Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUN 2022年6月 亞博匯 20 COVER STORY W e’re back!” They are the words the world has been waiting to hear and that our industry has been desperately craving. More than two years since the global outbreak of COVID-19 saw borders slammed shut, communities placed into lockdown and casino doors shuttered – often for the first time since their launch – Asia is “ finally reopening. And at some pace too. Despite suffering an unexpected setback to start the year, as the Omicron variant swept from shore to shore, at the time of writing almost all of the 48 nations considered by the United Nations to comprise Asia-Pacific had either fully or partially reopened their borders to international tourism, or are planning to do so in the coming weeks. The notable holdout is China, which continues to stick solid with its “dynamic zero-COVID” policy, highlighted by strict lockdowns in areas where new cases are detected. Despite reports of rising tensions between residents and officials in Shanghai – where more than two months of restrictions have led to food shortages and limited access to health care – President Xi Jinping told a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee