Australian casino operator The Star Entertainment Group is throwing COVID caution to the wind by lifting most restrictions on its flagship Sydney casino’s operations.

On Wednesday, The Star announced that its eponymous Sydney venue would allow “up to around 5,000 patrons” to access its “casino area,” in keeping with New South Wales guidance of allowing a minimum spacing of four-square-meters per person.

The Sydney casino, which was ordered to close in mid-March to reduce COVID-19 transmission, was allowed to reopen on a limited basis on June 1, with only 500 members of its loyalty rewards program permitted inside at any one time. The casino was also restricted to opening only its VIP-focused ‘private gaming rooms’ and a smattering of food & beverage outlets.

The Star has now thrown open its doors to loyalty club members, their guests and “the general public.” The property has also received permission to operate all electronic gaming machines and table gaming positions, provided appropriate social distancing signage is in place and individuals not from the same household maintain a 1.5-meter separation from each other.

Kenya’s controversial sports betting turnover tax is officially history while the country’s former market-leading operator preps its triumphant return.

On Tuesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta signed his government’s new Finance Bill 2020, which eliminated the 20% betting turnover tax that caused many of Kenya’s leading operators, including SportPesa, to quit the market last year.

SportPesa was one of a couple dozen operators whose licenses were suspended last summer due to the government taking the dubious position that the 20% winnings tax applied to all sums paid out to punters, including their original stake. The government’s interpretation left operators liable for hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, forcing companies like SportPesa and Betin to shut their local operations.

SportPesa reportedly held a nearly two-thirds share of Kenya’s betting market before its September 2019 exit, while Betin held a roughly 20% stake. Betika, which previously ranked third in terms of market share, remained in Kenya after agreeing to pay the controversial turnover tax, and has subsequently emerged as the new market leader.

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There were to be a record-setting 22 Grand Prix events on the Formula 1 circuit this year starting in March, but the coronavirus affected that sport just like every other one on the planet. There have been several cancellations and schedule shifts on the slate, and F1’s 70th anniversary season now will open Sunday with the Austrian Grand Prix, which takes place over 71 laps of the 4.318-kilometer (2.683 miles) Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

The Austrian Grand Prix debuted in 1963 but wasn’t held from 1988-96 or 2004-13. Ferrari and McLaren hold the team records with six wins apiece in this race, while Alain Prost has won it a record three times among drivers.

Arguably the most dominant individual and team in sports right now are British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes racing team. Hamilton has won six straight drivers’ championships and Mercedes has won the past six constructors’ titles. Hamilton is -164 to win another title and Mercedes is -400. Valterri Bottas is the other Mercedes driver.

England have turned to enigmatic allrounder Ben Stokes to take the captaincy reins heading into the First Test against the West Indies. Regular Test skipper Joe Root is set to miss the opening Test, following an enforced quarantine period from the birth of his second child.

Stokes was appointed Joe Root’s deputy but the lost the role after a nightclub incident in Bristol led to Stokes being charged with affray. Stokes successfully defended the charges but faced a heavy suspension from the English Cricket Board (ECB) and the loss of the vice-captaincy. He is set to become the first all-rounder since Andrew Flintoff to lead England. Jos Buttler will take over as vice-captain of the side.

The rise to the top job caps off a remarkable 12 months for Stokes that included a winning knock in the 2019 World Cup Final and a miracle century that helped England to a famous win over Australia. The allrounder was under no illusions over the nature of his short-term appointment.

“That’s not to make it sound like it’s not a big deal. It will be a huge honour and even if it’s only the once I will still be able to say I’d captained England. I know I’d only be taking the reins for one game because of Joe’s situation. But what I am certain of is that, whatever situation I find myself in, I will try to deliver what needs to be done,” he said.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has joined a long list of soccer managers who have lost their job. The man known as ‘God’ from his playing days has proven to be a mortal in his managerial career. Fowler returned to England after the A-League competition was suspended in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With firm overseas restrictions in place in Australia, there was little hope of a second coming for Fowler. The Brisbane Roar officially cut ties, instead preferring to move forward with a search for a local coach.

Capped 26-times for England, Fowler was appointed to the Roar on a two-year contract last April, taking over from John Aloisi. Fowler overhauled the squad, leading the side to 10 wins in his first full-time coaching role. The Roar were sitting in fourth place when the season was suspended in March.

The Liverpool great told English soccer show Soccer AM that he and former assistant Tony Grant would not be returning when the A-League recommences on July 16.

Online gambling isn’t feeling welcome in the Philippines. A group of Filipino senators are celebrating an apparent exodus of gambling companies, with one saying “Good Riddance” to the industry. After being called a hub of online gambling in Asia, how come online gambling is getting such a cold response?

First, in a country where politics can seem so completely foreign for an outsider, this is in fact politics as usual under the government of Rodrigo Duterte. Second, everybody wants a piece of the lucrative pie.

That leaves the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) stuck between a rock and a hard place. While attempting to survive a pandemic, the industry also has to contend with scandals, grand standing senators, and a government which rather bleed it dry, than foster something greater.

It’s about the Politics

CasinoBeats Malta Digital, SBC’s latest event during this tumultuous time, has kicked off with a look at how the gambling industry, particularly in Malta, continues to navigate the choppy waters of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The day began with a welcome message from the Hon. Clayton Bartolo, Parliamentary Secretary, Financial Services and Digital Economy for Malta. “The new normal dictates that we meet virtually and not in person, but I am confident that Malta’s success in handling the Covid outbreak will allow us to host you in Malta soon,” he said.

With the opening keynote was Ivan Filletti, COO GamingMalta, who remarked on the charitable efforts the gambling industry has made. Organizations have donated masks, given to charitable foundations, made apartments available for frontline workers, and much more.

On the business side, he was confident the industry will find its way to a better tomorrow, adapting to all challenges before it. “The only constant is change, as cliché as it sounds, it’s the brutal truth,” he said. “We need the continuity of these thought leadership sessions to learn how to embrace change and continue strengthening the iGaming heartbeat.”

A year ago, everyone expected Japan’s new gambling environment to be highly evolved by now. Scandals and global pandemics have gotten in the way, though, forcing the national government to shift its priorities. While the plan to see integrated resorts (IR) come to the country one day continues, they certainly won’t be seen within the timeframe initially planned. Before anything can happen, Japan needs to create a blanket “basic policy” to provide guidance to those areas interested in hosting an IR, and the delays in the creation of the framework are forcing delays all the way down the line. Yokohama thought it might be able to have its local guidelines in the works by now, but has announced that it is going to hold off because of the national government.

Yokohama’s city council was expected to meet yesterday to go over the city’s implementation policy draft. However, since Japan’s Diet has to lay out the foundation for the locations that want to host an IR, no local policy can be created until the basic policy is presented. The meeting yesterday would have been used to discuss the different options and requirements for an IR as the city plans on battling for one of the three first casino licenses, but it would be an exercise in futility without understanding what the country’s plans are going to look like. 

As a result of the delay, the expectation of being able to announce Yokohama’s implementation policy will most likely be postponed once again. This past April, the city announced that it would put off the presentation of its plan from June to August, and that timeline might be impacted further due to the current situation. Still, Yokohama is fully behind the idea of having an IR in its backyard, and will persevere through the turmoil.

The good news is that neither the delay nor the economic impact caused by COVID-19 will alter Yokohama’s plans too much. The city is spending $3.7 million in campaigns to promote the IR, and Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi plans on sticking with that budget. Some locals believed the money should have been reallocated to combat the coronavirus, but the mayor doesn’t agree. She said during a City Council meeting last week, “The IR is a national project. We have received congressional vote to promote the project. It is necessary to proceed with efforts [as a city]. We are also making public relations efforts with residents.” 

A red light has a number of connotations, most often associated with negativity – red stop light, red warning light, red-light districts, etc. However, a new study puts red light in a positive light. Appearing in The Journals of Gerontology (paywall) this week, researchers have discovered that exposing the eyes to a few minutes of red light each day could help them remain healthier longer, keeping eyesight in better shape as we get older. If future studies can confirm the results, the implications are fairly big.

In “Optically improved mitochondrial function redeems aged human visual decline,” better eyesight can be maintained over the years just by spending two or three minutes a day looking at a “deep red light.” The researchers, which include Harpreet Shinhmar, MSc; Manjot Grewal, BSc; Sobha Sivaprasad, MBBS, PhD; Chris Hogg; Victor Chong, MBBS, PhD; Magella Neveu, PhD and Glen Jeffery, D.Phil, surmise that the light has a positive impact on the health of mitochondria. As a result, the eyes become stronger and, since mitochondrial decay is associated with a number of diseases, this could also lead to the creation of new treatments for a number of ailments, including diabetes and more.

The researchers explain, “Mitochondria influence the pace of ageing as the energy they provide for cellular function in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) declines with age. Mitochondrial density is greatest in photoreceptors, particularly cones that have high energy demands and mediate colour vision. Hence, the retina ages faster than other organs, with a 70% ATP reduction over life and a significant decline in photoreceptor function.”

It’s important to point out that the study was not an in-depth investigation into the effect red light has on mitochondria or sight. It was just a pilot study to test a theory, and involved two dozen test subjects – 12 men and 12 women – who were provided a flashlight that had a red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers, just shy of the wavelength of infrared lights. For two weeks, they would look at the light for three minutes and researchers measured the eyes’ receptor cells, called cones, and retina cells, rods, to determine any changes. What the researchers found was that, after the two-week period, a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors was identified.

The coronavirus chaos has taken its toll on casino operations around the world and, while most operators have been begging to be able to get back in the game, one company apparently doesn’t care about losing tons of money. Station Casinos, which is controlled by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, has decided that four of its venues in Las Vegas can stay closed, and most likely won’t make a return for another year. The prolonged shutdown certainly raises questions as to the motives behind the decision.

According to documents filed with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Palms and Texas Station are designated as being “non-operational” and under a “temp closure” through June 30 of 2021. Given that three-fourths of the casinos in Las Vegas are now back in business and doing well, including other Station properties, it’s peculiar that the company would decide to keep this handful of properties closed. However, the company already determined that it would need to make massive cuts to its workforce, which may have had something to do with the decision. Add to this the fact that it has fought against unionization, and lost, perhaps Station brass is ready to make some permanent changes.

The casino operator, in its typical fashion, hasn’t commented on the situation. It never likes to weigh in on topics that impact the public’s perception of its worthiness, and has only stated, “Due to the uncertain economic conditions in the State of Nevada, Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel will remain closed until further notice, and there is no known reopening date at this time.”

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, there will soon be some more activity at the few Station properties that have already reopened. The media outlet explains that the poker rooms at Boulder Station, Red Rock Resort and Santa Fe Station are going to open August 3; however, as COVID-19 spikes are seen in places like Nevada and California, it’s possible that new lockdown orders may come, which would force the company to change its plans. Las Vegas now has seven poker rooms open, and an eighth – the poker room at the Aria – is expected to open today.