Japanese government has delayed the establishment of Casino Management Board and issuance of the more specific IR bidding regulations in Japan. It is widely assumed that having public attention focused on the IR issue will negatively impact the electoral prospects of the ruling conservatives.

The ruling party now looks inclined not to take up the IR issue until early 2020, seriously impacting the schedules of some local governments. Such a delay may be the death blow for Osaka’s plans to have its anticipated Yumeshima IR opens its doors ahead of the 2025 World Expo, although that remains to be seen.

Nintendo is going to shut down two of its popular mobile games, Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, in Belgium due to the nation’s anti-gambling laws aimed at loot boxes.

From August onwards, both the games will not be available to download or play. Players who have Orbs or Leaf Tickets can still use them until the game’s removal. Due to the law, Nintendo also will not release any future games with similar earnings models in Belgium.

Belgium passed a law last year that banned video game loot boxes, which allow players to pay cash to unlock rewards. The nation’s gambling commission ordered several popular games that came with in-game revenue models, including Overwatch, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and FIFA 18 to remove their loot boxes in Belgium.

Nairobi high court judge James Makau has suspended the ban on gambling ads after the musician Muriji Kamau Wanjohi complained that the ban robbed him of his right to make celebrity endorsements.

Wanjohi argued that the ban deprived him of income since he “earns a living thorough endorsement of products and services due to his influence and celebrity status”.

The government brought in a raft of new regulations earlier this month – including bans on such endorsements and advertising on social media – saying the rapidly growing industry was harming the young and the poor.

According to the interior ministry, the gaming industry in Kenya has grown substantially over the last five years, to 200 billion shillings ($1.98 billion) from 2 billion.