New tourism projects would be welcome on Boracay when it opens after its six-month environmental cleanup, except casino resorts, a spokesperson for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said in series of comments on the matter over the past few days.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque further told media during recent briefings that no private entities should challenge the President’s ban on developing casino gambling businesses on the popular tourist hub.
Boracay is undergoing an environmental rehabilitation after a review by environmental authorities found that multiple businesses discharged untreated water into the sea, thus polluting the surrounding environment and threatening the health of locals and visitors. It also became known that there were a number of illegal structures on the island, which President Duterte threatened to blow up.
Boracay was closed in late April and is expected to reopen for business on October 26. It has become clear from previous comments made by President Duterte and members of various government departments that the island might still look to attract international tourism. However, casino gambling would not be allowed, as repeatedly pointed out by the country’s top official.
The casino gambling comments have been made in relation to a recently announced project for the development of an integrated resort with a gaming floor. The project was introduced by Macau casino and hospitality operator Galaxy Entertainment Group and its local partner Leisure & Resorts World Corporation (LRWC). The two companies announced late last year that they planned to build a $550-million resort on the island.
They received a provisional license from PAGCOR, the Philippine gambling regulator, earlier this year and acquired a 23-hectare site where the property will be built. Commenting on Boracay’s closure and how this would affect their project, a LRWC official said over the weekend that the resort remained on track for 2021 opening, despite the island’s ongoing environment cleanup and the fact that no groundbreaking date has been decided on.
Casino Gambling a Vice
As mentioned above, President Duterte has been staunchly opposed to Galaxy and LRWC’s project and has reiterated his determination to stop that one as well as any other casino resort construction plan on the island from materialization.
The President’s spokesperson said in series of comments from the past few days that the official does not like casinos as they promote gambling, which is a vice and “contrary to good morals.”
The latest comments could mean that Boracay would still be open to business and international tourism after its cleanup is completed, despite previous statements made by President Duterte that the island could be subjected to an agricultural reform that would aim to return land to its residents.
The President has said that the government would have to decide how to determine who owns what portion of Boracay’s land and to make sure that the distribution of land would be fair.
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After some clashes at the poker table, poker pro Antonio Esfandiari and popular comedian turned avid poker player Kevin Hart are set to storm the boxing ring, Esfandiari himself told a TMZ Sports reporter over the weekend. 
With three gold bracelets from the World Series of Poker and two WPT Main Tour titles, Esfandiari is one of the big stars of global poker. The player boasts live tournament earnings of over $27.6 million. That amount includes his first-place prize of $18,346,673 for taking down the 2012 $1,000,000 BIG One for ONE DROP and outlasting some of the world’s most seasoned pros, including heads-up opponent England’s Sam Trickett. 
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the Italian Online Gaming Association (LOGiCO) sent a joint letter to Italian ministers in hopes to overturn a proposed and much-supported blanket ban on all forms of gambling advertising in the country. 
In their joint letter, the full text of which could be found 
Ireland’s Revenue has issued enforcement letters to a number of illegally operating casino facilities across Dublin giving them 21 days to remove gambling machines from their premises, The Times reported earlier this week. 
The Irish Amusement Trades Association (IATA), which represents both licensed and unlicensed arcades, has responded quickly to the pending crackdown, saying that it was considering legal actions against Revenue’s ruling. The association has long been lobbying for the ban on casino-style gambling in Dublin to be lifted. 
The LRWC official further explained that they have been working closely with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is in charge of the ongoing rehabilitation process, as well as with other government agencies, and that they are getting updates on the process from the Boracay task force. 
There was no significant difference in the way voters from different age groups voted on the proposed ban on the provision of online gambling services by offshore operators in Switzerland, a recently published VOTO study shows. 
Swiss lawmakers will now have to craft a secondary piece of legislation that would detail how legal online gambling services will be provided in the country once the new Money Gaming Act takes effect next year. 
Ohad Narkis is the CEO of PlayOJO, an innovative online casino that launched last year and is aiming to challenge the big industry names. Having previously worked for some of the global gambling industry’s powerhouses, including PokerStars and Scientific Games, Mr. Narkis is now using his knowledge and experience in the field to build a brand that places fairness and transparency at its core. 
Australian horse racing trainers and owners could have their computers and mobile devices seized if they are suspected of gambling with illegal betting websites, under a new set of rules by Racing Australia, local news outlet The Sydney Morning Herald reports. 
The new rules are set to come into effect from August 1, 2018. They will apply to racing horse owners and trainers. Participants in the nation’s horse racing industry could thus have their electronic devices seized for forensic image if they are suspected to be wagering with non-licensed operators. 
Two satellite casino facilities will open doors at the Larnaca International Airport by the end of the year under an agreement between Integrated Casino Resorts Cyprus and Hermes Airport Ltd., a joint statement by the two companies says. 
News about Melco’s agreement with the Larnaca International Airport emerge days after the company said that its temporary casino in Limassol welcomed 34,000 unique visitors during its first three weeks of operation thus beating original expectations. The property opened doors on June 28 as a temporary operation while the main City of Dreams Mediterranean resort is under construction. 
The owner of Royal International Gaming Club in Ha Long, Vietnam has received a $15,000 fine after being found to have provided faulty reports of value added tax and using illegal invoices, local news outlet VnExpress reports. 
Up until recently, Vietnamese nationals were prohibited from gambling at the country’s casinos. However, the country’s government announced earlier this year that it would lift the long-standing ban partially by launching a three-year pilot program that would allow residents to gamble at two gambling venues – one on the Phu Quoc island in South Vietnam and the other located in the Van Don Special Economic Zone. Both properties are currently under development. 
