Inside Asian Gaming

IAG APR 2020年4月 亞博匯 28 COVER STORY “With Chinese IVS and tour groups still suspended, we maintain our view that this could be relaxed on an individual region basis, albeit dependent on the number of ‘clean COVID-19 free days’,” Lee said. “Of the 10 top Chinese regions for Macau visitors, six regions have recent confirmed new cases. Guangdong is key, given visitors from the province account for 33% of total Chinese visitors of which 73% entered via IVS.” Lee estimated a 45% decline in Macau GGR for 2020, rebounding by around 33% in 2021, yet even those estimates may need revising: shortly before we went to print with this issue, Guangdong Province issued a requirement for all arrivals from Macau and Hong Kong, including provincial residents, to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon crossing the border, prompting a sudden and mass exodus out of Macau in order to beat the curfew. Clearly making any far looking predictions right now is easier said than done. INDUSTRY IMPACT While the unprecedented closure of casinos worldwide has seen attention largely diverted to operators, few in the industry have escaped the COVID-19 pain. Among the most critically endangered have been SMEs (small and medium- sized enterprises), many of whom have been forced to actively seek government assistance in order to survive a lack of business. In early March, the Macau Economic Bureau revealed it had received around 2,500 applications for financial assistance from SMEs in the space of one month, some requesting the provision of interest-free loans, others adjustments to loan repayments. Recognizing the problem, MGM China introduced in early March a series of relief measures for local Macau SMEs, including a revolutionary “Down Payment for Future Business” initiative by which it will provide advance payment to eligible vendors for future orders or services from MGM. Bigger suppliers have been hit too, with stock prices decimated. As reported by IAG on 20 March, Scientific Games Corp saw its share price fall 84.4% in the space of a week from a high of US$30.24 on 12 February to just US$4.71 eight days later, IGT from US$14.73 to US$4.12 in two days and Australian slot machine giant Aristocrat from AU$37.69 to AU$18.00 in the space of a month. 梓之前，廣東省宣佈，將對來自澳門和香港的所有入境人士，包括 其本省居民，實施強制14天集中隔離醫學觀察措施，消息一出立 刻導致大批遊客趕在政策實施前匆忙離境。 顯然，眼下根本無法做出任何較為長遠的預測。 行業衝擊 儘管全球範圍內史無前例的賭場關閉潮令人把更多注意 力放在營運商身上，但實際上全行業內自上而下鮮有人能逃過 COVID-19的重創。而其中受到疫情衝擊最嚴重的當數中小企業 （SMEs），他們之中的許多已經被迫向政府尋求幫助，以祈度過 零業績的危機時刻。澳門經濟局在三月初透露，在一個月內已經 接獲約2500宗中小企業財政援助措施申請，其中一部分申請了免 息援助貸款，另一部分則為申請「調整還款措施」。 在意識到這一問題後，美高梅中國隨即在三月初宣佈為因應 澳門當地中小企供應商需求設計出新一輪紓困措施，其中包括頗 為創新的「中小企預付貨款計劃」，該計劃的支援對象是因市況淡 靜而面對財務壓力的特選供應商，美高梅將預先向他們支付用作 日後採購其物資或服務的款項。 大型供應商也受到了衝擊，股價大幅下跌。 《亞博匯》曾在3月20日報道，科學遊戲公司（Scientific Games Corp）的股價在一週之內從2月12日的高點30.24美 元暴跌了84.4％，8日內跌至4.71美元。而IGT公司股價在兩 天內從14.73美元下跌至4.12美元。而澳洲角子機巨擘盛世· 貴族（Aristocrat）股價亦在一個月內從37.69澳元一路暴跌 至18澳元。 Aristocrat亞太區銷售及業務發展總監黎洛晨（Lloyd Robson）表示，這次事件令大家意識到行業參與者共同合作的 重要性。 他向《亞博匯》表示：「我們已經從包括員工、客戶、供應鏈和 包括政府及我們的社區合作夥伴在內的外部持份者等多個角度 分析了影響。」 「由於我們許多材料均來自亞太地區，所以面臨的其中一 個挑戰是供應鏈面臨了多大的影響。此外，考慮到如此之多的賭 場都關閉了，客戶方面也受到了一些影響。」 「我們正竭盡全力支持社區。例如我們向澳門捐贈了口罩 及衛生用品，向菲律賓捐贈了食物。這件事對整個行業而言都是 個挑戰，我們需共同努力，更大、更好地發揮我們的作用，為這一 充滿活力的地區創造就業和經濟增長。」