Macau's Casino Operation Continues Despite The Latest Outbreak

[Kemarit]

I guess the government of Macau has to weigh-in all factors and I guess for them the right decision is to continue with the operation. I would say it's a desperate move, but everyone is suffering right now, even US, unemployment, economy is stagnant. So yeah, they need to survived and this is the only one that will keep them alive. There could be 'collateral damage', but right now we can't do anything about it.

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[Darker45]

I don't see the point of opening these casinos when the tiny island has yet to finish testing all of its residents. Well, it can be done quickly since Macau's population is just less than a million, but why do they have to open the casinos while the rest of the private and public establishments are all closed? After all, residents are asked to stay at home, border restrictions tightened, and the rest of the business establishments closed.

This isn't even about revenue because with all the temporary restrictions and shutting down of the island, casinos will probably be losing. And this is not something that lasts for a month. This will be very quick.

[Yogee]

But they don't limit the tourists that come in? I guess that's where the bulk of casino users come from if they were to let casinos stay open and yet close down restaurants (which is still odd imo, but eh whatever).

They closed their borders except for residents of Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/20/business/macao-covid-businesses-close-casinos-open-intl-hnk/index.html

It wouldn't make sense if they allow tourists while they restrict their own citizens. Those from mainland and Taiwan are acceptable since they probably have the same strict measure against covid.

I don't see the point of opening these casinos when the tiny island has yet to finish testing all of its residents. Well, it can be done quickly since Macau's population is just less than a million, but why do they have to open the casinos while the rest of the private and public establishments are all closed? After all, residents are asked to stay at home, border restrictions tightened, and the rest of the business establishments closed.

The article said "most residents" so some are still allowed to go out. Government will surely drop after this but it's better than zero if they shutdown their main source of money.

[AakZaki]

Actually, I didn't hear much of this news regarding the outbreak of a new disease in Macau. Although I know Macau is the largest traditional gambling area in Asia. Of course they have to make decisions, even though I know there are consequences to be had.
In addition, many people think that this virus is just a world cooperation to paralyze the economies of developing countries. I think they believe that this disease is not deadly if everyone is in normal condition. At the end of the day also at this time Covid seems to be going away on its own as well. So I think their government thinks the economy should keep going including income from gambling and It's more profitable and can cover the cost of the covid outbreak.

[Mahanton]

Actually, I didn't hear much of this news regarding the outbreak of a new disease in Macau. Although I know Macau is the largest traditional gambling area in Asia. Of course they have to make decisions, even though I know there are consequences to be had.
In addition, many people think that this virus is just a world cooperation to paralyze the economies of developing countries. I think they believe that this disease is not deadly if everyone is in normal condition. At the end of the day also at this time Covid seems to be going away on its own as well. So I think their government thinks the economy should keep going including income from gambling and It's more profitable and can cover the cost of the covid outbreak.

Knowing on the position of Macau when it comes to gambling revenue then this isn't something that could be stopped unless if there would be some significant death toll then they might that stop fully but since the situation could still be controlled then stopping operation is nonsense if in exchange on wasting or losing Soo much revenue.Just let them be on what would be their decision
Yet they aren't that blind on not to see on what's happening around so just let them be on what would be their decisions.

[_act_]

I guess the government of Macau has to weigh-in all factors and I guess for them the right decision is to continue with the operation. I would say it's a desperate move, but everyone is suffering right now, even US, unemployment, economy is stagnant. So yeah, they need to survived and this is the only one that will keep them alive. There could be 'collateral damage', but right now we can't do anything about it.

There is what they can do about it, if the out break go worse and more people are contracting the virus, the government will have no other option than to just close casinos down also. But if the outbreak become less severe and people are not contracting the disease like before, the government will leave the casinos to keep on operating, while later other business will open for work again. Gambling is common in Macau and the government are really making money from it, it will be the last thing the government can ever think about.

[Silberman]

We all know that Macau is the world's biggest gambling capital the world and its government is relying 80% on its revenues from casino operations as the majority of its citizen are employed directly or not directly but now it is facing a dilemma there is a rapid increase of the outbreak of the disease and they have no choice but to close most shops, banks schools, and government offices but surprisingly their casino operations are still open as they need to cope with the revenues losses and keep the money flowing to keep the government funds stable.
Do you think the government of Macau made the right decision or they are very desperate not to shut down the casino operations
because they need their economy going.

Related story and source here

Macao shuts most businesses, restaurants amid mass COVID-19 testing; casinos stay open
 

Without a doubt it is a difficult decision to take, however when the economy is so dependent in a single source of income then it is almost impossible for any government to close it so easily, so while things are getting bad I think the decision seems to be the correct one for the moment, however it would be interesting to see what they would do in the case things get even worse, as if things get bad enough then people will stop going to the casinos on their own anyway.

[smyslov]

They will not decide to open the casinos they managed without thinking of the risk, advantages, and disadvantages, it's a big disaster if the spike doubles because of the casinos, they can not let that happen, and their economy will crash, so I think they will employ the strictest protocol for casino players and will ensure that the operation of their casinos will not add to the surge of Covid whilew continue to keep the economy moving.

[serjent05]

The government could have solved this problem if they tackle the issue seriously.  It has been 2 years since the pandemic.  They should have slowly transitioned their land base casino to online-casino or be a counterpart of it.  They can do live shows just like in the regular online casino.  This way, it wouldn't be an issue if their land-based casino will temporarily be closed because they have an online casino counterpart that will fill the gap.  It is a sad thought that often times those who are in the higher position failed to think outside the box in order to adapt to the current pandemic issues.

[uneng]

We all know that Macau is the world's biggest gambling capital the world and its government is relying 80% on its revenues from casino operations as the majority of its citizen are employed directly or not directly but now it is facing a dilemma there is a rapid increase of the outbreak of the disease and they have no choice but to close most shops, banks schools, and government offices but surprisingly their casino operations are still open as they need to cope with the revenues losses and keep the money flowing to keep the government funds stable.
Do you think the government of Macau made the right decision or they are very desperate not to shut down the casino operations
because they need their economy going.

Related story and source here

Macao shuts most businesses, restaurants amid mass COVID-19 testing; casinos stay open
 

Without a doubt it is a difficult decision to take, however when the economy is so dependent in a single source of income then it is almost impossible for any government to close it so easily, so while things are getting bad I think the decision seems to be the correct one for the moment, however it would be interesting to see what they would do in the case things get even worse, as if things get bad enough then people will stop going to the casinos on their own anyway.

I believe the government is going to open an exception for casinos in every cases, because more than 80% of the local income depends on gambling industry, including jobs generation for the citizens. If they close casinos there will be two issues at same time: economical and sanitary. Maybe safety protocols can be adopted, like the masks usage, abundance of alcohol on every tables of the casino, fever test at the entrances, reduced number of people allowed inside a room... But it's undeniable the situation is worrying because a new wave of Covid-19 is spreading again in many countries and in large proportions. It seems to not have an end.

[traderethereum]

Maybe it's because the Macau government thinks that casinos can make a big contribution in taxes compared to other businesses that still allow casinos to operate.
Or maybe the Macau government has other considerations in allowing casinos to operate that they haven't made known to the public.
It is up to the Macau government's policy to shut down which business they want as they, as regulators, will have their say.

It is not only about losing tax payments. Gambling in Macau includes more than 50% of their GDP. Closing this revenue inflow would kill their economy and take it into a recession. Also, through the Macau casinos are where large money laundering rings for mainland Chinese millionares are located. It might be something similar to a highly industrial country if they closed their factories.

If that's the reason the Macau government didn't close the casinos, then it's only natural that they don't want to lose their income from the casinos.
If they close the casino at this time, it means they will lose a lot of money and maybe it will cost them the opportunity to build their country.
Maybe the Macau government will close the casino if the casino is no longer providing income to the government and will look for other casinos.

[robelneo]

Maybe it's because the Macau government thinks that casinos can make a big contribution in taxes compared to other businesses that still allow casinos to operate.
Or maybe the Macau government has other considerations in allowing casinos to operate that they haven't made known to the public.
It is up to the Macau government's policy to shut down which business they want as they, as regulators, will have their say.

It is not only about losing tax payments. Gambling in Macau includes more than 50% of their GDP. Closing this revenue inflow would kill their economy and take it into a recession. Also, through the Macau casinos are where large money laundering rings for mainland Chinese millionares are located. It might be something similar to a highly industrial country if they closed their factories.

If that's the reason the Macau government didn't close the casinos, then it's only natural that they don't want to lose their income from the casinos.
If they close the casino at this time, it means they will lose a lot of money and maybe it will cost them the opportunity to build their country.
Maybe the Macau government will close the casino if the casino is no longer providing income to the government and will look for other casinos.

Its' time for Macau to consider diversifying its source of revenues, not only casinos, nobody thought that we will have another pandemic and every county will be locked up and Macau is one of the country that seriously suffer from the lock down, and now there is a spike again, Macau has n choice but to keep the economy moving at the expense of a possible spike of the virus, the next thing is we will have news that Macau has another wave of infection.

[Markinzo]

Difficult times demands drastic decision I think that the government of Macau understand this and why they had to take up such measures as excluding their casinos from the shut down amidst other sectors so as to protect her economy from collapse even as they suffer from the hit of the disease.

No sane government in the world would shut down her source of major revenue income. For it been a major source of income to the government  it then means it's actually providing employment too for the citizens. So shutting it down is like taking people out of their jobs in the middle of serious disease they all battling with.
So just imagine such a situation!!

[madnessteat]

^

Any state has a fund for such situations and instead of temporarily closing all the casinos and providing financial support to citizens and businesses from this fund they risk the lives of their citizens in the pursuit of profit. A land-based casino is a place where a huge number of people congregate and leaving them open while other public places are closed is simply not reasonable. I think their actions will lead to more disease and death among the population.

[bitzizzix]

^

Any state has a fund for such situations and instead of temporarily closing all the casinos and providing financial support to citizens and businesses from this fund they risk the lives of their citizens in the pursuit of profit. A land-based casino is a place where a huge number of people congregate and leaving them open while other public places are closed is simply not reasonable. I think their actions will lead to more disease and death among the population.

There is probably no choice even on the grounds that Macau has a strong economy based on its role as a gambling hub that has to keep operating under dire circumstances, and there will definitely be pros and cons from the surrounding area as it is unfair. Because businesses and other public places are prohibited from operating and Macau gambling venues are allowed to operate and that is unreasonable and unfair.
Macau casinos have to be very strict in implementing health protocols, and also have to be strict with every visitor and worker if they want to keep operating in this dire infectious disease situation.

[Hydrogen]

High fuel and food prices exact a hefty toll on disposable income.

Which hits hospitality sectors: tourism, gambling and entertainment areas the hardest.

COVID travel restrictions and lockdowns also contribute to declines.

The population of macau is close to 650,000 residents. It isn't a massive area with a population of millions.

Which will hopefully help it to have the flexibility it needs to outlast any economic hardship.

Macau caters to high end clientale of whales. They should be much better suited to survive things like COVID lockdowns in contrast to most industries.

[dunfida]

^

Any state has a fund for such situations and instead of temporarily closing all the casinos and providing financial support to citizens and businesses from this fund they risk the lives of their citizens in the pursuit of profit. A land-based casino is a place where a huge number of people congregate and leaving them open while other public places are closed is simply not reasonable. I think their actions will lead to more disease and death among the population.

There is probably no choice even on the grounds that Macau has a strong economy based on its role as a gambling hub that has to keep operating under dire circumstances, and there will definitely be pros and cons from the surrounding area as it is unfair. Because businesses and other public places are prohibited from operating and Macau gambling venues are allowed to operate and that is unreasonable and unfair.
Macau casinos have to be very strict in implementing health protocols, and also have to be strict with every visitor and worker if they want to keep operating in this dire infectious disease situation.

They would be normally be following strict protocols not for the sake of avoiding surrounding problems but rather also for the safe of everybody which is something ethical to be done.

In relation with the decision of not stopping the business then it would be understandable considering on how big the revenue that they do get from gambling then this isnt something  that should really be stopped.

It all matters or depends into their government whether if they could still able to handle out the outbreak without the need of such closure or would be totally doing the opposite.

[madnessteat]

^

As the practice of fighting the spread of the coronavirus has shown, restricting visits to public places is one of the most powerful tools and the Macao government is well aware of this. But instead of taking care of the health of their population, they care about filling the budget. In my opinion, this is a very short-sighted decision because it contributes to the further spread of the epidemic.

[aioc]

^

As the practice of fighting the spread of the coronavirus has shown, restricting visits to public places is one of the most powerful tools and the Macao government is well aware of this. But instead of taking care of the health of their population, they care about filling the budget. In my opinion, this is a very short-sighted decision because it contributes to the further spread of the epidemic.

Maybe they think the scenario is better now than today if their people caught COVID it will be mild since the majority are already vaccinated, they treated COVID like flu, the worse thing that can happen is if their hospitals cannot keep up but as long as there are no serious cases or death they can still manage, we'll see in the coming weeks or months if they did the right thing of prioritizing revenues that the health of their people.

[molsewid]

We all know that Macau is the world's biggest gambling capital the world and its government is relying 80% on its revenues from casino operations as the majority of its citizen are employed directly or not directly but now it is facing a dilemma there is a rapid increase of the outbreak of the disease and they have no choice but to close most shops, banks schools, and government offices but surprisingly their casino operations are still open as they need to cope with the revenues losses and keep the money flowing to keep the government funds stable.
Do you think the government of Macau made the right decision or they are very desperate not to shut down the casino operations
because they need their economy going.

Related story and source here

Macao shuts most businesses, restaurants amid mass COVID-19 testing; casinos stay open
 

Don't get me wrong with this but just like China though they are not the same country, they are 1st world country, they will not ignore this pandemic, I am sure they have the proper way to manage it and maintain the ability not to spread out the viruses even though they still operates some casinos. The pandemic started in the mainland, they are the first hand to stop and know the prevention for wild spread.