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An Overview of the Asian Gambling Market

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Asia is establishing itself as one of the leading gambling regions in the world, producing a substantial amount of global gambling revenue. Specifically, the Asia-Pacific region is presently the fastest-growing gambling market in the world. Asia’s rise in the gambling sphere is partially due to the continued improvement of many countries’ economies, new legislation allowing gambling in certain places, and Asian people’s access to online gambling since smartphones started to become widespread in their home countries.

However, only some Asian countries allow gambling activities. Gambling is often illegal in Muslim-majority countries. And in many Asian countries, regulatory authorities strictly control gambling. The most prominent gambling resorts throughout Asia, which see millions of visitors from around the world each year, are Wynn Macau and Galaxy Macau in Macau, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and Casino Pride and Casino Royale in Goa.

Find out more about the three Asian countries that are leading the gambling market in the following overview.

India  

In India, gambling is only officially legal in the states of Sikkim and Goa and the district of Daman. Although in Nagaland state, it is possible to obtain a license to play online skill-based games. Indians in Nagaland can play a variety of online games, as long as the games involve a substantial amount of intellect and skill. A wide range of skill-based casino games can be played on this online casino website. Other than Nagaland, the online gambling situation is somewhat ambiguous. Most local governments do not license online gambling, but there is also no legal framework that prohibits online gambling. In practice, the confusion over the legality of online gambling means a large proportion of people in India do play games at online casinos. It is estimated that in 2017, the online gambling market in India was worth approximately $125 million.

Excluding online gambling, the latest statistics estimate the Indian gambling market was worth $75.7 million in 2015. But it is expected to be valued at around $10.2 billion by the year 2021. So, it is clear just how much the gambling market is rapidly increasing in India.

China

Apart from state-run lotteries, gambling is only legal in China in the Macau and Hong Kong regions. Known as the Vegas of the East, Macau’s 49 casinos currently bring in annual revenue of around $28 billion. That is more than three times as much as the 135 casinos in Las Vegas. In 2017, Macau’s gross gaming revenue from casinos rose by almost 20%, and in 2018, it grew by 35%. All types of gambling are permitted in Macau, but the legal status of online gambling is in limbo. At present, Macau authorities do not issue online gambling licenses. But they do not prohibit online gambling either. So, it is difficult to know how much revenue China receives from online gambling.

In Hong Kong, gambling is legal in several regulated outlets, including casinos. As for sports betting, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has a monopoly. It has the highest level of profits from horse racing in the world.

Singapore 

A law on partial gambling legalization was adopted in Singapore in 2006, allowing two casinos to open in the country. However, while foreign visitors can enter the casinos for free, local Singaporeans must pay a fee or buy an annual membership. But that has not deterred as many Singaporeans as the government had intended. Gambling revenues for Singapore surged quickly after the two casinos opened in 2010. In the first year of opening, the casinos had an estimated gross revenue of $6 billion. So, it looked like they would be joining the Macau casinos as the most popular and profitable in Asia. However, in 2019, the revenue of Singapore’s two casinos had dropped slightly to $5.9 billion. The reason for that seems to be primarily due to the emergence of competitive gambling markets in nearby countries.

As for online gambling, it is officially prohibited in Singapore. However, in 2016, two operators did manage to gain permission to run an online gambling business. The two operators do not have slots and table games, though. Their online gambling activities are limited to the lottery and sports betting.

Jenny is one of the oldest contributors of Bigtime Daily with a unique perspective of the world events. She aims to empower the readers with delivery of apt factual analysis of various news pieces from around the World.

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World

TRG Chairman Khaishgi and CEO Aslam implicated in $150 million fraud

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In a scathing 52-page decision, the Sindh High Court has found that TRG Pakistan’s management was acting fraudulently and that Bermuda-based Greentree Holdings historic and prospective purchase of TRG shares were illegal, fraudulent and oppressive. 

The Sindh High Court has further directed TRGP to immediately hold board elections that have been overdue and illegally withheld by the existing board since January 14, 2025. 

In the landmark ruling, the Sindh High Court has blocked the attempted takeover of TRG Pakistan Limited by Greentree Holdings, declaring that the shares acquired by Greentree, nearly 30% of TRG’s stock, were unlawfully financed using TRG’s funds in violation of Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2017.

“Having concluded that the affairs of TRGP are being conducted in an unlawful and fraudulent manner and in a manner oppressive to members such as the Petitioner (Zia Chishti), the case falls for corrective orders under sub-section (2) of section 286 of the Companies Act,” Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry concluded.

The case was brought by TRGP former CEO and founder Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti against TRG Pakistan, its associate TRG International and TRG International’s wholly-owned shell company Greentree Limited.  In addition, the case named AKD Securities for managing Greentree’s illegal tender offer as well as various regulators requiring that they act to perform their regulatory duties.

The case centred around the dispute that shell company Greentree Limited was fraudulently using TRG Pakistan’s own funds to purchase TRG Pakistan’s shares in order to give control to Zia Chishti’s former partners Mohammed Khaishgi, Hasnain Aslam and Pinebridge Investments.

According to the case facts, the Chairman of TRG Pakistan Mohammed Khaishgi and the CEO of TRG Pakistan Hasnain Aslam masterminded the $150 million fraud. They did so together with Hong Kong based fund manager Pinebridge who has two nominees on TRG Pakistan’s board, Mr. John Leone and Mr. Patrick McGinnis.

According to the court papers, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis set up a shell company called Greentree which they secretly controlled and from which they started buying up shares of TRG Pakistan.  The fraud was that Greentree was using TRG Pakistan’s funds itself.  The idea was to give Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis control over TRG Pakistan even though they owned less than 1% of the company, lawyers of the petitioner told the court. 

This was all part of a broader battle for control over TRG Pakistan that is raging between Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis on one side and TRG Pakistan founder Zia Chishti on the other side.  Zia Chishti has been trying to retake control of TRG Pakistan after he was forced to resign in 2021 based on sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee of his.  This year those allegations were shown to be without basis in litigation that Chishti launched in the United Kingdom against The Telegraph newspaper which had printed the allegations.  The Telegraph was forced to apologize for 13 separate articles it published about Chishti and paid him damages and legal costs.

After Chishti resigned in 2021, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis moved to take total control over TRG Pakistan and its various subsidiaries including TRG International and to block out Chishti.  The Sindh High Court’s ruling today has reversed that effort, ruling the scheme fraudulent, illegal, and oppressive.  

It now appears that Zia Chishti will take control of TRG Pakistan in short order when elections are called.  He and his family are now the largest shareholders with over 30% interest.  He is closely followed by companies related to Jahangir Siddiqui & Company which have over a 20% interest.  The result appears to be a complete vindication for Zia Chishti and damning for his rivals Aslam, Khaishgi, Leone, and McGinnis who have been ruled to have been conducting a fraud.  

TRG Pakistan’s share price declined by over 8% on the news on heavy volume.  Market experts say that this was because the tender offer at Rs 75 was gone and that now shares would trade closer to their natural value.  Presently the shares are trading at Rs 59 per share.

According to the court ruling, since 2021, shell company Greentree had purchased approximately 30% of TRG shares using $80 million of TRG’s own money, which means that that the directors of TRG Pakistan allowed company assets to be funneled through offshore affiliates TRG International and Greentree for acquiring TRG’s shares – a move deemed both fraudulent and oppressive to minority shareholders.  The Sindh High Court also found illegal Greentree’s further attempt to purchase another 35% of TRG shares using another $70 million of TRG’s money in a tender offer. 

The ruling is a major victory for the tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti against his former partners and the legal ruling paves the way for him to take control of TRG in a few weeks.

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