Asia
BLAST Premier renews deal with Douyu in expanded media rights partnership

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The deal will see Douyu retain exclusive Counter-Strike rights for China and deliver the first ever BLAST Premier Fall Qualifier in the region
Esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier has expanded its media rights deal with Douyu, China’s leading live streaming service.
As part of the expansion, Douyu will retain exclusive broadcast rights for the rest of the BLAST Premier 2021 season and get the opportunity to deliver the first ever BLAST event in China by hosting a Fall Qualifier.
The deal will see BLAST Premier streamed across Douyu and extended to Huya and Bilibili with over 500 million monthly active users across all three platforms.
The announcement comes off the back of a number of new deals for BLAST Premier with the esports tournament orgasiner’s portfolio of media rights growing to over 35 partners, while shown in 18 different languages and to over 150 TV territories.
China is one of the fastest growing markets for esports in the world, which translates to a live streaming audience of 193m in 2021 with BLAST Premier enjoying some of its biggest viewership in the country.
Alexander Lewin, VP of Distribution and Programming for BLAST, said: “In line with our strategy to team up with the world’s biggest broadcasters we are delighted to further deepen and extend our partnership with Douyu into a second year. Douyu’s esports expertise and fantastic reach will continue to provide BLAST Premier’s fanbase in China with the very best Counter-Strike entertainment. We are looking forward to working with the Douyu team on the Chinese Qualifier and welcoming CS:GO teams from China into the BLAST universe.”
BLAST Premier is a global Counter-Strike tournament series that unites all major events, offers opportunities to all regions across the globe and crowns the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 teams will take part in the seven events this year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line. The BLAST Premier Qualifiers provide teams from all corners of the world with an opportunity to feature in the tournament organiser’s events and a platform to compete on an elite level.
The tournament organiser posted increased viewership last year with more than 83 million hours of content watched across all seven of its Counter-Strike tournaments while delivering the most watched CS:GO online match of all time during the 2020 Global Final.
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Asia
New Indian Law Aims to Curb Online Money Gambling Sector, Prohibits Related Advertising

Following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 on August 21, the government of India imposes a complete ban on online money games, alongside the advertisements related to the sector.
Passed by the parliament, any financial transactions related to these platforms would be considered unlawful as stated under the Information Technology Act of 2000. The legislation also aims to establish a national-level regulatory authority that will govern the categorising and registration of online games.
The said authority shall issue guidelines, codes of practice and directions for compliance, with strict punishments induced, leading to imprisonment for up to three years, and a fine to one crore rupees or 114,017 USD.
The advertisement of the said games is also punishable with similar penalties, with imprisonment up to two years and a fine of up to fifty lakh rupees 1140 USD.
While the law prohibited online money gaming such poker, rummy and fantasy sports that offer cash rewards, e-sports are considered and recognised as a legitimate competitive sport in India, and is not included in the total ban, as well as online social games or casual games that are recreational in nature.
This draws that the bill-turned-law, used a “balanced approach” since recognising that the online gaming sector is one of the most dynamic segments in the digital and creative economy, hence, still allowing esports and online social games.
This came after the report of over 45 crore or 45,000,000 people were reportedly affected by online money games and have lost more than Rs. 20,000 crores or 2,280.414 USD, according to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology.
According to the same ministry, the total ban was driven by the following reasons:
• Addiction and Financial Ruin
• Mental Health and Suicide
• Fraud and Money Laundering
• Threat to National Security
• Closing Legal Loopholes
• Encouraging Healthy Alternatives
Meanwhile, the bill also stated that while the online gaming authority governs the registration of online games, the central government still has the authority to frame the rules for the promotion and advertisement of e-sports, online social games and other rules related under the law.
In total, the legislation aims to safeguard vulnerable populations, particularly the middle class and youth by introducing these strict regulations and a greater emphasis on brand responsibility and ethical advertising.
The post New Indian Law Aims to Curb Online Money Gambling Sector, Prohibits Related Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High

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

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.
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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