The Philippine News Agency reported that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has told gambling licensees, suppliers, and venue operators they must dismantle or remove advertising materials from public spaces by August 15.

The ban will apply to all billboards and out-of-home (OOH) gambling advertisements on public streets. It will also apply to ads displayed on public transport vehicles, such as trains, buses, jeepneys, and taxis, PAGCOR said.

Gambling Billboards Must Go, Says PAGCOR

The PAGCOR move is not a blanket ban. The regulator said that it will issue permits to institutional and responsible gaming campaigns in the future.

But advertisers and gambling firms have also been ordered to send PAGCOR an inventory of their existing billboard and wallscape advertisements by July 16.

These inventory lists must include details about the size, material, location, rental contract expiry dates, and Ad Standards Council permit numbers of all existing ads.

PAGCOR said it would punish non-compliant firms. It also threatened action against gambling firms who replace dismantled advertising boards with new gambling-related materials.

The regulator’s Chairman and CEO, Alejandro Tengco, said: “While PAGCOR is mandated to regulate the gaming industry and generate revenues for nation-building, we do not want to encourage a culture of gambling addiction. Regulating excessive and pervasive gambling advertisements is a critical step in protecting vulnerable sectors of society, especially the youth.”

The move comes just days after the gaming regulator said it would welcome lawmakers’ efforts to impose stricter regulations.

Senators Want Wider Bans

PAGCOR was responding to a draft law sponsored by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. The bill proposes banning the use of digital wallets on online gambling platforms.

The offices of the President announced this month that the Department of Information and Communications Technology has blocked access to 7,000 unauthorized online gaming sites.

It said the sites were all identified by PAGCOR. The President’s office said the government would do what it could to stamp out unlicensed online gaming platforms.

A spokesperson urged members of the public to refrain from promoting illegal websites through word of mouth or on social media pages.

A separate draft bill, authored by the former Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, seeks to go a step further. The Zubiri bill proposes banning all forms of online gambling activity in the Philippines.

Zubiri’s bill proposes outlawing “digital betting platforms, mobile applications, and websites that allow users to place wagers through phones, tablet PCs, and computers.”

The post Take Down All Gambling Billboards by Aug 15, Philippines Regulator Tells Advertisers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Asahi, real name Asahi Saito, is a solo comedian, while Butter Young is a well-known comedy duo.

Police investigators said the two men likely used their smartphones to visit and gamble on overseas online casino sites.

Asahi and Butter Young Comedian’s Cases Sent to Prosecutors

Japan strictly forbids all forms of online gambling that originate from its territory.

The charges follow Titan’s internal investigation into the issue of online casinos among its staff and talent roster.

The probe found that four of the agency’s comedians had used online casinos. The agency followed up by contacting the Tokyo police to conduct what media outlets labelled “a voluntary investigation.”

The two men admitted to the charges during questioning sessions, police spokespeople confirmed.

Some Japanese news outlets, such as ZakZak, have suggested that police and media reports about comedians’ gambling confessions are doubly punitive.

The reason is that many Japanese comedians use stage names, rather than their names, to preserve their privacy.

But many media reports about the stars include both the celebrities’ real names and their aliases, as well as their ages.

However, a media reporter told ZakZak that police may think this could serve as a deterrent to comedians thinking about betting online. The unnamed reporter said: “To further spread the illegality of online casinos, it is more effective to report the names of famous people than to arrest non-celebrities.”

Japanese police and prosecutors embarked on a sweeping crackdown on online gambling in 2023. That crackdown has intensified this year.

Pleading Ignorance

Scores of A-list celebrities and professional sports stars have admitted to using overseas gambling websites, although some have claimed they did not know the activity was illegal.

This has coincided with renewed pressure from lawmakers to introduce harsher punishments for habitual gamblers who use online gambling platforms.

In many cases, instances of gambling have been unearthed not by police but by pro teams conducting internal audits of their staff and players.

Police, via the Foreign Ministry, have also sent requests to the governments of several nations and territories they suspect of housing platforms that cater to Japanese bettors.

However, media outlets in Japan report that gambling crackdowns have cast a “dark shadow” over domestic pro sports.

Friday Digital reported that, to date, 16 players from eight teams have admitted to using online casinos.

The same also appears to be the case with entertainment agencies, television stations, and more. These firms seem to believe that if sports stars, pop singers, and actors make public confessions about their gambling misdemeanours, prosecutors will treat them with clemency.

However, the media outlet suggested that the impact of the ongoing online casino scandal was likely to affect the forthcoming pro baseball season’s free agent market.

The outlet gave the example of the Orix Buffaloes pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka, one of the first players to approach the police with a confession about his gambling habits.

Since the scandal, Yamaoka’s return to action with the Buffaloes has been stop-start. Some claim the relationship between the pitcher and the team has broken down ahead of possible new contract talks.

The post Japanese Comedians Asahi and Butter Young’s Hiroshi Sano Face Online Gambling Wrap appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Nate News and other South Korean media outlets reported that a female influencer posted a photo of herself with Seungri on Instagram. 

She accompanies the image with the caption: “Hi, Seungri Oppa!”

Oppa means “older brother” in Korean. But it is often used as a term of endearment by younger women when speaking to or about older male friends or romantic partners.

Seungri: Returning to the Spotlight?

All South Korean media outlets refrained from naming the woman and blurred her face to obscure her identity.

However, they noted that in her social media bio, she refers to herself as “a cryptocurrency trainer and an appraiser of luxury [items].”

The post’s location was listed as Seoul, suggesting that Seungri is currently staying in the South Korean capital.

In March this year, social media users claimed to have seen Seungri outside a restaurant in Seoul.

The disgraced former member of BIGBANG was sentenced to a three-year prison term by a military court in August 2021. Prosecutors accused him of habitual gambling in the US.

After a partially successful appeal, the Supreme Court sentenced him to 18 months in prison. The star walked free on February 9, 2023, but has kept an extremely low profile since his release.

His case was at the center of the explosive Burning Sun controversy. The scandal revolved around a Seoul nightclub of the same name.

The exclusive club, police and prosecutors later found, was used as a base for drugging and sexually assaulting female patrons.

Officers found that celebrities at the club drugged multiple women and illegally filmed illicit sexual acts. The chat room members later shared the footage with each other and other celebrities.

Korean Gambling Scandals Emerge

Further related probes revealed what prosecutors said was evidence of habitual gambling in Las Vegas. Investigators also accused senior entertainment industry chiefs of similar gambling-related crimes.

Gambling is illegal in South Korea, except for the official sports betting pool Toto, the casino High1 (Kangwon Land), and three horse racing tracks.

However, the popularity of gambling remains high, particularly among celebrities and the super-rich.

Earlier this year, the former “first-generation” K-pop star Shin Jung-hwan said he wants to make another comeback in the entertainment industry following a major gambling scandal that first broke in 2010.

President Lee Jae-myung’s son was also caught in a gambling-related controversy ahead of his father’s June 3 election.

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However, the suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra says her political rival has misrepresented her conversation about gambling policy with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Paetongtarn met with Xi during a visit to Beijing in February this year.

Casino Bill: Chinese Tourism Takes a Hit

The Bangkok Post quoted Anutin Charnvirakul, the former Interior Minister and the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, as blaming the bill for a rapid drop in tourism income from China.

Anutin hit out at the governing coalition’s biggest party, Pheu Thai. He said Paetongtarn and her party took a “dismissive attitude” to Xi’s “repeated warnings” not to attempt to legalize casinos.

The bill, which the government has since ditched, proposed allowing foreign firms to build integrated casino-resort complexes in Thailand.

Anutin alleged that Xi asked Paetongtarn to abandon the bill three times. He said Xi warned that “otherwise, the Chinese government would need to implement measures to significantly reduce Chinese travel.” Xi also threatened to reduce trade and investment in Thailand, said Anutin.

Anutin added that Paetongtarn’s failure to heed Xi’s warning has resulted in a 90% drop in Chinese tourist arrivals.

But the media outlet Khaosod reported that Paetongtarn said Anutin was trying to “stir up trouble.” She said that Xi made several recommendations, which she listened to closely.

Paetongtarn explained: “[Xi] spoke about casinos out of concern and gave advice. We explained that Thailand’s policy was to create entertainment complexes like those in Singapore and Macau.”

These complexes would help generate income for Thailand and create new jobs, she reiterated.

Suspended PM Hits Back at Opposition Leader

Paetongtarn is currently serving as Thailand’s Culture Minister, after the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended her leadership of the government.

The court ruling came after a controversial leaked phone call between Paetongtarn and her Cambodian counterpart. During the call, Paetongtarn allegedly made disparaging remarks about a Thai military officer.

But Paetongtarn said a raft of other issues, including a rise in voice phishing call center-related crime, were the real reasons behind a drop in Chinese tourism.

She explained: “Not long after Anutin left his position, he forgot the reason why Chinese tourists don’t come to Thailand. It’s because of safety issues. That is the responsibility of the Interior Minister, the position he held at that time.”

Gambling is illegal in Mainland China. However, gambling operations are permitted in Macau and Hong Kong, which have separate legal and economic systems.

Hong Kong’s government is currently mulling a proposal to legalize betting on professional basketball league games.

Per official figures, Thailand welcomed around 11.1 million Chinese tourists in 2019. This accounted for almost a third of total tourist arrivals.

This figure dropped in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the government launched a set of new campaigns designed to attract Chinese tourists.

Some forecasters predict that only 5 million Chinese tourists will have visited Thailand by the end of 2025, down from 6.7 million in 2024.

Bhumjaithai dropped out of the government coalition earlier this year. Anutin claimed that the casino bill had helped drive a wedge between the party and Pheu Thai.

The post Paetongtarn Refutes Claims Thai Casino Bill Sparked Drop in Chinese Vistors appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Lawyerly reported that the presiding judge in a Melbourne branch of the Federal Court of Australia turned down the request.

The judge explained that allowing Aristocrat to ask class action members to answer its questions would lead to “self-diagnosis.” This would inevitably fail to produce reliable results, the court added.

Aristocrat Gambling Disorders Questions Rejected

The plaintiffs responded to the request last month, arguing that Aristocrat’s request was unfair.

Lawyers for the group said that vulnerable individuals should not be asked to diagnose their own gambling habits.

The judge agreed that obliging the plaintiffs to speak about potential gambling disorders or mental conditions before mediation efforts might put unfair pressure on the group.

The court added that this could also undermine the legal process.

Aristocrat’s legal team said that the data would help assess liability and the scale of potential damages.

The class action suit’s legal team has accused Sydney-based Aristocrat of operating virtual games that imitate online casino games.

They claim that the games in question enable users to spend real money through in-app purchases.

The suit also names the Aristocrat subsidiaries Product Madness and Big Fish Games.

Under the terms of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, all forms of online casino gaming are illegal in Australia.

The suit names all Australians who made in-app purchases with real money from December 22, 2017, to December 12, 2024.

The games include titles such as Heart of Vegas, Big Fish Casino, and Epic Diamond Slots. Experts predict that the parties will likely attempt to resolve their dispute through a neutral third party later this year.

However, if attempts to mediate the case prove unsuccessful, it will likely head to trial.

2020 US Case May Inspire Lawyers

The plaintiffs and their legal team will have been inspired by a 2020 class action victory against Big Fish in Washington.

The lawyers claimed certain Artisocrat social apps were classified as illegal gambling software under state law.

The case culminated in Artisocrat paying a settlement worth $155 million.

The court ruled that casino-type games can still be classified as gambling, even if apps do not allow players to convert virtual in-game currencies into cash.

The ruling comes as a further blow for Aristocrat, which suffered a legal setback in a long-running copyright battle last month.

However, the Australian firm also scored a coup this month when it ousted its bitter rival Light & Wonder as the operator of land-based Monopoly-themed slots.

The post Aus Court Rejects Aristocrat Bid to Question Class Action Group on Gambling Disorders appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In emails sent to customers, Flutter said that it had informed Betfair and other platforms that the breach was limited to basic betting account details.

These include clients’ usernames, email addresses, and limited contact information, “including customers’ names and the first lines of their addresses and city.”

Hackers have also gained access to details of “some” recent activity on customer accounts, as well as device ID and IP addresses.

However, Flutter said that no customer passwords, ID documents, or “usable card or payment details” were affected.

Paddy Power, Betfair Data Breach: Customers Warned to ‘Be Wary’

The firm said: “We are not aware that any of your personal information involved in this incident has been misused. However, if certain types of your personal information were accessed, then there is a risk that criminals may use this information to conduct phishing against you or attempt to impersonate you.”

Flutter added that it was “not aware” that hackers had misused any personal information. However, it warned customers to remain vigilant.

The Racing Post quoted a Flutter spokesperson as saying: “We can confirm that our Paddy Power and Betfair businesses have suffered a data incident involving personal information for some of our customers.”

Flutter Launches Hack Probe

The gambling operator stated that it has discussed the matter with relevant regulators and authorities.

It has launched a full investigation into the breach with the support of external IT security experts.

The operator is looking to discover how the hackers were able to infiltrate its security network.

It also resolved to “better protect our networks and customers.” Flutter also claims to have resolved the unauthorized access issue.

Flutter said it was in the process of informing all affected customers that their data had been compromised.

The NYSE-listed operator has reportedly told both the Gambling Commission and the Information Commissioner’s Office about the security breach.

Hack Follows Cuts in Tech and Product Teams

Last month, Flutter announced 250 job cuts, predominantly in its Leeds, UK office. 

The job losses are predominantly in the company’s technology and product teams as Flutter seeks to consolidate multiple brands.

“As part of a broader strategy to bring some of our brands onto a single tech platform – and against the backdrop of increasing cost and regulatory pressure – we have entered into consultation with a number of colleagues,” a company spokesperson told the Yorkshire Post.

The post Customer Names, Addresses & Device IDs Leaked in Paddy Power, Betfair Data Breach appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In a Senate press release released late last week, Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri was quoted as stating that he would unveil a bill named the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025.

Zubiri was first elected to the Senate in 2016. He served as the Senate President of the Philippines from July 25, 2022, to May 20, 2024.

His bill seeks to ban all forms of online gambling activity in the Philippines. The proposal would see Manila place a blanket ban on “digital betting platforms, mobile applications, and websites that allow users to place wagers through phones, tablets, and computers.”

Will Philippines Senate Back Blanket Betting Ban?

The draft law would also require IP providers and mobile network services to block user access to illegal domestic or overseas betting platforms that target Filipinos.

IP providers and mobile carriers who fail to comply with the draft law would be fined. Repeat offenders could face suspension orders, the draft bill notes.

Zubiri called online betting a “silent epidemic,” and said that gambling in the Philippines “now looks like a kid with a phone under the covers at 2 AM, losing the family’s grocery money on an online casino site.”

The Senator said that Filipino youth were now particularly vulnerable to gambling addiction. He called on fellow senators to back his bill.

On July 8, Manila Bulletin quoted Zubiri as urging: “Let’s not earn [money] at the expense of our people. We passed a law taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in the country, and it did not stop the [spread of this] moral scourge to society. […] Children are learning to lie, to steal, to cheat just to fund their next bet.”

He said that the government’s attempt to “shut the doors on POGOs for the damage they caused” had not stopped an even more dangerous problem from creeping into Filipino homes.

Government Favors Taxes and Regulations Over Ban

The government currently looks unlikely to back Zubiri’s proposal. Media outlets have reported that the Department of Finance is instead considering rolling out new taxes and stricter regulations for the online gaming sector.

Manila Bulletin also reported that Malacañang, the Presidential Palace, “would not oppose any measure seeking to address gambling addiction among Filipinos.”

Such measures, it noted, could include the imposition of new taxes on online gambling operators.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said that President Bongbong Marcos was “aware that the new tax would restrict online gambling.”

Meanwhile, another senator has also proposed alternatives to an outright ban. A draft bill launched by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposes the prohibition of betting games that use electronic wallets.

Similar proposals have also been floated in the lower parliamentary house in recent weeks. Gatchalian’s bill also calls for gambling platforms to adhere to minimum cash-in thresholds of $177.

The regulatory Amusement and Gaming Corporation states that it is aware of the rise in illegal betting platforms. It claims it remains fully committed to combating the rise of unregistered online betting services.

The post Former Philippines Senate Chief Bids to Ban Online Gambling appeared first on CasinoBeats.

According to Bloomberg, Chief Whip Visuth Chainaroon stated that the government will propose a motion to withdraw the bill from the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday.

Visuth told media representatives on July 7: “We are not pulling this bill from the agenda out of fear or anything. We would just like to communicate with the people first on the issue and clear up any lingering doubts.”

Thai Government to Withdraw Casino Bill

The move comes just days after the government said it would not officially withdraw the bill, but instead seek to deprioritize it.

The government previously claimed that the controversial bill would help raise tax revenues for Thailand and assist the tourism sector in eliminating the concept of off-seasons.

Critics asserted the bill would drive social problems like problem gambling and help facilitate money laundering.

The media outlet said the bill’s failure would “frustrate foreign investors interested in developing casinos in Thailand as part of big entertainment complexes.”

Major casino operators, including Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands, Galaxy Entertainment Group, and Melco Resorts & Entertainment, all expressed their interest in the project.

Some of these operators even held talks with the government earlier this year. Several companies discussed building complexes in central Bangkok with government ministers.

Thailand is one of the few nations in Southeast Asia that does not have a regulated casino sector or plans to establish one.

The government said that if Bangkok were to green-light casino development plans, the move would bring foreign capital into the country and help create thousands of new jobs.

Bill’s Champion ‘Temporarily Suspended’

Critics of the bill have been vociferous, particularly in the Thai parliament. Most notable of all was the Bhumjaithai Party, a former member of the ruling coalition.

Since voicing its opposition to the bill, which Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra championed, Bhumjaithai has left the coalition and joined the opposition.

Then, in early July, the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended Paetongtarn from office, following a petition from the Senate, which also opposed the bill.

A controversial leaked phone call between Paetongtarn and Cambodian leader Hun Sen also incensed the public.

During the call, Paetongtarn was heard making derogatory remarks about a Thai military leader as the two leaders discussed an ongoing border crisis.

Members of the public held protests against the bill in late March and early April. The government countered by claiming that casinos would occupy a maximum of 10% of the complex’s floor space

The post Thai Government Pulls Plug on Casino Legalization Bill as Political Crisis Escalates appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In an exposé article from Telegraf, also reported by outlets like RBC-Ukraine, journalists explained that the Bulgarian owner of the company, Georgi Papazki, and his associate, the businessman Mikhail Sevdiev, have recently registered two gambling-related companies at the hotel.

Both men, the outlets claimed, have ties to a Bulgarian firm involved in the development of gambling software, named Pate Play.

Kyiv Casino Plans Under Scrutiny

The authors of the article note that Papazki is “one of the most influential gambling operators in Bulgaria.”

He is also linked to the controversial gambling tycoon and politician Vasil Bozhkov. The United States has accused Bozhkov of attempting to “create channels of Russian influence” in the Bulgarian government.

Bozhkov has faced scrutiny in his home country over alleged links to the late Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The former was placed under house arrest in 2024 after returning to the nation after several years on the run.

The media outlets also suggested they have seen evidence that Papazki “may be involved in laundering funds of Russian origin through gambling businesses.”

Who Owns The Premier Palace Hotel?

The Premier Palace Hotel itself also remains in the spotlight. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has launched a legal case aimed at confiscating the hotel. The ministry states that the hotel has been registered under the name of a Slovak citizen residing in France.

Investigators claim that numerous other assets, all belonging to Russian nationals, have also been transferred to the same person.

The ministry claims that the hotel is actually “an asset” that belongs to three sanctioned Russian businessmen, namely: Alexander Babakov, Yevgeny Giner, and Mikhail Voevodin.

Ukraine is currently revamping its gambling industry regulations. Kyiv has launched a new agency that will be charged with issuing operating licenses.

As such, all license issuances have been temporarily suspended. This has not put Papazki and Sevdiev off “actively trying to obtain” a permit for their casino businesses, the media outlets wrote.

In February, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation announced the detention of the director of the online casino platform Pin-Up.

The director, who was unnamed in the bureau’s press release, was accused of “aiding and abetting” the Russian state.

The bureau said an investigation into Pin-Up found that the platform’s “real owners” were “Russian citizens.”

It stated that the owners “collected personal data and information” about Pin-Up users, including members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In January, Ukrainian police officers arrested 120 people in a raid on a live casino studio that allegedly served an illegal online casino platform.

The post Report Claims Proposed Kyiv Casino Operator ‘Has Links to Russian Intelligence Services’ appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The Hong Kong-based media outlet RTHK quoted the lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen as stating that green-lighting legal betting would not “replace illegal gambling.”

Tik claimed that the move would “only serve to expand the gambling market,” and runs counter to the stated Hong Kong policy stance of “not encouraging gambling.”

The lawmaker voiced his opposition to the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025, which proposes making the Hong Kong Jockey Club the nation’s sole licensed basketball betting operator.

The bill would grant regulators the power to issue licenses. It also proposes rolling out tax rates at 50% of net stake receipts.Furthermore, the government says the new bill will expand the role of Hong Kong’s Betting and Lotteries Commission.

Hong Kong Basketball Betting Bill Won’t Stop Illegal Platforms

Tik, however, pointed to the case of soccer (football) betting, which was legalized in mid-2003. At the time, Hong Kong politicians claimed that this move would help cut out illegal sports betting.

However, the reverse appears to be the case. Hong Kong police report a significant increase in illegal betting ahead of major soccer tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and Euro 2024.

Tik stated that since soccer betting was legalized in 2003, the amount of bets placed in Hong Kong has “soared” from around HK$16 billion ($2 billion) to approximately HK$160.3 billion ($20.55 billion) in 2024.

He said that legalization would lead more people to take up gambling. The lawmaker argued that since the legalization of football betting, illegal gambling has remained “rampant” in Hong Kong.

Legalization cannot oust illegal gambling, Tik argued. Instead, he said, it would only serve to “expand the size of the overall gambling market.”

Crackdowns, Not Legalization, Will Halt Illegal Gambling

Tik suggested that the government instead look to strengthen its anti-gambling crackdowns and law enforcement operations.

He said Hong Kong should cooperate more closely with international law enforcement agencies to combat cross-border illegal gambling activities.

Tik also urged the government to provide more education-related resources and launch more comprehensive anti-gambling education in schools and local communities.

In early June, the South China Morning Post quoted Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen as stating that the Jockey Club would be obliged to finance projects that tackle gambling-related problems if the bill is adopted.

The state currently funds four counseling centers for people with gambling addictions. Mak said: “We are planning to set up a new center specifically for young people. We plan to offer them education and counseling services, in addition to the current centers.”

In May, the government concluded a one-month public consultation on its proposal. Earlier this year, Hong Kong renewed the Jockey Club’s license for soccer betting for a further five years.

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