According to Luiz Lam, former director of the Macau Association of Gaming and Entertainment Promoters, there are only 12 to 13 junkets out of 36 in operation, and half of them have shifted from the mainland Chinese source market to Hong Kong.

On a wave of legalization of gaming in Thailand, Japan, the UAE and further, Macau faces growing competitive pressure, warns a local VIP gaming expert.

Macau recorded casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) of MOP15.21 billion ($1.88 billion) in June, down 2.3 percent from MOP15.57 billion in May. This is the first month the city reports GGR dropping month-to-month since all travel restrictions were removed.

Experts are struggling to find quantifiable advantages to the new foreigner-only gaming zones in Macau casinos, noting that none of Macau’s six gaming concessionaires have so far applied for the tax break, reducing the 40 percent charge on their gross gaming revenue (GGR), which could be applicable to gambling by foreigners under the new concession system.

Las Vegas Sands CEO Rob Goldstein is not concerned about the introduction of the digital RMB in Macau, believing the currency would be a positive to the gaming industry by adding liquidity into the market.