SOURCE: casinocompendium.- Star Cruises, a division of the Genting Bhd subsidiary Resorts World, has agreed to develop hotels and casinos in the Philippines in association with local company Alliance Global Group. The agreement is subject to the issue of a gaming licence. SM Investments Corp., the country’s second-largest conglomerate by market value, has announced it would participate in a $1-billion casino project in Manila, and Travellers International Hotel Group, also a Philippine company, has recently been qualified by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to participate in casino projects.

Star Cruises will initially acquire a 50% interest in a Travellers subsidiary for US$335 million to develop a hotel casino resort in Newport City in the 40 hectare Bagong Nayong Pilipino tourist project at Manila Bay. The company intends to acquire an additional 40% of Travellers in a separate joint venture to develop a gaming complex in Pagcor City, also in the reclaimed Manila Bay area. Under the agreement Star Cruises will increase its shareholding to 75% in the joint venture.

With local and international investors agreeing to participate, the creation of a centre for gambling at Manila Bay is coming closer. According to local press the US$15 billion Philippine Las Vegas

The website 888.com, one of the leading online betting companies, launched his own Sports betting site. It has been launched in Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Austria; thus, completing another significant step towards his goal of offering all clients a unique solution for betting.
888Sport will offer a wide range of sports to bet on, including football, basketball, horse-racing, Formula 1, rugby, tennis and especial events like Big Brother.
Although 888.com is aimed at any type of player, it is expected that numerous occasional or low and medium players will benefit of the Sports site. They will bet with a renowned, leading company, known for the high number of  fully-satisfied clients that use 888.com's bingo, casino and poker sites.
'Whether we talk about horse-racing or football betting, or about enjoying one of our online casino, poker or bingo games, 888.com has to be the chosen company', added Robinson.
'The breaking of 888.com into the Sports betting market is a milestone for the development of our multi-channel strategies, whose aim is to level up the global offer and extent. We believe that, though our Sports betting site will result in our players betting also on sports, it will equally enable new clients to experience with such an awarded brand like ours', Matt Robinson (Marketing Director) expressed.

Following up its will of international expansion, MGA exhibited during the XXth ENADA Trade Show in Rimini (13th to 16th of March), Italy, the Organic range of roulettes. In terms of design, these were some of the most outstanding shown on the trade show. There, visitors could admire the 6-and-8-player models, fully costumed for the Italian market, as their attractive and suggestive design assures a successful welcome in the country of design par excellence. Moreover, quality is guaranteed since the roulettes are manufactured by Electroncek, which recently won the IGWB prize for the Organic Black Jack on the last ICE trade show in London.
Visitors showed real interest for the product and are now awaiting its legal approval (presumably within the next months) with great expectation.
Organic roulettes stand out for their innovative and efficient features; also, they are easy to use and have a great incoming potential.
Innovation goes a step forward as Organic line of products create a man-machine feedback. Likewise, a modular system makes it possible to adapt the machine to any location.

John McManus has joined Azkoyen Medios de Pago, S.A., as the Sales Manager in the USA and Australia.
McManus holds a rich knowledge in the payment methods sector, where he has been working since 1983, and has developed his professional career in many companies (MEI and NRI), holding different commercial responsibilities.
Azkoyen also counts on Reiner Puchalski (ancient Commercial Manager for NRI during 15 years), who assumed several months ago the role of Sales Manager in Asia and Eastern Europe Countries. 
'We are very pleased of having John and Reiner in Azkoyen. Both are well-known businessmen in the payment methods area thanks to their long professional path and remarkable customer service', pointed out Roberto Díaz, Azkoyen Payment Methods' Commercial Manager.

GALICIA.- El reglamento que entra en vigor el viernes obliga a que un local de hostelería contrate la máquina a la misma operadora durante cinco años aunque el bar cambie de propietario.A falta de tres días para que entre en vigor el nuevo reglamento de máquinas tragaperras en Galicia, las empresas que las explotan anuncian que recurrirán delante de la la justicia. La Asociación Gallega de Pequeños y Medianos Operadores (Argapyme) pedirá mañana en el Tribunal Contencioso-Administrativo la suspensión cautelar de la norma mientras no se decida sobre la anulación de hasta nueve artículos que consideran lesivos para la competencia y para el sector.
El más polémico de los artículos que recurrirá Argapyme es el que obliga a mantener en cada local de hostelería la misma máquina durante un periodo de cinco años, aunque el establecimiento cambie de dueño. Según el nuevo reglamento, que entrará en vigor este viernes, si un bar tiene una máquina de azar y el local cambia de titular, los nuevos dueños -siempre que quieran tener una tragaperras- están obligados a mantener el contrato con esa empresa y no pueden aceptar las ofertas de otras operadoras durante cinco años. El reglamento viejo, de 1998, establecía un contrato mínimo de un año y los nuevos titulares no quedaban subrogados a él.
El secretario de Argapyme, Manuel Ares, denuncia que el nuevo texto "vulnera la libertad de contratación" y pone en peligro a muchas pequeñas empresas que instalan sus máquinas justo en los locales antiguos que suelen cambiar de dueños, "porque el mercado de establecimientos nuevos tiene precios inasumibles".
Sin embargo, la Xunta se defiende asegurando que los contratos de cinco años "darán estabilidad al sector" y acabarán con la picaresca habitual entre los hosteleros que, para poder cambiar de máquina antes de que acabara el contrato por otra operadora que ofrece mejores condiciones hacían cambios de titulares ficticios. Según la subdirectora general de Juego, María Puy, "a cualquier empresa seria no le interesa que venga otra y le quite el local".
El negocio de las tragaperras (máquinas de tipo B, en la terminología legal), como todos los relativos al juego, está regulado por la Administración, que debe autorizar cada una de las máquinas y su funcionamiento en cada uno de los locales de hostelería, casinos, bingos y salones.
Argapyme, que representa a unos 50 de los 400 operadores de máquinas recreativas y de azar en Galicia, critica que la Xunta lleve años sin conceder más licencia, y asegura que el 80%, de las más de 13.000 existentes, están "en manos de tres grandes empresas del juego", por lo que reclaman que las máquinas que están en baja temporal -aproximadamente 2.000 en la actualidad- sean concedidas la otros empresarios o que se tribute por ellas.

Fuente: La Opinión de A Coruña