Philippine gaming grows on shaky ground

With billions of new investment in Manila integrated resorts, Philippines casino revenue was the fastest growing in Asia last year and has kept up with the pace this year. But IGamiX Management & Consulting managing partner Ben Lee says Philippine growth rests on shaky foundations and may not last. (The interview took place and was posted before the Resorts World Manila attack.)

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming 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.

Bank heist bares Philippine money law flaws

Unauthorized transfers from Bank of Bangladesh sent US$81 million in illegal funds to Philippine banks and casinos, attracted by lax anti-money laundering laws.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming 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.

South Korea casino scene heats up

Incheon, site of South Korea’s gateway international airport, and resort island Jeju are the scenes of an escalating competition for new gaming licenses among foreign billionaires and national champions to cash in on Chinese tourist growth, plus a Philippine wave seeking to lure Korean customers to Manila casinos.

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.

Manila moves up Asian casino ladder

Recent openings of City of Dreams Manila and Solaire Resort and Casino’s Sky Tower have elevated the Philippine capital’s place in the Asian gaming pecking order. Full build out of the two resorts, plus the completion of two more $1 billion-plus casino properties in the coming years, aim to boost tourism and move the Philippines into the top echelon of gaming destinations in the region, and even the world.

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.