Asia Pac

Entain Plc’s Australian subsidiaries have been accused of significant compliance liabilities which have been abused to facilitate criminal activities and money laundering.

An Austrac report seen by the Australian Financial Review detailed failures which occurred at its Neds and Ladbrokes AUS brands, and the group’s subsequent exposure to money laundering liabilities and fraud by criminal accounts.

According to the report, Austrac alleged that the company fell way short in its AML procedures specifically around betting activity of players that had significant links to drug trafficking.

The Austrac allegations assert that Entain failed to take action in spite of knowing that the player in question was a wanted suspect when it came to the global drugs trade.

It’s alleged the company failed with its intervention process, even when the player had wagered in excess of $1 million over a year-long period.

Incidents between 2015 and 2022 saw Entain accused of elevating the risk and vuln..

A number of prominent Indian actors have been accused of “accepting huge sums of money” to promote illegal betting platforms.

As reported by The Tribune in India, a case under relevant sections of India’s BNS, Gaming Act and IT Act has been registered against six actors and 19 social media influencers.

The issue was brought to the attention of the authorities by an unnamed businessman who claims that he came across those accused actively promoting the platforms on social media via pop-up ads.

“These platforms are encouraging [the] public, especially people who are in dire need of money, to invest their hard-earned money in those apps/websites. Slowly they get addicted to these apps, leading to financial distress,” claimed the businessman in his first information report (FIR) submitted to the Indian police.

According to the Miyapur Police Station, the case includes actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj and Vijay Deverkonda – stars of cinema in the Telugu language.

The businessman h..

Japan is set for a new framework around its gambling sector as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a new focus on tackling addiction in the country.

As first reported by the Japan Times, central to the plans is the extended effort to take action against affiliates that promote gambling.

During a news conference following the discussions around the new bill, Yoshitaka Ito, the minister in charge of measures to combat gambling addiction stated: “There are strong indications the number of people accessing online casino sites is increasing.”

He added that he believes this is fuelling issues of gambling addiction within the country.

Noriko Tanaka, representative director of The Society Concerned about the Gambling Addiction, has continued to call for more intensive measures when it comes to the framework around iGaming.

She urged the government to take legislative action and tighten guidelines for the space.

Furthermore, there will also be strengthened efforts aroun..

Illegal casino raids are on the rise in Australia as the debate surrounding industry regulation rages on.

As reported by the Australian media group News Ltd, authorities raided five illegal casinos in Sydney last year, indicating the increasing threat of the black market. There has also been a stark increase in private poker games taking place across Sydney.

In one incident, police raided an unlicensed casino after a player contacted the police claiming he was being held hostage for outstanding debts. Upon arriving at the venue, the police discovered the casino was operating numerous gaming tables and had hostesses serving food to customers.

Tobacco wars

According to the reports, players are flocking to unlicensed venues in light of the increasing restrictions placed on the regulated market in Australia.

The news comes as one of Australia’s largest casino operators, The Star Entertainment Group, faces significant financial difficulty and talks of an international buyout.

The gr..

The CEO of Australia’s anti-money laundering regulator (AUSTRAC), Brendan Thomas underlined that regulatory efforts around the gambling sector are set to be intensified with the body “not in the business of continuing to educate without action”.

Thomas was speaking at the Regulating the Game conference in Sydney this week, as he underpinned AUSTRAC’s strong approach to regulatory enforcement.

Amidst a sector that has become increasingly fuelled by technological advancements and digital frameworks, Thomas revealed that AUSTRAC is evolving in the way it approaches its regulatory strategy.

The AUSTRAC CEO revealed the shift moves the body from “pure compliance to a proper discussion about risk so that we can talk to you about what that risk actually is and then we can focus practically on what are the controls that are directly aimed at those risks rather than just ticking a bunch of compliance boxes”.

Thomas revealed that this is part of a wider strategy to eliminate the bureaucrac..

A major update to the regulatory framework for Thailand’s casino bill could see the exclusion of the vast majority of Thai nationals from integrated resorts.

Reported by the Bangkok Post, the changes have come as a significant surprise and will have a major impact on the landscape of Thailand’s gambling sector.

One of the key developments is the entry fee that is set to be applied to Thai citizens, charging them US$150 for access to the integrated resorts.

Furthermore, Thai residents would also have to have at least US$1.5m in fixed deposits in order to play at Thailand’s casino venues.

It’ll inevitably lead to venues becoming tourist destinations rather than venues for Thai citizens.

The landmark shift in the bill comes off the back of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Thai Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who took the surprising step to intervene and enquire about the bill being put forward in Thailand.

Shinawatra revealed that Jinping issued stark..