Asia Gaming Weekly News Bulletin – ISSUE 54 Week of 2 March 2026
(1) Record Chinese New Year Visitation in Macau Helps Lift Casinos in February
Brian Ho, head of sustainability at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, has left after one year to join Macao-based SJM Resorts. RWS has appointed Loh Su Kim as chief strategy and sustainability officer from January 2026. Loh previously led the resort’s sustainability efforts for four years.
(2) Korea Sports Leisure Co. Offers Up to 200 Million Won for Illegal Gambling Reports
Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd. is offering rewards of up to 200 million Korean won for reports on illegal sports gambling site operators through the Illegal Sports Toto Reporting Center. Reports can be submitted online or by phone.
(3) ED attaches assets worth ₹18.10 crore in ‘illegal’ betting app case
India’s Enforcement Directorate attached ₹18.10 crore in assets tied to the unlicensed 1xBet betting platform, alleging it used mirror sites, mule accounts, and ads via cricket apps.
(4) Macau’s Casino Industry Rebounds, but the Game has Changed with Stakes Shifted
Integrated resorts like Galaxy outperform traditional SJM while tourism diversification efforts continue, despite ongoing day-tripper and VIP gambling challenges.
(1) Record Chinese New Year Visitation in Macau Helps Lift Casinos in February
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Macau casinos posted strong February results, benefiting from the Chinese New Year holiday falling entirely in February. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported gross gaming revenue of MOP 20.62 billion (US$2.55 billion), a 4.5% increase from February 2025. This outperformed consensus expectations of just 1% growth, which had been tempered by soft early-week figures. A late-week travel surge pushed daily casino win above $150 million on several days.
The six concessionaires, Sands, Galaxy, Wynn, MGM, Melco, and SJM, generated $5.36 billion in GGR through the first two months of 2026, nearly 14% higher than January to February 2025.
The Macau Government Tourism Office recorded approximately 1.55 million visitors during the holiday, the highest since tracking began in 2006. This marked a 300,000 increase over the previous year’s split holiday period. Macau’s post-pandemic recovery continued, with 2025 GGR up 9.1% from 2024 and 35% above 2023 levels.
The market has shifted toward premium mass and non-gaming offerings following the 2022 relicensing, which curbed VIP junket operations. Analysts suggest properties with stronger mass-market and leisure exposure benefited most from the visitor influx.
March GGR consensus stands at MOP 22.2 billion (US$2.75 billion), implying about 13% year-on-year growth. However, escalating Middle East tensions following recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran could pressure mainland leisure spending and travel, with China heavily reliant on Iranian crude imports. TD Securities noted this adds further uncertainty to an already volatile global environment.
News Source: https://www.casino.org/news/record-chinese-new-year-visitation-in-macau-helps-lift-casinos/
(2) Korea Sports Leisure Co. Offers Up to 200 Million Won for Illegal Gambling Reports
(Photo Credit: Getty/iStock)
Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., operator of Sports Toto under the Seoul Olympic Memorial National Sports Promotion Agency, is encouraging public reports of illegal sports gambling with substantial rewards. The Illegal Sports Toto Reporting Center provides up to 200 million Korean won for information on operators of illegal gambling sites.
Reports on match-fixing in events covered by sports promotion lottery tickets qualify for up to 50 million won. Acts such as using, promoting, designing systems for, brokering, relaying, or providing information for illegal gambling are eligible for up to 15 million won.
To report an illegal site, individuals must visit the relevant website, complete identity verification, submit the site’s URL, access details (ID, password, referrer), and attach evidence. Basic site reports earn 15,000 won per case, with a per-person cap of 1.5 million won after review by the Korea Communications Commission. For sites with cloning or dynamic URL functions, rewards may be limited to the first reporter.
Deposit account reports for illegal sites can be filed alongside site reports and earn 100,000 won per case with no limit. Rewards are notified via LMS, so accurate mobile numbers are essential.
A company representative emphasized that illegal gambling causes growing social harm each year. The reward system aims to boost citizen participation and promote a healthy sports culture.
News Source: https://www.chosun.com/english/sports-en/2026/03/01/UAKD5QZDOBD57I25JTO3WWGAHA/
(3) ED attaches assets worth ₹18.10 crore in ‘illegal’ betting app case
(Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
India’s Enforcement Directorate has attached assets valued at ₹18.10 crore in connection with the illegal online betting platform 1xBet, the agency announced on Monday, March 2, 2026. The ED claims 1xBet operated without authorisation in India, promoting betting and gambling through multiple mirror websites and concealing fund flows via dynamically generated UPI IDs linked to mule bank accounts.
Investigators allege Parthtech Developers LLP, operator of popular cricket platforms CREX and OneCricket, entered structured advertisement agreements with Bwise Media AG in Switzerland to promote 1xBet and other illegal betting sites. Statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act confirmed that 1xBet ads were booked, geo-targeted, and executed directly on CREX via Parthtech’s in-house server “Parth Adex.”
This latest attachment brings the total assets seized in the case to approximately ₹7.23 crore. In December 2025, the ED provisionally attached ₹7.93 crore in movable and immovable assets belonging to former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, and actors Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra, and Neha Sharma. The agency alleged these celebrities knowingly endorsed 1xBet through surrogates, with payments routed via foreign entities to disguise illicit origins.
Earlier, assets worth ₹11.14 crore linked to former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina were also attached. The ED continues to investigate the platform’s money-laundering network and promotional ecosystem in India.
News Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ed-attaches-assets-worth-1810-crore-in-illegal-betting-app-case/article70695630.ece
(4) Macau’s Casino Industry Rebounds, but the Game has Changed with Stakes Shifted
(Photo Credit: New Fortune Times)
Macau’s gaming industry achieved MOP247.4 billion (US$30.9 billion) in gross revenue for 2025, up 9.1% from 2024 and the best post-COVID result, boosted by Lunar New Year crowds exceeding 1.55 million visitors at an average 173,000 daily, a 5.5% increase.
Traditional operators like SJM, led by the Ho family, reported HK$21.6 billion revenue early in 2025 but net losses of HK$173 million during the full closure of 11 satellite casinos by year-end as ordered by the government. Newer integrated resorts dominated: Galaxy Entertainment hit HK$49.2 billion (Galaxy Macau HK$41 billion), MGM China US$4.4 billion (up 11%), and Melco US$5.2 billion with profits.
Diversification efforts are gaining traction, with non-gaming revenue at 15 to 20% for majors (Galaxy nearly 20%), including over 1,800 conventions yielding MOP6.28 billion (up 16.4%), frequent concerts, NBA games, and hotel expansions. However, challenges include 23.5 million day-trippers out of 40+ million visitors, leading to high occupancy but falling RevPAR like Wynn Palace’s 28% drop.
Past shocks from Beijing’s 2014 anti-corruption campaign and COVID reduced VIP gambling, shifting to mass market amid Cotai competition over the old Peninsula. Bonuses reached 100,000 workers, but sustained growth depends on broader tourism beyond gaming.
News Source: https://www.newfortunetimes.com/macaus-casino-industry-rebounds-but-the-game-has-changed-with-stakes-shifted/
