Wire ASIA & OCEANIA
Crown Melbourne set for Major Upgrade
NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand's government has announced its Gambling Harm Prevention and Minimisation Amendment Regulations 2023 to strengthen gambling harm minimisation in class four venues. The new regulations are designed to ensure venues and gambling societies meet their responsibilities to prevent problem gambling. They include changes to advertising and branding regulations, establishing clearer procedures to enable the identification of problem gamblers through strengthening monitoring practices.
Internal Affairs Minister, Barbara Edmonds stated: “After first announcing changes in November 2022, we are now progressing this work by confirming requirements and a clear timeline on when these will occur.”
The new regulations are made up of three parts with changes phased over six months to provide time for the sector to implement the changes. Part one came into effect on June 15, with changes to responsibility for complying with the existing restrictions on jackpot advertising and jackpot branding at class four venues, with an infringement fee of $1,000.
Part two of the regulations commences on September 1, and includes new requirements about what problem gambling awareness training must cover including mandatory practical and interactive sessions on how to interact with gamblers, identify signs of harm and provide gamblers with information on how they can seek help.
The final part begins on December 1, and mandates all venue staff who supervise gamblers to be trained, replacing the previous rule where a minimum of one harm minimisation trained person was required at the venue if gambling was available.
CHINA- Analysts at JP Morgan have detailed the role being played by high-profile concerts at Macau’s casinos in helping drive a recovery in the mass market casino sector. Analysts DS Kim and Mufan Shi said GGR for the first 18 days of June hit US$1.18bn, amounting to S$65m a day with live concerts, including the residency of Jacky Cheung at The Venetian’s Cotai Arena, K-pop group BlackPink at Galaxy Arena and Leon Lai at Studio City.
Kim and Shi added that the Jacky Cheung residency in particular "continues to attract the right type of (high-value) players, including those from the database of Sands’ sister property MBS, which in turn helps to lift overall industry GGR.
“These entertainment events do seem to move the needle for gaming business in Macau which bodes well for Macau’s mass business to recover (well) beyond pre-COVID levels."
P24 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Following its US$6.5bn purchase of Crown Resorts last year, Blackstone has pledged to substantially invest in Crown Melbourne’s upgrade.
Te President of Blackstone, Jon Gray, has said ‘it’s a new day at Crown’ as he pledges to spend big on the Melbourne casino’s upgrade. Blackstone bought Crown Resorts last year for US$6.5bn with the aim to turn it back into one of the world’s leading casinos.
Addressing the issue, Mr Gray said: “It’s a new day at Crown. Tat’s what we want to convey to people – we’re committed to operating this business at the highest standard possible and ultimately, we want tourists to come back in a big way. Crown Melbourne is truly one of a kind, given its scale. Melbourne is a physical turnaround story and our objective would be to invest significant capital there and enhance the asset, which we think will be great for the community and great for tourism there as well.”
Referring to the Crown portfolio as a whole, he added: “We think these are great tourism assets. And frankly, I think tourism is one of Australia’s great growth engines. Sydney, Melbourne, Perth – these are world-class cities that people want to visit. So isn’t it a good idea to own world-class assets in those cities?”
"We want to be a best-in-class entertainment company and hotel business. We understand that there was a lot that wasn’t done right and we’ve got to come in here and operate at the highest standard, the highest standard from a compliance standpoint, but then make them as attractive as possible to customers.”
He highlighted Blackstone’s turnaround of Te Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which it bought for US$1.7bn in 2014 and sold for US$5.7bn after significant investment in the property. “If you went back to that [Cosmopolitan] story, it was a company that had been built, foreclosed on and had a number of staff issues and needed capital to complete it. And we went in, we brought in a lot of capital and hardware, but then software in terms of restaurants and entertainment, a great management team.”
In May, the Australian casino operator agreed to pay a A$450m (US$294m) fine for breaking anti-money laundering laws. And in June, Crown was ordered to pay a fine of AU$20m (£10.8m/€12.6m/US$13.8m) for breaching tax rules in Victoria.
Singapore Zitro showcases new products at G2E Asia
Zitro showcased its latest innovations at this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia, held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Te event served as a stage to highlight Zitro’s new range of products and increased notably its presence in the Asian gaming market.
“Over the past years, we have established a strong presence in the Philippines, and we are determined to expand our reach in other countries within the region as well,” stated Nadège Teyssedre, Zitro’s EMEA Director.
“Asia is a key market for us, and we understand the importance of adapting our offering to the local culture. To that end, we have invested significant efforts into developing a wide range of games that cater to the tastes and
preferences of this dynamic market."
Te Altius Glare cabinet featured brand-new games Fú Shòu Link and Epic Kingdom. Fú Shòu Link is a four-level multi-game inspired by oriental mythology, with a Bonus Link and enhanced Boost feature. Epic Kingdom showcased a three-level Bonus link, where players can win the MEGA with just one mega symbol at the final level.
Te IIlusion Glare cabinet featured games such as Colossus Fire, with two scalable and independent progressive levels that vary based on the player’s denomination. Among the slot highlights for the Allure Glare cabinet was Fu Pots, offering up to seven different bonus links, as well as Mighty Hammer and the 88 Link.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan sportsbook operator Olimpbet has penned a strategic partnership with
Oddin.gg for its iFrame solution, including trading and risk management capabilities. Having integrated, Olimpbet is now accepting esports bets on its website.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Olimpbet as they lead the way in the Kazakhstan market," commented Marek Suchar, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Partnerships, at
Oddin.gg.
"Olimpbet’s unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and their visionary approach align perfectly with our engagement approach. Together, we will revolutionise the esports betting landscape, providing an immersive and thrilling experience.”
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