IGamiX Management & Consulting Ltd

07/04/2026

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin is anti-gaming, but local and international entertainment companies continue to press ahead with integrated resorts and large-scale developments, even without casinos.

Ben Lee, Managing Partner at IGamiX Management and Consulting, comments, “The previous administration [of Paetongtarn Shinawatra] tried to rush through the issue of gaming without preparing the Thai community. This has damaged the prospects of it [the Entertainment Complex bill] being accepted by the locals. Unless given a push by a new force e.g. by royal assent, it will probably take another few years before anyone in politics will dare brave it again.”

Gaming, International, Macau, Macau Business, MAG, MB, MB Featured | Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin is anti-gaming, but local and international entertainment companies continue to press ahead with integrated resorts and large-scale developments, even without casinos

07/04/2026

Ben Lee, managing partner of casino industry adviser IGamiX Management and Consulting Ltd, told GGRAsia: “We could see two more [land-based] gaming licences announced for the UAE, which could lead to a rush of interest.”

He added: “The UAE is a hotbed of Russian oligarchs and online gaming bosses who will drive that market to potentially become the world’s second largest after Macau.”

For Macau itself, Mr Lee thinks the city – the only place in China where casino gambling is legal – “will likely continue its current trajectory of growth” in gross gaming revenue, “albeit most likely at mid-single digit” in percentage terms, “and will continue to reign as the world’s largest” single-location gaming jurisdiction.

For the land-based Asian casino industry, 2026 could be about future-proofing existing licences and market share via better digital engagement with customers – especially the younger ones – rather than opening fresh jurisdictions. So suggests Shaun McCamley, an industry expert with experience of...

07/04/2026

"How did three concessions become six? And how did three American operators end up controlling 50% of the concessions and sub-concessions, when initially there was only talk of one? And the satellite casinos appeared without warning. (...) And then, I think the message became very clear: “clean everything up”," Ben Lee explains.

Macau, Dec. 31, 2025 (Lusa) - Hundreds of people said goodbye to Landmark early this morning, the last “satellite casino” in Macau to close its doors and a chapter in the history of gambling in the territory.

06/04/2026

https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/international-integration-the-push-me-pull-you-of-talent.html

Key Takeaways

Integration vs. incentives

Government-backed schemes aim to push Macau youth into the GBA through internships, subsidies and job fairs, but higher local wages and job security weaken the pull. Financial incentives alone struggle to override structural advantages of staying in Macau’s protected labour market.

Labour shortages paradox

Macau faces low unemployment yet rising vacancies in sectors like insurance, retail and transport, revealing mismatches in skills and expectations. Talent is being pushed outward for integration while domestic industries quietly signal shortages, exposing tension between policy goals and market needs.

Education as leverage point

Allowing international students to work during and after studies would deepen talent pools, strengthen networks and improve university ecosystems. This policy could transform Macau into a more competitive, outward-facing talent hub, aligning education with long-term economic diversification and integration goals.

08/02/2026

“We are seeing a surge in investors’ interest in Macao’s gaming this quarter, probably the highest level since 2018,” comments Ben Lee, IGamiX managing partner, in conversation with The Bay.

Last month’s 22.6 billion patacas (US$2.8 billion) beat analyst expectations, representing the highest reading since October, official figures show.

31/12/2025

Speaking to AGB previously, gaming expert Ben Lee – Managing Partner of IGamiX Management and Consulting – noted that the Sun Group also was given a five-year locals-gaming allowance for the multi-billion-dollar property it is building in Van Don. The property is aiming for a 2032 launch.

But the group’s Phu Quoc aspirations are already being cemented, literally, with a “massive project” on the main island and another on the “neighboring island”. Lee indicated that the hotel complex on Phu Quoc itself could total up to 20,000 keys, possibly opening as early as 2027. Meanwhile, the development on the neighboring island could also bring up to another 20,000 room keys into play. “They are building close to Macau’s entire room inventory,” noted Lee.

Vietnamese conglomerate Sun Group is intensifying its push to elevate Phu Quoc Island into a leading regional resort destination by coupling aviation expansion with integrated hospitality and entertainment assets.

31/12/2025

Ben Lee, a consultant specialising in the gaming industry in Southeast Asia, holds a more upbeat view. “Gross gaming revenue has already reached MOP 226.5 billion by November this year, so it is more than likely that we will exceed the projection of MOP 228 billion,” he said.

The estimate for gaming revenue in 2026, the analyst added, is “somewhat conservative”.

“Unless there is a reversal next year, based on current momentum, gross revenue could reach between MOP 260 billion and MOP 270 billion by the end of 2026,” he estimated.

Macau, MNA, MNA Featured | Experts contacted by Lusa foresee challenges to Macau’s economic growth in 2026, with the recovery of the gaming sector contrasting with weak domestic consumption and mounting pressure to diversify the economy.

22/12/2025

SJM recently revamped its Crystal Palace zone at Casino Lisboa to reclaim share from former satellite dominance. Gaming consultant and managing partner of IGamiX, Ben Lee, told the Times that there is a stark Peninsula-Cotai divide.

“The gravity well shifted to Cotai a while ago, leaving Peninsula casinos to die-hard gamblers who care only for gambling,” Lee said, adding, “Not only that, the cluster effect of having so many casinos within a stone’s throw of each other would have enhanced that gravity even more.”

In a landslide vote at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) yesterday morning, shareholders of SJM Holdings Ltd. greenlit the HKD1.75 billion (USD 224 million) acquisition of L’Arc Hotel’s owner, Arc of Triumph Development Company Limited. According to the company’s filing to the Hong Kong S...

22/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A8z5DeHPH/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/12/2025

Analysis piece by our associate, Leanda

ANALYSIS Xi Jinping continues to prioritise the people’s well-being. This is a cornerstone of people-centred development as reported by the Supreme People’s Court earlier this year. Guiding and motivating the population to create a happy life through increased security and a better standard of l...