Paradise Entertainment – the parent of Macau-based electronic casino games specialist LT Game Ltd – said the GRA approval is for a subsidiary called LT Smart (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Per the regulator’s website, the approval is under the Casino Control Act 2006.

The gaming technology group’s statement said the regulatory permission was with effect from the date of its announcement. It gave no specifics on the product offer of the LT Smart unit.

Jay Chun, Paradise Entertainment’s chairman and managing director, was quoted in the announcement as saying: “Being granted approved manufacturer status here [in Singapore] opens exciting opportunities for growth and collaboration.”

He added: “We look forward to building on this achievement to deliver sustainable value for our shareholders, trusted solutions for our partners, and world-class entertainment experiences for players across the region.”

Eddie Au, chief operating officer of LT Game, confirmed to GGRAsia that with the approved manufacturer status, the company is eligible to sell its gaming products directly into the Singapore market.

LT Game is known for its long-standing dominance in the live-dealer multi-game (LMG) category of electronic-table product in the Macau market.

Singapore has been a target overseas market for LT Game to expand its LMG footprint, Mr Au mentioned to GGRAsia in a previous interview.

The group has been expanding its gaming product offerings, and promoting their reach outside Macau in markets “with significant potential”, per the company.

These include the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam and North America, Paradise Entertainment had mentioned in its 2025 annual report, filed with the Hong Kong bourse in late April.

Products include a card vault embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that allows digital tracking capabilities, noted Olivia Lee (pictured), director of business development at the company. She was speaking to GGRAsia at the recent Global Gaming Asia (G2E) Expo held in Macau.

Mega Fortris’ card vaults have tamper-evident features, according to corporate materials.

The supplier recommends that “irreversible identifiers” – such as name, logo, barcode, and serial number – could be laser-marked on a pairing seal, such as its patented “Triple Lock Chamber Seal”. The latter works on a one-way, snap-on locking mechanism that allows tight sealing, and is said clearly to provide evidence of tampering, in the event of removal.

“We look at automation and digital traceability as they become more important when integrated resorts seek greater operational efficiency and regulatory compliance,” Ms Lee told.

Amid that trend, Mega Fortris has come up with its “smart security solution”, which uses “RFID and real-time tracking that plays a large role in protecting both financial and physical assets”, mentioned Ms Lee, referring to its latest RFID-tagged card vault as an example.

The security-seal provider also showcased its TITO (ticket-in, ticket-out) products at the trade show, a business segment that is “gaining momentum” because of its “high quality”, the Mega Fortris representative stated.

The supplier has pledged to meet the industry’s trending and evolving operational needs, Ms Lee remarked.

“The future is not only about entertainment: but also creating secure and reliable environment for players, operators and regulators,” added the executive.

The gaming supplier, also known as JCM Global, said the completion of the project coincided with the opening of Coweta Casino & Hotel (pictured), the latest gaming venue in the Muscogee Nation portfolio.

The installation covered all Class II and Class III gaming devices at the operator’s casino venues in the state of Oklahoma, with nearly 6,800 gaming machines now equipped with JCM Global’s iVIZION bill validator, according to a Monday press release.

JCM Global, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, manufactures banknote validation and currency-handling machines, as well as printers for casino gaming machines and other gaming hardware-related devices.

The firm says iVIZION’s contact image sensor technology enhances security by scanning 75 times more data points than other bill validators. The product is also said to validate and accept more than 120 of the world’s currencies.

In Monday’s announcement, JCM Global also said Muscogee Nation’s 10 casino venues are now also operating with its ICB system, a cash-management solution designed to improve efficiency in casino drop and cage operations.

Dave Kubajak, JCM Global’s senior vice-president of sales, marketing and operations, said in prepared remarks that the company was “honoured” by the “ongoing trust and partnership Muscogee Nation places in JCM Global”.

“They are dedicated to providing a fun atmosphere and first-rate customer service, and this extensive project to install both iVIZION and ICB helps deliver on that commitment,” he added.

Mr Kubajak said additionally that the initiative highlighted JCM Global’s approach of working with casino operators on long-term technology strategies.

JCM Global posted a net profit of just over JPY4.69 billion (US$29.7 million) in its financial year to March 31, 2026, on net sales that declined 16.6 percent year-on-year, to JPY31.56 billion. The firm said last month that it was revising its dividend policy to “a consolidated dividend payout ratio of 50 percent or more”.

The Macau company has close to two decades of experience in supplying casino games and systems in Asia. Now it is linking – as in investor – with Aimo Robotics, a Hong Kong-based company specialising in AI-powered robots. The latter’s products can have a physical presence either indoors or outdoors, mainly for security and surveillance tasks.

Aimo Robotics already has products deployed for businesses outside the gaming sector, Ms Tang said. She was speaking to GGRAsia at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia trade and conference in Macau.

For integrated resort (IR) operators, the duo have developed “some applications and software for analysing the data” captured by patrolling robots; “detection alerts”; and facial recognition.

Ms Tang stated: “While patrolling in a mall or other open areas, it [the robot] can also do marketing work” via advertisements or other material shown on its display screen.

Some robots can perform “concierge” tasks, such as replying to verbal queries by resort visitors, said Winning Asia’s CEO.

“In the future, hopefully we can – based on our AI-powered back-end system – help the IR clients to do analysis of data” captured by the robots, “for use beyond security and surveillance – anything at all,” said Ms Tang.

Winning Asia has also been promoting a core segment – gaming products and slot management systems under the “AGT” brand. The firm also distributes casino games from other manufacturers. That portfolio currently includes LT Game Ltd, Gambee d.o.o., Euro Games Technology Ltd, and Jackpot Digital Inc.

At this year’s G2E Asia, Winning Asia debuted its new-generation multiplayer fishing game “AGT FishKing 8”. The product can provide eight player stations simultaneously, and is presented consumer-wise as a “hybrid of amusement and gaming”, stated Ms Tang.

AGT FishKing 8’s players can use virtual cannon to ‘hunt’ their targeted fish. For venue operators, the game has adjustable return-to-player (RTP) settings and multiple bet levels, according to corporate materials.

“The fishing game is favoured by several markets within Asia: because it is… easy to understand,” said Ms Tang.

She added that for “tourists” that are “not gamblers per se”, the game is easy to play. “It has eye-catching sounds, animation and graphics, and we already have received some queries for it,” stated the CEO.

Ms Tang noted: “Baccarat or slot games are very much popular among those in their 40s and 50s: but the industry wants to cover a wider age bracket to be their casino-goers,” in future.

As a result, Winning Asia is exploring for its games offer “innovative elements… that could capture the younger generation-segment,” Ms Tang remarked.

The new game family includes the titles “Buffalo”, “Chief” and “Shark Fury”, all available on the company’s The Baron Upright cabinet.

The new titles are already available on casino floors across North America, said the gaming supplier in a recent press release.

Safe Buster combines characters from the firm’s “Bank Buster” and “Crazy Chickens” slot games, while incorporating gameplay elements that have proven popular in some of the group’s other titles, said the update from Aristocrat Gaming, the land-based business unit of Australia-listed Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. 

“Players across North America responded very positively to Bank Buster and Crazy Chickens, both of which continue to deliver strong, consistent performance for our customers,” Kurt Gissane, chief revenue officer at Aristocrat Gaming, said in prepared remarks.

He added: “We’re excited to build on that success with the introduction of the Safe Buster game family, taking the fun of the original, while adding new cheeky adventures and entertainment for players to enjoy.”

A central feature of the new games is the “Tick Tick Boom” bonus meter, which fills through ‘Cash on Reels’ symbols and can trigger a Hold & Spin bonus round, Aristocrat Gaming said. The bonus may involve “one, two or all three” of the featured characters, each providing different enhancements.

According to the supplier, the Hold & Spin feature includes several bonus modifiers. These include a multiplying function that doubles all cash prizes landed on a reel, an instant-win feature that transfers all cash prizes on a reel directly to the win meter, and an extra-cash feature that adds additional prize values to a reel.

The installation expands its relationship with cruise operator Carnival Corp, broadening the use of cashless gaming and personalised player rewards across the operator’s fleet, Konami Gaming said in a Tuesday press release.

Konami Gaming, a unit of Japan’s Konami Group Corp, also said that Carnival Cruise Line had become the second cruise brand within Carnival Corp’s portfolio to adopt the SYNKROS platform, following an earlier rollout across Holland America Line vessels.

Konami Gaming said the system allows casino patrons to access personalised rewards, promotional offers, bonuses and cashless wagering while onboard Carnival Cruise Line ships.

According to the announcement, the deployment spans thousands of gaming machines across the fleet. 

Marty Goldman, senior vice president of global gaming at Carnival Corp, said in prepared remarks: “We’re obsessed with giving guests the best time possible with great service, standout rewards and innovation that raises the fun factor even higher.”

“We look forward to bringing these exciting gaming experiences to millions more,” he added.

The latest deployment means Konami Gaming’s technology is now operating across a combined 40 onboard casinos within Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line, according to the supplier.

Tom Jingoli, president and chief operating officer of Konami Gaming, said the project demonstrated Carnival Corp’s efforts to innovate the casino experience onboard its vessels. 

“Konami is committed to serving Carnival Corp’s existing SYNKROS install base with trust and reliability, while partnering collaboratively through ongoing expansion fleetwide,” Mr Jingoli stated.

Carnival Corp said it plans to continue rolling out the SYNKROS platform across additional cruise brands within its portfolio.

That is according to Chuah Hui Jing (pictured), an executive director at RGB, in an interview with GGRAsia at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia casino trade show and conference in Macau.

RGB Ltd (Philippine Branch) is listed – on a May 28 document of the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) – as a gaming content affiliate for that nation’s online sector, across seven content channels, including electronic casino games.

The same Pagcor document also lists RGB Ltd (Philippine Branch) as an accredited game aggregator, although the regulator’s records indicated the company had not yet commenced operations in that capacity as of May 28.

The move comes as gaming suppliers increasingly seek exposure to the Philippines’ online gaming market, even as regulators have tightened oversight of certain payment channels and customer acquisition practices.

Ms Chuah stated: “We’re going to start distributing Light & Wonder [Inc’s] online games.”

“So, I think this will be our first step forward into the online space. And for Light & Wonder, we’re exclusive distributor for them in the Philippines, so helping land-based casinos bridge the gap between online and land-based gaming,” she added.

“Hopefully, down the line, we’ll get other brands” in RGB’s online-content distribution network, “because now we’ve got the B2B licence and so we’re accredited to provide online games,” Ms Chuah noted.

She described online gaming as a new business segment for RGB, adding that the company viewed it as an avenue for future growth.

Land-based content

Pagcor reported a 15.9 percent year-on-year decline in aggregate first-quarter gross gaming revenue (GGR), driven by a decline in revenue in online and in land-based casinos.

Despite softer first-quarter industry revenue in the Philippines, the country remains a key market for RGB, as Ms Chuah said operators continued to invest in refreshing casino floors and upgrading game offerings.

“All these IRs [integrated resorts] need to refresh their [gaming] floors every now and then to keep customers,” she told GGRAsia.

The machine “replacement rate… is 8 percent to 10 percent” annually, by a “conservative” estimate, for the gaming floors of major integrated resorts in Manila, Ms Chuah suggested.

She said RGB is committed to working with the land-based casinos on ensuring “high-quality” game content, and helping operators to achieve a better synergy between the land-based and online gaming that many are permitted to offer concurrently. That is helped by RGB’s significant presence in Asia-Pacific markets.

“Our TSM [technical support and management] segment provides machine concession programmes through partnerships with licensed operators, with over 3,400 active EGMs [electronic gaming machines] deployed across 36 outlets in Asia,” including in the Philippines, she said.

“This allows us to better understand the local market dynamics and game performance, enabling us to provide data-driven recommendations to customers, [and] optimise machine mix and game selection,” Ms Chuah stated.

The company is looking forward to supplying gaming machines to a number of new Philippines land-based venues, including the coming Manila casino complex Westside Resort later this year, according to the executive.

Westside Resort is a casino complex being developed by Travellers International Hotel Group in Manila’s Entertainment City.

Vietnam opportunities

Elsewhere in Asia, RGB sees Vietnam as the “next focus” in terms of land-based gaming business opportunities, especially with the local government’s extension for five years – and expansion venue-wise – of a pilot programme allowing economically-qualified Vietnamese citizens to gamble at designated casino resorts.

“Given its location, [The Grand] Ho Tram will be an interesting pilot to look at and we will monitor closely,” Ms Chuah said.

The Grand Ho Tram – located southeast of Ho Chi Minh City – is now able to accept bets from qualified local players under Vietnam’s refreshed and expanded pilot scheme for locals play.

Vietnam’s Sun Group is scheduled to open its US$2-billion casino resort at Van Don, in Quang Ninh province, by the second quarter of 2032, as per reports from a number of local media outlets in September last year. The Van Don gaming venue has also been permitted to offer gambling to suitably-affluent locals, for five years from the date the casino receives its licence.

“Vietnam is entering a new phase in its casino policy that will reshape how integrated resorts will operate over the next decade and we think there’s so much potential in there. There are a few new projects coming up there, so we’re also supplying to those new projects as well,” Ms Chuah stated.

The kiosk can handle multiple major currencies in a single transaction from a mixed-currency bundle of banknotes. The trial version has been offering conversion either to Hong Kong dollars or ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) tickets, with an escrow function giving the user the option of reviewing the offered conversion rate before confirming the transaction.

“We think it will be embraced widely and warmly by many other casinos in Asia,” said Art Ayow (pictured), NRT’s senior vice president of sales and business development, international, in an interview with GGRAsia. He was speaking during the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia casino trade show and conference in Macau.

“We’ve been told by our customer that it has been warmly welcomed by its clientele. Today they conduct hundreds of transactions per day” using the product, he stated.

The Canada-based firm is optimistic the casino operator will order as many as six more units of the product, which has required careful and intensive collaboration between the industry and NRT.

“We are not using a traditional bank bill validator. We are actually using recycling technology,” the executive stated.

“In this case, you can input MOP [Macau patacas], Japanese yen, U.S. dollars and Chinese renminbi, or a combination of them,” he added.

Additionally, “the escrow part of the operation is being well received” by casino-goers, Mr Ayow noted.

For the property operator, a key element emphasised by NRT is that the product “removes the manual effort not to only process the transactions, but also to do the post-transaction audit or reconciliation”.

Mr Ayow noted that with the electronic kiosk, transaction records are “maintained instantly and automatically,” and it can “generate reports that are specific” to operator needs.

Depending on local regulations, operators may use the Foreign Currency Exchange kiosk to complement cage services by placing them near the cage, or place them at other points relative to the gaming floor.

The executive stated: “The product has been certified now by GLI, DICJ and AMCM, even though it’s not considered a gambling machine.” Those were references respectively to certification specialist and consultancy Gaming Laboratories International (GLI); Macau’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, also known as DICJ; and the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM).

Depending on regulations in particular markets, other functions could be added, the executive highlighted.

“We know that there is a slow but evolving transformation into cashless. And eventually I see it [the Foreign Currency Exchange kiosk] going into mobile payments. There’s even discussions about crypto,” Mr Ayow said.

The brand said the step was achieved through “close cooperation” between Playson and an aggregation partner, global gaming technology provider Light & Wonder Inc, “enabling Playson’s portfolio to be made available to licensed operators in the Philippines”.

Ben Wood, chief commercial officer at Playson, was quoted as saying in a Tuesday press release: “Securing Pagcor approval is an important step in Playson’s continued regulated-market growth.”

He added: “The Philippines represents an exciting opportunity for the business, and we are delighted to have achieved this milestone in cooperation with our valued aggregation partner, Light & Wonder.”

Per Playson’s corporate information, it says its games are “certified and licensed” in close to 30 jurisdictions.

Playson said in Tuesday’s statement: “Pagcor approval further reinforces the company’s position as a recognised entertainment supplier with a strong and expanding compliant markets’ presence, and for delivering high-quality gaming content to operators and players around the world.”

Mr Wood stated of Pagcor’s approval of Playson for distribution of its games in the Philippines: “This approval reflects the strength of our platform, the readiness of our technology and the expertise of the teams involved.

“We are proud to bring Playson’s product suite to a new audience and to further strengthen our international presence.”

That effort involves its three new progressive-slot link series and a standalone electronic roulette game, Mr Chua told GGRAsia.

The firm has been working on “strategic innovation” of its product portfolio to ensure alignment with regional-market preferences, and address the interests of younger players. So said the CEO in an interview at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2026 casino trade show and conference in Macau.

The three progressive-link series are: “Ru Yi Ji Xiang”, “Long Hua Fu Gui”; and “Ying Shuang Yuan” (pictured above, with Mr Chua). Each has two new base games.

All of them have drawn on Chinese cultural elements, with displays of animation to engage players’ attention, according to Mr Chua.

They are the results of Weike’s “repositioning of its slot products” since last year, in order to cater to players’ demands in markets such as Macau and the Philippines, the CEO explained to GGRAsia.

He noted progressive links were particularly fitting for the Philippines, a “strong” slot market with extensive gaming floors dedicated for this play segment. The three progressive links can also be offered in standalone progressive format, which can be more suitable for slot clubs, Mr Chua said.

At the trade show, Weike also showcased its new electronic table game (ETG), “Double Fortune”, housed in an upright cabinet (pictured above, next to Mr Chua). The dual-wheel electronic roulette game targets Asia’s gaming markets.  

Th firm said a notable feature of Double Fortune is that players can “build their own trends” and decide when they want to place a wager, i.e. they can cast the bet on the roulette wheel once a perceived winning pattern emerges.  

Weike is building two more ETG products – one of them for baccarat and another for sic bo – alongside a planned revamp of its existing multi-player electronic table game, Mr Chua stated.

Young designers, young players

The Weike CEO is confident that the new progressive link slot products and the electronic roulette game can have appeal beyond a traditional-gambler audience.

Weike’s game-design team is said to consist of “youngsters” that are “20-plus years old”, an approach it says is significant for contributing to the company’s innovation drive.

“We’re trying to give our younger employees a platform for them to unleash their potential – to attract the players that we want to attract. Because only young people can understand what the young people are thinking,” said Mr Chua.

“That’s why especially during the last year, we recruited those young people in the industry,” he added.  

 The Weike CEO observed that the Ying Shuang Yuan progressive link was part of output from the company’s “fresh blood”.

With its base games “Mystic Water” and “Lucky Mu”, the product has a “multi-stage hold-and-respin” feature, said to unlock increasing rewards as players progress.

The game also has a free spins feature. When triggered, players get a choice among the free games on offer. Such feature – while not involving any “skill” elements – makes players feel they are “in control” of the game, Mr Chua said.

To attract young players, a direction for innovating gaming products is to look at “amusement” elements to boost entertainment value, the Weike CEO remarked.

“That is a very interesting kind of trend: people from the gaming industry are trying to take a look at the amusement industry; while those people from amusement industry are looking at the gaming industry,” said Mr Chua.

He also remarked: “So we are looking at amusement components, and how to bring those components into the gaming machine. That is the thing we are researching.”