Retendering21-22

  Maintaining game pace, ensuring dealer expertise and the availability of “smart” gaming tables are all important elements if the Macau casino market is to see a successful expansion of a baccarat ‘insurance bet’, a product that sparks some interest among players while also boosting house advantage, say several industry experts spoken to by GGRAsia. Guaranteeing dealers had sufficient training to handle the complexity of ‘baccarat insurance’ rules and payouts would be important if the option were to have a chance of gaining popularity, observed the experts. Baccarat insurance bets have been offered recently at the “Supreme” high-limit rooms at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, according to a Citigroup  January survey  of Macau premium-table bets. GGRAsia approached MGM China Holdings Ltd, operator of the two properties; and the local regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, for comment on the insurance-bet topic, but had not received a reply from either, by the t...

may26 China warns citizens against cross‑border gambling in South Korea before May Day By  Aries Un China’s embassy in South Korea has warned its citizens to refrain from engaging in cross‑border gambling activity, stressing that doing so could constitute a criminal offence under mainland Chinese law. The WeChat announcement, dated 29 April, came ahead of an expected May Day tourism rush. The stern warning from the Chinese embassy in South Korea emphasised that “gambling is strictly prohibited under Chinese law.” “Even in jurisdictions where casinos are legally operated, Chinese citizens participating in cross‑border gambling are [still considered] suspected of violating Chinese law and may be held legally liable,” the notice cautioned further. Under a legal amendment to the country’s criminal law, passed in December 2020 by the National People’s Congress and effective from March 2021, those who promote gatherings to engage in gambling or take on related professions for profit‑rela...