Galaxy Entertainment added to its range of non-gaming attractions in June, opening Macau’s first Apple Store, as operators seek to appeal to a broader market to replace the shrunken VIP sector.
Macau now gets around 45 percent of its revenue from the mass sector, up from the low point of 26 percent in 2Q11. Although the mass sector has significantly higher margins than the VIP at 25 percent to 55 percent compared with 10 percent, for most, that shift is still not yet showing through in the bottom line.
Operators face the challenge of product differentiation, as well as competing with other entertainment options and the growing number of casinos opening in other Asian destinations.
In China, for example, the opening of Shanghai Disneyland is expected to have a negative impact on the frequency of visits to Macau, with the two sharing very similar spending per capita amongst visitors.
The issue is not just...
This Dossier results from the “Life After POGOs” editorial project by Asia Gaming Brief which culminated with a pop-up digital forum on 9th December to discuss potentials ramifications in the industry.
Covid-19 forced the rapid and unexpected closure of venues across Australia, changing the operating environment with unprecedented speed and leaving managers scrambling to adapt...
South Korea said on Sunday it will extend social distancing measures introduced to try to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic for another six days, to Jan. 3 after reporting a further 970 cases on Saturday.
Predicting a spike in Covid-19 cases in January, Goa state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has appealed to tourists to take precautions and to observe government appeals to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Operators in Entertainment City had already begun to complain about the impact of rising competition on their margins even prior to the Covid-19 crisis. Now, with the outlook highly uncertain due to border closures and the erosion of the VIP sector, they may have to contend with three new developments pressing ahead.
Over the years, many of the answers have been remarkably prescient in their forecasts for the near-term direction of Asia’s gaming industry. However, we can safely say that no one came anywhere close to guessing
what 2020 may have had in store.
While nowhere in the world has escaped the economic fallout from the Covid-19 crisis, Macau has been hit harder than most, with forecasts for gross domestic product to shrink more than 50 percent this year.
Before the Covid-19 crisis, tourism in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region was at a record high, on track to welcome 80 million visitors in 2019, generating some $90 billion in revenue.
