Lawmaker Facing Second Warrant Arrest ASIA & OCEANIA
Japanese lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto of the House of Representatives has been issued with a second arrest warrant by the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office
Investigators claim travel expenses accrued during trips to China and lecture fees, totalling 7.3m yen ($67,600) were paid for by a Chinese company
JAPAN LEGISLATION
CAMBODIA – More than 7,000 Cambodians have lost their jobs amid reports that 34 casinos have closed in Sihanoukville alone since a ban on foreign-based online gambling came into effect at the New Year.
Cambodian officials have said they are committed to enforcing a nationwide ban on foreign-facing online operations driven by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s August decision to act against the mainly Chinese-based online gaming businesses.
Ros Phearun, Deputy Director-General of the Finance Ministry’s financial industry department, told Reuters that online gambling had contributed about a quarter of an estimated $80m per year in total taxes from casinos.
Between August and December the number of casinos in Cambodia had shrunk to 136 with that number expected to fall to 94 casinos by the end of this month. Mr. Phearun added that in Sihanoukville the number of casinos has fallen from 70 to 36.
PHILIPPINES – In January, PAGCOR, the Philippines gaming regulator and casino operator, closed Casino Filipino in Tagaytay following the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano, which has seen 8,000 people being evacuated. The authorities warned that a 'hazardous' eruption could soon follow.
PAGCOR said: “Resumption of operations of our casino branch in the city is indefinite as the safety of both our employees and customers is of foremost importance. PAGCOR is committed to provide assistance to our displaced and affected fellow citizens.” The Taal Volcano may be small, but it is the second most active in the Philippines, having seen 34 eruptions in the last 450 years. Most casinos in the area are at least 45 miles from the volcano, with experts predicting that a 10.5 mile area around Taal will be most affected.
CHINA – Asia Pioneer Entertainment has announced that the first two Spintec Aura stand- alone virtual multigame cabinets were recently installed on the VIP gaming floor and the other two were installed on the mass gaming floor at Studio City Macau.
Slovenia-based ETG producer Spintec’s stand-alone virtual multigame has proven performance in the gaming solutions markets where each player is allowed the freedom to choose from different games (Roulette, Sic Bo, Blackjack, Baccarat), technologies (automated, virtual, live), game tables and attractive croupiers and languages.
This marks Spintec’s first installation of its Aura stand-alone cabinet in Asia.
P40 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Japanese lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto of the House of Representatives has been issued with a second arrest warrant by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office over allegations involving bribery regarding the country’s process of issuing three casino licences. Mr. Akimoto was given the role of Cabinet Office state minister in charge of the government’s initiative to launch casino resorts.
Special investigators claim travel expenses he accrued during trips to China and lecture fees, totalling 7.3m yen, ($67,600) were paid for by a Chinese company looking to land a licence in Hokkaido or in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa equated to bribes. Te company is believed to be
500.com. It is alleged he was paid money by the company to give a speech in August 2017 at a casino symposium in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. On top of these ‘costs’, further bribes attributed to Mr. Akimoto equate to 3.7m yen ($33,800). A further five members of the Diet are believed to have been paid 1m yen each with one so far admitting that the amount had not been accounted for in his political funds report. Mr. Akimoto was first arrested on December 25.
So far, government officials have played down
Konami renews decades-long technology partnership
Australia
Te Star Entertainment Group and Konami announced the continuation of their partnership to bring top systems technology to its premium integrated resort locations across Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast. For more than a decade, Te Star has leveraged Konami’s Synkros casino management system to deliver dependable performance and fresh engagement opportunities throughout its portfolio.
“Konami continues to be the core casino systems provider across our portfolio due to the company’s ongoing partnership commitment, and
the scandal. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: "Te Chinese company under investigation does not have much of a track record. Tey're out of their league when it comes to integrated resorts."
Concurrently, Pan Zhengming, the chief executive of Chinese sports betting company
500.com, has stepped down from his position until an internal committee completes their investigation into ‘alleged illegal money transfers and the role played by consultants,’ according to the company.
Tokyo prosecutors have already arrested a former head of
500.com's Japan operations and two former consultants, suspected of bribery. A recent survey by Kyodo News has shown that 71 per cent of those questioned believe the government should now revisit plans to launch Integrated Casino Resorts in Japan.
Te news comes as Japan’s Casino Advisory Committee said it was looking at Nevada’s gaming laws as it moves to shape its own governing principles. Former Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) Chair Becky Harris is known to have travelled to Osaka and Tokyo earlier this month.
Synkros’ proven reliability for over a decade,” said David Croft, General Manager of Product and Strategy at Te Star Entertainment Group. “Considering the level of service, collaboration, and innovation we’ve maintained, Konami’s Synkros best aligns with Te Star’s vision to become Australia’s leading integrated resort company. Te Star is looking forward to continue its partnership with Konami in developing innovative casino management solutions.”
“Te Star is continually driving towards fresh entertainment opportunities,” said Mitsuhiro Miyazaki, Managing Director at Konami Australia. “For as long as we have had the pleasure of working together, Te Star Group has been a company with a long-term, global approach to advancing the future of the industry.”
New Zealand
Demolition work on the upper floors and roof of SkyCity’s partly built, but burnt out, convention center in downtown Auckland is set to begin shortly. An enormous fire, thought to have started from a blowtorch, erupted on 22 October last year and burned for several days as more than 20 fire crews battled to contain the blaze which enveloped downtown Auckland in thick smoke, disrupted traffic and closed nearby buildings for over a week. Fletcher Building, the main contractor for the building of the NZ$700m (US$460m), and SkyCity have repeatedly said that the project was fully insured and that they are committed to meeting the deadline of 1 January 2023 to complete the project even though the size of the repair work and the delay caused by the fire have still to be fully quantified.
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