Gaming analysts are betting on leisure players from different countries to drive Macau’s gaming revenue for this year.

For 2017, analysts surveyed by Bloomberg are predicting that Asia’s gambling mecca will see its gambling revenue rise by 7 percent due to a surge in tourists from beyond China.

“There are definitely more reasons to come to Macau now versus two years ago, and that is the key reason why overnight visitation is growing faster than total visitation,” said Nomura Holdings Inc. analyst Richard Huang. “we expect that to continue drive growth in the mass gaming segment.”

Data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Services showed that the number of tourists from South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. that have visited Macau spiked in November, offsetting the declining arrivals of mainland Chinese who make up two-thirds of the region’s 2.6 million visitors in the month.

Different casino operators are now aggressively – albeit quietly – moving its staff back to China more than a month after the arrest of 18 Crown Resorts staff for gambling-related offenses.

The Australian Financial Review, which quoted anonymous sources, reported that big operators with casinos in Macau have quietly relaxed an earlier decision to cease marketing activity in China. The report identified the casino operators as Las Vegas Sands Corp, MGM Grand and Galaxy Entertainment.

It isn’t clear yet what prompted the casino operators to move their staff back to China six weeks after the clampdown in the James Packer-owned casino resort in China.

For one, Macau casino operators are becoming confident that the incident involving the Crown Resorts staff is an isolated case and does not represent a blanket clampdown on casino marketing activity in China.

Different casino operators are now aggressively – albeit quietly – moving its staff back to China more than a month after the arrest of 18 Crown Resorts staff for gambling-related offenses.

The Australian Financial Review, which quoted anonymous sources, reported that big operators with casinos in Macau have quietly relaxed an earlier decision to cease marketing activity in China. The report identified the casino operators as Las Vegas Sands Corp, MGM Grand and Galaxy Entertainment.

It isn’t clear yet what prompted the casino operators to move their staff back to China six weeks after the clampdown in the James Packer-owned casino resort in China.

For one, Macau casino operators are becoming confident that the incident involving the Crown Resorts staff is an isolated case and does not represent a blanket clampdown on casino marketing activity in China.

04 January 2017 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to Bangkok on 11 March for another exciting evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM is set to electrify the Impact Arena once again with the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent. Headlining the fight card is ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee who is set to defend her title against rising star Jenny Huang.

Ticket information for ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM is available at www.onefc.com

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship stated: “Our last event in Bangkok was absolutely epic and we can’t wait to tell our fans that we are going to do it all over again next March. We have an amazing main event planned for you guys as Angela Lee is set to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship against rising star Jenny Huang.”

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Waipahu, Hawaii is one of the promotion’s most promising young prospects regardless of division and weight class. Lee, who is of mixed Canadian and Korean descent, has roots in Singapore and trains at Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts gym, Evolve-MMA. Lee’s beautiful combination of solid striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success as she remains unbeaten in her MMA career. In her last bout, Lee captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi. Lee will now make the first defense of her title against Jenny Huang.

In an effort to compete with the emerging American-style jackpot in the country, traditional lottery companies in Vietnam’s south have increased their top prizes by a third.

VNExpress reported that starting January 1, members of the Southern Lottery Council raised their top prizes to VND2 billion (nearly USD86,100)—a 33.3 percent hike from VND1.5 billion (USD64,600). The increase was based on a decision made by the council, which represents 21 small Vietnamese lotteries, in October.

Before the hike, traditional pre-printed ticket lotteries in Vietnam cap jackpots at VND1.5 billion. But in July, Vietlott introduced its new Western-style Mega 6/45 game in partnership with Malaysian conglomerate, and the 6/45’s main prize offered a VND12 billion payday as well as the possibility of much higher prizes when the draws failed to produce a grand prize winner.

In October, a 6/45 winner claimed a record VND92 billion jackpot. Vietlott awarded another VND65 billion prize two weeks later, boosting the new lottery’s profile among players. On Christmas day, Vietlott, the operator of the American-style lottery, announced that two winners had split a $7 million jackpot—the largest to date, according to the news outlet. The pair represented the seventh and eighth winners of the lottery, which began two months prior.

Gaming professionals planning their annual visit to ICE Totally Gaming will need to allocate some additional time on the show floor.  The world’s biggest business-to-business gaming technology event will be that much bigger in 2017, thanks to an additional 1,945 sqm of net space.  As of the end of December, ICE 2017 will occupy a total of 40,925 sqm compared to the 2016 figure of 38,980 sqm.  The 5% increase in space makes the 2017 event the biggest ICE on record.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion’s Gaming Division and the person responsible for the development of ICE since it took residence at its current home at the ExCeL Centre, said: “Whilst it is obviously positive to be able to talk about the growth of ICE in this way, equally we are very aware of the need to control and manage the brand’s development rather than pursue a full-out expansion strategy. What this means in practice is that we are working hard to try and mirror expansion on the show floor with a concomitant increase in visitors, a task that we continue to invest in through enhanced marketing and communications.  We are only guardians of the ICE brand and it’s essential for us to manage the growth strategy in a sensible, pragmatic and, most importantly, sustainable way.  Relocating to ExCeL has allowed us to grow the brand, but at the right pace.”

She added: “The growth of ICE is the result of two trends.  Firstly, a number of our existing customers have been keen to expand their stand presence and secondly we have a total of 91 exhibitors from 34 nations who will be making their first appearance with us in February.  It’s a nice, balanced combination of established, well known gaming innovators alongside some new faces and gaming industry start-ups.  Our challenge is to provide a professional business environment in which all of our exhibitors, of all sizes, can flourish.”

ICE Totally Gaming is the only B2B gaming event in the world that brings together the online and offline gaming sectors.  Featuring exhibitors drawn from the casino, betting, bingo, lottery, mobile, online, street, sports and social gaming sectors, ICE provides the most comprehensive shop window on world gaming and in 2016 attracted a record 28,487 visitors drawn from 150 nations.

Gaming professionals planning their annual visit to ICE Totally Gaming will need to allocate some additional time on the show floor.  The world’s biggest business-to-business gaming technology event will be that much bigger in 2017, thanks to an additional 1,945 sqm of net space.  As of the end of December, ICE 2017 will occupy a total of 40,925 sqm compared to the 2016 figure of 38,980 sqm.  The 5% increase in space makes the 2017 event the biggest ICE on record.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion’s Gaming Division and the person responsible for the development of ICE since it took residence at its current home at the ExCeL Centre, said: “Whilst it is obviously positive to be able to talk about the growth of ICE in this way, equally we are very aware of the need to control and manage the brand’s development rather than pursue a full-out expansion strategy. What this means in practice is that we are working hard to try and mirror expansion on the show floor with a concomitant increase in visitors, a task that we continue to invest in through enhanced marketing and communications.  We are only guardians of the ICE brand and it’s essential for us to manage the growth strategy in a sensible, pragmatic and, most importantly, sustainable way.  Relocating to ExCeL has allowed us to grow the brand, but at the right pace.”

She added: “The growth of ICE is the result of two trends.  Firstly, a number of our existing customers have been keen to expand their stand presence and secondly we have a total of 91 exhibitors from 34 nations who will be making their first appearance with us in February.  It’s a nice, balanced combination of established, well known gaming innovators alongside some new faces and gaming industry start-ups.  Our challenge is to provide a professional business environment in which all of our exhibitors, of all sizes, can flourish.”

ICE Totally Gaming is the only B2B gaming event in the world that brings together the online and offline gaming sectors.  Featuring exhibitors drawn from the casino, betting, bingo, lottery, mobile, online, street, sports and social gaming sectors, ICE provides the most comprehensive shop window on world gaming and in 2016 attracted a record 28,487 visitors drawn from 150 nations.

Lee Davy gets out his crystal balls, gives them a good spit wash and predicts the sacking of five more Premier League managers by the end of the season.

Swansea has announced the appointment of Paul Clement on a two and a half year deal. The 44-year old has left his position as Assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, at Bayern Munich, to take over from the beleaguered Bob Bradley.

Clement beat out bookmakers favourites Ryan Giggs, Chris Coleman and Alan Pardew to earn his first top flight opportunity as a manager. He has served as a gaffer in English football before, but with Derby County. His other appointments include coaching roles at Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain, and Chelsea.

They like a new coach in West Wales. Clement is the fifth permanent Swansea coach to be appointed in the past two years and the third this season.

Winning Poker Network has followed the other major online poker rooms by switching their rake/rakeback method from ‘Dealt Hand’ rake to ‘Weighted Contribution,’ and Ronnie Bardah severs ties with the Poker Player’s Championship after payout row escalates.

It took a whole year before Simon suggested we paid Ray a few quid for allowing us to play poker in his pub until the blackbirds started to sing.

Every few hours we would take £5 out of our stack and flick it in the middle. Most of the time we would forget. Ray didn’t care. He would give most of it back to us during a random river bluff.

Like Ray, as a recreational player, I never cared about the rake. It was the cost of doing business. It was a necessity. I couldn’t tell you whether £5 every few hours is a lot. I don’t know how much I paid online. I don’t care.

Billionaire Carl Icahn has slapped a deed restriction on his shuttered Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City that would prevent future owners from operating gaming on the premises.

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement confirmed that Icahn’s Trump Taj Mahal Associates LLC had filed papers formally seeking permission to return his gaming license for the Taj Mahal, which closed its doors last October following months of labor strife.

The filing was made on December 22, one day after the New York Post reported that Icahn was looking to sell the Taj. However, Icahn also filed papers with the Atlantic County Clerk’s office on December 19 that slapped a deed restriction on the Taj which would prohibit future owners from operating gaming on its premises, unless the new owner pays Icahn an unspecified fee.

While deed restrictions aren’t new to AC, Icahn’s condition resembles a ‘from hell’s heart, I stab at thee’ retort to the New Jersey legislature, which approved a bill in late December that would impose a five-year gaming license suspension on any casino owner who closed an AC casino after January 2016. Gov. Chris Christie has yet to indicate whether he’ll sign the bill, which passed both legislative chambers by veto-proof margins.

The Cherokee County and investors of Castle Rock Casino have brought to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to a final legal showdown to start the year 2017.

According to the report of Pittsburg Morning Sun, the Kansas Supreme Court has taken up the appeal of Castle Rock and set the oral arguments of the case on January 25.

Both the Cherokee County and Castle Rock Casino proponents are questioning the decision of the State of Kansas to award the casino contract to Kansas Crossing despite being the smallest of three competing proposals.

Castle Rock’s proposal was not only more than twice the size of Kansas Crossing’s but was expected to bring in nearly 1 million visitors per year – mostly from out of state – about double the expectations from Kansas Crossing.

Week 20 of the English Premier League sees Liverpool dropping two points at Sunderland, Man Utd win six on the trot, and 10-man Man City beat Burnley.

Chelsea has the chance to move eight points clear in the Premier League if they can beat Spurs on Wednesday after Liverpool could only manage a draw at the Stadium of Light.

Jurgen Klopp’s side came into their clash with Sunderland on the back of four league wins on the spin, with Sunderland having lost four of five. But it was a spirited performance from David Moyes’s side.

Daniel Sturridge, who was making a rare league start, headed Liverpool ahead in the 19th minute – his fourth goal in successive games against the Black Cats. But some dodgy defending from Ragnar Klavan led to Jermaine Defoe converting from the spot after the Estonian defender had blocked the path of the onrushing Didier Ndong.

Week 19 of the English Premier League sees Liverpool beat fellow title rivals Man City, Chelsea equalling a new record with 13 straight wins and much more.

The Premier League is the greatest league in the world because a hodge-podge Stoke City side can turn up at Stamford Bridge, having failed to win a league game since 1974, and on the back of a four-game winless streak and give the league leaders the fright of their lives.

On paper, this tie looked a mere formality. But on the pitch, it was anything, but. Chelsea, who was chasing a record-equalling 13 league win on the bounce, started brightly when Gary Cahill put them ahead in the 34th minute only for Martins Indi to equalise shortly after the break.

Chelsea regained the lead thanks to a smart finish by Willian in the 57th minute, but Stoke once again equalised through a Peter Crouch strike, making the team from the Potteries the first to bag a brace against Chelsea since West Ham in a League Cup fixture back in October.

Best wishes for a happy, successful, and lucky 2017!Lottery Post, Holiday

My weekly column, “Becky’s Affiliated”, is released every Thursday morning and this series of mine has been running strong for over three years now.  I cover everything in the gaming industry from affiliate advice to Bitcoin, regulation, innovation, key conference takeaways and everything else in between.  Sometimes my column includes an interview with an industry expert or two, other times I share my own opinion on a particular topic, but no matter what form it comes in, each installment of Becky’s Affiliated comes to you straight from my heart.

2016 proved to be an exciting year with Trump’s election, advancements in Bitcoin and Blockchain, Virtual and Augmented Reality innovation, eSports and so much more.  Looking back on the year, these are my top five favorite Becky’s Affiliated editions spanning a variety of topics, nicely recapping some of the highlights from the year.

5)Advice for iGaming Affiliates with Roo Wright: Its never too late to start (again)

Roo Wright is one of my oldest friends in the business, an incredibly successful iGaming affiliate with well over a decade of experience in the industry.  Wright is the co-founder of BingoPort.co.uk and he sold his online bingo businesses, including Bingo Port, in 2014 for 10.5 million pounds.  While most would think retirement is the next step after a sale this large, Wright could only stay away for a few years and now he’s back in affiliate land with the website Hityah.com.