In Macau and local casino operator Sands China Limited has reportedly been forced to issue a statement distancing itself from any connection to an Asian iGaming domain being marketed using the trademarked name of one of its most popular properties.
According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the Hong Kong-listed firm made the move after law enforcement officials in neighboring Guangdong Province last week revealed that they were still seeking to crackdown on a number of illicit online casino sites including one calling itself ‘Sands Macao.’ The source detailed that this domain was allegedly still recruiting Chinese citizens to run iGaming operations marketed towards mainland players from an overseas base.
Authoritative attack:
The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department reportedly explained that it has investigated 966 cross-border gambling cases in the past year as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal iGaming sites and has so far shut down 836 platforms while arresting 1,034 suspects. The organization purportedly disclosed that it has moreover seized large volumes of information from in excess of 200 underground banks and 70 promotional platforms in addition to members of approximately 60 associated technical service teams.
Incomplete undertaking:
Despite all these efforts, which additionally encompassed eliminating an unspecified number of payment platforms, and the body reportedly divulged that it has yet to shutter a domain being marketed as ‘Sands Macao’. This current state of affairs purportedly prompted Sands China Limited to issue a statement yesterday decrying the use of its trademarked name to illegally market online gambling services.
Prominent party:
Sands China Limited is a subordinate of American casino behemoth Las Vegas Sands Corporation and has operated the 289-room Sands Macao facility in downtown Macau since May of 2004. The company is moreover responsible for the nearby The Venetian Macao, The Plaza Macao and The Parisian Macao properties and recently spent in the region of $2.2 billion to transform the former Portuguese enclave’s giant Sands Cotai Central development into its new-look The Londoner Macao venue.
Total repudiation:
The statement from Sands China Limited reportedly noted that the firm ‘is not affiliated in any way’ with the aforementioned online casino and warned the operator of the illicit site that using any of its trademarked names without permission constitutes a ‘breach of the law’.
Reportedly read the statement from Sands China Limited…
“Sands China Limited does not engage in online gambling activities of any kind and vigorously pursues all reports of trademark infringement. All websites purporting to offer online gaming and using our brands are fake and should be reported to the relevant authorities immediately.”
