William Bolton Editor
Comment
December 2022
So, Macau ultimately chose to stick with the status quo. Really, it should come as no surprise that Macau's six incumbent casino operators were given fresh licences to operate, with Malaysian operator Genting missing out on making the sextet.
Genting Malaysia had been considered a credible threat for a licence due to its strong non-gaming track record and mass market appeal, fitting with a public desire from Beijing for Macau to diversify away from gambling and attract foreign tourists. The fact that the existing holders would have had to return the casino area to the government for nothing come year's end - with all the hassle that would inevitably entail - likely proved the biggest reason. This, of course, coupled with the billions poured into the region over the last 20 years and the influence this buys.
Prior to the awarding of the new concession contracts, the decision was touted as one that would shape the way the industry develops for decades to come, offering the chance to re-define the future of casino gaming in the region and significantly impact the economic prosperity of the region - and of its people - for the foreseeable future.
IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT MACAU'S SIX INCUMBENT CASINO OPERATORS WERE GIVEN FRESH LICENCES TO OPERATE
The decision to stick rather than twist does little to alleviate the issues facing the region’s tourism. The concessionaires can only invest in the existing facilities, not in infrastructure, and even then only in non-gaming elements. It’s anticipated that Macau's gaming floors should return to some level of 'normalcy' once eVisas and package tours from mainland China are brought back in, but who knows when that will now be. As demonstrations against COVID lockdown rules continue to escalate - the biggest acts of public defiance since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 - the likelihood is that authorities will double down on restrictions rather than buckle in the face of public opinion.
Remaining with the current six was the safe option, but time will tell whether it was the right call for Macau’s long term gaming prosperity.
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William Bolton
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john@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)7917166471 Contributors Dr. Laila Mintas, Simon Collins, Simon Tomas, Tracy Damestani, Jason Frost, Daniel Bliss, Victor Rocha, Timothy Hill, Abhinay Bhagavtula, Tomas Köbel, Dr. Michael Auer, Martin Britton, Dave Kubajak, Domenico Pastia, Hector Fernandez, Christope Casanova, Mihai Stefan Dumitrescu, Dmitry Starostenkov, Martin Hodges, Grethe Brown, Andrea Skov, Agnes Wasikowska, Christos Zoulianitis, Dmytro Fedyukov, Rob Griffin, Fiona Davies.
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