Bodog88 Chooses Marketing Partner

PHILIPPINES – Bodog’s Asian-facing operations has chosen its marketing partner.

Tasked with expanding the Bodog brand in Asia is Macau-based online gaming marketing firm Macom Communications Company Limited. As Bodog88’s exclusive marketing agent, Macom will be responsible for making sure Bodog88’s live casino gaming is a success with regional players.

According to Bodog88.com Managing Director Ian Dunning:

“It has always been a pleasant co-operation with Macom and the Macom group in general and, together with its live dealer software and expertise in marketing, we are confident that we can achieve the same success in Asia as Bodog brand licensee’s have achieved globally.”

For its part, Macom CEO Jason Chan has expressed the marketing firm’s enthusiasm for the brand:

“Bodog is a very successful brand name in the west and we are very excited to get this project kicked off here in Asia. I am sure Asian punters are looking forward to this revolutionary lifestyle entertainment brand that can bring new leisure elements to this hard-core gaming region.”

Macom expertise in marketing services for online gaming companies include marketing and media planning, creative design, PR, affiliate marketing among others. Aside from Bodog88, the firm has also worked and continues to work with other Asian online gaming operators such as IASBet, Bet365, EasyBets, 188Bet and the Asia-facing operations of 888, SportingBet, Ladbrokes, and Victor Chandler.

LV Sands Cutting More Jobs in Macau

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – With Macau not being immune to the global economic crisis, further bad news for the former colony is in the works.

Las Vegas Sands Corporation is planning to cut another 3,000 to 4,000 jobs or about 20% in its Macau operations.

Speaking to Bloomberg, LV Sands CEO Michael Leven stated that the additional job cuts will be implemented by September and is on part of the company’s target to reduce its Macau workforce to about the 17,000 range.

LV Sands operates Sands Macau, The Venetian Macao and Four Seasons on the Cotai Strip.

According to LV Sands Spokesperson Ron Reese:

“This is part of right-sizing the business to meet the demand we face.”

He added that the job cuts started weeks ago and will come from a combination of attrition and redundancy.

Last year, LV Sands temporarily suspended construction on its Macau Cotai Strip as recession set in, affecting Macau and Las Vegas earnings.

LV Sands is also facing stiff competition in Macau where they hold a 26% market share of gaming revenues. Its Venetian Macao will be competing for visitors and gamblers once Melco Crown’s City of Dreams project opens in the Cotai area.

Macau Revenues in April Dip 8.5%

MACAU — The sour economic conditions worldwide continue to impact the bottomline of Macau.

In April, gaming revenues from the casino gaming capital in Asia dipped 8.5%, hovering at just the $1 billion level. In March, Macau revenues fell 13%. For the first four months of 2009, the revenues for Macau are down 12%.

Asian casino magnate, the billionair Stanley Ho, and his empire continue to dominate Macau’s gaming scene with a market share of 31% of all gaming revenues. Ho is followed on the list by Las Vegas Sands which holds 26% of the market share while Wynn Resorts is a moderate third with 13.5% of gaming revenues shares. MGM Mirage, operators of the MGM Grand Macau holds only 8% of the total market.

Asian Poker Tour Announces Macau Poker Fest this August

Poker Event Promises 12 Days of Non-Stop Poker Action

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Around eight months after staging its Philippine leg, the Asian Poker Tour will descend on Macau in August this year for a 12-day poker bonanze whereby the organizers of the poker event announced it will be holding “Asia’s first festival of poker” at the StarWorld Hotel & Casino.

The Asian Poker Tour Macau 2009 will be held from August 12 – 23, an expanded tour date after it received approval from Macau authorities to extend its original six-day poker event.

Last year’s event attracted such poker luminaries such as Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, Johnny Chan, John Juanda, Huck Seed, Liz Lieu, Todd Brunson, Kenny Tran and Poker Pack members Nam Le, Quinn Do, JC Tran, Kwang Soo Lee, Steve Sung and David “Chino” Rheem; and the 2008 Main Event was won by poker hotshot Yevgeniy Timoshenko who pocketed US$500,000 as first prize, besting the field that featured players from over 40 countries.

The Asian Poker Tour promises a bigger and better event this time around with 12 days of non-stop poker action with three Day 1 flights starting August 19 and a televised final table scheduled for August 23. Buy-in to the Macau Main Event is set at US$4,300 ($4,000+$300).

The Macau leg, dubbed “The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival” will feature a large range of side events ever in an Asian tournament that will appeal to a wide range of poker players alongside high-limit games and sit-n-go tables that will run throughout the tournament.

Asian Poker Tour CEO Chris Parker said:

“The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival will feature a side event schedule never seen in Asia before, including several new formats that will stir the curiosity of poker enthusiasts at all levels. We believe Asia’s first festival of poker will establish Macau as an essential stop on the international poker circuit.”

Organizers of the event have also revealed that they continue to enjoy the support of online poker rooms and poker networks who will be sending their players to the Main Event as well as hold satellites for online qualifiers. These poker rooms and networks include Full Tilt Poker, iPoker, Titan Poker, DafaPoker, PKR, Party Poker, Bet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League.

Liberalization of Gambling Could Help China’s Economy

BEIJING, CHINA – Changing existing gambling laws and liberalizing the industry can help China through these trying economic times, sports officials suggested during an annual meeting of China’s parliament last week.

Key suggestion was the deregulation of lottery and the introduction of more modern and international sports lottery made by Hebei delegate Yang Jingzhi at the Sports Circle of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Yang pointed out that the present lottery games were monotonous and that they should adopt international practices such as betting on horses, “mark six” and other types akin to those in Britain and the US.

Currently, China operates two lotteries in the mainland, one of them run by the sport ministry. Horse racing is banned in mainland but flourishes in Hong Kong.

Sports lottery can also foster job creation, it was suggested in the same forum. The sports lottery industry currently provides 300,000 with stable income and a deregulation of the industry and reforms in gambling legislation can significantly increase the coffers of the Chinese government.

Hong Kong and Macau are two special administrative regions where gambling flourishes and is a big source of much-needed revenue.

On the other hand, the presence of illegal and underground gambling syndicates routinely being broken up by police as well as the persistence of offshore online gambling companies targeting the Chinese market suggest a potential revenue windfall should legislation and regulation be undertaken by the Chinese government.