PAGCOR Closes Down Manila Casinos ASIA & OCEANIA
Gaming has been temporarily suspended in Manila with regulator PAGCOR confirming the action was effective Mid-March
PAGCOR casinos located outside Manila will remain operational but could see operations suspended if local government opts for a community quarantine
PHILIPPINES OPERATIONS
AUSTRALIA – The NSW government has won a legal battle that would see Melco Resorts be forced to share nine company documents that they wanted to keep secret, claiming legal professional privilege. The documents required will be used as part of the ILGA inquiry into Mr Packer’s sale of 20 percent stake in Crown to Melco, along with accusations by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes that Crown had links to organised crime.
The NSW Court of Appeal made the ruling that Melco can not withhold the documents on grounds of legal professional privilege.
The appeals court judge said that the previous judge who heard the matter in the Supreme Court of NSW had erred when she found the inquiry did not have the powers of a royal commission to request documents from witnesses or entities of interest to the inquiry, and said that the act in fact, explicitly confirmed these powers.
The Appeals Court ruling will likely restart the inquiry, which was originally set to start on February 24, but was stalled due to the challenge on the privileged documents.
CHINA – SJM Holdings posted a 12.5 per cent gain for 2019 and said it was in a solid position to weather the challenges posed by the Covid-19 outbreak. Profit was HK$3.2bn ($411.8m), while adjusted EBITDA rose 13.2 per cent to HK$4.21bn. The company said net gaming revenue dipped 1.5 per cent to HK$33.16bn.
“We are pleased to report increases in adjusted EBITDA and net profit for 2019, constituting our best results in the past five years, whilst construction work was completed on Grand Lisboa Palace,” Vice Chairman and CEO Ambrose So said. “SJM has entered 2020 in a strong position to face the year’s challenges. We extend our sympathy to all who have been affected by the coronavirus, and we pledge our continued support to the Macau Government in combating its spread.”
SJM had a 14.1 per cent share of Macau’s gross gaming revenue, including 18.2 per cent of mass market table gaming revenue and 10.4 per cent of VIP revenue. The company said its flagship Casino Grand Lisboa had a decrease in gross gaming revenue for the year of 17.6 per cent and an increase in adjusted Grand Lisboa EBITDA of 12.9 per cent. Grand Lisboa Hotel’s occupancy rate decreased by 1.7 per cent to 93.8 per cent for the full year, whilst the average room rate increased by 0.9 per cent to HK$1,508. SJM has now completed construction work on Grand Lisboa Palace and has applied for the relevant operational licenses for late 2020.
P26 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Mid-March saw gaming temporarily suspended in Manila with regulator PAGCOR confirming the action followed President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to place Metro Manila under community quarantine due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
PAGCOR said: “In line with the instruction of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to put Metro Manila under community quarantine to prevent the further spread of the Novel Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is suspending all gaming operations effective immediately."
Te suspension applies to land-based casinos (both PAGCOR-owned and operated as well as all licensed and integrated resort-casinos), electronic game (eGames), bingo (traditional and electronic), sports betting, poker and slot machine clubs, and other activities regulated by PAGCOR, and will last for the duration of the National Capital Region (NCR) community quarantine imposed by the government.
In accordance with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea’s directive, restaurants and
Amelco support Hong Kong Jockey Club’s online betting solutions
Hong Kong
Amelco has been working with the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) to support its football trading needs. Amelco has recently been assisting HKJC, undertaking a multi- year product and technology enhancement project, and providing a suite of bespoke components to HKJC, including the Amelco Trading System (ATS), which forms a key strategic component to the Club’s betting platform.
HKJC’s annual turnover has continued to break records, with football betting significantly contributing to its US €30 billion of total operating revenue. UK football betting has proved to be especially popular with the Club’s betting community.
food outlets within the gaming areas may remain open. Hotels where the casinos and gaming facilities are housed may continue to accommodate guests, but are discouraged from hosting large functions and events.
PAGCOR added: "PAGCOR believes in the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation. Hence, it supports the government’s extreme effort in containing the virus. For its part, the state-run gaming agency has decided to prohibit public gatherings in its gaming venues and in the licensed gaming properties that it regulates. Tis measure is intended to ensure the safety of both gaming employees and customers and eventually, the general public.
“As regards Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO), only a minimum number of workers will be allowed in their workplaces. Te rest of POGO workers will be restricted to their living quarters where they will observe social distancing and quarantine protocols."
PAGCOR casinos located outside Manila will remain operational but could see operations suspended if local government opts for a community quarantine.
Commenting on their continued success together, Damian Walton, Founder of Amelco said: “We’re delighted to be providing key software modules to the HKJC and actively support the enhancement of their enterprise software architecture for online sports betting. Te Club’s use of components from our industry-leading solution is a true endorsement of our ability to provide the best-in- class global operators with a modern and scalable operation bespoke to their needs.”
A spokesperson for Hong Kong Jockey Club added: “Amelco has worked collaboratively with us to establish a strong platform for creating football events and to underpin the base information required for our market trading needs. Te solution has been stable and is performing well in meeting our needs.”
Saipan
Imperial Pacific International, which operates the only casino on the island of Saipan, closed its temporary casino on March 17 in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Te casino will be shut until further notice to support the public effort in control of the coronavirus. IPI said the health and safety of casino customers and employees have always been the company’s top priority. At the beginning of March. Hong Kong-listed group warned its shareholders that its full year 2019 results will include higher financial losses. Te note stated that “based on the information currently available to the board, the group is expected to record an increase in net loss for the year ended 31 December 2019 as compared to the net loss for the corresponding period in 2018. Te increase in net loss is mainly attributable to the considerable decrease in total revenue and gross profit and the impairment of trade receivables.”
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