The Philippines will become home to a brand-new, fully integrated casino resort which is planned by the boss of the Bloomberry Resorts Corporation firm. The Bloomberry Resorts Corporation firm is a holding company headquartered in the Philippines since 1999 when the company was founded. The firm is engaged across different industries in the country including hotel and tourist facilities, as well as gaming and amusement facilities.

Since its establishment, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation was led by Enrique Razon. Formerly known as Active Alliance Incorporated, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation appeared on the Philippine Stock Exchange back in 2000. Today, the company operates its iconic Solaire Resort and Casino as well as its flagship Jeju Sun Hotel and Casino located in Jeju Island.

When it comes to its latest business plans revolving around its Quezon City casino resort, the company has already secured loads for the first stage of the project. The venue was set to open in 2022, but the opening date is postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Solaire North Facility in Quezon City

The Bloomberry Resorts Corporation firm released its plans to open a fully integrated Quezon City casino resort a long time ago. According to several reports by local news outlets including GGRAsia, the first man of the company Enrique Razon who serves as Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s CEO and Chairman used one of the latest shareholders meetings to reveal that the firm’s Solaire North venue in Quezon city will not start welcoming its first guests until early months of 2023.

The initial plan was to open in 2020, but the opening date was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As previously mentioned, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation already owns and manages the iconic Solaire Resort and Casino located in the metropolitan area of Manilla. While the venue’s Quezon City counterpart was planned to open by the start of 2022, the construction of the venue has been seriously delayed.

According to several news outlets, Enrique Razon told to all company’s investors that work on the venue within Quezon City’s Ayala Malls Vertis North under-construction facility had been delayed primarily due to coronavirus pandemic-related quarantine protocols, counter-measures and others which were set in motion by the country’s government to prevent the outbreak of highly contagious coronavirus strain.

Solaire Resorts and Casino in Manilla Shuttered for Over Three Months

The company’s flagship Solaire Resort and Casino facility in Manilla has been temporarily shut down since the 15^th of March as part of measures and protocols set by the government to curb the potential spread of a contagious coronavirus strain which so far has claimed the lives of over 1,170 locals. The closure of the Solaire Resort and Casino facility is set to remain in place at least until the end of this month.

Commenting on this, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Enrique Razon said that his company had taken all necessary measures as well as invested heavily to make sure that Solaire Resort and Casino remains as safe as possible once it finally starts welcoming guests after three months of being closed.

He also added that Solaire Resort and Casino once re-opened will probably feature fewer gaming tables and slot machines so that customers can practice social distancing and other safety protocols. Either way, the coronavirus-induced closure of Solaire Resort and Casino is the main reason behind a massive 37.7% drop in the company’s net income for the first quarter of 2020. Consequently, the company’s associated gross gaming revenues have also tumbled by 12.4% to hit just around $186.7 million.

After many weeks of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns and other safety and protection measures employed, casinos in New Zealand including three venues operated and owned by SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited have been fully re-open. SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited is a local casino operator that just recently revealed that its three gambling-friendly venues in New Zealand have been re-opened without coronavirus-related protocols that enforce social distancing measures.

The Sydney and Wellington-listed casino operator used one of its latest official fillings to share more details about re-opening its three venues. First of all, SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited made the re-opening move shortly after the New Zealand government lowered the nation’s’ four-level coronavirus alert warning to the least concerning Level One. This immediately eliminated all of those previously enforced measures and restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic except those which relate to foreign travel.

SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited Casinos

As previously mentioned, SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited or simply SkyCity is one of the leading entertainment and gaming companies in the region based in Auckland, New Zealand. The company owns and operates five gambling-friendly venues in Australia and New Zealand that do not only include rich casino floors, but also two high-end hotels, bars as well as restaurants and more.

The firm’s shares are traded on the New Zealand and Australian Stock Exchange. Since its establishment back in 1996, SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited took over operations from the Harrah’s Entertainment complex within the Skycity Auckland complex. The company opened its very first Auckland, New Zealand-based gambling-friendly venue back in February of 1996 before expanding its business operations to other Australian and New Zealand cities.

In June of 2000, the firm purchased the Adelaide Casino property while several months later, it added the Skycity Queenstown resort to its growing portfolio of luxury properties. In July of 22004, SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited purchased the Darwin Casino and Hotel property from the MGM Mirage firm and re-named it to SkyCity Darwin.

Its gambling-friendly venues in New Zealand which have just recently re-opened include the SkyCity Auckland venue which is the nation’s biggest casino located in Central Auckland. It features slot and table gaming activities with over one hundred gaming tables and over one thousand and six hundred gaming machines. The SkyCity Auckland property features two hotels, a seven hundred-seat theater, convention center, as well as more than twenty restaurants and bars.

The company’s SkyCity Hamilton property opened in September of 2002. Its casino floor is packed with twenty-three tables and over three hundred gaming machines. Other amenities include a bar and restaurant which commonly host live music performances. The SkyCity Queenstown property opened twenty years ago in 2000. It features twelve gaming tables and eighty-six gaming machines.

Normal Casino Activities Return

SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited was forced to temporarily shut down operations at its three gambling-friendly venues back on the 23^rd of March. Some twenty-six days ago, the casino operator was allowed to partially re-open the three casinos after the New Zealand government updated its health management framework. According to this framework, casinos had to have their gaming floor divided into different zones.

At the time, the operator’s three casinos started welcoming their first guests who had to practice social distancing measures while the operator had to increase the distance between gaming tables and slot machines. Today, all of these measures have been removed which means that trio of SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited casinos return to their normal business operations and normal working hours.

The King’s Casino venue located in a Czech town of Rozvadov is a resort and casino which today houses the biggest European poker room. The venue opened its doors to the public almost seventeen years ago back in June of 2003. It was established by Leon Tsoukernik who is a professional poker player and an art collector. Back in 2015, King’s Casino Rozvadov announced its business partnership with the WSOP or World Series of Poker which resulted in a brand-new World Series of Poker Circuit Event at this venue.

Since 2017, the King’s Casino facility has been hosting the World Series of Poker Europe and it will host the event at least until 2021. When it comes to its poker tournaments held, around 200,000 players visited the venue back in 2014 while over €15 million in prizes was paid out the same year.

King’s Casino Rozvadov and World Series of Poker Europe

One of the most successful King’s Casino poker tournaments was the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event 2017 which crowned Marti Roca De Torres as the ultimate winner. That same year, Dominik Nitsche won the One Drop High Roller event. The €10,350 World Series of Poker 2018 Main Event title went to Jack Sinclair.

Three years ago, in 2017, the World Series of Poker Europe events at King’s Casino Rozvadov was attended by 30,000 players so there is no wonder why King’s Casino remains the biggest European poker room. However, since the 3rd of March, the venue has not offered and poker tournaments and poker gaming due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has led to postponements and even cancellations of all major events.

On a regular basis, King’s Casino is one of the major hot spots for professional and amateur poker players not only from the Czech Republic but from many other countries across Europe. After several months of being closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the King’s Casino venue is finally ready to re-open, and super exciting poker tournaments and poker gaming actions are on the schedule. Interested players will find loads of high-roller poker options alongside other gaming formats.

The Balkan Poker Circuit and PLO High Roller Coming Soon

The biggest poker room in Europe in the King’s Casino facility starts offering poker actions from the 20th of June when a Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller event kicks off. According to the organizers of the event, it will feature a buy-in of €2,500 and it will doubtlessly see many successful players compete including Marek Blasko, Harry Casagrande, and Besim Hot who have already confirmed that they will compete.

The Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller event takes place before the Balkan Poker Circuit kicks off on the 1st of July. It will run until the 6th of July and it will feature the most anticipated Min Event with a rather low buy-in of €150. It was also revealed that the Balkan Poker Circuit’s prize pool will feature two World Series of Poker Europe tickets which naturally help players reserve their sport at the European World Series of Poker tournament which kicks off in October.

With two major poker tournaments scheduled at King’s Casino, the month of July will be loaded with poker actions. In addition to the PLO High Roller and the Balkan Poker Circuit, King’s Casino Rozvadov also hosts the Bounty Hunter Days Warm-Up tournament that will from the 9th through the 12th of July while the Benelux Classics will kick off on the 15th of July.

Responsible for the Star Vegas Resort and Club venue in Cambodia and the Aristo International Hotel located in Vietnam, the Donaco International Limited casino operator has just announced positive news related to its operations. According to the company’s officials, Donaco has been granted a new lender extension support. The officials proclaimed that the company will sign a new business agreement which will see its major lender suspend the pending principal payment of $5 million for the end of this year.

The company has also used another official filling to share more details about its new business agreement with its main lender. In this press release, Donaco International Limited revealed that the company’s obligation towards Mega International Commercial Bank Company Limited has been deferred for over six months while it should have been satisfied back on the 15^th of June.

Thanks to being granted this lender extension support by Mega International Bank, Donaco International Limited can work on getting back on the right track after suffering a massive downturn in its operations due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Details About Donaco International Limited

Donaco International Limited is a prominent Asia-based hospitality and leisure company that specializes in hotel and casino operations across six countries. This Hong Kong-headquartered company emerged on the stage in 2002, which means it has been around for eighteen years. As mentioned at the beginning, Donaco International Limited is responsible for the Star Vegas Resort and Club venue located in Poipet, Cambodia.

This is the company’s flagship property which was established in 1999. At the time, it was the biggest venue of this kind in the region with over one hundred and fifty gaming tables, more than one thousand slot games, and almost four hundred hotel rooms. Another company’s successful property is Aristo International Hotel which is home to a boutique casino situated in Vietnam. The property opened in 2002 and it features four hundred hotel rooms, loads of gaming tables as well as three hundred electronic gaming tables.

Today, Donaco International Limited is a pioneer, leading casino operator in Vietnam which owns a massive ninety-five percent stake on the market alongside the Vietnam Government. When it comes to the company’s revised business arrangement with Mega International Commercial Bank Company Limited, it also features year-end waivers on the company’s loan covenant in addition to the suspension of stipulations according to which Donaco International had to keep aggregate cash alongside equivalents worth close to $14 million.

Settling the Principal Payment

The company’s officials have also shared more details about its business arrangement with Mega International Commercial Bank Company Limited. In return for that six months extension, the Taipei-based financial entity has obliged Donaco International Limited to utilize any sort of capital that might be inserted into its business operations before this year ends in order to boost settling the principal payment of $5 million.

One of the company’s latest official press releases proclaimed that Donaco International Limited warmly welcomes the financial support by Mega International Bank which will be of great importance during these rough times and financial losses triggered by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Just like all other casinos and hotels in the area, Donaco had to shut down temporarily its flagship properties back in March. Needless to say, the loan extension deal will help the company remain in a dynamic, sustainable position.

According to several local news outlets including Inside Asian Gaming, law enforcement officials in eastern parts of China have arrested several members of a known criminal gang due to many claims that they had been in fact responsible for operating illegal gaming syndicates. According to many claims, these illegal gaming syndicates have helped local residents to engage in gambling activities in casino venues in Macau.

According to one report released by Inside Asian Gaming, the criminal group operating an illegal gambling syndicate mainly operated from Jiangsu Province. It is also believed that the criminal gang encompassed eighteen members including their leader known to the public by his nickname Shi.

The same news outlet also reported several days ago that the unlawful, illegal organization and its members are also suspected of having offered local residents with chips and accounts they later used to engage in gambling activities at one of the thirty-nine Macau gaming venues. Several other local news outlets shared that this illegal organization from Jiangsu Province had netted around $184 in thirteen years from 2007 solely from commissions on those aforementioned advances.

Involvement in the Online Casino Gaming Industry

Situated around eight hundred miles from the former Portuguese enclave Macau, Jiangsu Province is home to over eighty million residents. The province is also one of the nation’s leading technology and finance centers. The criminal organization which mainly operated from Jiangsu Province is also suspected of offering local residents to wager real-money at its unlawful club via the telephone and Internet.

The leader of the criminal organization known by his nickname Shi was arrested back in May of 2018 or the first time. At the time, law enforcement officials referred to his unlawful business as a mega offshore gambling organization that according to the latest financial research had earned around $4.7 million at least in several years. The self-appointed and defined leader and head of this illicit investment firm was sentenced to sixteen years in prison. He was also forced to pay a fine of $17.4 million.

Chinese Authorities Intensifying Efforts to Fight Illegal iGaming Activities

Since August of 2019, law enforcement authorities in China have significantly intensified their efforts to fight illicit online casino gaming activities within its borders. One of the major goals is to combat cross-border illegal online casino gambling alongside combating underground payment platforms and banks which support such activities by allowing Chinese residents to fund illegal casino games.

This official revelation came shortly after the Chinese embassy located in the Philippines asked authorities in the country to wipe out firms and network operators which provide any kind of support for unlawful iGaming venues. The official statement reads that the government of China attaches importance to fighting cross-border casino gaming and gambling activities.

The last year, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security has taken a series of actions that are aimed at combating and preventing cross-border unlawful gambling while more operations will be taken this year. China will also focus on cracking some bigger cases related to criminal organizations that offer illicit overseas online gaming activities to its residents.

The fact is that many Chinese residents engage in illegal gambling after being lured by criminal organizations such as the one which was busted several days ago. Either way, intensified efforts to combat such activities will result in fewer telecom frauds and gambling crimes.

One of the leading investment banks in Asia has warned the Marina Bay Sands venue in Singapore that its recently-launched investigation may cost the facility a massive share of the VIP casino gambling market. The investigation was launched in order to determine whether the iconic gambling-friendly venue may have breached some of the mandatory anti-money laundering efforts and procedures.

According to one report released by Inside Asian Gaming, the investment bank which launched its investigation on Marina Bay Sands is Maybank Investment Bank Berhad based in Malaysia. The latest reports on the matter suggest that the inquiry started by the US Department of Justice into potentially breached anti-money laundering protocols at Marina Bay Sands may prompt many VIP high-rollers to start spending their money at the venue’s biggest competitor, the Resorts World Sentosa facility which is located nearby.

Marina Bay Sands Opened in 2010

The Marina Bay Sands facility owned and operated by Las Vegas Sands opened its doors to the public on the 27^th of April in 2010. The official opening took place on the 23^rd of June that same year while the grand opening ceremony took place on the 17^th of February 2011. Located in Downtown Core, Singapore, Marina Bay Sands is one of the most expensive, most luxurious integrated resorts of this kind in the world.

With a total value of over 5 Billion USD and a massive complex with more than two thousand rooms and a huge casino floor with over a thousand slot machines and hundreds of tables, Marina Bay Sands is one of the largest and most valuable casino properties in the world.

The Marina Bay Sands resort also features two Crystal Pavilions, a massive infinity swimming pool, and many signature attractions including the Sands SkyPark, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, The Sands Expo and Convention, Bay Flora, Marina Bay Club, Marina Bay Sands Art Path, Art Science Museum, and Wonder Full among others.

Federal Investigation and Money Laundering Facilitation

Details about the federal investigation emerged via a report released by the Bloomberg news outlet. The report was released after a former compliance chef for Marina Bay Sands was requested by a grand jury to hand over all documentation related to possible money laundering facilitation and possible breaching of money-laundering protocols and financial controls.

The iconic Marina Bay Sands facility has held over fifty percent of the entire VIP casino gaming market in the country since 2018. Last year, the venue has enjoyed an even bigger fifty-seven percent share. Nonetheless, its VIP gaming business is at great risk following the federal investigation into possible breaches of its money-laundering protocols and practices.

Samuel Yin Shao Yang working for Maybank Investment Bank Berhad told several local news outlets that the venue’s VIP business has already been significantly damaged ten years ago after a similar investigation was conducted by officials in the USA. This investigation in particular was launched after Sands China Limited’s former Chief Executive Officer Steven Jacobs a lawsuit against the company. At the time, the property’s high-roller share of the high-roller market in Singapore went down to around thirty-three percent.