Las Vegas gaming mecca coming back to life as casinos vaccinate employees

Las Vegas is going all out to speed up the return of tourists and the hosting of large conventions as the US Centers for Disease Control say it’s safe for those vaccinated to travel by air By SiGMA US correspondent Buck Wargo

NSW Regulator says Australia’s Crown Resorts could regain its Sydney licence in ‘months’

Licence had been suspended following reports indicating evidence that the company’s facilities and accounts were used for money laundering According to New South Wales’ chief gaming regulator, Crown Resorts – Australia’s biggest land-based casino operator – is likely to obtain a Sydney licence to operate its gambling venue in ‘months’. Chairman of the state’s Independent…

Sri Lanka’s new project looking to establish gaming in the coming weeks

Sri Lanka’s Economic Commission will regulate gaming activities and licence procedures in light of a $1.4bn project by the state-owned Chinese engineering firm Local media in Sri Lanka reported that a Chinese-controlled special economic zone, to be established in Colombo Port City will soon have a regulation that will cover gaming. This draft law will be presented…

Japanese politician Tsukasa Akimoto pleads not guilty to IR graft scandal charges

The ex- Senior Vice Minister in the Cabinet Office knew that the purpose of the money was to push the Chinese company to win rights to Integrated Resort projects in Japan Tsukasa Akimoto, who  has been indicted for receiving bribes worth ¥7.6 million from the operator 500.com Ltd. and indicted for the violation of the…

Tabcorp to carry out strategic review of its business with possibility of selling its wagering and media division

Valued at $10bn, Tabcorp said it would run a three-month strategic review in bid to sell its media and wagering division Tabcorp has recjected a $3bn bid from British company Entain and says it’s launching a broad strategic review of its business with the possibility of selling its wagering and media division. The company revealed…

Asia Pioneer Entertainment looks to launch new business segment in response to COVID-19 related losses

The casino gaming equipment distributor is working on launching Smart Vending Machines around Macau During Asia Pioneer Entertainment’s 2020 annual report, the firm revealed that they are working on launching Smart Vending Machines around Macau. These installations are designed in response to the COVID-19 related losses as the company saw its annual loss grow by…

Las Vegas-based casino operator MGM offers $750m in senior notes

With the COVID-19 having “a significant impact on the business, results of operations and financial condition,” MGM Resorts is offering $750 million worth of senior notes due 2028 In an investor update today, MGM Resorts International announced that it had successfully completed the issuance of senior notes to the amount of $750 million due 2028…

Macau regulator asked to lift mandatory social distancing rules in casinos

Local gaming employees association in Macau urge the lifting of the 1m distance as it is ‘unrealistic’ Gaming employees association in Macau has urged the Government to change the social distancing rules enforced on casino gaming floors. Back in February, when Macau was going though a lockdown the country closed all 41 casinos with social…

Cambodia terminates NagaCorp’s $350m non-gaming IR project

‘The planned activities could indeed have an impact on the outstanding universal value for which Angkor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List”  According to a report in the Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia has rejected NagaCorp Ltd’s plans for a $350 million non-gaming integrated resort (IR) in Siem Reap province dubbed “Angkor Lake of Wonder” (ALOW). 

Cambodia’s casino tax revenues drop to 53% in 2020

The amount of tax collected from the nation’s 193 licensed casinos fell by more than half in 2020 due to closures of land-based venues Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance Deputy Director, Ros Phearun, told The Phnom Penh Post, that tax collected from the casino industry plummeted to about 53%, that halved to $40 million…