Manchester United, Macau junket join Cambodia casino

Australia listed Donaco International spent $360 million to buy a Cambodia border casino in Poipet. Macau junket promoter Heng Sheng Group and Manchester United have joined the Star Vegas team to help make the investment pay. Poipet’s location, two hours from the ancient Buddhist Angkor Wat complex, is a key selling point for Chinese tourists.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

US territory Saipan, promised $7 billion resort, gets mall casino

In US Pacific territory Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, a $7 billion integrated resort promise for Saipan begins with a shopping mall casino. Project developer Imperial Pacific, a Hong Kong listed company linked to Macau junket promoter Heng Sheng Group, plans to deliver the resort in pieces.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Brisbane picks a winner for riverfront casino

Australia’s number two gaming operator Echo Entertainment gets a vital win in Brisbane in its Queensland base over rival Crown Resorts.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

China currency, equity turmoil adds to Macau’s woes

Tough times for the world’s gaming capital show little sign of abating. Macau’s casino revenue fell 35.5% in August, its fifteenth straight month of year on year decreases. That follows a 34.5% gaming revenue decline in July. China’s slowing economy and President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive have driven Macau’s slump, but mainland stock market chaos and currency devaluation make recovery more difficult.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

License expiration looms for Macau casinos

Along with falling revenue and billions invested in property expansion, license expiration threatens Macau casinos. In this game, authorities in Beijing and Macau hold all the cards.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.