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Asia round-up: Osaka IR referendum? WPT's new tour stops in Vietnam

Osaka residents want referendum on IR

Asia News Roundup Japan

A group of residents from Osaka wants to start collecting signatures to call for a referendum on the city and prefecture’s planned integrated resort (IR) development.

The group has planned to collect signatures between 25 March and 25 May; during the two-month period, the main focus is providing citizens with the chance to express their views on both the pros and the cons of the development of the IR.

To be able to request a referendum, at least 150,000 signatures are required, but the group wants to gather around 200,000 signatures. Once they are collected, the Governor of the Osaka Prefecture will be asked to enact the ordinance and will then consult the Osaka Prefectural Assembly with the draft.

World Poker Tour launches new global poker tour

World Poker Tour (WTP) has launched WTP Prime, a new poker brand, and its inaugural stops for 2022 are Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan.

Its first destination will be the Crown Poker Club in Hanoi, Vietnam, between 19 and 30 May 2022. The tour will then move to NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 11 to 23 August; it will eventually visit the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Taipei, Taiwan, from 11 to 21 November.

Cathy Zhao, the WPT’s Senior Director of Global Tour Management commented: “Our continued efforts to improve the WPT live tournament experience will benefit more players than ever. WPT Prime is the embodiment of our goal to provide the best possible poker tournament experience to players everywhere, and our strong relationships with our global partners will elevate the WPT experience around the world.”

WPT Prime is the embodiment of our goal to provide the best possible poker tournament experience to players everywhere, and our strong relationships with our global partners will elevate the WPT experience around the world Cathy Zhao

Non-resident workers in Macau see a 33% decrease

According to data provided by the Deputy Director of Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), Chon U Chan, the number of non-residents workers that are employed by Macau’s casino concessionaires, has gone down by 33% since 2019.

DSAL’s report showed there were 23,676 non-resident workers employed by the concessionaires and other hotels with casinos at the end of December 2021, down from 35,110 in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chan stated: “If there are suitable or sufficient local employees for the relevant positions, the application of non-local employees with corresponding occupations will not be approved, or the company will be required to arrange for relevant foreign employees to leave the field. The number of non-local employees will be (reduced) and local employees will be given priority in employment.”

Berjaya Assets sued for backing out of gaming firm acquisition

Berjaya Assets is being sued by Violet Circle Sdn for RM97.6m ($23.3m) after pulling out of a deal to purchase the remaining 50% stake in Sarawak gaming firm Megaquest Sdn.

On 12 July 2016, Tropicfair Sdn, which wholly owns Berjaya Assets, had signed a share sale agreement with Violet Circle, but cancelled the deal in mid-2020.

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