Two of the 39 casinos that shut down during the Macau government 15-day ban on casino operations – Casino Taipa and the Macau Jockey Club casino – will remain closed after the window provided for re-opening finishes tomorrow.
Local authorities imposed a 15-day suspension on casino operations between February 5 and 20 with casinos given 30 days to re-open or request a further extension of their closure.
According to the Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau (DICJ), after tomorrow there will be 5,400 gaming tables available or 80 per cent of the total.
Casino Taipa is located at the Regency Art Hotel, which has become the third local hotel designated to be used for the 14-day quarantines requested by authorities to people coming from high-risk countries and will close down after 3:00pm of today.
Currently, residents from Macau, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are allowed to enter the city, with those who have been in high-risk countries and regions having to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine in one of the three designated hotels.
Meanwhile, the Macau Jockey Club casino, which is located at the Roosevelt Hotel and Casino Taipa operates under the SJM Holdings gaming license, has requested for its operations to remain suspended after that transitional period in order to carry out renovation works.
There are 41 casinos in Macau, however, the Greek Mythology Casino and the floating Casino Macau Palace were already closed before the suspension took place.
Reopened casinos must continue to follow the technical guidelines of health authorities to take the following epidemic measures such as to regulate the mandatory body temperature checks of workers and customers who have access to casinos, wearing masks, complete the health declaration, prohibit entry of individuals who have been in Hubei province in the past 14 days, clean and disinfect gambling equipment and facilities frequently, adjust the distance and placement of gaming tables and slot machines, and prohibit the consumption of drinks and food at the gaming tables, among others.
Macau gross gaming revenues have dropped by a dramatic 87.8 per cent year-on-year in February 2020 to MOP3.1 billion (US$387 million), with the next months expected to also record decreases.
