Gambling News Across Asia
News on laws, licenses, venues, lotteries, racing and enforcement in 12 countries, with every story citing its sources.
Weekday refund service ends at seven venues
The Japan Racing Association ended weekday refund services at Sapporo and Hakodate racecourses and five off-track betting venues on February 24, 2026, leaving those locations without weekday payouts.
Entertainment Complex Act B.E. 2569 published in Royal Gazette
Thailand published the Entertainment Complex Act B.E. 2569 in the Royal Gazette on 23 February 2026, setting the legal framework for casino-entertainment complexes and repealing two earlier NCPO Announcements (No. 46 of B.E. 2559 and No. 47 of B.E. 2560).
PM Anwar says government to step up crackdown on illegal gambling
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told parliament on February 11 that enforcement against illegal gambling will be intensified, citing seizures worth billions of ringgit and the difficulty of pursuing overseas operators.
Mobile Lotto sales to start via Donghaeng Lottery mobile website
South Korea's Lottery Committee said Lotto tickets will go on sale through the Donghaeng Lottery mobile website from 9 February 2026, on weekdays only and capped at KRW 5,000 per person per draw.
Teo urges platforms to block sponsored posts promoting gambling and fraud
Malaysia's deputy communications minister said most reported gambling and fraud content on social media is sponsored posts, and that the regulator will use the Online Safety Act to hold platform licensees accountable.
Authorities raid 8 Park scam compound in Prey Veng
Cambodian authorities raided the 8 Park compound in Prey Veng province in February 2026, arresting suspected ringleaders and seizing communications and IT equipment after intelligence from China and the FBI.
Cambodia reports 200 online scam cases suppressed since June 2025
Cambodia's anti-tech-crime commission told 26 ambassadors that authorities suppressed 200 online scam cases across roughly 2,500 locations from June 2025 to early 2026, seizing devices and deporting thousands of foreigners.
GRA rectifies screening errors that let excluded persons gamble
Singapore's Auditor-General found that 120 people under exclusion orders entered the city-state's two casinos between April 2023 and March 2025, with the GRA and MSF saying the screening errors were fixed by February 2026.
KoFIU begins studying casino anti-money-laundering regime
South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit began studying casino anti-money-laundering rules in February 2026, with a planned amendment to the Specified Financial Information Act drawing opposition from former mining towns.
System issues causing excluded persons not to be flagged rectified
Singapore's gambling regulator and social ministry found that system faults let 79 excluded people keep Singapore Pools accounts, with 32 of them placing 1,358 online bets worth $75,800.
HKJC issues updated Chapter 2 of football betting rules
The Hong Kong Jockey Club published the 17 January 2026 version of Chapter 2 of its football betting rules, covering stakes, tickets, payouts and who may bet.
Phnom Penh Municipality unveils crackdown plan on scams and illegal gambling
Phnom Penh Municipality has ordered systematic inspections of condominiums and densely populated areas and a clampdown on illegal gambling, announced at a City Hall meeting on Monday.
Inner Mongolia police hold press conference on 2025 cross-border gambling crackdown
Inner Mongolia police said they handled 159 cross-border gambling cases in 2025, arrested 631 suspects and seized or froze more than RMB 70 million, at a press conference on January 9.
Kangwon Land holds New Year ceremony, sets casino regulatory reform as top task for 2026
Kangwon Land's acting chief executive told the company's New Year ceremony that 2026 should be the first year of casino regulatory reform, alongside safety and regional goals.
2026 Racing Implementation Plan takes effect
The Korea Racing Authority's 2026 racing implementation plan took effect on 1 January 2026, covering entry rules, prize money, incentives, trials, horse welfare and race classification.
New Mainland Membership fees take effect
The Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse has set new Mainland Membership fees for individuals and companies, with the rates taking effect on 1 January 2026.
Revised law takes effect 1 January 2026
China's revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law took effect on 1 January 2026, setting detention and fines for gambling offenses and allowing deportation of foreigners who breach it.
Teletrack Miyako and Teletrack Ashiro closed
The Iwate Prefecture Racing Association abolished two of its off-course betting shops, Teletrack Miyako and Teletrack Ansho, on January 27, 2026.
Yeongcheon Racecourse to open officially in 2026
The Korea Racing Authority's 2026 racing plan sets the official opening of Yeongcheon Racecourse and a rotating horse pool between Busan-Gyeongnam and Yeongcheon.
Offshore gaming ban removed segment from PAGCOR revenue base in 2025
PAGCOR reported 2025 revenues of Php106.03 billion, down 5.09%, after the banned offshore gaming segment dropped out of its revenue base.
offt Niigata ends betting sales
offt Niigata, an off-track betting outlet in Japan, ended betting ticket sales on December 31, 2025 and will finish payout operations on March 2, 2026.
Satellite casino transition period expires
Macau's three-year transition period for satellite casinos under Law No. 7/2022 expired on 31 December 2025, with Casino Landmark, the last such venue, closing and only Casino L'Arc continuing under direct concessionaire management.
DICJ coordinates closure procedures at Mocha Hotel Royal
Macau's gaming regulator approved three Mocha slot parlors to keep operating under Melco from 1 January 2026, while Mocha Hotel Royal closed on 28 December as the satellite casino transition period ended.
Mocha Hotel Royal closes
Melco Resorts closed its Mocha Hotel Royal slot club in Macau at 11:59 p.m. on 28 December 2025, while three other Mocha slot parlors were cleared to keep operating from 1 January 2026.
Ministerial Regulation on casino business published in Royal Gazette
Thailand's Ministry of Finance published the Ministerial Regulation on Permission for Casino Business B.E. 2568 in the Royal Gazette on 19 December 2025, effective the day after publication.
Sun Group breaks ground on USD 2 billion casino complex in Van Don Economic Zone
Sun Group has begun construction on a casino resort complex in Vietnam's Van Don Economic Zone, a project worth more than USD 2 billion whose casino area is due to open in 2028.
Supreme Court issues notice on challenge to Online Gaming Act 2025
India's Supreme Court has issued notice on a petition challenging the Promotion and Regulation of the Online Gaming Act, 2025, with the matter returnable on 21.01.2026.
SJM shareholders approve HK$1.75 billion L'Arc Hotel acquisition
SJM Holdings shareholders approved the HK$1.75 billion purchase of the L'Arc Hotel and Casino L'Arc Macau, the only satellite casino in Macau set to become self-managed.
DOJ to file kidnapping with homicide and serious illegal detention cases vs Atong Ang and others
The Philippine Department of Justice said on December 9 it will file kidnapping charges against gaming tycoon Charlie "Atong" Ang and 24 others over the disappearance of sabungeros, or cockfighting enthusiasts.
Other satellite casinos at Ponte 16 Resort and Hotel Fortuna shut
The satellite casinos at Ponte 16 Resort and Hotel Fortuna closed earlier in December 2025, part of the end of Macau's satellite casino model under the 2022 gaming law.