Your Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Grand Lisboa Palace to open this Friday

Thursday 29th of July 2021

Good morning.

In a surprise announcement, SJM chairman Daisy Ho on Wednesday revealed the group’s new flagship property, the Grand Lisboa Palace, will be partially opening this Friday. This will see the operation of one hotel tower with 300 rooms, along with 150 new-to-market gaming tables, while the rest of the property will open throughout the year.

Our feature article today looks into the rebranding of the Grand Ho Tram to the Intercontinental Grand Ho Tram. We also hear from Akshay Moza, VP of the commercial division, who discusses the importance of MICE tourism to the property.
Also on the radar is a proposed "circuit breaker" lockdown for Manila, and opposition to a uniform tax regime for POGO operators.

First, the news

Ho Tram eyes more international/MICE business with rebrand
SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace to open July 30 with 150 new tables
Pagcor against proposals for POGO advantages in SEZs
Manila preparing for lockdown due to Delta variant
Covid roundup: restrictions tighten across Asia
Kan Pacific complaint against IPI dismissed but can be refiled
Aquis says June quarter revenue strong, restrictions eased
AGTech sees loss narrowing by 55% in latest half to June

What you need to know

SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace to open July 30 with 150 new tables

SJM Chairman Daisy Ho revealed on Wednesday that the Grand Lisboa Palace, the group’s flagship property on the Cotai Strip, is going to hold a partial opening on July 30. The property is set to open just one hotel tower, the Grand Lisboa Palace, with some 300 rooms, with the rest set to come online throughout the year, depending on conditions.

POGO tax bill held up by lobbying from SEZs

A bill that would establish the taxation base for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) is being held up in Congress due to lobbying from the country's Special Economic Zones, who are seeking to retain preferential tax treatment. PAGCOR Chair Andrea Domingo warned this could not happen. “Special means special,” she said. “In government there shall be no such thing. All policies, regulations and laws should be uniformly applied.”

Manila lockdown preparations mulled due to Delta variant

Manila’s city government has been urged to lockdown the capital as the number of cases of the delta variant rises in the country. Manila mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso reportedly called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss mitigation strategies against the spread of the variant coordinating with hospitals and the city’s Health Department.

Insights

DEEP DIVE

Ho Tram eyes more intl/MICE business with rebrand

Vietnam’s first integrated resort has completed its rebranding, which was designed to bring in more international travelers and take greater advantage of the country’s booming MICE space, although the grand unveiling has been put on hold due to the Covid situation. The Grand Ho Tram is now known as the Intercontinental Grand Ho Tram following a franchise agreement with IHG Hotels and Resorts. Akshay Moza, VP of the commercial division said it made sense to bring in an international name to drive visitation and also to help capitalize on the 1900 square meters of MICE space. This is a fast-growing segment of tourism in Vietnam and makes up about 25 percent of Ho Tram’s revenue.

Corporate Spotlight

Pragmatic Play Asia footprint set to expand

The well-known content provider in the iGaming industry— Pragmatic Play will continue to expand its footprint in emerging markets worldwide. The increasing acceptance of iGaming has resulted in a gradual shift in attitude toward regulation, with more and more markets taking an approach to deliver legislative roadmaps that will drive business in a period of hyper-growth.

Industry Updates

Ezugi expands in Italy through Microgame partnership
Aristocrat teams with Marker Trax on cashless gaming

Special Supplier Report

Walker Digital goes live at RW LV

Walker Digital Table System's PJM3.0 RFID solutions power gaming chips, table games, and casino cage locations at the Las Vegas Strip’s newest resort, Genting’s Resorts World Las Vegas. The property also features the first North American implementation for WDTS's Perfect Pay Baccarat as well as Baccarat Insurance and Lucky 6, two popular baccarat side bets.

Play'n Go: Motivated to bring players more

It's our mission to become the best gaming entertainment supplier there is, delivering the highest quality of products and services and innovating features.This month sees a new character added to the Play’n GO repertoire. The charismatic Yeti. Hotel Yeti-Way takes the Himalayan Yeti out of his frozen environment and sees him holidaying on a tropical island – we’re a bit jealous.