Morm Rithy, who is one of the leaders in Cambodia’s labor movement, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for a Facebook post he used to criticize the treatment of a casino worker.  

Union Leader Rithy Faces Legal Battle Over Facebook Critique

Rithy who is also the president of the Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers’ Federation (CTSWF) and the vice president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation (CLC) was charged with incitement and discrediting judicial decisions, reported The Camboja News. 

The reason behind the charges is a Facebook post from February 24, 2022, with which Rithy expressed concerns about the arrest of Morm Sreyleak, a female employee at the Jin Bei 2 casino, and questioned the legitimacy of her being detained. He also called for more transparency in the judicial proceedings. As a result, the Chinese-owned Jin Bei Group filed a complaint against him.

Following prolonged legal proceedings, Rithy was arrested on May 7 this year outside the offices of CLC in Phnom Penh. Scheduling conflicts prevented Rithy from attending the hearing and the verdict was pronounced in his absence. 

Cambodian Rights Groups Decry Union Leader’s Sentence

Licadho and other human rights groups have spoken against Rithy’s prison sentences. The have labeled the imprisonments an attempt to scare labor unions and thwart their activist operations. 

The incident is part of a wider crackdown on activists and union leaders in Cambodia. A couple of days before Rithy’s arrest Cambodia’s Supreme Court confirmed the verdict of Chhim Sithar who is also a labor unionist and several other individuals who organized a strike at NagaWorld Casino.

Cambodia has faced criticism that such activities undermine its reputation as a democratic state and violate fundamental freedoms. The Cambodian government has stated that it abides by the law, however, it is still the subject of allegations of politically motivated prosecutions and judicial harassment.

Cambodia has a history of authoritarian governance including former Prime Minister Hun Sen. Against this backdrop the country is still struggling to uphold democratic values and protect human rights and the freedom of speech. Despite a change in leadership, observers have yet to witness significant improvements in the country’s human rights landscape.

Following Rithy’s arrest and prison sentence, fellow union leaders and activists have vouched for his release. They see the incident as a threat to the labor movement‘s ability to advocate for workers’ rights.

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The results posted by Detroit’s three casinos in January marked one of the worst figures for the last decade, with the exception of the period during the pandemic. Data released by the gambling regulator in Michigan, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), reveals that the total casino gaming revenue reported by the city’s three casinos last month halted at $93.9 million.

Month-over-month comparison to December 2023 when the revenue hit $111.4 million shows that in January, the casino revenue plummeted by 15.7%. Not unexpectedly, a year-over-year (YoY) comparison also showed a drastic decrease. In January 2023, the revenue reported by Detroit’s three casinos hit $103.4 million. This otherwise means that the revenue last month decreased by more than $10 million year-over-year.

Last month, Michigan collected $7.6 million in taxes based on the revenue reported by the three casinos in Detroit. Compared to December, taxes were approximately $1.4 million less, considering that back then, the tax revenue hit $9 million. Similarly, year-over-year, the tax revenue decreased, considering that in January 2023, it hit $8.4 million.

All Three Casinos Report a YoY Revenue Decrease

A breakdown of the total revenue showed a decrease month-over-month for all three Detroit casinos. The highest share of the revenue in January was reported by MGM Grand, a total of $44.6 million. This result translated to $3.6 million in taxes.

Comparison to December shows that the revenue was down by more than $5 million, considering that MGM Grand reported $50.6 million at the time. Similarly, the venue posted a decrease in its revenue year-over-year when compared to the January 2023 result of $50.2 million.

The second-highest revenue was reported by Motorcity Casino. In total, the casino reported $27.1 million in casino revenue, raising $2.2 million in state tax. While the tax revenue was roughly on par when compared to the $2.8 million result from December, the revenue took a hit. In December 2023, Motorcity Casino posted $34.7 million in total revenue, a result that was nearly $8 million more than the January figure.

In line with previous months, Greektown Casino posted the lowest revenue. The brick-and-mortar venue reported $22.2 million in casino revenue for January. The result marked a decrease when compared to the $26.1 million figure from December but was relatively in the same ballpark when compared to the $22.9 million in revenue posted in January last year. The reported tax last month by Greektown Casino was $1.8 million.

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Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a brand new Strip property set to welcome its first guests on Wednesday. While the casino hotel will offer premium gaming offerings, it will also double down on live entertainment and nightlife. Las Vegas Sun, a local news outlet, said that guests should be prepared for a “full and fresh Vegas resort experience.”

Set to open in a few days, Fontainebleau Las Vegas has been in development for some time now. The property boasts a stunning casino featuring a 150,000 square feet gaming area. Visitors will be able to play a variety of slots, table games and wager on sports. In the meantime, a VIP salon and a VIP rooftop experience will provide high-rollers with unprecedented thrill.

According to Fedor Banuchi, SVP of entertainment, special events and sponsorships, the Fontainebleau brand is “synonymous with entertainment, going back to the Rat Pack era.” Since the opening of the first Fontainebleau hotel in Miami in 1954, the brand has become a phenomenon loved by celebrities, high-rollers and regular players alike.

Fontainebleau LV Will Welcome Post Malone for a New Year Party

Banuchi believes that Fontainebleau’s commitment to entertainment is what sets it apart from other casino brands. In line with this philosophy, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas will celebrate its opening with a performance from the celebrity hip-hop singer Post Malone at the property’s 3,800-seat BleauLive Theater on December 30 and 31. Malone will also perform at Fontainebleau’s LIV club where he will be joined by Metro Boomin.

In addition to that, Fontainebleau will feature a variety of non-gaming venues designed to satisfy the needs of a variety of guests. For example, the Nowhere Lounge will offer live music every week. The LIV Nightclub, on the other hand, will provide nightlife lovers with a great place to party.

For reference, LIV is one of the best-known nightclub brands in the entire US. Its founder, David Grutman, opened a club at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in 2008 and is a longtime partner of the Fontainebleau brand. Grutman will also launch Papi Steak and Komodo restaurants at the casino hotel, further enhancing the overall experience provided by Fontainebleau Las Vegas. In the spring, he will also launch a LIV Beach pool club at the property.

Grutman concluded that he hopes for an explosive opening event with Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

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The UK Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code and the British Code of Advertising Practice (BCAP) unveiled technical updates to their rules on lotteries advertising. The two bodies noted that the changes will not have an impact on advertising policy and practice and are instead intended to make the rules clearer for Code users.

In 2020, the two bodies introduced changes to the policies, allowing for lotteries to support good causes benefitting children. At the same time, the changes allowed people who are or seem to be under 25 to be included in promotional materials if that helps to illustrate the good causes.

As noted by the two bodies, it is unreasonable to prohibit lotteries from depicting beneficiaries of their good cause initiatives.

The Wording Was Not Clear Enough

However, a recent ASA casework discovered some vague wording that might cause the Codes to be wrongly interpreted. A number of rules that were supposed to apply to both people who are under 25 and people who seem to be under 25 were not properly worded. As a result, only the first of the rules stated that in full. Subsequent rules refer only to under-25s, which might cause confusion about the inclusion of people who appear to be under 25 in ads.

To make sure that everything is absolutely clear, the CAP and BCAP revised the wording for example, rule 17.15 which used to state “Marketing communications for lotteries must not feature anyone who is, or seems to be, under 25 years old (under-25s) participating in gambling” has been changed to instead read “Marketing communications for lotteries must not feature anyone who is, or seems to be, under 25 years old participating in gambling.”

The full list of changes is available on the official website of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority.

The ASA noted that CAP and BCAP’s rules and guidance are reviewed periodically just so they are clear for Code users. In addition to the technical updates, the two bodies also introduced amendments to the accompanying guidance, improving clarity. A marked-up version of the document is also available on the ASA’s website.

In other news, the ASA just opened fire against Ladbrokes, which allegedly violated the authority’s rules on gambling advertising. According to the regulator, the operator had posted Tweets that might have appealed to young people. The new probe came just after the authority slammed an ad featuring Jake Paul as “irresponsible.”

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According to a report from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), Macau’s casino industry recorded a gross gaming revenue (GGR) of MOP14.72 billion ($1.83bn) for the month of April – an increase of 450% on the same period last year.

The figure is also 15.6% more than the March figure, totaling MOP12.74 billion ($1.58bn). The Macau casino industry’s initial median analyst estimate saw a 393% rise in April, making it the highest monthly GGR recorded by the region in a month since January 2020.

Macau’s total GGR for January to April increased by 141% year-on-year to MOP$49.36 billion ($6.12bn). The figure is higher than the region’s gross gaming revenue for the entire 2022 fiscal year, which amounted to MOP46.36 billion ($5.75bn).

It is, however, only 62.4% of the MOP23.6 billion ($2.94bn) which Macau casinos recorded in April 2019, before the onset of the pandemic. At the height of the region’s first major COVID outbreak in July 2022, Macau’s gaming revenue dropped to MOP398 million ($49m).

Macau has made significant efforts to reintroduce tourism this year, such as opening cross-border travel with mainland China on February 3. The region recently announced that it expected an average of 70,000 visitors daily during the five-day Chinese Labour Day holiday, which will kick off this week.

Macau’s reputation as one of the only places in China where gambling is not prohibited has made it a staple traveling spot for tourists. Gambling makes up between 50% and 80% of the region’s total economy.

Following the government’s decision to remove border restrictions from January 8, Macau’s visitor count has significantly improved. Authorities also scrapped mandatory hotel quarantine and COVID testing requirements for foreign visitors.

By April 15, Macau’s visitor count had reached 98,000 – the highest single-day tally in over three years. The figure was, however, beaten on Sunday, April 30, when the Public Security Police Force revealed a new record of 133,911 visitors for the day.

Reports from the Statistics and Census Service of Macau state that in March 2023 alone, Macau received almost 2 million visitors. The figure was as low as 526,912 in March 2022.

With transportation services between Macau and Hong Kong opening up for the first time in three years, the number of Chinese New Year visitors to the casino mecca reached 451,057 in 2023. This figure is almost 300% higher than the number recorded during the previous year.

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