Police arrested the actress's mother on charges of operating and opening illegal gambling venues. The woman had been behind 12 gambling houses in areas such as Ulsan, Wonju, and others since 2021.

According to the report, customers would load their credits into a gambling site before enjoying the activities taking place at those venues. Apparently, Han So Hee's mother was not only the mastermind, but also hired another person to be the administrative figure.

South Korea needs a policy “white paper” on the role and future of its own casino industry.

Meanwhile, the actress's mother has other criminal records to her name, including scams, fines for illegal gambling, and more. Previously, Han apologized for her mother's past debts, even paying off a large portion of her debt. However, she noted that despite living with her grandmother since she was five, due to her parents' separation, she rarely has contact with her mother, especially since she finished high school.

WHICH SOUTH KOREA LAW DID HAN SO HEE'S MOTHER BREAK TO GET ARRESTED?

On the other hand, in South Korea, any type of gambling is illegal, even for any South Korean who wants to do it abroad. Anyone who breaks this rule of the penal code can be punished with jail or a million-dollar fine. However, Koreans have the option of visiting the only legal casino, the “Kangwon Land”, while the country has 17 places exclusively for foreigners

Presented by the integrated resort operator Wynn Macau and backed by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the Wynn Signature – 2024 Hypercar Exhibition continues held simultaneously at various locations within the operator’s two resorts from August 1 to October 13.

Open to all without any admission fee, this exhibition features iconic hyper cars from 10 of the world’s leading auto brands, including Apollo, Aston Martin, Bugatti, De Tomaso, Ferrari, Gunther Werks, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, McLaren, Pagani, and more.

Highlighted vehicles include the Pagani Huayra BC Roadster valued at over US$4 million (MOP32 million) and the Lamborghini Sian Roadster, the world’s first open-top hybrid V12 super sports car with only 19 units produced worldwide.

Linda Chen, the President, Vice Chairman, and Executive Director of Wynn Macau.

“Our goal with the Wynn Signature – 2024 Hypercar Exhibition is to further polish Macau’s ‘golden business card’ as an international metropolis, presenting innovative and unique attractions to the city,”

Recent official data indicates that Macau welcomed nearly 16.72 million tourists in the first half of 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 43.6 percent. International visitors, constituting about 7 percent of the total visitation, reached 1.17 million in the first six months of the year, up by about 150 percent year-on-year.

Additionally, visitors can marvel at the classic Ferrari Enzo Hypercar boasting a powerful V12 engine, the limited-edition Aston Martin V12 Speedster commemorating Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary, and the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, the most expensive car in Lamborghini’s history with only 9 units worldwide.

From August 5 to October 13, visitors spending MOP18,000 or more at The Shops at Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace will have a weekly opportunity to win shopping vouchers worth up to MOP30,000. In addition, the grand prize includes a racetrack/paddock experience valued at MOP388,888.

Meanwhile, a pop-up store has also been set up at Wynn Palace for visitors to purchase an array of limited-edition racing-themed products.

The ousted mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, Alice Guo, reportedly left the Philippines in July, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros. During a Senate plenary session, Hontiveros indicated that Guo had left the country and was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 18.

The senator stated that Guo used her Philippine passport to leave the country and traveled to Singapore to reunite with her family, who had flown in from China.

Hontiveros expressed outrage and wondered how Guo was able to leave the country despite being assured by the Bureau of Immigration that she would be barred from leaving. Earlier, Guo had been removed from her position as mayor by the Philippine Ombudsman's Office.

According to the Ombudsman’s investigation, Guo’s connections to Baofu Land Development Inc., which controlled the property that housed POGO’s illegal operations, persisted even after he took office as mayor in 2022.

BI confirms Guo left without clearing immigration In a related development, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said intelligence reports indicated Guo left the Philippines without clearing immigration controls.

Tansingco confirmed that Guo had flown to Malaysia and then to Singapore. He noted that although Guo’s name was under immigration control by the Department of Justice, his departure was not recorded in the Bureau of Immigration’s system. It therefore raised concerns about possible lapses in monitoring informal exit points run by other maritime or aviation agencies.

Bali Nixes Casino Plan. Officials in Bali have turned thumbs-down on a casino plan that proponents say could transform the impoverished Buleleng Regency area.

Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih, chairman of the Indonesia Young Entrepreneurs Association, is spearheading the idea. He says a casino would fund improvements in infrastructure, waste management and traffic management. He estimates a resort development could generate up to Rp13 trillion (US$820.95 million) for the local economy.

Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economies Sandiaga Uno rejected suggestions that the government is open to a casino development. He told reporters, “There is no such thing as plans for building a casino. So just say straight away that there is no such plan.”

Sri Lanka Casino a Go too. In July, Golden Island Hospitality Ltd. and Majestic Group Hotels and Casinos inked a deal to develop a casino in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The Ministry of Finance granted a gaming license to Golden Island under the Casino Act of 2010.

The Majestic Pride Casino will be based at the iconic Lotus Tower, Sri Lanka’s tallest skyscraper. The development partners say it will become a premier tourist destination and create jobs for local youth.

Macau’s six licensed gaming operators have seen a significant improvement in their gross gaming revenue (GGR) over the first couple weeks of August, according to a recent note from JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Ltd. Estimated GGR for this period reached around MOP7.1 billion, translating to a daily run-rate of approximately MOP657 million, “meaningfully above the MOP590 million to MOP600 million daily run-rates in June/July,” wrote JP Morgan analysts DS Kim, Mufan Shi, and Selina Li.

This figure represents a notable increase from the MOP645 million daily run-rate at the start of the month and a significant improvement from the MOP590 million and MOP600 million daily run-rates in June and July respectively.

The JP Morgan analysts have kept their August GGR forecast for Macau unchanged, estimating it to be around MOP19 billion to MOP19.5 billion, which they believe could be slightly conservative if the current weekly run-rates are sustained towards the end of the month.

According to the analysts, mass GGR is estimated to be sitting at 110% of pre-pandemic levels, while VIP remains subdued in the low-to-mid 20% range.

Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau had previously reported a Macau-wide GGR of MOP18.59 billion in July, which was a 5.1% increase from the previous month and 11.6% higher when compared to the year prior. However, some investment analysts had described the July GGR result as “weak” relative to market expectations, citing a likely slowdown in the daily run-rate towards the end of the month.

The mass market segment’s strong performance suggests that the recovery is gaining momentum, and the industry is well-positioned to capitalize on the upcoming summer holidays.