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BREN Esports Partners with EMERGE Esports

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Leading esports team BREN Esports has entered into a partnership with Singapore-based esports talent management agency, EMERGE Esports.

As per the deal, EMERGE will support BREN Esports in their grand entrance into Singapore and in their competitive gaming journey ahead. EMERGE will also expand its advertising inventory to back and manage the Filipino organisation across different gaming titles, including the newly added mobile esports title League of Legends: Wild Rift.

Carlito “Ribo” Ribo, former drag racer turned pro-player from BREN Esports believes that the partnership will widen the team’s fan base and strengthen their identity in the region. Ribo shares, “We are thrilled to be working with EMERGE Esports and believe this opportunity will bring us closer to our followers in Singapore and in the vicinity. We also hope that the tie-up can empower more esports enthusiasts to pursue gaming and also support us in our journey ahead.”

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Leo Andrew “Jab” Escutin, Chief Operating Officer says “EMERGE Esports has shown tremendous growth in the past months in terms of audience engagement and partnerships. Together with our partners and athletes, we look forward to building and enhancing the vibrant esports scene in Singapore and in the region.”

Shares Roy Kek, CEO of EMERGE Esports says “The esports scene has seen promising growth in the past years with high potential for existing and upcoming players. We are excited to work with one of the finest esports teams the industry has to offer and believe they are a natural fit for our agency. We admire and share their passion for gaming and would like this to be a part of a greater initiative of making gaming a mainstream lifestyle in Singapore and in the region.”

“Competitions have always been a cornerstone of the gaming industry. Although we started our journey with Kingsmen as our first competitive team, it has always been our vision to expand our ecosystem and to be able to support deserving talents. Having a team like BREN Esports onboard not only strengthens our organisation and talent pool but also allows us to represent the esports community on more global platforms.”

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Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High

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Salaries in Macao’s gambling industry have climbed to their highest level in a decade, with average earnings for full-time employees increasing 2.4% year-on-year to 27,390 patacas, according to the second quarter survey on manpower needs and wages by the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).

Average monthly earnings for resident full-time casino employees were slightly lower – 27,340 patacas per month – but also rose by 2.4%. Since 2023, the average pay for non-resident workers has exceeded that of residents, with non-resident managers now earning an average of 90,000 patacas a month.

DSEC attributed the quarter’s rises “mainly to increases in salaries.”

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The number of full-time workers in the gambling sector edged up by 380 over the past year, reaching 52,898 at the end of the second quarter. Most were local directors and managers.

The sector reported 208 job vacancies at the end of June, with clerical roles accounting for more than half. Just under half of the roles required work experience, while 74.1% required only senior secondary education or lower.

Demand for manpower has “gradually stabilised,” DSEC noted, as both the employee turnover rate (1.6%) and recruitment rate (1.1%) dropped year-on-year.

The survey does not cover junket promoters or their associates.

The post Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case

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The Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into Karnataka Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra, also known as “Puppy,” over alleged involvement in a large-scale money laundering and illegal betting operation. The legislator, arrested in Sikkim on Saturday, August 23, was brought to Bengaluru on Sunday for further questioning in connection with financial transactions tied to casinos in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia.

Veerendra was apprehended in Gangtok, where he had reportedly been pursuing a deal to lease land for a casino venture. After his arrest, he was produced before a special court in Bengaluru, which granted ED custody until August 28. To prevent any incidents during his transfer, strict security was enforced at Kempegowda International Airport, and he was quickly escorted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Authorities confirmed that multi-state raids preceded the arrest, covering 31 locations across India, including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Chitradurga, Goa, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Sikkim. Five casinos in Goa—Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino—were also raided as part of the ongoing probe.

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According to ED sources, preliminary findings suggest that Veerendra maintained financial links with casinos and shell companies operating in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia. Evidence gathered during the raids points to overseas transactions and the use of foreign entities to launder large sums of money, some of which may have originated from cyber fraud. Officials suspect that these funds were “converted into white money” by being disguised as credit card transactions.

Documents recovered from multiple properties also revealed that Veerendra was in the process of finalising a deal to acquire a casino from Santiago Martin, a businessman widely recognised as the “lottery king” of Tamil Nadu. Martin is already under investigation by the ED in a separate money laundering case and is known for his financial ties to political figures.

Incriminating evidence seized from Veerendra’s residences, including Rs 12 crore in cash and a significant quantity of jewelry, is now being analysed. The ED has also uncovered records suggesting that his brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, managed three Dubai-based entities—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9Technologies—believed to be connected to their gaming and call centre businesses.

The post ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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India Bans Real-Money Gaming

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India’s lower house of parliament has passed a sweeping online gaming bill that, while promoting esports and casual gaming without monetary stakes, imposes a blanket ban on real-money games — threatening to disrupt billions of dollars in investment and significantly impact the real-money gaming industry, which could see widespread shutdowns.

Titled the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, the legislation aims to prohibit real-money games nationwide — whether based on skill or chance — and ban both their advertisement and associated financial transactions.

“In this bill, priority has been given to the welfare of society and to avoid a big evil that is creeping into society,” India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Parliament while introducing the bill.

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The proposed legislation restricts banks and other financial institutions from allowing transactions for real-money games in the country. Anyone offering these games could face imprisonment for up to three years, a fine of up to ₹10 million (approximately $115,000), or both. Additionally, celebrities promoting such games on any media platform could be liable for up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of ₹5 million (roughly $57000), the bill states.

Vaishnaw said the decision to bring the legislation was to address several incidents of harm, including cases where individuals reportedly died by suicide after losing money in games. However, industry stakeholders largely attribute these incidents to offshore betting and gambling apps, which many believe will not be addressed by this legislation.

“This law is bound to face litigation as it fails the test of proportionality under Article 19(1)(g). Instead of safeguarding consumers, it dismantles compliant onshore companies while opening the door wider for illegal offshore betting platforms that are the real source of financial harm,” said Meghna Bal, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Esya Centre.

Article 19(1)(g) of India’s Constitution guarantees citizens the right to practice any profession or carry on any occupation, trade or business.

Ahead of the bill’s introduction in the Indian Parliament, industry bodies wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene. The letter — sent by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, All India Gaming Federation and E-Gaming Federation warned that the proposed legislation could benefit “illegal offshore gambling operations” while forcing Indian businesses to shut down. These industry bodies represent Dream Sports, MPL, WinZO, Gameskraft, Nazara Technologies and Zupee, among other real-money gaming companies.

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“By shutting down regulated and responsible Indian platforms, it will drive [millions] of players into the hands of illegal matka networks, offshore gambling websites, and fly-by-night operators who operate without any safeguards, consumer protections, or taxation,” the letter stated. (Matka is a form of illegal gambling that originated in India, involving betting on random numbers.)

The three industry bodies estimated that real-money gaming startups in India have a combined enterprise valuation of ₹2 trillion (approximately $23 billion), generate cumulative revenues of ₹310 billion (around $3.6 billion), and contribute ₹200 billion (roughly $2.29 billion) annually in direct and indirect taxes. They also project a 28% compound annual growth rate that would double the industry’s size by 2028. The industry groups warned that the blanket ban could result in the loss of more than 200,000 jobs and the closure of over 400 companies.

A similar letter was also written to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah by these three industry associations.

The bill was passed by voice vote in a noisy lower house less than seven minutes after it was introduced for debate. It now requires approval from the upper house and the president to become law.

Meanwhile, some companies in casual gaming and esports have welcomed the move.

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“We applaud this decision as it allows us to focus on the ongoing concerns as a business — monetization, retention, and most importantly, building great IP for India and the world, rather than having to explain to our audiences what we are to begin with,” said Sumit Batheja, CEO and co-founder of Ginger Games, which is part of Krafton’s Indian gaming incubator and makes hyper casual games.

Krafton is the South Korean gaming company behind the popular battle royale game PUBG.

In 2023, the Indian government amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to curb “user harm” from real-money games and proposed self-regulatory bodies to limit illegal betting and gambling while allowing legitimate games. However, the self-regulation approach faltered due to conflicts among industry stakeholders over enforcement and standards.

New Delhi imposed a 28% tax on online gaming in 2023 to curb real-money play, prompting an outcry from industry stakeholders. Top investors — including Tiger Global, Peak XV Partners and Kotak — urged Modi to reconsider, warning of $2.5 billion in write-offs and the potential loss of one million jobs. The tax, however, remained in place, even as companies challenged its retrospective application in the Supreme Court. Recent reports suggest it may be revised upward to 40% under new rules.

The post India Bans Real-Money Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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