Despite casino resorts better accommodating the general public, gambling is still the lifeline of Macau. Gaming taxes account for around 80 percent of the enclave government’s total revenue.<\/p>\n
Much is uncertain in the years ahead regarding the gaming industry. Licenses for SJM Holdings and MGM Resorts are set to expire in 2020, and the four other operators \u2013 Sands, Wynn, Galaxy Entertainment, Melco \u2013 will see their concessions expire in 2022.<\/p>\n
Industry analysts expect all six operators to receive new licenses, but at what cost remains uncertain. Morgan Stanley said in a recent note that Macau regulators are considering increasing the 39 percent gaming tax, or possibly imposing a one-time fee on the six companies to receive new permits.<\/p>\n
\nConcerns have also been raised that the three US casino operators in Macau \u2013 Sands, Wynn, MGM \u2013 could become targets amid the trade war. Analyst Steve Vickers opined recently, “The US-owned Macau casinos are sitting on what could be called a geopolitical fault line.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
However, he added that “to date, the Chinese have been quite careful not to escalate the conflict into a direct assault on US interests.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Macau casinos won 302,846 MOP ($37.54 billion) in 2018, a 14 percent premium on 2017 and the enclave’s highest mark since 2014. An increase in mass market visitation has been credited for the gaming rebound, as casino resorts continue to pivot away from the high roller to more of the general public. The multibillion-dollar properties […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":95341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Macau Casinos Win $37.5B in 2018, Visitation Increase Cited for Gain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n