Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUL 2021年7月 亞博匯 80 COLUMNISTS W hen will Macau’s casino revenues return to 2019/pre-pandemic levels? This is something I have been regularly asked ever since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the sudden cancelation of Macau’s Golden Week Chinese New Year celebrations in January 2020 and the closure of its casinos for 15 days shortly after. It is clear that the trajectory of Macau’s casino and tourism recovery, and building resilience, is based on medical data and science, with medical professionals directing us towards nucleic acid testing, track and trace technology, and containment of COVID-19 surges and new virus variants. A recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases in nearby Guangzhou highlighted just how quickly the recovery trajectory can change, with visitation to Macau and casino revenues taking an immediate hit. Certainly short- term predictions around GGR revenue looked vastly better a month ago given there was little indication such a setback was about to impact one of Macau’s key visitor source areas. Some reporting in Guangzhou following the new virus resurgence described an increase in vaccination rates as a result. This is notable as it shows one of the key factors in overcoming vaccine