Retendering21-22

  Maintaining game pace, ensuring dealer expertise and the availability of “smart” gaming tables are all important elements if the Macau casino market is to see a successful expansion of a baccarat ‘insurance bet’, a product that sparks some interest among players while also boosting house advantage, say several industry experts spoken to by GGRAsia. Guaranteeing dealers had sufficient training to handle the complexity of ‘baccarat insurance’ rules and payouts would be important if the option were to have a chance of gaining popularity, observed the experts. Baccarat insurance bets have been offered recently at the “Supreme” high-limit rooms at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, according to a Citigroup  January survey  of Macau premium-table bets. GGRAsia approached MGM China Holdings Ltd, operator of the two properties; and the local regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, for comment on the insurance-bet topic, but had not received a reply from either, by the t...

jan25 As many as 610 million entries and exists across mainland China’s borders were logged last year, with over 41 per cent of them made by Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan residents. The latest figure – up 43.9 per cent on the previous year – was provided by the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday. When it came to movements involving foreign passport holders, the number was 64.88 million. The authorities said that they issued nearly 2.6 million foreign visas – up by 52.3 per cent year on year. Visa-free entries by foreigners reached around 20 million, more than double the number logged the previous year. Mainland China has so far achieved full visa exemption with 26 countries. It has also unilaterally granted visa-free entry to 38 countries, including France and Germany, and implemented transit visa-free policies for 54 countries. Furthermore, China has signed mutual visa exemption agreements with 157 countries and regions. Last month, the country announced a   relaxation...