The Chicago Bears head into their first home game of the NFL season as slight favorites when they host the Philadelphia Eagles, but we’ve seen nothing from them to suggest a better year than last in 2016/17. Having won just six of their 16...
Author - Ben Blaschke
Tak Chun opens new Parisian VIP Club
Leading Macau junket operator, Tak Chun Group, has opened its new VIP club at the Parisian Macao. Launched by Tak Chun CEO Levo Chan at a special ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday, the Parisian Tak Chun VIP Club measures 8,257 square feet and boasts...
WGM’s Best Bets: Thursday 15 September 2016
The Buffalo Bills host the New York Jets in a vital divisional clash tonight after both sides suffered close Week 1 losses. This is shaping up as a largely defensive affair. Neither side looked particularly effective with the ball in hand last week...
WGM’s Best Bets: Wednesday 14 September 2016
The big guns flexed their muscle in the UEFA Champions League last night with Bayern Munich triumphing 5-0 and Barcelona putting seven past Celtic. No doubt champions Real Madrid will be keen to produce a similar performance to their biggest rivals...
Liverpool return home with a bang!
Liverpool’s first game back at the new Anfield proved to be a magnificent homecoming as the Reds smashed defending champions Leicester 4-1. With club legends such as Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush watching on, the home side completely dominated the...
Hainan Airlines to launch first ever direct route from China to Las Vegas
China’s Hainan Airlines will become the first carrier to fly directly from China to Las Vegas after the US Department of Transportation officially approved the route this week. From 2 December 2016, Hainan Airlines will fly three times a week –...
Parisian Macao opens with glitzy launch
Macau welcomed its newest integrated resort last night as the highly-anticipated Parisian Macao opened its doors to the public for the very first time. In a glittering ceremony attended by Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, guests and...
Hong Kong carriers ban exploding Samsung smartphones
The ongoing battle between the world’s big smartphone brands is a heated one, but has Samsung taken that concept a fraction too far? Hong Kong airlines Cathay Pacific and Dragonair have banned passengers from carrying the Galaxy Note 7 on...
WGM’s Best Bets: Tuesday September 13 2016
Manchester City host German upstarts Mönchengladbach in their first Champions League outing of the new campaign and they’ll be confident of continuing their impressive start to the season. City has won all four of its Premier League matches...
WGM’s Best Bets: Monday September 12 2016
The first Monday game of the new NFL season sees the Washington Redskins play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in what shapes as a first-up test of each side’s Super Bowl credentials. While Washington have been talking up an improved defence...
Champion of champions
This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2016 issue of WGM. Images: Ian Javier WGM Managing Editor Ben Blaschke catches up with Sam Razavi as the most dominant player on the Asian poker scene guns for a fifth consecutive Asian Poker Tour Player of...
Grow uP eSports announces Macau World Championship team
Six of Macau’s best local eSports players are heading to the eSports World Champions next month after being named to represent Team Macao SAR. A team of five League of Legends players and one Hearthstone representative were the standout...
If the table cap fits
This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2016 issue of WGM. Just a few weeks after Wynn Palace learned it would receive far fewer gaming tables than its rivals, WGM was among the first in the world to enjoy a peek inside Wynn’s US$4.2...
World Poker Tour announces two events in Cambodia
The World Poker Tour has announced two brand new Asian stops with WPT National Thailand and WPT National Cambodia to be held over the New Year. Both events will actually be held in Cambodia with WPT National Thailand to run from 22 to 29 December...
WGM’s Best Bets: Friday September 9 2016
It’s all about the Manchester Derby this weekend – not only the biggest game in the Premier League this weekend but arguably the most anticipated sporting contest on the planet. There is rarely anything dull about a derby and we predict a...
WGM’s Best Bets: Thursday 8 September
It’s been a huge year for Germany’s Angelique Kerber. In January she won her first grand slam title at the Australian Open, was a finalist at Wimbledon and now finds herself in the US Open semi-finals having not dropped a set in the...
Sing! China to film special Macau episode
Hit reality TV show Sing! China is bringing Sing! China in Macao to the Venetian’s Cotai Arena, with a special National Day episode to be filmed on 21 September. Four of China’s most popular singers – Jay Chou, Na Ying, Wang Feng and Harlem Yu...
Former Air China manager arrested for smuggling
A former Air China manager has pleaded not guilty in a US court to allegations she smuggled packages on behalf of Chinese military officials and helped a Chinese national who was under investigation by the FBI. According to The Wall Street Journal...
The Parisian to set environmental benchmark
Sands China says its French-themed Parisian will be Macau’s most eco-friendly integrated resort when it opens next Tuesday. Predicted to save around US$3.9 million per year by operating 25 percent more efficiently than current baseline...
WGM’s Best Bets: Wednesday 7 September 2016
We’re back on the Chicago Cubs bus tonight as they continue their three-game stretch against the Milwaukee Brewers. The first meeting between these two saw the Cubs stroll to a 7-2 victory and they should be far too strong again this time...
England braces for battle of Manchester
Chinese fans were left hugely disappointed by their national team’s performances in the opening rounds of 2018 World Cup qualifiers, in which they were beaten 3-2 by Korea before an uncharacteristic 0-0 draw at home against Iran. But at least...
More struggles ahead for Macau junkets
Macau may have enjoyed its first year-on-year revenue rise in 27 months in August, but analysts are predicting more tough times ahead for its VIP sector. Noting last week’s announcement by IKGH that it would close one of its five Macau junket...
WGM’s Best Bets: Tuesday 6 September 2016
Andy Murray has enjoyed a sizzling summer this year, claiming his second Wimbledon title before adding another gold medal to his haul at the Rio Olympic Games. Having cruised through his first three matches at the US Open, he faces Grigor Dimitrov...
Armin van Buuren to perform in Macau
Cotai Arena will play host to one of the world’s best DJs when Armin van Buuren performs in Macau for the very first time on 19 November. Voted the number one DJ on the planet on five separate occasions throughout his illustrious career, van...
WGM’s Best Bets: Monday September 5 2016
Italy will be looking for a strong start to their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign when they travel to Israel tonight. Although the squad is somewhat depleted with a number of key players injured, they should still have far too much class for a...
China’s glass bridge closed due to huge demand
Macau take note! At a time when the government is screaming for new and exciting tourist attractions, China’s new bottom-glassed bridge in Zhangjiajie has been forced to shut down luring more visitors than it can handle. The 430 meter long...
Sands surprise as Parisian granted just 150 new tables
Macau’s Gaming Inspection, and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) sprang a surprise over the weekend when Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong Vai Tac, revealed the Parisian would receive just 100 new gaming tables when it opens for...
WGM’s Best Bets: Friday 2 Sep 2016
Fresh from the side’s early exit from the Euro 2016 finals, England is straight back into the action with a World Cup qualifier this weekend against Slovakia. For whatever reason and one that England themselves would love to know, they have...
Wynn Palace doubles its Dragon 7 baccarat quota
Wynn Palace is set to more than double its quota of Dragon 7 baccarat tables after the revolutionary game proved to be one of its strongest performers during the first two weeks of operation. Steve Wynn’s US$4.2 billion Cotai property opened its...
Baccarat drives huge Las Vegas boost
The Las Vegas Strip saw its gaming revenue jump by 16.8 percent year-on-year in July, thanks largely to a huge increase in baccarat volumes. Baccarat win increased a whopping 41 percent from the same time last year on the back of a 12.8 percent...