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...

mar25 Macau’s casino industry is likely to benefit from China’s latest economic stimulus package, says brokerage Seaport Research Partners, which predicts a boost to consumer confidence and spending power. The stimulus measures, announced on Sunday by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, aim to revitalise domestic demand and ease financial burdens on consumers, according to an offical statement. Seaport said the policies should help sustain revenue growth in Macau’s gaming sector. “The Chinese government has recently announced ambitious plans to boost consumption and improve consumer confidence,” noted senior analyst Vitaly Umansky in a Wednesday memo. “Such policy initiatives should provide a positive tailwind for Macau’s revenues.” China’s stimulus package comprises eight key sections, including policies to promote “reasonable wage growth by strengthening employment support” and to improve mechanisms for min...