Inside Asian Gaming

August 2016 inside asian gaming 45 It is expected the new site will prove to be the most profitable of the three online sites launched in Portugal so far given that casino sites are to be taxed at 15% of gross gaming revenue compared to a far more restrictive 8% tax on total betting turnover on sportsbooks. 2016 WSOP the biggest of all time The 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially become the biggest of all time, attracting a record 107,833 entrants across its 69-event schedule. Players from 107 different nations descended upon Las Vegas’ Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, with 15,767 players receiving prize money after the WSOP expanded payouts to 15% of the field in most events. The average field size this year was 1,563 – up from 1,522 in 2015 – creating a total combined prize pool of US$221,211,336. Notably, the WSOP Main Event attracted the third biggest field of all time with 6,737 players taking their shot at the US$8 million first prize. The nine remaining players will return for the final table on 30 October to play down to a winner. INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS “It’s bittersweet to close up poker’s version of the Olympics after such a successful and rewarding summer,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart after the Main Event went on its four- month hiatus on 19 July. “We will get to work planning a bigger and better World Series of Poker in 2017 and on behalf of the entire WSOP team, thank all the players for making the 2016 version of this event the smoothest in our history.” For the 12th consecutive year, the WSOP generated a total prize pool well in excess of US$100 million and for just the fourth time in its history, topped the US$200 million mark. In the 47-year history of the WSOP, the game’s most prestigious tournament series has awarded over US$2.5 billion in prize money. Trump Taj Mahal dramas escalate Image: Jayne Furman/WSOP Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal casino continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons after owner Carl Icahn withdrew an offer to restore health insurance for the property’s striking workers. Having come into the spotlight as part of the current US Presidential campaign – with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton highlighting the property’s financial struggles when owned by Donald Trump – the Trump Taj Mahal has remained in the spotlight thanks to ongoing strike action. The latest drama comes after the workers’ union refused to accept Icahn’s offer, with union boss Bob McDevitt saying it was “essentially half” what employees at other casinos received. “Can you imagine what it is like to work in this city – to spend your days doing the backbreaking work of cleaning hotel rooms or walking all over the casino floor serving drinks in high heels – without health insurance?” McDevitt said. “Part of the reason the property continues to do poorly is because of how it has treated its workforce.” Icahn’s company, Tropicana Entertainment, replied by saying the offer had been withdrawn permanently due to the union failing to give its members a vote. Around 1,000workers fromthe Trump Taj Mahal’s housekeeping and F&B departments went on strike on 1 July, although dealers and security continue to work. The casino went bankrupt in 2014 before a rescue package was offered which included a court order removing workers’ health plans.