The Australian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association, sponsors of the Australasian Gaming Expo, have announced that they are offering two educational sessions during the Sydney gaming show.
This is no doubt as a result of the success of the AGE trade show, which now attracts over 10,000 visitors to three halls of the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre.
Both Australia and New Zealand have co-ordinated their approach with a number of important gaming initiatives. Some jurisdictions have
legislated to licence internet gaming providers; both nations have published technical standards for gaming machines and machine monitoring systems; and the Australian Federal Government has established an Inquiry to assess the economic and social impacts of gambling throughout the nation.
An Australasian gaming regulators panel session followed by a seminar with gaming operators will be held 23 August, the second morning of the AGE. The price is A$100 payable in advance, and can be booked through email gaming@ozemail.com.au, or fax +61 2 9344 6455.

Aussie pokies

This is an interesting excerpt from the NSW TAB newsletter, who have acquired the rights for the monitoring and linking of gaming machines in NSW (some 1500+ clubs). Effectively they state the following:
"Electronic Gaming Machines (EGM's), are known in our state as poker machines. This is a hangover from the 1950's when NSW became the first state to allow their use. Today, EGM's (with the sole exception of Western Australia) are commonly available throughout Australia. The number of gaming machines continues to grow, with one for every 40 adults in NSW. They have become increasingly more complex but remain a basically boring form of acivity."

Arrests for illegal futures trading

Three Hong Kong residents have been arrested for taking illegal bets on the movement of the Hang Seng Index. Branch companies in various
provinces took in around $4.7 million in bets, with the illegal traders profiting to the tune of up to $4.2 million. According to the Guangzhou Daily newspaper, this this is the first time that police have detected an illegal gambling case of this type.

100 bets with one click

Internet gaming site eBet has introduced a MultiBet feature allowing players to make 100 bets in one go.
According to a company spokesperson, the MultiBet feature increases the efficiency of betting on racing directly from a computer, allowing up to 99 individual bets to be placed and processed with a click of a mouse.
Ebet is currently preparing to list on the Australian Stock Exchange and will include Coms 21's internet wagering arm IWN Australasia,
interactive entertainment and information system reseller NTN,
jackpot-link operator Supa-Link and Coms 21's cashless gaming system EPS.

Aussie cybercasino hits $1 million

Australia's first fully regulated internet casino, Lasseters Online, has taken more than A$1 million worth of wages in its first six weeks of operation. As at mid-May, Lasseters attracted 3,000 players from 76 countries.

Crown casino and Packer merger approved

The Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority has formally approved Crown Casino's merger with Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting limited.
PBL's scrip bid is still subject to ratification by the Victorian Supreme Court and the Gaming Minister Roger Hallam, although Crown is expected to be folded into PBL by the end of June. PBL is offering one PBL share for every 11 Crown shares held. This values Crown at around A$860 million, or $2 billion including debt.

Island casinos planned for Jakarta

The capital of Indonesia may soon have off-shore island casinos if a proposal by the Thousand islands Marine Tourism Association is approved.
According to local sources, the northern resort islands of Putri Barat and Bintang are suitable for casinos, and are located only a two-hour both ride from Jakarta.
The suggestion appears to stem from the continual problem of illegal gambling dens, which are causing a problem for the government.
Gambling was banned here back in 1982 following pressure from the Muslim community, which has since opposed suggestions to re-establish casinos as a much-needed source of government revenue and tourist attraction.

Bad luck for Star City's high rollers

Sydney's Star City Casino has suffered a setback with international premium players, according to the release of first quarter earnings for 1999.
They achieved a win rate of only 0.2 per cent in its high-roller business over the quarter, posting revenues of only A$600,000 before commissions and taxes (and a loss before tax and abnormals of $3.2 million).
However, it is expected that the run rate will be corrected by the third quarter, as the international business only launched in late December 1998, and this is its maiden voyage.
In addition, more junket operators will be approved to bring groups to the casino over the coming year.
In terms of grind business, Star City's win per table per day during the quarter fell 10% to A$4,014, while win per slot machine per day rose 18% to $284. Star City's net profit remained static at $900,000.

Cambodia casino closes
The Holiday Club Casino, the largest casino in Phnom Penh has closed to meet the government deadline for a complete shut down of all gambling halls within 120 miles of the Cambodian capital.
The two licensed casinos, the Holiday and riverboat Naga casino, were given six months notice to cease operations following a directive from Prime Minister Hun Sen in order to curb the increasing crime rates of robberies, murders and kidnappings, in particular relating to gambling debts.
The dozen or so unlicensed gambling halls weren't as lucky, with an immediate shutdown at the end of last year.

The historic spanish ball game of jai alai is set to be revived in the Philippines through PAGCOR, who has signed contracts with two Filipino companies to supply the sports game played with curved handles attached to the wrist.
Originating in the basque region, jai-alai is a Spanish game that is expected to promote tourism in the Philippines and generate income of 1.5 billion pesos in its first year of operation.

A second casino is purportedly on the cards to compete with Crown Casino in Victoria, with several registrations of interest lodged from around the state. The government is keeping an open mind on the opportunity of a second casino, as an alternate site could be operational from November this year, when Crown's licence on its geographic monopoly runs out.
According to Victorian gaming laws, another casino has the opportunity to vie for a license, providing it is at least 150 kilometres from the state's capital at Melbourne.

Asian casino mogul Mr Stanley Ho is thought to be expanding his interests via the Australian casino industry. Mr Ho, through his
monopoly of all 10 casinos in Macau, contributes up to 50% of the local Government's annual income. His big break occurred back in 1961, when he was awarded his first casino licence for the Portuguese enclave.
He has since maintained a monopoly licence to operate all casinos. The 78-year old billionaire also presides over the majority of transport between Hong Kong and Macau, and owns the only private golf course on the island, the jockey club, a television station, and more than a few hotels.
As Macau is set to pass into Chinese hands in December this year, unconfirmed reports believe that Mr Ho is understood to be actively investigating opportunities to buy into the Australian casino industry.