That is according to a Monday statement by the two firms sent to GGRAsia.

The CVC investment is via its Strategic Opportunities platform. The latter was set up by CVC in 2014 “to invest in high-quality businesses that may not suit a traditional private equity mandate”, according to CVC’s website.

James Maida, GLI’s co-founder and chief executive, was quoted as saying in Monday’s announcement: “We are truly excited and honoured to welcome CVC as a strategic investment partner.”

He was also cited saying: “This partnership creates new opportunities for growth and innovation, allowing GLI to invest even more in the success of the future of the global gaming industry as well as investing in related and adjacent sectors.”

The release stated CVC had “completed an investment into GLI and related entities”, which would “provide resources and expertise to enhance the capabilities and growth prospects of GLI”. No figures were disclosed in terms of CVC’s involvement.

GGRAsia has approached GLI for clarification on the overall nature of CVC’s investment.

At the time that CVC’s potential investment became public last year, a regulatory announcement in Malta concerning market-competition rules had mentioned “acquisition of sole control of Gaming Laboratories International, LLC and its affiliates Worldwide Laboratories, LLC and Kobetron, LLC”, by a company linked to CVC.

Monday’s update referred to CVC Strategic Opportunities as GLI’s “first external investor”.

Per the statement, GLI – founded in 1989 by Mr Maida and Paul Magno – currently has more than 1,500 employees, serving over 710 regulated gaming jurisdictions worldwide.

Monday’s announcement cited Matt Turner, partner at CVC – and described as a GLI board member –, as saying: “Within CVC Strategic Opportunities, we seek to partner with exceptional businesses that have histories of consistent success, strong market positions and significant long-term growth potential.”

He added: “GLI fits perfectly with that approach, as over nearly 40 years James and Paul have built GLI into the clear leader in its industry.”

Mr Turner further noted of GLI: “The company plays a critical role in the global regulated gaming ecosystem and has established itself as a trusted partner to regulators, operators and suppliers around the world.

“This positions the business extremely well for continued growth, and we are looking forward to working alongside James and the talented team at GLI to support the company’s future success.”

CVC’s website say it has EUR15-billion (US$17.1-billion) in assets under management. CVC’s Strategic Opportunities arm is said to have a “core focus on corporate private equity investments with a lower risk profile, primarily in Europe and North America, as well as the opportunity to partner with founding families or foundations looking for a long-term partner”.

So stated Richard Howarth (pictured), GLI’s managing director for APAC (Asia Pacific), in comments to GGRAsia at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia, in Macau. GLI announced in March its accreditation for iGaming testing and certification in the Philippines.

“In our relationship with Pagcor, there is an advisory component to it,” he noted.

“We’ll be organising times with them to train staff on iGaming and work through our most recent standards, like GLI-19,” he said, referring to the company’s ‘Standards for Interactive Gaming Systems’. Mr Howarth said that was a protocol that the firm was “updating all the time”.

He added that its responsibilities included working with the regulator in the Philippines, “to see what their needs are”.

“Pagcor has been very active in accrediting anyone that operates in the wagering environment in the Philippines: land-based; iGaming, even those that are involved in marketing of those products,” the executive stated.

He observed: “GLI is always first to go into a market, help a regulator, work with governments, put our standards in place, and be trusted and relied upon to do that. We’ve done that yet again with Pagcor.” He added that GLI maintains a registered office in the Philippines.

The executive joined GLI at the end of 2023, initially in the role of chief business officer for APAC, subsequently being appointed managing director for the region.

Asked about the briskly-evolving regulatory environment for iGaming in the Philippines, he said: “It’s public knowledge that there was debate in the Philippines as to whether or not to continue to have iGaming there.”

Mr Howarth added, referring to Pagcor chairman and chief executive Alejandro Tengco: “With chairman Tengco, we share a similar opinion: have a properly-regulated market in iGaming. As we’ve seen, it’s providing revenues back into the community. It’s properly taxed.”

As a result of maintaining a legal and regulated online industry, “accredited providers and operators make up that market,” Mr Howarth said.

“It creates improvement, including responsible gambling and a safer environment for consumers,” he added.

AI, cybersecurity

GGRAsia asked Mr Howarth whether the rapidly-advancing technology of artificial intelligence (AI) could be used as a tool in GLI’s work globally.

“AI does play a role in automation of processes… [and] a strong role in responsible gaming, but we don’t rely on AI to certify and test product,” he stated. “You have to certify and test product independently.”

In addition, “we have absolutely to maintain the integrity of all of our customers’ data, their intellectual property – with which we are entrusted,” Mr Howarth said. “That’s why we don’t fully go into AI” for such testing work, he added.

Another integrity-related aspect of GLI’s work, is cybersecurity, to protect industry clients and their end users.

Mr Howarth said: “While we’re well known for [covering] land-based gaming, we’ve also really developed our systems testing strongly and we’ve also integrated Bulletproof, which is now ‘GLI Secure’ as a brand, which is all about cybersecurity and ISS [information system security], and customers are really engaging with it as a product across the globe.”

Integrity, responsible gaming

Asked about a trend seen across the gaming equipment supply sector and in multiple markets, for ‘reel bounce’ animations on video slot machines, the GLI executive noted that various “gamification” elements on slot machines “can be characterised as ‘cosmetic’, if they will not affect return to player or the random number generation component”.

Reel bounce animations can involve a visual – and sometimes physical effect – where a slot machine’s reels abruptly drop, stop, and slightly shudder or ‘bounce’ into place when a spin finishes.

He added: “There are some discussion points around national standards –  for example, in Australia and New Zealand – including around ‘reel bounce’.

“It’s not GLI’s place [as a service provider] to decide on that, but we have to certify to what governments, regulators, wish to put in place.”

Mr Howarth said some examples of positive outcomes from collaboration between GLI, gaming operators, regulators, and suppliers, included “working together on the responsible gambling elements of cashless play and mandatory carded play” at Crown Resorts Ltd’s Crown Melbourne casino in Victoria, Australia.

GLI has also assisted Crown Melbourne in its efforts to regain regulatory “suitability”, as announced in March 2024.

He said GLI had “done the same thing” regarding Crown Perth in Western Australia, helping restore its suitability, as announced by the authorities in July last year.

The GLI executive said nonetheless: “We don’t provide solutions [to those topics], we test against the requirements.”

Assisting in that process “has been quite rewarding,” noted Mr Howarth. “To say GLI plays a part in  enhancing responsible gaming is a good outcome.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, IGSA said Italy-based NTS Network SpA and Taiwan’s TopRoot Technology Corp had joined the organisation as new members.

According to the association, NTS Network is an Italian concessionaire for amusement-with-prize machines and video lottery terminals (VLTs), providing technical services, equipment management and support to gaming operators.

TopRoot Technology is said to develop hardware and software platforms for gaming applications, including gaming peripheral controllers, integrated gaming motherboards and logical boxes, while also offering system integration services.

IGSA also confirmed that several other companies had joined some of the organisation’s specific committees. Passport Technology, a provider of casino management software and integrated cash management systems, has become a member of the IGSA’s Emerging Technologies Committee, while payments specialist Paysafe has joined the Payments Committee. 

THNDR, a provider of player-versus-player skill gaming products, has joined IGSA’s Online Skill Gaming Committee.

According to the announcement, IGSA president, Mark Pace, welcomed the new members and highlighted the role of the association in bringing together companies from different segments of the gaming sector.

“IGSA has always been, and continues to be, the only non-profit gaming association where companies from different gaming sectors – often competitors – work collaboratively to develop best practices and standards that elevate our industry,” Mr Pace stated.

He added that IGSA looked forward to the new members’ involvement and contributions across its various committees.

The trade body said its revised membership structure was helping attract companies from a broader range of gaming-related sectors.

The latest additions come as IGSA continues to broaden its committee work beyond traditional gaming equipment standards.

The association says it is “the largest technical standards development organisation” dedicated to the creation and evolution of standards and protocols for the advancement of the global gaming industry.

IGSA notes that its membership is drawn from 20 countries, with additional input from regulators, operators, and suppliers from more than 30 countries.

The annual ranking, compiled by Fortune magazine, lists Southeast Asia’s 500 largest companies by revenue.

Philippines-listed DigiPlus ranked 215th in this year’s list, up from 223rd in 2025. The company runs in the Philippines the online bingo platform BingoPlus; sportsbook ArenaPlus; and GameZone, a platform for casual and arcade gaming. 

DigiPlus chairman, Eusebio Tanco, was cited in a Tuesday announcement as saying: “Making the list for the third straight year and moving up the ranks reflects the scale we have built and the consistency of our performance.” 

Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp rose to 362nd place this year from 418th in 2025, representing the largest improvement among the gaming-related companies on the list.

Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp has a long-life casino monopoly in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where it runs the NagaWorld casino-resort complex.

Malaysia’s Genting Bhd, one of Asia’s largest casino groups and the parent of operators with gaming interests in Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom, remained the highest-ranked gaming-linked company in Southeast Asia. It retained 53rd position, unchanged from the previous year.

Philippines-based Alliance Global Group Inc, whose interests include Newport World Resorts in Manila through Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, ranked 112th in 2026, compared with 92nd a year earlier.

The group is also involved in the development of the US$1.25-billion Westside Resort in Manila, including a casino.

Philippine casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp was ranked 303rd in this year’s list, down from 289th in 2025. The company runs the Solaire Resort & Casino at Entertainment City in the Philippine capital, and the Solaire Resort North complex in Quezon City, outside Metro Manila.

The mixed performance among gaming-related firms came as the Southeast Asian casino industry continued to face volatile market conditions across the region. While online gaming operators in the Philippines have benefited from rapid digital expansion, investment analysts have noted that some land-based casino firms face a more challenging operating environment amid softer consumer spending and increased competition.

According to Fortune, the 2026 Southeast Asia 500 companies generated a combined US$1.88 trillion in revenue last year and US$150 billion in profits.

“The commodity and energy giants that have anchored the ranking since its 2024 debut are slowing, even as they still generate a substantial share of the list’s 2025 revenues,” noted the global business publication.

It added: “Further down the ranking, however, growth is accelerating: Vietnamese companies… account for roughly one-quarter of the list’s overall revenue increase.”

The ranking covers companies headquartered in seven Southeast Asian markets: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia.

The appointment was announced in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday. Mr Ho, 49, has a background spanning investment banking, capital markets and legal practice. He previously worked at JP Morgan and law firm Linklaters. 

He also worked at Deutsche Bank AG’s Hong Kong branch, where he served as head of Hong Kong and Macau origination, overseeing the structuring and launching of new financial securities.

According to the filing, Mr Ho is currently honorary consul of Cabo Verde in Macau, president of the Money Exchangers Association of Macao, and chairman of P&W Money Changer Ltd.

Mr Ho formerly served as executive director and chairman of Hong Kong-listed Apollo Future Mobility Group Ltd, and since May this year has been an independent non-executive director of Hong Kong-listed Prosperous Industrial (Holdings) Ltd.

Paradise Entertainment said Mr Ho will receive an annual director’s fee of HKD120,000 (US$15,315).

Paradise Entertainment Ltd reported a profit of HKD139.4 million for full-year 2025, down 63.5 percent from the prior year.

The company said in March that nearly 93.7 percent, or HKD130.6 million, of its 2025 profit was generated by the operation of Casino Kam Pek Paradise in downtown Macau, a business segment now classified as a “discontinued operation”.

Paradise Entertainment is the parent of electronic table games (ETGs) supplier LT Game Ltd. The casino technology firm has said that it aims to strengthen its presence in its home market of Macau and expand its reach overseas with its latest slot and ETG products.

Ms Tam announced the appointment in a social media post on Wednesday, saying she looked forward to working with the property’s sales and marketing teams to “leverage” the resort’s “strengths and synergies across various disciplines”.

Ms Tam rejoined Okada Manila in September last year as executive vice president of casino marketing.

“We are pleased to announce the promotion of Shirley Tam to chief marketing officer, where she will lead the strategic integration of gaming and non-gaming sales and marketing,” the promoter of Okada Manila said in a statement sent to GGRAsia on Thursday.

It added: “This unified approach is designed to drive business growth, expand cross‑category opportunities, and accelerate performance across all channels as we pursue our long‑term objectives.”

Ms Tam had previously served as Okada Manila’s senior vice president of premium marketing, between October 2018 and August 2021.

Prior to rejoining Okada Manila last year, Ms Tam was chief casino marketing officer at Inspire Entertainment Resort, a complex with foreigner-only casino at Incheon in South Korea.

She has also held senior marketing positions at Sands China Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, Wynn Macau Ltd, and Genting Hong Kong Ltd.

Okada Manila is operated by Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc, a subsidiary of Japan-based entertainment conglomerate Universal Entertainment Corp.

The management change comes as Okada Manila continues efforts to strengthen its position in both the domestic and international tourism markets. The property has in recent weeks highlighted initiatives aimed at expanding its appeal to overseas visitors, including a renewed focus on the Japanese market.

The RWNYC complex, run by a unit of Genting Malaysia Bad, launched on April 28 the first-ever live table-game operation in downstate New York. The property is undergoing an upgrade and expansion into a larger casino resort.

According to TCS John Huxley, the more than 300 gaming tables supplied to the venue span blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps and sic bo, including 28 roulette tables.

“Working closely with the Resorts World team… TCS John Huxley was selected as the principal supplier of live gaming equipment for the project, delivering the property’s complete portfolio of gaming tables alongside roulette wheels, displays, layouts, accessories and gaming floor technology” products, the supplier said in a release.

As the “sole supplier” of roulette wheels to the venue, TCS John Huxley said it delivered more than 25 of its Saturn Glo Roulette Wheels, together with Wheelmate monitoring and maintenance consoles and its AccuLevel technology. The latter is designed to allow a single casino employee to level and rotate a roulette wheel efficiently as part of routine maintenance.

The company also installed its Ora Grande 32-inch Gold Frame Displays, Chipper Champ chip-handling product and a range of other gaming accessories and technology products across the RWNYC’s gaming floor.

“The project required close collaboration between TCS John Huxley’s Americas team, manufacturing operations in Mexico, technical specialists, logistics teams and project coordinators,” the supplier stated.

“With live table gaming representing the first phase of Resorts World New York City’s wider expansion plans, TCS John Huxley is proud to continue supporting the property’s ongoing development,” it added.

The RWNYC property in Queens, New York City, was previously an electronic gaming venue. The complex is being upgraded and expanded as a full-scale casino resort after the Genting group was awarded a full casino licence by the New York State Gaming Commission.

The casino group’s proposal entails a US$5.5-billion expansion up to 2030 of the existing venue, and a US$600-million upfront licence fee, in exchange for its multi-year licence.

In a Monday statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said enforcement measures would be stepped up throughout the tournament period, running from June 11 to July 19.

The ministry noted that major international sporting events often generate increased interest in gambling, including illegal betting, which can create “law-and-order concerns” and expose individuals to “significant financial and social harm”.

Singapore maintains a tightly-controlled gambling market. Under the country’s Gambling Control Act, all gambling activities are prohibited unless specifically authorised, licensed or exempted. Singapore Pools (Private) Ltd is currently the sole operator licensed to provide lotteries, sports betting and remote gambling services in the city-state.

The Singapore Police Force said it would continue regular operations targeting illegal gambling syndicates and those assisting such activities. 

Measures against illegal online gambling include directing online service providers to restrict access to unlawful gambling websites and advertisements under the city-state’s Online Criminal Harms Act.

Authorities are also working with industry stakeholders to terminate local telephone numbers used to advertise illegal gambling services and block bank-account and credit-card transactions linked to illegal betting platforms, per the statement.

The ministry highlighted that individuals conducting illegal gambling activities face penalties of up to SGD500,000 (US$388,470) in fines and imprisonment of up to seven years. Repeat offenders can face fines of up to SGD700,000 and jail terms of up to 10 years. 

Individuals found gambling with illegal operators can be fined up to SGD10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both, according to the announcement.

Alongside enforcement efforts, Singapore will launch a series of responsible-gambling initiatives during the World Cup period.

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) will roll out a new public-awareness campaign that will be featured during televised football matches, across digital and social-media platforms, and in locations near betting outlets.

NCPG chairman Sim Gim Guan said in prepared remarks: “The World Cup 2026 is a key sporting event that attracts many sports enthusiasts. We want people to enjoy the games without falling into problem gambling.”

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Malaysian authorities have also pledged heightened scrutiny of gambling-related content during the sporting event.

The country’s communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, said the country’s authorities would intensify monitoring efforts and take action against parties promoting online gambling content and betting websites linked to the tournament.

Mr Fahmi said enforcement efforts would cover both mobile applications and gambling websites seeking to capitalise on World Cup interest.

During the latest month, seven of the nine AGEM Index companies reported stock price increases, according to data issued by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM).

The largest positive contributor to last month’s index was Australia-listed slot machine specialist and online content provider Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. Its 6.0-percent decrease in stock price led to a 37.65-point loss to the index.

Agilysys Inc, a Nasdaq-listed maker of business software for the hospitality sector, saw its stock price rise 35.1 percent, leading to a 26.28-point increase for the index.

The largest negative contributor to the index was Japan-listed Konami Group Corp, whose 0.2 percent increase in stock price coupled with a weakened Japanese yen exchange rate resulted in a 6.56-point loss to the AGEM Index.

In May, all the three major U.S. stock indices increased from the prior month. The Nasdaq rose by 8.4 percent over the month, the S&P 500 experienced a 5.1-percent gain, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average improved by 2.8 percent relative to April.

AGEM produces the monthly AGEM Index in association with Nevada-based advisory service firm Applied Analysis.

AGEM represents manufacturers of electronic gaming devices, systems, lotteries, and components for the gaming industry.

The trade body began compiling data for the index in January 2005 using a base of 100 points. The stocks that constitute the AGEM Index are weighted by approximate market capitalisation.

That is according to Kenan Bajram (pictured above, with the “Novo Unity Pro” ETG standalone version), deputy director of global sales, in an interview with GGRAsia.

Novomatic aspires to expand its ETG presence in Asia gaming markets including Malaysia, Singapore and Macau, said Mr Bajram. He was speaking at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia trade show and conference.

“Novomatic has a long-standing history and extensive expertise in the electronic table games segment. Across Asia, we already maintain a strong presence with ETG installations in key markets such as Malaysia and the Philippines,” the executive stated.

He added: “Historically, Malaysia has been one of the most important ETG markets for Novomatic. We are maintaining a leading position there for the last decades, both in terms of installed terminal base and the overall product performance.”

Novo Unity Pro standalone, is an upright ETG presented with a slot-style look, via the Diamond X 3.32 cabinet.

The ETG features three display screens, and combines roulette, baccarat, blackjack and sic bo within a single machine. The product attracted “considerable interest” from operators and visitors during the trade show, Mr Bajram stated.

He added: “The major advantage is that our award-winning Novo Unity Pro ETG solutions and our ‘Novo Line’ slot products are based on a shared technology platform. This gives us exceptional flexibility, as essentially any of our gaming cabinets can also be adapted and configured for ETG applications.”

Novomatic presented Novo Unity Pro in stadium configuration (pictured above). It is said to combine automated and live gaming options “within one integrated ecosystem”, and feature “improved graphics” as well as “more refined user experience”.

It was shown with new baccarat side bets including a ‘Lucky 6’ feature.

Mr Barjam said that in addition to the brand’s ETG hardware portfolio – including automated roulette wheels and terminals, such as the Executive SL 1.27 or Lotus SL 1.27 – Novomatic is “now also offering live table integrations”. These can be “seamlessly incorporated into modern stadium-style setups depending on operator requirements”.

Amping slots’ presence in Asia

Novomatic presented its linked progressive slot products Vision Link and Xtension Link at G2E Asia. It sees “growth opportunities” for its slots in the Philippines and developing regional markets, stated Mr Bajram.

Vision Link offers multiple integrated bonus mechanics and linked jackpot levels, per corporate materials. It is presented on the Diamond X Quattro 1.55J cabinet, which has seen recent enhancements including upgraded speakers, improved lighting and a redesigned glass touch deck, mentioned the executive.

Novomatic presented its slot titles “Hot Pot” and “Ghost Party” (pictured above) via Vision Link during the trade event. Attendees responded “particularly positively” to Ghost Party, due to its “expressive” graphics said Mr Bajram.

Xtension Link – said to be among Novomatic’s “most successful” linked progressive products internationally – was also shown at G2E Asia. The game mechanic offers a reel set that expands dynamically and randomly during gameplay, the action being associated either with increasing ways to win or paylines.

“The titles within the Xtension Link portfolio rank among Novomatic’s strongest-performing linked progressive games in Europe and are also demonstrating growing momentum across selected Asian markets,” said Mr Bajram.