Mainland takes action to crack down on online gambling

Macau VIP room gambling industry expected to be affected

China has taken actions to investigate online gambling to help curb capital outflows, which has dealt a blow to the liquidity of Macau's casino VIP rooms. The industry pointed out that this investigation has dealt a blow to VIP business customers because customers have doubts about financing through gaming intermediaries.

The report quoted Lin Jiguang, director of the Macau Gaming Intermediary Association, pointing out that the local VIP room business can never return to the revenue level of two years ago, unless the Chinese government can stop suppressing the VIP room business.

The report also cited consulting companies that the Macau intermediary industry has been lingering for many years, and also cited the senior officials of Macau intermediary companies to point out that even though the Chinese government has not specifically targeted Macau's gaming industry itself, it has brought liquidity pressures for money laundering and illegal transactions.

Expanding credit lines may save VIP room business

In June of this year, the Chinese government determined that the seasonal flow of cross-border gambling funds hides national security risks. Since then, online gambling industry financing channels and virtual currency lending platforms have been cut off, and the competent authority has frozen thousands of accounts and seized more than 229 billion yuan in funds.

Even if there are high-volume customers who are willing to go to Macau, the funding capacity provided by the local intermediary industry is still severely restricted, putting more pressure on casino operators. If the VIP room business is to recover, the only way is for the casino to expand the credit line, without the need for corresponding cash collateral from the gaming intermediary, which has always been a prerequisite for the casino in the past.

[TW]

內地採取行動打擊網上博彩　澳門貴賓廳賭業料受波及

中國採取行動查緝線上賭博以協助抑制資本外流，對澳門賭場貴賓廳業務流動性構成打擊。業界指出，今次查緝對貴賓廳業務客戶帶來打擊，因為客戶對透過博彩中介融資存疑。

報道引述澳門博彩業中介人協會理事林繼光指出，當地貴賓廳業務永不能回到2年前的營收水平，除非中國政府可以停止對貴賓廳業務的打壓。

報道亦引述諮詢公司指出，澳門中介行業多年來苟延殘喘，又引述澳門中介公司高層指出，縱使中國政府並無特別針對澳門博彩業本身，但針對洗錢及非法交易卻帶來流動性壓力。

擴大信貸額度或可救貴賓廳業務

在今年6月，中國政府認定跨境賭博資金流季動隱藏國家安全風險。此後線上賭博業融資管道及虛擬貨幣借貸平台已被切斷，主管機構亦已凍結數以千計賬戶，扣押逾2,290億元人民幣資金。

即使有豪客願意前往澳門，當地中介業提供的資金能力仍受嚴格限制，對賭場營運者帶來更多壓力。若要貴賓廳業務復甦，唯一方法是賭場擴大信貸額度，而不需要來自博彩中介業者相應的現金抵押品，在過去一直是賭場先決條件。