The Texas Hold 'Em poker craze that has swept the West is set to take the region by storm. "There are some very talented poker players from Hong Kong but not many as of yet," Asia Pacific Poker Tour president Jeffrey Haas said. Players need mathematical, psychological and data analyses skills in the card game that involves players trying to make the best five-card hand from five opened shared cards and their two face-down cards.

Las Vegas Sands Corp., faced with paying a lawsuit judgment of USD 58.6 million to a Hong Kong businessman, told investors it hasn't recorded any reserves or contingencies for the legal matter. Why? The casino operator doesn't think it will ever have to settle up. "The company believes this potential loss is not probable or estimable," Las Vegas Sands said in a 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last month.

The number of visitors to Macau jumped almost 23 percent last year, putting the fast-growing gambling haven on track to surpass neighbouring Hong Kong. It registered more than 27 million arrivals in 2007, up 22.7 percent from the previous year, according to government statistics. Hong Kong registered more than 28 million visitor arrivals, an increase of more than 10 percent on 2006 and a record.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced today that it has initiated high-speed ferry service between Hong Kong’s Macao Ferry Terminal at Shun Tak Centre and Macau’s newly opened Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal on Macau’s Taipa Island. With today’s launch of the new CotaiJet service, which is being managed by Cotai Chu Kong Shipping Management Services Co., Ltd. of Hong Kong, visitors and residents of Hong Kong...

The lure of spanking new casinos next door has helped Hong Kong attract a record number of tourists last month, analysts said last week. But despite that figure, fewer visitors stayed for at least one night over the first eight months of the year. But despite the rosy figure, fewer visitors stayed for at least one night over the first eight months of the year, against the same period last year, reflecting the challenges Hong Kong faces from Macau and other regional destinations.

Lai Sun Development Co, a Hong Kong real estate developer, and its media unit have hired Deutsche Bank AG and Morgan Stanley to arrange USD 1.7 billion in loans for a casino project in Macau. The loans will be used to fund development and construction of the hotel, retail and entertainment portions of Macao Studio City, a 3.65 million square-foot project, Lai Sun and ESun Holdings Ltd said in a joint statement to Hong Kong's stock exchange on Friday. The site is located in Macau's Cotai district, the companies said.

Hong Kong - Star Cruises has won shareholders' approval to sell a 25 per cent stake in a casino project for SGD 255 million (about RM574 million) to sister firm Genting International in a move to placate Singapore's government. The sale now needs approval from Genting International shareholders, due this month, Star Cruises president David Chua said yesterday.