Macau’s pandemic-hit casinos have started seeing a ray of hope for their recovery as the world’s leading casino hub is slowly but surely easing some of its quarantine requirements on visitors.
Macau has been the highest gaming revenue generating region in the world in the recent years and COVID-19 lockdowns have left casinos in Macau with massive revenue loss. When Macau casino operators will release their second quarter (Q2) results, the figures will most likely be in the red, and analysts with the multinational financial firm Morgan Stanley foresee an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation & amortization) loss of more than $1 billion for the quarter.
The Chinese government’s newly announced directive that urges its citizens not to travel to Australia threatens to render the under construction $2.2 billion casino complex project on Sydney harbor a “White Elephant”, industry experts warned.
Global financial services provider and credit ratings agency UBS has revised its estimate for Macau’s gross gaming revenue (GGR), projecting a bigger decline in revenue for the world’s biggest gaming destination this year due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
Macau, the Las Vegas of Asia, continued to experience the brunt of COVID-19-induced prolonged lockdown as its gross gaming revenue (GGR) slipped 93.2 per cent in May. Strict travel controls continued to impede the Special Administrative Region’s recovery efforts and even with relaxation for specific regions, Macau casinos are waiting to welcome crowds at pre COVID-19 levels.
