China has set a new world record for the number of patent applications recorded in a single year, lodging more than 1 million in 2015 according to figures from the World Intellectual Property Organization. Taking both filings made by Chinese...
Author - Ben Blaschke
William Hill accepts first legal US eSports bets
British sportsbook William Hill has become the first company to legally accept wagers on an eSports event in the United States. After regulators approved the move earlier this month, William Hill opened markets for last weekend’s Intel Extreme...
WSOP Sydney underway at The Star
The world’s most iconic poker brand, the World Series of Poker (WSOP), has returned to Asia-Pacific for the first time in two years with the WSOP Circuit Sydney kicking off in the new Star Poker Room this week. Boasting a full schedule of 12...
Crown Resorts employees “in good health”
The Crown Resorts employees officially arrested in China last Friday on suspicion of committing gambling crimes are in good health, according to Australian consular officials. Three Australians who were among the 18 Crown Resorts staff detained by...
Leading skill-based slots manufacturer GameCo announces new titles
US company GameCo is leading the global experiment of skill-based slot games with the announcement that it has signed an agreement to develop games based on three of the world’s most famous movie titles – “Mission: Impossible”...
Songcheng announces Australian theme park
Chinese theme park operator Songcheng Performance Development has revealed plans for an AU$400 million theme park on Australia’s Gold Coast. In what signals a first overseas move for China’s theme park giant, the project has been...
Queensland government looking into new IR
Queensland government officials have begun preliminary discussions over the possible approval of a new integrated resort in one of the state’s regional hubs. Just three months after Tony Fung’s proposed Aquis development near Cairns was...
Legendary WPT commentator wins title
No matter what the game or sport, it’s rare that a commentator can claim to have experienced the same glory as the players he is commentating on. But not so Mike Sexton after the legendary World Poker Tour (WPT) announcer won his first WPT...
China signs huge Premier League TV deal
China’s digital broadcaster PPTV has signed a three-year, US$650 million deal to show the English Premier League from 2019. According to Bloomberg, PPTV will take over the rights in a deal worth more than 12 times the US$18 million current...
SJM re-activates Casino Taipa
Macau has a new casino – or perhaps we should call it an old one – after SJM re-opened its Casino Taipa in the Regency Art Hotel last week for the first time in eight years. Located across the road from Altira Macau, Casino Taipa is about as...
Junkets to benefit from Crown Resorts arrests: Shephard
The arrests of 18 Crown Resorts employees in China last month could provide a welcome boost for junket operators, according to Silver Heritage President Tim Shephard. Speaking at the MGS Entertainment Show summit, Shephard believes that the...
Study reveals why taxis refuse fares
If you’ve ever wondered why Macau taxi drivers seem so reluctant to take passengers to more remote locations like Coloane, a Chinese study has found the answer. As revealed in Science magazine, Sihai Zhang and Zhiyang Wang from the University...
LT Game adds EZ Baccarat to Live Multi-Game stable
Macau electronic gaming machine leader LT Game has announced the addition of no-commission baccarat variant EZ Baccarat to its Live Multi-Game systems. Having originally partnered together in April 2015, when an agreement was signed for LT...
Gunther eyes career highlight at Macau Grand Prix
Theodore Racing Team newcomer Max Gunther says he will fulfil a lifelong dream when he races in the Macau Grand Prix for the very first time this weekend. Fresh from finishing second in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Gunther will...
Veteran analyst Aaron Fischer to join MGM Resorts
MGM Resorts has announced the appointment of veteran gaming and retail analyst Aaron Fischer as the company’s new been appointed Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. In a press release sent out during this week’s MGS...
A culinary adventure at Macau’s Food Festival
The 16th Macau Food Festival kicked off on Friday and if you haven’t made it down yet, we recommend you take a stroll down to the Sai Van Lakeside one evening this week for a taste of some of the finest restaurant and street foods Asia has to...
Club Cubic operator begins trading on Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Luk Hing Entertainment Group Holdings, which operates Club Cubic nightclub at City of Dreams, has begun trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Group announced that it had commenced dealing last Friday, with 450 million shares to be sold. It is...
Macau mass market stronger than reported
Macau’s mass market gaming revenue grew by a staggering 11 percent year-on-year in the three months to September 30 2016, an indication of just how strong the sector is becoming in Asia’s gaming hub. Official figures released by the DICJ...
Duterte admits Trump admiration but still favors China
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to a warmer view of the United States in the wake of Donald Trump’s shock election victory, but insists the country’s shift towards China would continue as planned. “I will pursue...
Sportsbooks clean up on US election
UK sportsbook Sporting Index has reported a six figure profit on the US Presidential election thanks to Donald Trump’s stunning and largely unexpected victory. Echoing similar results across the board – with the vast majority of money being...
Macau awarded record number of Michelin stars
A record 68 Macau restaurants – including 19 with at least one coveted Michelin stars – have been featured in this year’s Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2017. Launched in the swanky surrounds of Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton this week...
Global markets respond to Trump victory
The world’s financial markets endured some massive swings in the hours after Donald Trump pulled off his great Presidential swoop. According to Bloomberg, the hardest hit was the Mexican peso, which fell as much as 12 percent before finishing...
You’re hired! Trump stuns the world
Depending on who you listen to, either America is about to be great again or the world is about to end after Donald Trump defied all odds to win the US Presidential election. Listed as a $5 outsider in the final days before America cast its vote...
Delhi’s thriving underground casinos create headache for police
Police in the Indian state of Delhi are facing a difficult moral dilemma after raiding and shutting down two illegal high roller casinos this month. According to the India Times, the casinos were operating out of the plush neighbourhoods of Sainik...
Modest salary growth predicted for Hong Kong in 2017
Hong Kong’s workforce can expect to see growth of 4.3 percent in their salaries in 2017, according to a study by global talent, retirement and health solutions business Aon Hewitt. The Aon Hewitt 2016 Total Compensation Measurement (TCM) Study...
Back on track
This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of WGM. After an eventful summer that saw long-time organizer Barry Bland walk away from the Macau Grand Prix, the famous race is ready to roar again with defending champion Felix Rosenqvist...
Macau flexes eSports muscle
This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of WGM. With the help of Grow uP eSports Association, Macau sent a team of young eSports players to the World Championships for the very first time in October and performed well above...
MGM to host sixth annual Lion Dance Championship
Fresh from its impressive revenue results, MGM – in partnership with Wushu General Association of Macau – is preparing to co-host the sixth annual “MGM Lion Dance Championship – Macau International Invitational.” To be held on 12...
US election to break wagering records
The US Presidential election is set to surpass Britain’s recent Brexit vote and become the most wagered-upon political event of all time. According to a report by Reuters as Americans prepared to go to the polls this week, UK-based betting...
MGM China announces strong revenue growth
MGM China Holdings Ltd saw its quarterly revenue and adjusted EBITDA rise significantly in the three months to September 30, it has revealed. In an announcement by the company and posted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, it saw total revenue increase...