Retendering21-22

dez25 Macau’s mass baccarat minimum bets have softened since October as casino operators compete for players displaced by the  closure of satellite casinos , according to  Citigroup ’s latest monthly table survey. Citigroup said the trend reflects intensified competition among the city’s six concessionaires to capture gaming demand amid structural changes in the market. In a note published on Monday, the investment bank said the average minimum bet for mass baccarat tables across Macau stood at HK$2,058 ($264) in December. While the level was 4 percent higher year-on-year, it marked a 3 percent month-on-month decline, which Citigroup attributed to a more aggressive push by operators to attract former satellite casino patrons following a wave of closures that began in late October. Citigroup noted that since October, several integrated resorts, including StarWorld, City of Dreams, Wynn Macau on the peninsula, and  Casino Lisboa , have opened new gaming areas featuring...

set25 Free services provided to customers accounted for 63 percent of operating expenses among Macau’s gaming operators in 2024. The figures were released on Wednesday by the Statistics and Census Service ( DSEC ) in its 2024 Gaming Sector Survey. The survey categorizes these outlays under ‘Complimentary Goods & Services Provided to Customers’, a practice long regarded as one of the main strategies for attracting and retaining premium clients. These free services include a broad range of perks designed to build customer loyalty and reinforce Macau’s appeal as a gaming destination. Hotels and dining dominate free services Hotel accommodation was the largest component of complimentary services, accounting for 34.4 percent of total operating expenses in this category. Food and beverage offerings followed at 19.9 percent, while transportation costs such as bus, ferry, and air tickets contributed 3.3 percent. Other complimentary goods and services made up 5.5 percent. Together, these ex...

 Jun24 Macau’s casino industry could benefit from clearer guidelines on the use of face recognition technology on gaming floors, particularly for marketing purposes. That is the opinion of Graça Saraiva (pictured, centre right), legal consultant and data protection officer for casino operator Sands china Ltd. “It would be good to have more specific and clear guidelines from the regulator in what concerns facial recognition technology at gaming tables,” Ms Saraiva said on Thursday. She was speaking during a panel session of the conference segment of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2024 casino industry trade show in Macau. Ms Saraiva was responding to a question about the use of ‘smart’ gaming tables in the context of the Macau market, and how to take advantage of the functions offered by such types of equipment – including making use of facial recognition and artificial intelligence for business purposes – while ensuring player data protection. https://www.ggrasia.c...

fev25 Visitor arrivals to Macau during the Chinese New Year ( CNY ) holiday fell short of the Macao Government Tourism Office’s ( MGTO ) forecast, raising concerns within the industry. In an interview with Macau Daily,  Andy Wu , president of the Macau Tourism Industry Association, noted that the city’s focus on attracting international tourists last year may have inadvertently led to the neglect of traditional markets such as mainland China and Hong Kong. In response, the industry plans to strengthen efforts to retain its core visitor base while expanding into new markets. According to the MGTO, Macau  received  1.31 million visitors during the eight-day CNY holiday (January 28th–February 4th), marking a 3.5 percent year-on-year average daily decline. Mainland Chinese tourists accounted for 1 million of these arrivals, down 3.2 percent from the previous year. The average daily visitation of approximately 163,700 was below the MGTO’s forecast of 185,000 visitors per day. ...

ab25 The  criminalising  of gaming-related unlicensed money exchange has been “effective” in combatting such activities, says Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak Mr Wong (pictured, back row, centre) added fewer instances of suspected unlicensed money-changing for gambling purposes being solicited by touts had been reported since the law came into effect. He was speaking in response to a question from local legislator Lam Lon Wai, at a Friday plenary session of the city’s Legislative Assembly. The meeting was a question-and-answer session on Macau’s Policy Address for Fiscal Year 2025 that had been announced in mid-April. Mr Wong stated: “Following the criminalising… last year, the impact has been quite satisfactory. “From the time it was criminalised till the end of last year, there were 89 such cases recorded: another 132 cases were recorded in the first quarter of this year,” said Mr Wong in his comments to the assembly. “Since they [offenders] are left with a crim...