Philippine mayor wins by toss of coin
Elections in the Philippines are said to be decided by three Gs: guns, gold and goons. In a few cases, luck must be added into the equation.
When two candidates for mayor of San Teodoro, a small town in central Philippines, each got exactly the same number of votes (3,236) in a poll this week, election officials decided to break the tie by tossing a coin. Continue reading »
Philippine casino hits jackpot before first spin of the wheel
Belle Grande, the $1bn Manila casino resort to be managed by Melco Crown Entertainment, won’t open its doors until near the end of the year. But the Macau gaming company is already poised to make big gains from a newly acquired, listed vehicle for its Philippine casino. Continue reading »
As beyondbrics reported recently, Asian gaming keeps on rolling the dice, with rapid expansion of casinos on Macau’s Cotai strip, as well as in Manila.
Now Sands China, the Macau casino operator owned by US billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has just released good numbers: The company saw a 52 per cent increase in fourth-quarter net profit as it benefited from an increase in visitors to its newest property in the territory. Continue reading »
Guest post: the gaming market in Manila has only just begun
By Michael Beer of Citigroup
As Bloomberry Resorts‘ new $700m Solaire Resort and Casino nears completion, Manila Bay will finally showcase its potential within the regional gaming arena. Reflecting the heightened enthusiasm around the project launch as well as continued interest in gaming in east Asia, Bloomberry’s shares have risen over 30 per cent in just the past five months. Continue reading »
MGM China: Macau green light gives shares a boost
When it comes to investing in the Asian consumer, you can always try betting on betting.
MGM China, a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and the daughter of casino mogul Stanley Ho, got a 7 per cent boost in its shares after announcing that it had received approval to build a second resort in Macau. Continue reading »
Macau: crackdown hits casino shares
Is the new leadership in Beijing going to crack down on the billions in illicit funds long believed to be bank-rolling Macau’s spectacular rise as the Las Vegas of the East?
That’s the question investors were asking as they sold down Macau gaming shares on Tuesday, following new reports that a handful of junket operators had been arrested for suspected money laundering. Continue reading »
Chile moves in on Uruguay gambling
Place your bets … Chilean casino operator Enjoy is staking $140m on the purchase of a casino in Uruguay’s ritzy Punta del Este resort.
Announcing the deal, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, which is selling the controlling stake in Uruguayan hotel and casino operator, Conrad, to Enjoy, called Latin America “one of the fastest growing casino gaming markets in the world”. Continue reading »
Investors see glitter in Macau’s Galaxy despite gambling slowdown
Galaxy Entertainment Group, which runs one of Macau’s biggest and brashest casino resorts, saw strong demand for its stock when UK private equity firm Permira decided to sell off another big chunk of its holdings on Tuesday.
One big US investor, Waddell & Reed, accounted for the lion’s share of the 7 per cent stake, according to market sources, although the Kansas-based mutual fund company is thought to have bought less than 5 per cent, which means it will not have to declare its stake. Continue reading »
Gazprom chief bets on horse racing
You might think that Alexei Miller, the chief executive of Gazprom, had enough on his plate running the world’s biggest gas company without taking extra jobs on the side. But Russia’s top gasman has jumped into the saddle at Rosippodromy, the new state equestrian agency, tasked with reviving horse breeding and racing in Russia. Continue reading »
Taiwan: will Macau’s magic rub off?
Wanted: a piece of the action
Governments across Asia have been keen to replicate the success of Macau, the region’s casino hub, where billions have been made from wealthy Chinese gamblers.
Taiwan residents in Matsu, a tiny island that is much closer to mainland China than its parent, have said Yes to gambling. Developers are keen to get started. But given Taiwan’s complicated (to say the least) relationship with mainland China, what are the odds of the plan working? Continue reading »
Philippines gaming boom: cash in early
Insert casino here
The four big casino complexes rising along the scenic Manila Bay in the Philippines haven’t opened their doors yet, four years after the government awarded the exclusive licenses as part of the country’s ambitious plan to cash in on Asia’s gambling and tourism boom.
But that has not stopped Enrique Razon Jr, the 52-year old chief executive of the country’s biggest port operator, from almost doubling his net worth in just a matter of months after a public offering of shares in his Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, a holder of one of the lucrative, limited-edition permits. Continue reading »
Macau: propped up by high-rollers, but for how long?
Here we go again. Another sharp sell-off of Macau gaming shares on China slowdown fears. Industry forecasts have always underestimated Chinese high-rollers’ propensity to gamble, so are the latest prediction of gloom to be trusted? Continue reading »
Embattled defenders of horseracing in the UK and Ireland will allow themselves a wry smile at China’s decision to buy into Irish thoroughbred racing and breeding expertise. Just as communist China is trying to breathe new life into a sport it once outlawed, racing is under fire in the decadent west. Continue reading »
Vietnam’s local gambling dilemma
Is Vietnam about to legalise sports gambling? Despite positive noises from the Communist government, don’t bet on it happening any time soon.
The plan, which has been discussed on and off over the last few years, has resurfaced again after Vietnam’s finance minister, Vuong Dinh Hue, visited Singapore to learn about the city-state’s successful sports betting industry. Continue reading »
Russia: who’d bet $1m on Prokhorov?
Vladimir Putin is such a favourite to win the Russian presidential vote on March 4 that analysts are already setting up conference calls on the following Monday to discuss his victory. No doubts about the result then.
So who would bet on one of the other contenders? Money down the drain, surely? Continue reading »
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