• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Sunday 31 August 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • 中文
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • 中文
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Trump’s WeChat ban a “silly thing” to do: Melco

Ben Blaschke by Ben Blaschke
Fri 21 Aug 2020 at 05:47
Trump’s WeChat ban a “silly thing” to do: Melco
82
SHARES
1.7k
VIEWS
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

A ban on US corporations utilizing hugely popular Chinese social messaging app WeChat for transactions is a “silly thing” for US President Donald Trump to propose, according to Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s COO of Macau resorts, David Sisk.

Trump issued an executive order last week to make it illegal for US citizens and businesses to “conduct any transaction that is related to WeChat” – a potentially disastrous event for the three Macau-facing US casino operators in Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts. Wynn Macau Ltd earlier this week warned that such a ban could “adversely affect our ability to communicate with certain of our customers.”

While Melco, whose primary operations are based out of Macau and Hong Kong, is one of the three Macau concessionaires that would be comparatively unaffected by such an event, Sisk noted during the company’s 2Q20 earnings call on Thursday that it would be difficult for any concessionaire to conduct business without WeChat.

“If you don’t use WeChat in China, you’re not communicating with anybody. It’s not like everyone has got a bunch of laptops at home,” he said.

“It’s kind of a silly thing in terms of the statement that was made that you’re going to cut that off. You’ve got over a billion people and WeChat is the primary device in which they communicate, it’s a primary device in which a lot of commerce is done as well.

“Our marketing guys, everybody here uses WeChat. I mean, it is the most ubiquitous communication method in the market here. We’ve got great people in terms of how they go out and talk to our customers via WeChat.

“They check up on our customers via WeChat. People send videos, they send voice mails – everything is pretty much done through WeChat. All your social media, everything comes through it. I mean, I think there is no way you’d ever exist without it here.”

Asked if Melco had remained in contact with its own high-end players throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and when they might start returning following resumption of the Individual Visit Scheme in Zhuhai – with Guangdong and the rest of mainland China set to follow – Sisk said the company had been “working hard to maintain those relationships with those players.”

“We know there’s a lot of pent up demand for our players,” he said.

“I think it’s more a matter of them being able to get the visa to come across. We do know that they want to come, it’s just timing and I think they’ve got to make sure that they feel safe.

“One of the bigger issues that we had in the very beginning was a lot of players wanted to come, but when they went back to their home province they had to essentially quarantine for two weeks. If you are a businessman and you are trying to go back and forth, you want to come for a weekend, that’s not going to be very effective to be able to run your business in China.

“So, we do see things getting better. We do see things over time getting to where we want to be. It’s going to take time here, but there are good things on the horizon and we do hear good things from our customers.”

RelatedPosts

Melco prices US$750 million Senior Notes offering

Melco Resorts parent Melco International back in the black with US$45 million 1H25 profit

Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 08:45
Morgan Stanley: Macau’s peninsula IRs could claim some GGR share from closure of SJM’s satellites

SJM still in discussions over acquisition of Macau satellite casinos Ponte 16 and L’Arc

Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 08:43
Macau hotel occupancy rate reached 91% in July, up 1.9 percentage points year-on-year

Macau hotel occupancy rate reached 91% in July, up 1.9 percentage points year-on-year

Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 06:32
Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Recovery of VIP gaming business helps Genting’s Resorts World Las Vegas book improved revenues of US$180 million in 2Q25

Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 05:30
Load More
Tags: banDonald TrumpMacauMelco Resorts & EntertainmentNorth AmericaWeChat
Share42Share5
Ben Blaschke

Ben Blaschke

A former sports journalist in Sydney, Australia, Ben has been Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming since early 2016. He played a leading role in developing and launching IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and oversees as well as being a key contributor to all of IAG’s editorial pursuits.

Current Issue

Editorial – Flipping the script

Editorial – Flipping the script

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:30

This month represents an important milestone for Inside Asian Gaming as we launch IAG EXPO – an expansion of the...

Asia market roundup

Asia market roundup

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:26

Inside Asian Gaming takes a deep dive into the state of Asia-Pacific’s key gaming markets: who’s hot, who’s not and...

Rewriting the rules

Rewriting the rules

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:43

IAG EXPO, taking place at Newport World Resorts from 8 to 10 September, is not your usual trade show. IAG...

Test of character

Test of character

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:28

Since its establishment in 1989, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has developed into the world’s most trusted name when it comes...

Evolution Asia
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
HKUST
NWR

Related Posts

The Star Sydney’s casino license in limbo as final report from second inquiry handed to regulator

Son of Star’s largest shareholder joins Star Entertainment Group board as non-executive director

by Newsdesk
Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 09:16

Troubled Star Entertainment Group has announced the appointment of Bruce Mathieson Jr – the son of Australian pub baron and Star’s largest shareholder Bruce Mathieson – as a non-executive director of the company, subject to regulatory approvals. Mathieson Jr, currently...

Melco prices US$750 million Senior Notes offering

Melco Resorts parent Melco International back in the black with US$45 million 1H25 profit

by Ben Blaschke
Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 08:45

Melco’s Hong Kong-listed parent Melco International Development Ltd recorded a profit attributable to owners of the company of HK$350.8 million (US$45.0 million) for the six months to 30 June 2025, buoyed by the improved performance of its gaming and non-gaming...

Morgan Stanley: Macau’s peninsula IRs could claim some GGR share from closure of SJM’s satellites

SJM still in discussions over acquisition of Macau satellite casinos Ponte 16 and L’Arc

by Ben Blaschke
Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 08:43

SJM Holdings is still in discussions over a possible acquisition of two Macau satellite casinos as it continues preparations for the cessation of the city’s satellite industry, management has confirmed. The update formed part of the company’s earnings call late...

Macau hotel occupancy rate reached 91% in July, up 1.9 percentage points year-on-year

Macau hotel occupancy rate reached 91% in July, up 1.9 percentage points year-on-year

by Pierce Chan
Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 06:32

Macau’s hotel occupancy rate surpassed the 90% threshold in July, reaching 91% for a year-on-year gain of 1.9 percentage points, according to information from the Statistics and Census Service. Benefiting from the summer holiday peak season, all tourism metrics in...

Your browser does not support the video tag.


IAG

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • 中文

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • 中文
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • 中文
  • English