Asia
Thai PM Considers Legalising Gambling
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has confirmed that he is now considering legalising gambling in a bid to curb the growth of illegal gambling dens.
The Bangkok Post reports that Prayut is said to be open to holding public discussions on the pros and cons of legalising gambling despite being opposed to the idea himself.
In particular, the Prime Minister is concerned that Thailand’s most recent COVID-19 outbreak has been largely attributed to illegal gambling dens, with Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), confirming Friday that Prayut was ready to discuss the idea. Prayut is Chairman of the CCSA.
According to Visanuyothin, the key question for Prayut is whether gambling can be considered morally acceptable by the majority of Thais.
The issue of casino development in Thailand is not a new one, having most recently been raised following the passing of highly-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016 after 70 years on the Thai throne. A year earlier, none other than Las Vegas Sands Corp had expressed its interest in developing a casino resort in a major Thai city, preferably Bangkok, should the opportunity arise. Sands is well-known for preferring to develop its mega-IRs in cities with large populations.
Thailand remains one of only three ASEAN nations without legal casinos, alongside Indonesia and Brunei, although it has been estimated that as many as half of its adult population gambles via illegal means. With a population of almost 70 million, Thailand is the world’s 20th most populous country.
The prospect of genuine discussions over casino gambling comes as Prayut approved on Friday the formation of a 10-member committee to inspect the investigations by state officials into cases of illegal gambling. The Royal Thai Police is currently looking into the actions of police officers in Nonthaburi, part of Greater Bangkok, who are alleged to have turned a blind eye to an illegal gambling den that was raided and shut down last week.
Were casinos to be legalised in Thailand, it could severely affect the profitability of Cambodian and Lao properties on their borders with Thailand. These properties rely heavily on traffic from Thailand and include casinos in Poipet, Cambodia, and the three casinos in Laos – Savan Legend in Savannakhet, Dansavanh near Vientiane and King’s Roman in the Golden Triangle near the point where the Thai, Laos and Myanmar borders meet.
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Asia
BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026
BetConstruct AI participates in G2E Asia 2026 (May 12–14, The Venetian Macao, Stands A1023 & A1029) — Asia’s most significant gathering for operators, innovators and industry decision-makers, and this year, the event puts AI and other emerging innovations at its centre.
The spotlight at the stands will be on the Best Sportsbook for the World Cup 2026: Special Bets, Powerfull and Bet on League form a ready-to-deploy tournament package that lets operators capture the full commercial weight of the world’s biggest sporting event — zero development cycles, zero platform risk.
For the World Cup activation – all at zero cost. New partners unlock a 50% platform setup discount applied immediately, plus 100% Core Suite Access — meaning the Sportsbook and the rest of BetConstruct AI’s offerings are completely free for the first 3 months (50% off for 4-12 months). Third-party tools come at 51% off for 3 months.
Layered on top at this event, the AI Suite — CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System and Betting Mate — handles everything from churn prediction and risk management to real-time personalisation and conversational betting. Beyond all of this, we’re bringing the full picture: The Sportsbook Platform offers over 140,000 pre-match events and 12,000+ monthly esports live events, while the Casino Platform integrates 350+ providers via a unified aggregation API.
The Affiliate Ecosystem, with its Affigates sub-brand, offers 7000+ vetted affiliates and AI-based scoring, completing the acquisition side of the picture.
The post BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances
Kazakhstan authorities have moved to tighten controls on illegal online gambling payments after uncovering schemes that use mobile phone balances to fund unlicensed casino activity.
The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) issued instructions to telecom providers to strengthen monitoring and introduce systems to detect and block suspicious transactions.
According to the FMA, mobile operators including Tele2, Altel, Beeline, Kcell and Activ were called to a working meeting where regulators demonstrated how illicit payment flows to online casinos are being processed.
To verify the issue, the FMA carried out test purchases across 10 illegal online casino websites using services from all major mobile operators. The tests confirmed that payments via mobile balances were possible.
The agency stated that the goal is to cut off financial access to illegal operators and reduce public exposure to unregulated platforms. Further enforcement actions are expected as monitoring continues.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing to significantly tighten rules on the promotion of illegal gambling. A group of senators is advancing an initiative to introduce criminal penalties for influencers who advertise online casinos and organise “giveaways.”
In related developments, a Kazakhstani influencer has recently been arrested in Vietnam on suspicion of running an illegal gambling operation.
Furthermore, the country is also restricting citizens’ access to legal gambling options, indicating a broader anti-gambling stance towards locals while still pursuing gambling tourism.
Lawmakers introduced rules restricting access to casinos, slot machine halls and betting venues in several regions to foreign nationals only. The changes will take effect on 17 May.
In March, President Tokayev signed a law establishing four new gambling zones for foreigners in the country.
The post Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
IGT Presents Powerful Combination of Gaming and FinTech Solutions at G2E Asia 2026
IGT has announced that it will present a dynamic portfolio of market-attuned gaming and financial technology (FinTech) solutions at G2E Asia 2026, May 12-14 at The Venetian Macao. Under the theme “TOGETHER – Built to Win,” IGT will showcase its momentum in multi-level progressive (MLP) linked content and its unique position to drive operator value through the combination of Everi,s FinTech product and the widely adopted IGT ADVANTAGE casino management system (CMS).
“As the region’s largest gaming technology showcase, G2E Asia 2026 is an opportunity for IGT to demonstrate how combining IGT systems product and Everi’s FinTech product can introduce incremental value to our customers in Asia and enhance the player journey. We will also present a localized portfolio of proven IGT games such as Rising Rockets, Money Gong and Cash Cove that reflect our focus on delivering high-performing content and helping our customers in the region diversify their gaming floors,” said Hector Fernandez, CEO of IGT.
Highlights within IGT’s G2E Asia showcase in stand #A801 will include:
Market-attuned linked MLP games: G2E Asia will be a showcase for IGT’s global MLP sensations Money Gong Link and new Rising Rockets base-game themes, Prince and Princess. Both titles will be demonstrated on the PeakCurve49 cabinet, along with the brand extension Cash Cove Lucky Catch Trio and the Asia-targeted three-pot game, San Xing Gao Zhao Link. G2E Asia will also be the global debut for the Firework Link game on the PeakDual27 cabinet. This explosively fun linked MLP includes two base game themes with distinctive math models, inventive mechanics and multiple, scalable bonuses.
Versatile cash-handling and promotional technologies: Everi cash-handling technologies and jackpot processing tools that are designed to seamlessly integrate with multiple CMSs will be a centerpiece of IGT’s G2E Asia showcase. The award-winning Everi Premium Cash Redemption Terminal (CRT) and the Everi Mini CRT bring friction-free transactions to the gaming floor and introduce convenient tap functionality. IGT will also exhibit Everi QuickDraw, a groundbreaking cloud-based promotional drawing tool, and Everi Jackpot Xpress, a module for tracking and efficiently paying out jackpot winnings that is customizable to meet individual property processes and procedures.
Next-generation systems architecture with IGT ADVANTAGE X: the Company will demonstrate how the IGT ADVANTAGE X CMS can drive operator value and player convenience throughout Asia. IGT’s Systems team will highlight IGT ADVANTAGE X’s new bus-based system architecture that helps improve network speed, stability, connectivity and uptime. This CMS enhancement allows data to quickly transfer to or from the gaming floor, enabling seamless system-wide upgrades, content downloads, service window content and more.
The post IGT Presents Powerful Combination of Gaming and FinTech Solutions at G2E Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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