Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUL 2020年7月 亞博匯 22 COVER STORY Macau has so far resisted suggestions to embrace online casino gambling. 到目前為止，澳門一直拒絕接受網絡賭場博彩的想法。 A mid the global coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered casinos and brought travel to a virtual standstill, one industry segment has shown massive growth: online gaming. With uncertain prospects for a return to business as usual without effective COVID-19 treatment or a vaccine, Asia’s simplest road to reviving gaming revenue and taxes and protecting industry jobs would be expanding online gaming. If Asian governments want to take that step, Europe and the US demonstrate that strictly regulated online gaming can thrive in domestic markets. Across the world, online gaming revenue has soared as coronavirus spread (this coverage defines online gaming, or iGaming, as casino games including poker and other peer-to-peer play, but excluding sports wagering). From mid-March deep into May, with casinos closed nearly everywhere but Macau, travel restricted and major sports leagues shut down, online casino gaming has been virtually the only game in town. European iGaming action reportedly rose 20% this year from an estimated € 7.9 billion (US$8.6 billion) in 2019. Online gaming revenue in the US state of New Jersey jumped 118% year-on-year to US$80 million in April and 124% in May to $86 million. In Pennsylvania, where iGaming launched in July 2019, May revenue of US$56 million more than doubled from US$26 million in March. While online gaming rose, gaming overall fell. With casinos closed and sports wagering crimped, New Jersey’s total gaming revenue in May fell by 65% to US$96 million, down by US$181 million. Other jurisdictions report similar numbers. The outlook for brick-and-mortar recovery remains cloudy. GGR in Macau fell 93% in May and 97% in June, as travel restrictions remained in place. Lifting restrictions won’t automatically mean people resume traveling, especially in public conveyances such as buses, trains and airplanes.