Macau Visitor Arrivals Up Nine Percent in 2018 First Quarter

Macau visitor arrivals totaled more than 8.5 million into the first quarter of 2018, an 8.6 percent increase on the same three-month period in 2017.

Mainland Chinese residents are flocking to Macau.

March ended up being an exceptionally strong period, as tourism traffic jumped more than nine percent due towards the thirty days having an extra Saturday in 2018 set alongside the year that is previous. Visitor arrivals totaled 2.7 million, which is really an 11 per cent fall from February due to that month hosting the all-important Golden Week holiday.

Visitation from Mainland China was up almost ten percent final thirty days, and 13.4 percent in the quarter that is first.

The Macau Statistics and Census provider report is welcomed news to casino operators that continue to look to increase mass market visitation to the video gaming enclave.

Gross gaming income (GGR) has followed the visitation trend. Income from games of fortune are up 20.5 percent through March. China’s gaming enclave has now posted 21 consecutive months of positive gains.

Mass Appeal

After three years of yearly GGR declines between 2014 and 2016 due to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign being extended to VIP junkets, casino operators began rethinking their focus to a lot more of the population that is general.

While the VIP has reigned supreme for decades and is in charge of transforming Macau from the sleepy hallow into the entire world’s gaming hub that is richest, gambling enterprises not wish to entirely depend on the high roller to help keep profits robust.

Mainland Asia and Hong Kong is responsible for more than 85 percent of the traffic to Macau. Showing an increase in visitation from the mainland through the very first three months of 2018, with no surge that is apparent junket activity, means resorts are effectively enticing more for the mass market.

‘Mass demand is growing to record highs,’ analysts at JP Morgan said last week. ‘The pace that this recovery is happening without any rise that is discernible advertising shows it’s gamblingprofessors.com a genuine demand recovery, maybe not artificially pulled ahead.’

Macau officials are hoping infrastructure improvements assists in future growth. Along side a new ferry terminal near the Cotai Strip, the 2018 summer opening of the multibillion-dollar mega bridge that will reduce car travel time from Hong Kong to Macau from four hours to simply 45 minutes should bring new people to the enclave.

Entry Concerns

Gross gaming revenue and Macau visitor arrivals are both up in 2018 with one quarter of the year in the books.

Macau Travel business Council President Andy Wu Keng Kuong told news that is local this week that the Special Administrative Region (SAR) federal government needs to prepare yourself to manage big amounts of visitors 356 days a year, in comparison to only at peak times like Golden Week.

‘We don’t foresee there would be a jump within the wide range of tourists coming weekend that is last Wu told the Macau Information Agency. ‘Related government departments should study more data in order to raised organize and plan the growth of tourists.’

Wu believes room rates during major vacations, which are of course at premium levels, has some mainlanders postponing their trips to times that are off-peak as mid-April.

The travel industry president is urging the federal government to boost edge crossing procedures, and look to invest in new transportation that is public.

UFC Fight Delivers Knockout Win for Atlantic City night

Saturday’s UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Fight Night occasion at Boardwalk Hall delivered a showing that is strong the Atlantic City economy, as 9,541 fans packed in to the arena generating a gate of $923,720.

Kevin Lee (left) defeated Edson Barboza within the headlining fight at UFC Fight 128 in Atlantic City night. (Image: Noah Murray/USA sports today)

The nj-new Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) struck a $4 million cope with William Morris Endeavor (WME) in July 2017 to bring large occasions to the beachfront town. CRDA officials praised Saturday’s UFC showing.

‘Our partnership with WME is approximately bringing offseason destination events to Atlantic City, and the UFC Fight event did not disappoint,’ CRDA Executive Director Christopher Howard declared to the Press of Atlantic City night. ‘These events continues to draw visitors to Atlantic City and showcase Boardwalk Hall.’

Mayor Frank Gilliam (D) called UFC Fight 128 a ‘great success. night’ City Council President Marty Small stated UFC was a win for the entire community that is economic and believes the 2018 summer is critical towards the future of Atlantic City.

Saturday was the first UFC fight in Boardwalk Hall since 2005.

Pay to Play

The CRDA’s $4 million re payment to WME requires the Beverly Hills talent agency and UFC moms and dad business to create a few so-called ‘destination events’ to Boardwalk Hall or the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Destination events are concerts and tourist attractions that bring outside visitors to Atlantic City who are typically required to pay the night time at casino resorts.

WME has three events that are future for Boardwalk Hall. They’re the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Tour Unleash the Beast that operates 14-16, Bear Grylls Survival Challenge (October 12-14), and the Basketball Hall of Fame Quadruple Header on December 15 september.

The CRDA also has entertainment contracts with Live Nation and Comcast NBC-Universal. Live Nation was responsible for last summer’s beach concert series that brought musicians Pink and Brantley Gilbert to Atlantic City, and a combined 70,000 fans.

Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming Executive Director Rummy Pandit believes it is a strategy that’s working.

‘The existence of sporting events like the UFC fight features a synergistic effect for the entire city, generating financial task which impacts many local businesses from food and beverage to lodging,’ Pandit stated. ‘As New Jersey moves closer to provide legal sports wagering, the synergy between live sporting events and gaming probably will grow even stronger and have an even greater effect on the neighborhood economy.’

2018 Summer Time

Summer doesn’t formally begin until June 21, but things are already warming up in Atlantic City. With at the least two casinos that are new to start within the coming months, there’s much enthusiasm around town.

Hard Rock Atlantic City, the former Trump Taj Mahal that’s being converted into a rock ‘n’ roll-themed resort at a price of $500 million, is set to open June 28. The company says it’s focused on entertainment, not gaming, and it has unveiled 60 of its 300 planned concerts in its first 12 months of operation.

Hard Rock headliners include Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Third Eye Blind, Steely Dan, and Kid Rock.

The shuttered Revel is additionally slated to open this summer as Ocean Resort Casino. The Showboat, which is currently a hotel-only property, is mulling reopening its casino floor, too.

Crown Resorts Hit with More Accusations of Slots Tampering

Australia’s Crown Resorts is dealing with new accusations of video slot tampering at its flagship Crown Melbourne Casino.

Long-time scourge of the Australian gambling industry Andrew Wilkie believes Crown Resorts’ gaming permit should not be renewed until all slots-tampering allegations have already been thoroughly investigated. (Image: The Examiner)

Longstanding lawmaker that is anti-gambling perennial Crown Resorts adversary Andrew Wilkie announced this week he was indeed approached by a former VIP customer at the casino who claimed staff had provided her with ‘small plastic picks’ to stick to the gaps between betting buttons on slot machines. These had been used to help keep the buttons depressed, allowing for automatic and play that is continuous.

The girl additionally reported the casino issued her with multiple loyalty cards so she could make loyalty points playing machines that are multiple once.

Police Informed

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, under Victorian video gaming legislation, slots with non-stop spins are permitted in some specially designated areas for the casino, but tampering with devices that have to pass strict regulatory scrutiny could be contrary to the law. For Wilkie, though, there’s absolutely no doubt.

‘we have actually raised [the allegations] with all the VCGLR (Victoria state gaming regulator) personally previous today,’ he told SMH. ‘ And I also have also written to the chief commissioner of Victoria Police and advised police also need certainly to look at these matters, because if these matters are true, they is criminal.’

Previous ‘Button Blocking’ Accusations

In March, the VCGLR announced it would commence proceedings that are disciplinary Crown after finding evidence of ‘button blocking’ at the Crown Casino Melbourne.

The regulator’s investigation was prompted by the allegations of three ‘anonymous whistleblowers’ all employees that are ex-Crown testified to Wilkie they had been purchased to ‘shave down’ wagering buttons on slots so customers could jam them in and gamble non-stop. The whistleblowers also claimed they were instructed to eliminate, or ‘blank out,’ certain low betting options on the machines.

Crown countered that between March and April 2017 it had conducted a trial that is three-week 17 of the casino’s 2,628 slots. The operator stated it did not seek regulatory approval for the trial because it didn’t violate any gambling regulations.

However, these are unwelcome allegations for Crown Resorts at time whenever its license is up for review. Wilkie said he believes there is ‘no method the permit should be renewed until all the allegations are completely examined’.

‘If Crown is available to be guilty of any offences in regards to any of the average person allegations, then I think a cloud hangs over the renewal of their permit,’ he included.