
One of the greatest players in the history of table tennis found himself in the spotlight that is global week, not for his accomplishments in dining table tennis, but instead for his apparent failures at the tables in a casino.
Kong Linghui ended up being such as the Michael Jordan of ping pong, a likeness even to the position in gambling troubles that he allegedly got himself.
Kong Linghui, mentor of the Chinese ladies’ ping pong team, was summoned on Monday to return to Asia simply as the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships were getting underway in Germany. He’s got been suspended from the group in the wake of a scandal over gambling debts.
Kong, a 41-year-old former champion considered one of the best players in the real history for the game, was known as in a lawsuit filed in Hong Kong that alleged he stiffed the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino in 2015 on almost $720,000 in markers.
Alleged Debts and Gambling Regrets
A popular Chinese social media site, to explain that the debts weren’t his on Tuesday, Kong posted on Weibo. He said he visited the casino in Lion City, Singapore, with friends and family, and used his line of credit so they could play while he ‘sat and observed.’
‘It is until today after news reports have exposed the incident that I have discovered somebody had left some debt unsettled utilizing the casino,’ he said in a statement (as translated by Google) on Weibo. ‘I am being dragged into the lawsuit. I have immediately requested the indebted to show up and clarify the known facts.’
According to the lawsuit filed by Sands against Kong, the casino stretched him S$1 million in credit during a trip in 2015, of which he has since paid back s$550,000 february. That left a balance that is unpaid to US $320,000.
‘I am profoundly disturbed by the impact that is negative of event on the team,’ Kong wrote. ‘ we will work with my group to eliminate interference and make every work in this World ping pong Championships, and continue to fight for the honor associated with the motherland!’
Ping Pong Prince
Kong, known as the ‘ping pong prince,’ is one of only a select few competitors to win the grand slam of table tennis games. During their heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he won the World ping pong Championships, the Table Tennis World Cup, and table tennis events at the Olympics, where he won two gold medals and a silver.
The 41-year-old Kong won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000.
Considered by their contemporaries as one of the very complete and well-rounded table tennis players of them all, Kong is credited for shaking up a longtime European male dominance of the sport within the 1990s.
The government that is chinese him to Sweden to study the great players. He returned to China in 1993 with what he had discovered, and also by the final end of 1995 he was the top rated player on the planet.
In 2006, Kong retired early at age 30 after crashing his Porsche in Beijing while driving drunk. The Chinese government waived a mandatory 15-day detention because of his displaying success for the nation.
Macau Residents Gambling More Frequently Than in Previous Years
Macau gambling revenues are finally beginning to trend in the right direction, thanks to a return in the VIP segment, and mass marketing efforts from casino resorts. But there’s another element in the reversal of fortune, and that is the resident that is local.
In early 2016, Macau’s six resort that is integrated launched a local’s campaign that provides various non-gaming perks to city dwellers. But reduced spaces and activity packages additionally led to a small bump in the resident gambling rate. (Image: Macau Loves Locals)
According to a paper posted by the Study of Commercial Gaming during the University of Macau, 51.5 percent of city residents participated in some type of gambling during 2016. That’s two percent higher than what the poll that is same when it was last tallied in 2013.
Funded by the Macau Social Welfare Bureau, the assessment is always to track gambling habits of locals, and monitor whether residents are far more prone to gambling that is developing.
While the almost 52 percent majority shows that Macau habitants gamble with greater regularity than the general Chinese populace, the rate is still greatly reduced than the 68 per cent who admitted to participating in Macau back in 2003.
Macau finished Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho’s monopoly on gambling after nearly four decades in early 2000s, and has been monitoring the social impacts of the casino industry’s liberalization ever since.
Study Results
The chinese have a tendency to gamble due to a strong belief in luck, fate, and fortune like many other Asian cultures. A vintage gambling proverb in China declares, ‘you have no idea how lucky you’re. if you do not gamble,’
That is why the government that is chinese banned nearly all forms of wagering throughout its long history. Macau, A portuguese that is former territory only became part of the individuals Republic in 1999.
But thus far, there is little evidence, at the very least based on the Macau University findings, that residents into the city are experiencing gambling that is disproportionate rates.
Of the 2,000 respondents surveyed, just 51, or 2.5 percent of the sample, answered in a fashion that classified them as ‘probable disordered gamblers.’ And of the for the reason that category, just 10 (0.5 percent of the total pool) fell into the ‘severe’ grouping.
Assuming the info is correct, that means simply 3,250 of Macau’s calculated 650,000 residents are currently enduring from the severe gambling problem. However, the report nonetheless concluded that ‘there is still room for people to boost their awareness and understanding’ when it comes to gambling disorders.
Gaming revenue plummeted from a most of $45 billion in 2013, to $28 billion year that is last as the mainland continues to crack down on allegedly corrupt VIP junket operators in Macau.
More Than Gambling
Macau is in the means of trying to advertise its reimagining to visitors that are potential. Long understood for its plethora of casinos, today resorts are marketing their amenities first, and gambling a distant second or third.
A Macau that is recent tourism figured there are many factors that are actually enticing travelers to the region other than gambling. On the list of key non-gaming facets are the quality of the resorts, food and drink establishments, duty-free shopping, and events and entertainment.
Preferably, those elements will also attract new residents to Macau and bolster the economy that is local.
The Macau government expects to see visitor arrivals grow five % overall in 2017. That will generate more demand, and theoretically, more jobs.
New City of Las Vegas Logo Met with Disdain by Some Councilmembers for Being ‘Not Serious Enough’
An official ‘City of Las Vegas’ logo that was revealed last fall is receiving mixed reviews through the city council. While many tourists don’t understand it, the city of nevada is distinct from the more glamourous Strip, and encompasses primarily the downtown Fremont Street area, from a gambling viewpoint.
The nevada logo design on the left has been called out for being not serious enough for the ‘we mean company’ message that Mayor Carolyn Goodman and other councilmembers want to industries that are potential their city. (Image: City of Las Vegas/Collage: Casino.org)
But a burgeoning business and arts climate has left a number of the town’s council feeling that the latest logo doesn’t mirror its more side that is serious.
The girly, pink magenta script emblem wasn’t meant to restore the city’s longtime existing seal, but instead to complement it. However, some bureaucrats believe the brand new logo design is being used constantly, and in places in which the city should present a more official-looking and image that is business-oriented.
‘When we look during the logo, that doesn’t say official business to me, and that concerns me,’ Councilman Ricki Barlow stated at a meeting that is recent. ‘The seal [on the other side] says official business.’
The problem, according to those voicing concerns over the colorful identity, is that the logo is not being utilized strictly for marketing purposes. Certainly, the pink nevada font now covers city that is official, letterhead, business cards, employee uniforms, and more.
‘ All i have seen was simply the disappearing of the city seal,’ Barrow concluded.
How We Got Here
About a 12 months and a half ago, the town desired a marketing identity that is new. Designers submitted 20 ideas, and after councilmembers narrowed them down to four, they opened it as much as public vote for the winner.
Victoria Hart’s Las Vegas logo emerged as the pick that is top October 2016. Las Vegas paid her $10,000 for the concept, and invested another $50,000 performing the marketing plan that encompassed it.
Among the list of detractors to Hart’s design is City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. ‘ We are serious business here at the city,’ she explained of her opposition. Goodman had been instrumental in taking downtown Las Vegas’ once image that is somewhat shady making it a now-thriving business and arts center that includes the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, shoe manufacturer Zappos and also the edgy Container Park shopping mall, where former shipping crates have actually been 22 dukes casino sign up converted into storefronts.
But not all officials concur with Goodman’s assessment. Councilmen Steve Ross and Stavros Anthony said they enjoy the look that is new while Bob Coffin asked, ‘Have we overthought it?’
No motion to repeal Hart’s logo was made within a recent council conference, although the board claims it’ll continue the discussion in July. An online store selling branded materials with the pink emblem is set to launch next week in the meantime.
Too Flashy for Las Vegas?
Some might find it a bit humorous that the town of Las Vegas would be concerned their brand new logo design presents an image that is too flashy. The most gambling that is celebrated in the globe, both famed and notorious for its nightlife, could be the epicenter associated with tourism and hospitality industries.
But the certain area many site visitors call Las Vegas is found in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester in Clark County. The Stratosphere is the only Strip resort inside the city boundaries, though the northern end associated with main drag is frequently cited at SLS Las Vegas (the previous Sahara), just south regarding the observation tower.
And the most famous Las Vegas sign, the marquee landmark that reads, ‘Welcome to Fabulous nevada,’ marks the southern end of the Strip, and is some 4.5 miles outside of the city that is actual.
Despite usually being referred to as the less chichi cousin of the Strip and all its glitz and glamor, the town of Las Vegas still has plenty to crow about these days. Along with its business and arts districts renaissance, Downtown Las Vegas houses Fremont Street, that will be now outpacing the Strip in terms of casino revenue percentage gains in recent months.
The Holy Grail of Novelty Betting from Next Pope to Bond, Paddy Power
Paddy Power is at it again. The bookmaker that is irish offers a slew of eccentric novelty prop bets, but at this time, the UK sportsbook is outdoing itself.
Paddy energy is getting its pope mobile back out on the way to promote its papal betting lines. And yes, we believe this holiness that is fictitious smoking a cigarette. (Image: Paddy Power)
Bettors overseas can currently place wagers on every thing from whom are going to be the next pope, to which actor will replace Daniel Craig and step into the iconic role of James Bond. Of course, there is also an excess of betting opportunities surrounding Donald Trump’s presidency.
While Paddy energy’s listings are as comical as ever, they’ve taken a softer tone compared to previous years. The web site received a great amount of controversy some in 2008 for asking if newly inaugurated President Barack Obama is assassinated during his first term.
Pope Props
At 76 years and 86 times old, Pope Francis was the ninth pope that is oldest to ever be elected to the papacy in 2013. Now 80, Paddy energy is counting down the times until the Roman Catholic Church will need to find a leader that is new.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines) is the favourite at 5-1, followed by Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana) and Cardinal Marc Oullet (Canada), both at 8-1. US Cardinals Sean O’Malley (10-1), Kevin Joseph (20-1), and Timothy Dolan (20-1) will also be in the running.
But so is U2 frontman Bono, at the least according to Paddy energy. The musician and philanthropist is a longshot, however, at 1000-1. Richard Dawkins, an atheist, comes at the devilish odds of 666-1.
Surprisingly, Trump isn’t an option.
Relationship Bets
Craig stated recently he’d ‘rather slash his wrists’ than play 007 once again, meaning Bond producers are scurrying to locate a title actor that is new.
Paddy Power believes it’s Jack Huston’s to(2-1 that is lose, followed by Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston (4-1). A few funny longshots include Kristen Stewart (90-1), Helen Mirren (175-1), David Beckham (500-1), and Diddy (500-1).
Surprisingly, Trump isn’t an option.
Trump Trending Better
The odds of Trump office that is leaving his first term expires are growing longer. Earlier this month, bettors felt there had been a decent opportunity of the 45th commander in chief being ousted before 2020.
However, today the favourite on the question, ‘What 12 months will Trump cease to be president?’ is ‘2020 or later’ at 11-10. This season does come with the next shortest odds at 13-8, followed by 2018 (10-2) and 2019 (9-1).
Paddy Power is obsessed with the new frontrunner associated with world that is free and justifiably so. Trump yields much interest for his at times outlandish opinions and penchant for social media.
The sportsbook had been even trying to employ a US expert that is political its newly created position, ‘Head of Trump Betting.’ Paddy energy took a beating on the November US election after it began having to pay on Hillary Clinton bets prior to Americans shocking the world.
Peace Props
Finally, Paddy energy is preparing to see whom you think goes to win the Nobel Peace Prize when it’s announced this October.
Pope Francis leads the way at even money, followed closely by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (13-5). The White Helmets, Syria defense that is civil, are at 3-1, and murdered British Labour Party politician and humanitarian Helen Cox reaches 6-1.
Notables include Barack Obama (22-1) and his spouse Michelle (33-1), Leonardo DiCaprio (50-1), and Russian President Vladimir Putin (90-1).
And yes, Trump is an option at 25-1.
Casino Gaming in Vietnam Set for Change as Ministry Gets Licensing Powers
Casino gaming in Vietnam operates in something of a strange spot, but a new move by the us government could be a sign things are starting to change.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has been offered the energy to grant business licenses to casino companies to greatly help national debt. (Image: saigoneer.com)
Ahead of a 2017 decree, most Vietnamese natives weren’t allowed to gamble in the country’s casinos but foreign visitors could. From the beginning of the year, a government decree (Decree 03/2017/ND-CP) moved to alter this by presenting a three-year pilot scheme that would allow certain residents to gamble.
The general idea is that locals with an income of at least VND10 million (US$443) will be able to gamble in a casino although there have been conflicting reports about how the decree will actually work in practice.
Although this decree was meant to enter into impact on March 15, the government has yet to issue a statement how regions should implement the regulations.
Ministry of Finance Has Got the Power
The government has now said that the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Banking and Financial Institutions will have some influence on the regulations despite the lack of movement.
As outlined in a report by VietnamNet May 30, the Ministry of Finance has been offered the charged power to grant companies licenses to casino and video gaming solutions.
During this period, it is not clear what this means in practice, but there is the opportunity it could give gaming operators and technology companies permission to operate within the nation. What’s understood, however, is any business wanting to offer casino-based entertainment must invest a minimal capital of US$2 billion.
Furthermore, prospective companies must explain how it will tackle problems such as for example problem gambling. Overall, the latest news still doesn’t give us a great deal more of an insight into how Vietnam’s casino industry will evolve in real terms over the coming months.
Progress is Slow but Still a positive sign
Nevertheless, there is obviously an atmosphere among federal government officials that progress needs to be made. With GDP slowing down in Q1 of 2017 and public debt (as a percentage of GDP) increasing by more than 12 percent since 2011, ministers are now searching for a solution to redress the balance.
Allowing residents to invest money in neighborhood casinos has been seen as probably one of the most ways that are effective repeat this. Taking this being a beginning point, a boost in casino-based entertainment as a result of newly certified operators could stimulate further spending.
Although some more pieces associated with the puzzle must be prearranged prior to the nationwide coffers can reap some great benefits of Decree 03/2017/ND-CP, it certainly looks as though things are moving in the direction that is right.