Macau authorities anticipate up to 750,000 border crossings per day during the upcoming eight-day National Day / Mid-Autumn Golden Week holiday (Oct 1–8), with total entries and exits projected between 5.6 million and 6 million over the period. Of that, roughly 1.2 million visitor arrivals are expected (averaging 150,000 per day), driven by more relaxed entry policies such as multiple-entry permits via Zhuhai and Hengqin.
Two major casino proposals in New York have advanced after receiving strong support from local advisory bodies. The Resorts World New York City expansion, backed by Genting, secured unanimous approval from its community advisory committee as it vies for a full commercial license. Meanwhile, MGM’s Empire City racino in Yonkers also won a 5-0 vote in its favor, putting it in contention for one of the limited downstate licenses.
Hong Kong-listed International Entertainment Corp (IEC) recorded a substantial loss of HK$282.1 million (roughly US$36.3 million) in fiscal year 2025, largely driven by cost pressures and a one-time write-off tied to the redevelopment of its New Coast Hotel in Manila. Despite that, the company saw total revenues rise steeply to HK$566.2 million (≈ US$72.8 million) — a year-on-year growth of about 146 % — as it assumed full operational control of casino operations from PAGCOR under its provisional license.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is considering a major revision to its sports betting regulations. Under the current rules, bettors are restricted to VND 1 million (roughly US$38) per betting category (e.g. match winner, score, cards) on international football matches. The draft decree envisions replacing these multiple category limits with a single VND 10 million (≈ US$380) cap per person per day for all bets combined.
South Korea is bracing for a potential wave of Chinese tourists following Beijing’s decision to allow visa-free group travel to South Korea starting October 2025. The new policy comes amid efforts to revive outbound tourism and thaw relations that had been strained since the THAAD missile defense dispute in 2017. Industry watchers believe this could significantly boost visitor arrivals, particularly for casinos and duty-free businesses, which have long depended on Chinese spending.
Author: Janice Chew • Monday, 29/09/2025
