Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2022年2月 亞博匯 36 COVER STORY their junket partners has taken on less significance for the operators with the GGR contribution of the VIP segment falling below 40% and EBITDA contribution below 10% as of 2019 (pre-COVID), according to a recent report by investment bank Morgan Stanley. But VIP still accounted for 33% of the government’s tax revenue in 2019. The government’s consultation document largely maintained the status quo when it came to junket regulation, other than a promise to further scrutinize junket agents and a proposal to ban player deposits unless specifically for the purpose of gambling (a measure aimed at preventing junkets being used as banks and/or seeking liquidity by offering so- called “investors” an ongoing return in the form of interest on their “investments”). That all changed on 27 November 2021 when Macau’s Judiciary Police arrested 11 people linked to Macau’s dominant junket promotor Suncity, including its CEO Alvin Chau – undoubtedly the face of Asia’s modern-day junket industry. Accused of criminal association, illegal gambling and money laundering, the 47-year-old was sent to Macau’s prison the next day where he currently awaits trial. Chau’s arrest sparked a chain reaction, with Suncity Suncity CEO Alvin Chau was arrested in late November. 太陽城行政總裁周焯華於11月下旬被捕。