indoors,” which includes “employees, vendors, contractors, guests and passersby,” is now required to wear masks at all times, except when eating or drinking. Caesars CEO Tony Rodio said the scientific evidence was clear on widespread mask use limiting the spread of COVID-19 and any tough guys who refuse to mask up “will be directed to leave the property.”  

Previously, Caesars required mask use only by staff and, following last week’s revised rules issued by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, table game players who weren’t separated from their dealer by a physical barrier.

Kenya’s parliament has scrapped the controversial tax on sports betting turnover, although it remains to be seen whether President Uhuru Kenyatta is on board with this plan.  

On Tuesday, Kenya’s National Assembly approved the Finance Bill 2020, which governs how the government will finance its operations in the fiscal year starting July 1. Among the bill’s features is the elimination of the controversial excise tax on betting that turned the country’s wagering market upside down over the past year.

Last summer, Kenya’s Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB) suspended the licenses of a couple dozen gambling operators, including market-leaders SportPesa and Betin, over claims that the operators owed the government hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.

The source of the friction was the government’s view that a 20% tax on bettors’ winnings that was suspended in 2016 then reintroduced in 2018 applied to the total sum bookmakers paid to winners, i.e. including the original betting stake, making it a 20% tax on turnover.  SportPesa, Betin and other operators ultimately shut their Kenyan operations rather than pay the disputed arrears.