The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in Laos, home of the notorious Kings Romans Casino, has been declared the worst of its kind in the entire world.

Corporate intelligence consultancy firm the Adrianople Group said this week that the zone was an “embarrassment to the global special economic zone (SEZ) industry” and called for its condemnation.

Thibault Serlet, the firm’s director of research, said GTSEZ, in Laos’ remote Bokeo province, had become a center for “human trafficking, wildlife smuggling, and drugs production.”

It is “built on stolen indigenous land, workers are routinely unpaid and forced to work against their will, and the zone regularly dumps toxic waste into local streams,” he added.

‘Horrendous Criminal Organization’

The zone is run under the de facto sovereignty of Chinese gambling kingpin and real-life Bond villain Zhao Wei.

Zhao has been sanctioned by the US government for running a “horrendous” criminal organization. He is accused of exploiting the region by “engaging in drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, bribery, and wildlife trafficking, much of which is facilitated through the Kings Romans Casino located within the GTSEZ,” according to the US Treasury.

What’s a SEZ?

SEZs are areas that have been granted exemptions from economic regulations. That means they usually enjoy tax breaks, different labor laws, special visa rights, and import-export exemptions, according to the Adrianople Group. There are more than 7,500 SEZs in 100 countries worldwide.

GTSEZ was established 15 years ago by Laos’ notoriously corrupt totalitarian government with the help of Zhao’s investment. Through bribery and promises of further investment, the billionaire is largely left to run the zone as he pleases. He has transformed it into a “lawless playground” for wealthy Chinese visitors.

Escape from the SEZ

In January, eight women escaped from the zone by climbing underneath a wire fence. They had been lured by the promise of lucrative jobs as telemarketers for the Kings Romans Casino. But they were unable to reach impossible performance targets and were kept against their will to work as prostitutes or in the casino’s laundry service.

Generally, “Local authorities are barred from entering, and international inspectors are routinely turned away,” according to the Adrianople Group,

Millions of Meth Pills Seized

Also in January, Laos police seized 36 million methamphetamine pills from a village just outside the GTSEZ, according to the United Nations. It was the second-biggest drug bust in Asia.

Authorities believe the meth was cooked in the GTSEZ and was destined for markets like China and Australia.

According to Radio Free Asia, he is also in discussion with local officials about the possibility of developing an airport to service the GTSEZ. In return, he has promised to invest in several agricultural and tourism development projects. Some reports in Thai media say construction on this project has already begun.

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Bragg Gaming Group subsidiary, ORYX Gaming is poised to enter Europe’s second-largest gambling market in a deal just inked with leading Italian online casino supersite operator, Microgame. Bragg Gaming Group is listed on the Nasdaq in New York and the TSX in Toronto (NASDAQ: BRAG, TSX: BRAG). Oryx launched in 2010 and is accredited with the ISO/IEC 27001 certification. It holds licenses in at least 6 jurisdictions including Greece, Malta, and the UK.

Bragg recently launched a new game creator, Atomic Slot Lab studio, and that lab’s debut title, Egyptian Magic, will be featured in the first tranche of games to be made available to players in Italy. A tightly curated selection of Oryx slot titles from their premium catalog will also debut with Microgame casinos with more to follow at a future date.

Among other European player-favorites to be released first will be Golden Nights, Respins of Amun-Re, and Royal Seven plus many others.

Italy is Continental Europe’s Number Two Market

The Italian market is highly seasoned and players are particular. It’s thought that Oryx’s maths, mechanics, themes, art, sound, and special features will resonate well with Italian players. Italy was the first country of consequence in Europe to fully regulate online gambling back in 2006. H2 Gambling Capital estimates online casino revenues to reach as much as US$2.3 billion this year in the continent’s second-largest regulated online market.

The Microgame platform powers several of Italy’s top online casinos.

Microgame is the “grand old man” of online gambling in Italy and some game providers simply refer to the company as the Italian market. The company develops platforms, software, games, and networks and at one time had over 130 poker sites on its network. In recent years more and more developers and suppliers have been doing tie-ups with the firm. Some of the most recent prior to the Oryx/Bragg partnership include Triple Cherry, ESA Gaming, Yggdrasil, and Red Tiger.

Bragg’s expansion into Italy follows several similar recent developments that have seen Oryx launch with partners in critical markets such as the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland as well as the UK, Netherlands, and Greece.

What the Partners are Saying

Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, Chris Looney, said: “This agreement that will see us enter Italy, the second biggest online market in Europe, is another watershed moment for us and comes several months after we took our content live in the UK, Europe’s largest iGaming market, underlining our commitment to expand in large and established regulated markets.

“Our partnering with Microgame, Italy’s largest B2B provider, gives us access to numerous leading operators in the country, which will enable us to reach a wide local audience from the outset. It’s an exciting time for Bragg as we continue our growth trajectory in new markets with more expansion still to come.”

Marco Castaldo, CEO at Microgame, said: “Our goal is to bring first-class entertainment to our players and with ORYX content’s proven popularity, we are thrilled to be the first partner to introduce it in Italy.”

Source: Bragg’s ORYX Gaming Signs Major Agreement with Microgame for Italian Market Entry, Oryx Gaming, March 22, 2022

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On Monday, March 21st, 2022 Barcelona defeated the heavily favored Real Madrid at the historic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with a final tally of 4 to 0 making a huge statement in Spanish LaLiga League.

Barcelona continued to gain their recent momentum under their head coach Xavi Hernández in the last “clásico” of the 2021 – 2022 European football season. The victory snapped Barcelona’s 5 – game losing streak to their rivals in Real Madrid as they preserved a very slight chance of still being able to fight for the Spanish LaLiga League championship following an extremely tumultuous beginning to their 1^st – season since their former superstar, Lionel Messi, left town for another club as well as more money.

This Barcelona win was their first victory versus Real Madrid since 2019, and it comes in style like a some of the others Barcelona enjoyed in the past with Messi in his true playing prime.

Scoring Plays

It was Pierre – Emerick Aubameyang who had the match of his life this time for Barca as he scored 2 – goals in order to resume his great scoring run after being signed by Barcelona just in the nick of time during the final few minutes of the 2021 – 2022 winter transfer window. Ronald Araujo as well as Ferran Torres both scored a glorious goal of their own providing Barcelona their 7^th – victory over the course of their previous 8 – contests throughout all competitions.

Barcelona had various other solid scoring chances during throughout this game, with Aubameyang, Torres, and Ousmane Dembélé some of the Barcelona players that ultimately missed on great scoring opportunities.

Karim Benzema who presently leads the Spanish LaLiga League’s scoring list with a total of 22 – goals was unable to participate in this highly – anticipated match due to a left – leg injury that he sustained recently during the Spanish League match versus Mallorca. During Real Madrid’s game against Mallorca Benzema was able to score a goal for the 8^th – time over their last 5 – contests throughout all competitions.

The amazingly talented French – born striker recorded a hat trick in Real Madrid’s exhilarating come – from – behind victory versus Paris Saint – Germain approximately a week ago in the Champions League match that was played from the legendary Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Real Madrid’s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, did not choose to swap out Benzema with another true striker as he decided to instead go ahead with Luka Modric in a false – nine position at the top of the attacking line for Real Madrid along with Vinícius Júnior as well as Rodrygo. Real Madrid barely was able to threaten against Barca last Monday, and Ancelotti was forced to change tactics during the 2^nd – half of game action by putting Mariano Díaz up in front, although, that didn’t seem to help much either.

Media Statements

“Of course, we didn’t expect this score line, but we did everything we intended to do from the start,” Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets explained. “Everything went our way and we could have scored even more goals. If we have a minimum chance, we will keep fighting. We know it’s going to be hard, but in soccer anything can happen.”

“The result says it all,” says the Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernández. “We played badly and they played well. Nothing worked for us. It was our first bad match this season. Maybe we were too relaxed because of our advantage in the standings.”

“This can change the dynamic of the present and the future,” Xavi Hernández disclosed. “We hadn’t been having many reasons to celebrate in the recent past and today we made a statement. You can say we are on our way back. We competed against Real Madrid in their stadium and could have won by more goals. It was spectacular. This reinforces our project, reinforces our style, reinforces me as a new coach. There is no doubt this is how Barcelona has to compete.”

“We were able to play well behind the lines when their midfielders moved up and that allowed us to create many scoring chances,” Xavi goes on to say. “This victory gives us great confidence to keep working hard. We showed ourselves that we can compete against anyone. We have to stay humble. We didn’t win a title today. We celebrate now and then we have to start thinking about our next match.”

The Top of the 2021 – 2022 Spanish LaLiga League Table

This was a big – time statement victory for the third – placed club in the Spanish LaLiga League in the Barcelona football club. They are still 12 points behind the first – placed squad in Real Madrid though. Sevilla is in 2^nd – place in the Spanish LaLiga League as Sevilla is 9 – points in back of the Spanish League leading Real Madrid.

Sources:

Azzoni, Tales. “Barcelona stuns Madrid 4 – 0 at Bernabéu to end losing streak”. The Associated Press. March 21, 2022.

Azzoni, Tales. “Barcelona makes statement with big win at Real Madrid”. The Associated Press. March 21, 2022.

ESPN News Services. “Spanish LaLiga Table 2021 – 22”. ESPN. March 22, 2022.

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On Tuesday, March 15^th, 2022 Manchester United was ultimately defeated by Atletico Madrid with a final tally of 1 to 0. This loss knocked out Manchester United from the Champions League competition.

Manchester United’s drought for a championship goes for 5 – seasons now, and that is far below the club’s standards.

This was a close and highly – contested match, and Renan Lodi made the difference in the game by scoring his 1^st – goal in the competition during his 25^th appearance in Champions League match play. Lodi met up with Antoine Griezmann’s cross with a nice header following him being unmarked at the far post as the Manchester United defender, Diogo Dalot, made that crucial mistake during the 41^st minute of the contest.

“I wasn’t playing a few months ago, but everything has changed now and I’m very happy with that,” says Lodi. “It’s a tough role. I’m working at it, learning.”

“Of course, it’s not good enough,” De Gea explained. “It’s hard for the club, for us and the fans. This is where we are at the moment. It is a difficult situation, but we have to keep fighting.”

Cristiano Ronaldo departed the historic and legendary Old Trafford Stadium prior to Ferguson retiring. The 37 – year – old superstar striker returned for this season following him winning titles at both Real Madrid as well as Juventus, and his expectations for him are sky high as Manchester United is trying to return to the dominance they used to be accustomed to.

Ronaldo had a poor performance in this match not like his efforts last Saturday when he recorded a hat trick versus Tottenham Hotspur. Cristiano didn’t even manage a get a single shot off versus against the Spanish LaLiga League champions in Atletico Madrid.

Manchester United only hope of equalizing were on their defender, Raphaël Varane, who had a solid scoring opportunity during the 2^nd – half of the contest, but his header was saved by Jan Atletico Madrid’s goal – tender, Oblak. Man U could not find a path to beating Atletico’s amazing goalkeeper just 3 – weeks following a 1 to 1 draw in Madrid that amounted to nothing as away – goals no longer provide any advantage.

“For me, Oblak is the best goalkeeper in the world,” Atlético Madrid’s captain Koke stated. “He’s shown it once again tonight.”

Atlético Madrid was super – efficient as they scored a goal from 1 of only 3 – shots on goal throughout the match.

“We suffered when we had to,” Rodrigo De Paul mentioned, “and hit when we had the chance here at a great stadium, against a great team.”

Diego Simeone leads Atlético Madrid back into the Champions League quarterfinals just like he did back in 2020.

“We wanted to show tonight that we’re a really tough side to play against,” says Griezmann. “We wanted to be at this level more consistently and go forward.”

Manchester United is heading in the wrong direction, with just 2 – appearances in the Champions League quarterfinals over the course of the last decade.

Not since the 1970’s has Man U gone this long without a championship with the 2^nd – tier Europa League title back in 2017.

“The second half was difficult,” Ralf Rangnick expressed. “I don’t think the game went for more than three minutes, it was always interrupted, there was always somebody lying on the floor.

“There were also some curious refereeing decisions. I wouldn’t say they were decisive, but at least he fell too often for those time-wasting antics and, in the end, four minutes extra time was a joke for me.”

Now the priority for Man U is just trying to move back in to the 4^th – place spot in the English Premier League, and return to the Champions League next season for whoever is in charge of Manchester United.

Sources:

Harris, Rob. “5 – season drought: Man United knocked out of CL by Atlético”. The Associated Press. March 15, 2022.

UEFA News Services. “Champions League – Round of 16 – 2^nd Leg”https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/fixtures-results/#/rd/2001309-2. UEFA. March 16, 2022.

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On Tuesday, March 15^th, 2022 Alex Ovechkin scored the 767^th goal of his illustrious NHL career in order to pass Jaromir Jagr and move into 3^rd for the list of most NHL goals. He was immediately swarmed by his Washington Capitals teammates as the fans at the game cheered proudly for Ovechkin.

Chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” rang out through the arena that has been his home stadium for close to 2 – decades, and they also erupted following the Washington Capitals 4 to 3 win vs. the New York Islanders in a breath – taking 8 – round intense shoot – out.

“I think everybody wants me to score that goal,” Ovechkin expressed. “Everybody involved with this milestone. I would say I’m very happy and thankful to be on this team for such a long time, especially with those guys.”

Ovechkin’s most recent goal on Tuesday night puts him in back of only the ultimate hockey legends in Wayne Gretzkyas well as Gordie Howie. Alex’s wife and children were unfortunately stuck back home in Russia, and it is a shame that his immediate family did not get to witness the biggest individual accomplishment of his career.

“It’s been tough, but we’re athletes and we just have to do our job and focus in on the thing what we’re doing best,” says Ovechkin. “We just play hockey and enjoy our moment.”

Ovechkin’s huge and memorable moment came with just 4 – minutes and 58 – seconds remaining in the 3^rd – period of the contest when Alex’s fellow countryman, Evgeny Kuznetsov, won a faceoff in order to put the puck on the tape of his good friend’s stick. Ovechkin beat another one of his good friends in Islanders goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, to finally break the recent tie with Jaromir Jagr.

The 36 – year – old left winger originally from Moscow, Russia has not had to deal with any backlash from fans on his home ice, even since Vladimir Putin and Russia invaded Ukraine a few weeks ago. Ovechkin has been booed at times during a trip across western Canada. Alex received a standing ovation from the Washington Capitals’ fans who have cheered for him, and chanted his name all throughout his long and amazing 17 – year career playing ice hockey in North America.

“Obviously, it sucks when my kids didn’t see it, my wife didn’t see it, my parents, but they’re watching at home,” Ovechkin stated. “They’re happy, and that’s the most important thing.”

The next potential important and big milestone for Ovechkin is scoring goal number 800 a milestone that only Gretzky and Howe have reached in the long – standing history of the National Hockey League. Ovechkin needs 35 more goal scores to pass Howe, and Alex would need 128 more goals to break Gretzky’s record of 894 NHL career goals that many people thought to be an unbreakable ice hockey record.

“You never know what’s going to happen in the future,” Ovechkin goes on to say. “You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m happy I did it and we did it as a team. Now it’s just a period of time, and if I can do it, I will.”

Ovechkin scored this big – time important goal in the shadow of the Washington Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup championship banner as Barry Trotz stood on the visiting bench. Trotz was the head coach of the Washington Capitals when they won their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history, and Ovechkin was named the playoff MVP when it was all said and done.

“The one thing that I’ve learned about Ovi over my time is that when you doubt Ovi or you say he can’t do it, he digs in,” Trotz explained. “He just digs in and is determined on that. And I think over time he’s learned to train probably a little different. It’s pretty amazing.”

Ovechkin is only 3 – goals away from reaching 40 for this current NHL season for the 12^th – time in his illustrious NHL career. That would tie “The Great One” (Wayne Gretzky) for the most 40 – goal seasons in the history of the National Hockey League.

“For now, he just friend, teammate,” says Kuznetsov. “He’s so close to us, and we never even talk about (how he has) accomplished all those milestones. I’m pretty sure one day when I’m going to retire, I hope he’s going to be still friends with me, we’re going to sit somewhere and think about and remember some of those milestones.”

In a pre – recorded congratulatory video message, Jaromir Jagr jokingly let Ovechkin know that he better keep scoring goals because he hasn’t yet hung up his skates, and may come back to the NHL to chase Ovechkin’s mark.

“Keep scoring, because, as you know, I didn’t retire from hockey yet and there’s a chance I might come back to the NHL and start chasing you,” Jaromir Jagr, who’s still playing at age 50 for the team he owns in the Czech Republic, mentioned.

Ovechkin realized that Jagr would have been further up the list if not for a 3 – year run in the Russia – based KHL. Although Ovechkin has also had to miss ice time in the NHL due to 2 – lockouts as well as the COVID – 19 pandemic which emphasizes Alex’s goal – scoring accomplishment even more impressive and respected.

Ovechkin is presently under contract until age of 40 – years – old, and at his current pace this season he would need to average just 29 – goals over the course of the upcoming 4 – years in order to pass Gretzky prior to Alex’s current contract expires, and who knows he may decide to play further than that on a new contract as he chases one of the most elusive NHL records of all time.

List for the Most Career NHL Goals

Rank Player Years G

• Wayne Gretzky*1979-99 894
• Gordie Howe* 1946-80 801
• Alex Ovechkin 2005-22 767
• Jaromír Jágr 1990-18 766
• Brett Hull* 1986-06 741
• Marcel Dionne*1971-89 731
• Phil Esposito* 1963-81 717
• Mike Gartner* 1979-98 708
• Mark Messier*1979-04 694
• Steve Yzerman*1983-06 692
• Mario Lemieux*1984-06 690
• Teemu Selänne*1992-14 684
• Luc Robitaille*1986-06 668
• Brendan Shanahan*1987-09 656
• Dave Andreychuk*1982-06 640
• Jarome Iginla* 1996-17 625

Joe Sakic* 1988-09 625

• Bobby Hull* 1957-80 610
• Dino Ciccarelli*1980-99 608
• Jari Kurri* 1980-98 601
• Mark Recchi* 1988-11 577
• Mike Bossy* 1977-87 573
• Patrick Marleau1997-21 566
• Joe Nieuwendyk*1986-07 564

Mats Sundin* 1990-09 564

• Mike Modano*1989-11 561
• Guy Lafleur* 1971-91 560
• John Bucyk* 1955-78 556
• Ron Francis* 1981-04 549
• Michel Goulet*1979-94 548
• Maurice Richard*1942-60 544
• Stan Mikita* 1958-80 541
• Keith Tkachuk 1991-10 538
• Frank Mahovlich*1956-74 533
• Marián Hossa*1997-17 525
• Bryan Trottier*1975-94 524
• Pat Verbeek 1982-02 522
• Dale Hawerchuk*1981-97 518
• Pierre Turgeon1987-07 515
• Jeremy Roenick1988-09 513
• Asterisk (*) marks members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Alex Ovechkin’s Hockey Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards

NHL

• Calder Memorial Trophy (2006)
• NHL All – Rookie Team (2006)
• NHL First All – Star Team (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2019)
• EA Sports NHL Cover Athlete (2007, 2021)
• NHL All – Star Game (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
• NHL All – Star Game Super Skills Competition Breakaway Challenge Winner (2008, 2009, 2011)
• Art Ross Trophy (2008)
• Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
• Hart Memorial Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013)
• Lester B. Pearson Award / Ted Lindsay Award (2008, 2009, 2010)
• NHL 2K Cover Athlete (2010)
• NHL Second All – Star Team (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016)
• NHL All – Star Game Super Skills Competition Hardest Shot Winner (2018)
• Stanley Cup Champion (2018)
• Conn Smythe Trophy (2018)

KHL/RSL

• Russian Super League Champion (2005)
• Gagarin Cup Champion (2013)

International

• World Junior Championships Gold Medal (2003)
• World Junior Championships All – Star Team (2005)
• Winter Olympics All – Star Team (2006)
• World Championships All – Star Team (2006, 2008)
• Kharlamov Trophy (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018)
• World Championships Gold Medal (2008, 2012, 2014)
• Wayne Gretzky International Award (2019)

Sources:

Whyno, Stephen. “Ovechkin now 3rd on NHL goals list, Caps beat Isles in SO”. The Associated Press. March 16, 2022.

Hockey Reference News Services. “NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Goals”. Hockey Reference. March 16, 2022.

Hockey Reference News Services. “Alex Ovechkin”. Hockey Reference. March 16, 2022.

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