Asia round-up: Steven Gerrard & M88; Thai police stop illegal network, Gravity and more
Steven Gerrard has become M88 Mansion’s 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup Brand Ambassador for Southeast Asia.
Gerrard’s image will be used to promote the Asian gaming platform during the competition, and Gerrard himself has agreed to engage in both digital and physical promotional campaigns across the region.
Gerrard said: “I am delighted to join M88 Mansion as their Brand Ambassador for the World Cup. I couldn’t be more excited to share my experiences from my time on the field, especially my views and opinion to the Asian sports fans regarding the upcoming World Cup.”
Alan Wafer, M88 Mansion’s Head of Commercial, added: “We are ecstatic that Gerrard agreed to become our Brand Ambassador for the Qatar World Cup. It is an honour to have him be included in our growing roster of partners.”
Liverpool Football Club’s ex-captain is now the latest in a string of high-profile former players to agree on a sponsorship deal relating to the World Cup in Qatar.
This could see Gerrard draw similar criticism to other ex-players such as David Beckham or Gary Neville – due to the intense scrutiny over Qatar’s poor human rights record and anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Thai police say they have thwarted online gambling network
Police in Thailand say they have thwarted an alleged online gambling network said to operate around 500 illegal betting websites.
To complete the clampdown, police forces say they conducted 63 raids in 14 provinces, primarily in the Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Saraburi, Sa Keao, Maha Sarakham and Phitsanulok regions.
Thai authorities say the syndicate employed around 2,000 staff to undertake its activities, having operated for over 10 years as an illegal company.
Investigations into the illegal operation supposedly began after a separate bust happened in September, which led authorities to undertake their latest raid on illegal operations.
In an unrelated raid in October, Thai police seized the assets of another illegal organisation that had an estimated US$14m daily income.
Steven Gerrard, M88 Mansion Brand Ambassador “I am delighted to join M88 Mansion as their Brand Ambassador for the World Cup. I couldn’t be more excited to share my experiences from my time on the field, especially my views and opinion to the Asian sports fans regarding the upcoming World Cup”
Gravity generates KRW102.8m in revenue for Q3
Developer and publisher of online and mobile games Gravity has reported revenue of KRW102.4m ($71,500), up 6% sequentially and down 20% year-on-year.
Based in South Korea, the developer made a Q3 2022 profit of KRW21.8m, a 4% decrease sequentially and a 47% decrease from the prior-year period.
Net profit was down too, dropping 8% sequentially and 39% year-on-year to KRW 16.1m.
Revenue specifically from online games stood at KRW19.2, down 22% quarter-on-quarter, although it was up 5% year-on-year.
Meanwhile, mobile game revenue reached KRW79.4m, a 17% increase sequentially and a 25% decrease year-on-year.
Q3: 23,000 Macau casino workers remain under-employed
Over 23,000 Macau residents who work in the gambling industry remain under-employed as of Q3 2022.
Under-employment figures are taken from casinos, junkets and lotteries, as published by Macau’s Statistics and Census Service.
However, it’s worth noting this figure may seem worse than is the case, as Macau considers under-employment to encompass anyone who involuntarily works less than 35 hours a week.
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