Melco Resorts Finance Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, has unveiled a plan to shore up its debt profile by issuing new senior notes and launching a conditional cash tender offer to redeem its 5.250% senior notes due in 2026. The tender offer aims to purchase all of the outstanding 2026 notes at US$1,000 per US$1,000 principal amount. However, this purchase is contingent: it depends on the successful issuance of new notes whose gross proceeds must cover the cost of buying back the old 2026 bonds plus any costs and fees, and also allow redemption of any remaining 2026 notes that are not tendered.
Vietnam is emerging as a major beneficiary of changing travel patterns among Chinese tourists in 2025. More than 3.5 million Chinese arrivals have helped fuel Vietnam’s best ever performance in tourism this year. Meanwhile, Thailand is facing a steep decline in Chinese visitor numbers — down about 35% so far in 2025. Airline seat capacity from China to Thailand has dropped by over 11% compared to the same period last year, indicating both reduced demand and potentially fewer flight offerings.
Hong Kong Racing has secured continued broadcast rights on Australia’s Racing.com platform through to the end of the current racing season, though under revised and unspecified terms. The decision came after tense discussions, particularly over the presence of fixed-odds betting promotions during Hong Kong race coverage, a concern raised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). HKJC’s executive director Richard Cheung confirmed the club’s position: their races will now be aired without promotion of fixed-odds operators like CrownBet.
Philippine online gaming firm DigiPlus Interactive Corp. is set to kick off its first international expansion with the launch of GamePlus, its new platform, in Brazil on September 22, 2025. The move comes as part of a broader strategy to grow beyond Southeast Asia, tapping into what is seen as one of the fastest-growing regulated iGaming markets in Latin America.
Andrew Lo Kai Bong, the chairman, majority shareholder, and executive director of LET Group Holdings and its subsidiary Summit Ascent, has been declared unsuitable by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to hold directorships or senior management positions in those companies or any of their subsidiaries. This ruling stems from Lo’s attempt in early 2024 to divest the group’s 77.5% stake in the operator of the Russian integrated resort Tigre de Cristal, namely Oriental Regent Ltd, without complying with required governance processes. Regulators, legal advisers, and the Exchange had repeatedly warned that the proposed disposal would breach listing rules, including mandatory shareholder approval, and could lead to suspension of trading in the companies’ shares.
Author: Janice Chew • Tuesday, 16/09/2025
