The US casino lobby claims locally licensed bookmakers are winning the battle for the hearts and minds of US sports bettors, although internationally licensed sportsbooks are winning their share of betting dollars.

A new survey of 3,451 US adults released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association (AGA) claims that US sports bettors boosted their spending with locally-licensed online sports betting operators by 12% in 2019, while spending with ‘illegal bookies’ fell by one-quarter in states that have legalized wagering.

The AGA didn’t define the parameters of what counts as an ‘illegal bookie’ but it’s apparently limited to guys named Lefty who hang out at the back of the bar and are willing take your action on credit. Because the AGA also said that internationally licensed online sportsbooks saw spending rise 3% in those same legal betting states last year (and +24% in states that have yet to legalize).

The AGA’s data appears to show that bettors are largely civic-minded but a bit slow on the uptake. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents stressed the importance of only betting via legal bookmakers yet more than half (52%) of those who wagered in 2019 did so with operators not carrying the local seal of approval.

A notorious casino in Laos is at the center of a police investigation into a shootout that resulted in the deaths of four Chinese nationals.

Earlier this month, Lao police reported being called to the Kings Romans Casino in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone near the intersecting borders of Thailand and Myanmar. According to some accounts, the call came after three Chinese nationals entered the casino with a suitcase containing around RMB1m (US$143k) in cash.

According to some reports, the Chinese nationals brought the cash to make good on a gambling debt but some kind of argument ensued, resulting in their decision to flee with the cash, with other Chinese nationals in hot pursuit. A shootout occurred in which the three Chinese who fled the casino were killed by their pursuing countrymen, one of whom was subsequently shot and killed by police.

However, other reports claim that four Chinese nationals were killed and a fifth wounded in a rented house near the casino in an apparent robbery. The alleged robbers, a Chinese man and his wife, then fled the scene with stolen cash only to be cornered by police the following day, resulting in a shootout and the arrest of the wounded husband, while the wife reportedly escaped.

UK gambling giant GVC Holdings is facing renewed scrutiny from the UK taxman over the company’s former Turkey-facing online gambling operations.

On Tuesday, GVC announced that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) was “widening the scope of its investigation” into GVC’s former Turkish operations, which the company offloaded in 2017 in an apparent bid to smooth UK regulatory approval for its then-pending takeover of rival Ladbrokes Coral Group.

Last November, HMRC sought information from GVC regarding the Turkish business, a request that GVC says it understood as being “directed at a number of former third-party suppliers, relating to the processing of payments for online gambling in Turkey.”

GVC said Tuesday that HMRC had recently informed the company that it was now “examining ‘potential corporate offending’ by an entity (or entities) within the GVC group which HMRC has not yet identified.”

The Hong Jockey Club (HKJC) is in further turmoil after a club employee tested positive for COVID-19. The female employee at the club’s Happy Valley Headquarters was tested on July 15 before returning a positive result on July 18. The employee attended the club on July 13 and has been in self-isolation at home since under the guidance of the Department of Health.

The HKJC released a statement on its website advising that strict quarantine measures had been put in place:

“Upon notification by the infected employee, the Club immediately communicated with employees who have had close contact with the infected employee since 4 July and will arrange testing for them as soon as possible. Regardless of the test results, they will be advised to self-isolate at home for 14 days, in addition to those who work on the same floor as the infected employee as a safety precaution. The Club will also closely communicate and cooperate with the Department of Health.”

The HKJC has called in cleaning crews to disinfect the entire floor and common areas that the infected employee was last seen in. The operation has been fairly proactive in its approach to tackling the third wave of COVID-19 that is sweeping through the Hong Kong area. The HKJC recently closed seven off-track betting facilities and deferred the resumption of the lottery draws.

Business has slowly resumed for Singapore’s integrated resorts (IRs) with both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa re-opening some of their non-gaming amenities. Both resorts are moving into a staged re-opening, in-line with the government’s COVID plan, but the industry continues to operate under heavy pandemic restrictions.

Over the last month, the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa have partially opened some hotel rooms, retail and a successful health restricted opening of their casino and gaming facilities.

The Marina Bay Sands made the announcement on its website on July 17:

“Marina Bay Sands will re-open our iconic Hotel and infinity pool to the public from 17 July. Banyan Tree Spa, Fitness Club, RISE, Renku, Spago and Sampan Rides will also resume operations on the same day. This marks the next milestone in our re-opening plans, which already sees ArtScience Museum, Casino, Sands SkyPark Observation Deck, The Shoppes and restaurants in the mall resuming operations.”