The integrated resort Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has shifted its approach to calculating hold rates on rolling baccarat — a move that reflects the resort’s rising banking margins and the deployment of smart gaming technologies. According to the recent quarterly report of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS), the theoretical hold-adjusted win percentage for its rolling chip play at Marina Bay Sands reached 4.2 % for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, up from 3.5 % in the same quarter in 2024.
Japan’s political landscape has just witnessed a historic moment with Sanae Takaichi becoming the country’s first female prime minister, representing a turning point in both gender representation and policy direction. What is particularly noteworthy is her long-standing advocacy for the country’s integrated resort (IR) framework—an area that places gambling, tourism and regional economic planning under one umbrella. According to industry reporting, she emerged as an early and vocal supporter of the IR legislation that began taking form in the mid-2010s.
A contentious proposal introduced by Cate Faehrmann of the NSW Greens seeks to mandate a shutdown of all poker machines in pubs and clubs across New South Wales (NSW) from midnight to 10 a.m. each day. Under the current system, machines already must be switched off for a minimum of six hours (4 a.m.–10 a.m.), but the bill aims to extend that to a full ten-hour daily closure and remove broad exemption provisions that allow around 674 venues to operate beyond the shutdown period.
The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam advocating a substantial increase in daily betting limits for both horse racing and international football. Currently, under the draft decree replacing Decree 06/2017, the per-person daily limit is set to increase from VND 1 million (approx. US$38) to VND 10 million (approx. US$380). The VCCI argues this is still too low and proposes either raising it to VND 100 million (US$3,800) per person, or setting a cap of VND 10 million per product category (football, horse, greyhound).
A growing number of tourism and gaming industry experts are calling on South Korea to establish a unified regulatory framework for its casino sector, arguing that fragmented oversight is constraining growth and weakening the nation’s appeal as a regional tourism hub. Speaking at a recent policy forum organized by The Korea Times Global Business Club, academics, tourism strategists, and industry veterans urged the government to consider creating a centralized gaming authority similar to Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) or Japan’s Casino Administration Committee.
Author: Janice Chew • Thursday, 23/10/2025
