Your Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Omicron is a cause for concern, but not panic

covid variant

Good morning.ย A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, known as Omicron, has been dominating global headlines lately. Whilst the World Health Organization has deemed the overall risk of the new variant “very high,”ย not much is yet known about the new variant, particularly its transmissibility and impact on health. Our infographic today looks at what we know, and don’t yet know about the new variant.


What you need to know

  • Suncity Groupโ€™sย Alvin Chau was transferred to a local jail pending trial, with his arrest continuing to reverberate throughout the industry, sending shares in Macauโ€™s casino operators plunging.
  • Suncity Group Holdingsย said Alvin Chau intends to resign from his executive positions with the group and said his arrest may hit group revenue.
  • Mohegan Gaming & Entertainmentย said it has raised $1.55 billion in financing for its South Korean integrated resort, which it now expects to open in 2023.ย 
  • The Chinese Supreme Peopleโ€™s Procuratorate (SSP)ย has pledged to continue strengthening its fight against illegal cross-border gambling, which still runs rampant in mainland China.

On the radar

  • Metro Manilaย to retain alert level 2, suspends border reopening plansย 
  • Century Int.ย confirmed a widened interim loss, but says itโ€™s a going concern
  • Summit Ascentย has denied allegations of luring Chinese to gamble at Tigre de Cristal.

What the papers say

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BY THE NUMB3RS

asia gaming ebrief

Omicron is a cause for concern, but not panic

A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, known as B.1.1.529 or Omicron, started to make global headlines over the weekend, with many fearing it could trigger another wave of infection and lockdowns akin to the highly contagious Delta strain earlier this year.ย Theย World Health Organization (WHO)ย on Friday released a statement classifying Omicron as a โ€œVariant of Concernโ€ (VOC), but not a lot is yet known about the new strain and particularlyย how effective current Covid-19 vaccines are against it.ย Also unclear is how much more transmissible or deadly the variant is compared to the Delta strain.


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