Category Archives: Macau

New Zealand reported 149 new COVID-19 cases over two days, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Sunday.

Among the new cases, 85 were community cases and 64 were imported cases at the border, said the ministry.

Among the new community infections, 57 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, 16 in Bay of Plenty, seven in Waikato, two in the Lakes region, one in Taranaki and two in Wellington.

The total case number of COVID-19 in the current Delta variant outbreak in New Zealand community reached 11,142, mainly in Auckland and peripheral regions.

There were 31 COVID-19 patients in New Zealand hospitals including two cases in intensive care units or high dependency units.

New Zealand recorded 14,298 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to the ministry, 92 percent of eligible New Zealanders have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

To be prepared to defence against all variants of COVID-19, including Omicron, the ministry continued its push for vaccination roll out, including requesting people who are eligible for a booster dose to get their third jab.

New Zealand is currently using COVID-19 Protection Framework or traffic lights framework. Northland in the North Island is at red settings. The rest of the country, including largest city Auckland and capital city Wellington, is at orange settings.

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New Zealand reports 149 new cases of COVID-19 - Macau Business

Security forces fired tear gas Sunday as thousands rallied in Sudans capital Khartoum and a neighbouring city, witnesses said, keeping up pressure on the military following a coup 11 weeks ago.

The coup, led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25, derailed a power-sharing transition between the military and civilians that had been painstakingly established in the wake of longtime autocrat Omar-al-Bashirs ouster in 2019.

Security forces fired tear gas as pro-democracy protesters headed towards the presidential palace, witnesses said, amid roadblocks seeking to prevent people converging there and at army headquarters. Protesters also rallied in Omdurman, Khartoums twin city.

The resumption of protests since the coup has been met with a crackdown that has killed at least 60 people, according to medics.

Authorities have repeatedly denied using live ammunition in confronting protests and said scores of security forces have been wounded during demonstrations that have often deviated from peacefulness.

Last week, Sudans civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned saying the country was at a dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival.

He had only taken his position back up on November 21, having originally been ousted along with his government in the October coup.

On Saturday, the United Nations said it would facilitate talks between key Sudanese stakeholders in a bid to resolve the crisis.

But the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the civilian alliance which spearheaded the protests against Bashir and became integral to the transition government, said it had not received any details about the UN initiative.

On Sunday, the Sudanese Professionals Association similarly instrumental in the anti-Bashir protests said it completely rejected the UN-facilitated talks.

The way to resolve the Sudanese crisis begins with the complete overthrow of the putschist military council and the handover of its members to face justice over the killings committed against the defenceless (and) peaceful Sudanese people, the SPA said in a statement.

Burhan has insisted that the October military takeover was not a coup but only meant to rectify the course of the Sudanese transition.

The UN Security Council is to meet on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in Sudan.

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Sudan security forces fire tear gas as thousands protest coup - Macau Business

Egypts Foreign Ministry on Saturday called on all Sudanese parties to work on choosing a consensus new transitional prime minister and forming a new government as soon as possible.

Egypt closely follows the recent developments in Sudan and boosts the United Nations moves for achieving stability in the country via activating a dialogue among all sides, the ministry said in a statement.

Only the dialogue will settle the ongoing crisis and prevent chaos, it added, stressing Egypts readiness to support new transitional Sudanese government by all means.

Security and stability of Sudan is an indispensable part of Egypts security and stability, said the statement.

Earlier, the UN said it would hold talks in Sudan, aimed at salvaging a democratic transition. Volker Perthes, the UN envoy for Sudan, said the UN-facilitated political process would seek a sustainable path forward towards democracy and peace in the country.

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Egypt calls on Sudanese parties to form transitional government - Macau Business

Jan 04, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck 

A brokerage said in a Monday note it wont try to predict the level of casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) recovery for Macau in 2022.

It would hinge on the pace and level of travel normalisation around the region, and we now know we cant predict it, said the memo from JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Ltd, referring to the potential for outbreaks of Covid-19 in either mainland China, Macau or Hong Kong.

In commentary on the full-year 2021 GGR numbers for Macau, released by the citys government on Saturday and which showed 43.7 percent GGR improvement judged year-on-year the institution estimated mass-market GGR recovered to 37 percent of 2019s pre-pandemic trading, compared to 23 percent of 2019 in 2020.

Macaus year-on-year gain came despite a number of disruptions to tourism business in the second half of the year, due to community cases of Covid-19.

The citys 2021 VIP GGR was only 17 percent of 2019s, the same level as 2020, suggested analysts DS Kim, Amanda Cheng and Livy Lyu.

Those 2021 figures were under half of what we and the market had expected a year ago, added the JP Morgan team.

We had modelled mass and VIP GGR would recover to 75 percent and 35 percent of 2019s in 2021, which was actually more conservative than investor consensus at that time, and frankly we feel less confident about our numbers now than a year ago, stated the analysts.

Brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd said in a Monday memo it forecast January GGR to be down 71 percent versus January 2019, and down 9 percent month-on-month against December, with mass strength offsetting VIP weakness.

The wild card will be any travel restrictions from China or a Covid outbreak in Macau, stated analyst Vitaly Umansky.

He added that the Chinese New Year holiday in mainland China would run from January 31 to February 6 this time, and that the weeks leading into Chinese New Year are typically soft in terms of Chinese consumer demand for trips to Macau.

Regarding the impact of Suncity Groups and potentially other junket brands- exit from the Macau VIPgambling market, JP Morgan stated concerning Decembers result: If we assume junket VIPs were near-zero, the print suggests mass GGR has recovered to 45 percent to 50 per ent of pre-Covid levels, better than 35 percent to 40 percent recovery, during the first 11 months of 2021.

Sanford Bernstein stated regarding December GGR: VIP wound down significantly this month on the back of the Suncity closure and other junkets business slowing down: however, visitation into Macau has held up well and was further boosted by the year-end holiday week.

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GGRAsia Bets off on Macau recovery pace in 2022: JP Morgan - GGRAsia

The SAR government said in an announcement today (Thursday) that Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has never made any remarks on investment in cryptocurrency automatic trading system (Bitcoin Era) in any interviews, regarding of an online post that was widely circulated recently.

The incident has been handed over to the police and the SAR government will retain all legal rights to pursue further investigations, according to the same announcement.

Also, the government calls on citizens to obtain true information from official websites and channels of the government and maintain high vigilance on false news, adding that citizens should report and seek help from the police immediately when they suspect to encounter any frauds or other criminal behaviours.

The Macau Monetary Authority (AMCM) also in an reminder today stated that virtual currency is not a legal tender or financial instrument in Macau but a highly speculative virtual commodity, emphasizing that the transaction of virtual currencies involves a lot of risks and that these are not supervised by the AMCM. In the same reminder, AMCM also underlined that residents should beware of possible frauds, illegal activities and criminal acts caused by virtual commodity.

AMCM also pointed out that all banks and payment institutions in Macau can not provide or participate in any kinds of financial services involving virtual commodity transactions, empathizing that any institution that provides financial services without AMCMs permission, such as settlement or cross-border fund transfers, is in violation of the Macau Financial System Act.

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CE never made remarks on cryptocurrency trading Statement - Macau Business

A flying augmented reality ribbon, interactive lighting wall and Karaoke Box add a festive feel to Cartiers Love is All experience at T Galleria by DFS Macau City of Dreams

CHINA (MACAU). French luxury house Cartier has transformed its boutique at the T Galleria by DFS Macau City of Dreams into a socially-driven omnichannel experience. The Love is All experience runs until April 2022. It was launched to coincide with various gifting holidays including Christmas, Chinese New Year and Valentines Day.

The immersive environment underscores the core values of Cartier and was inspired by the brands global Love is All campaign. The boutique offers omnichannel elements, brand discovery, gifting and interactive features to celebrate the festive season.

The elegant boutique is wrapped in Cartiers striking red shade, taking inspiration from its signature packaging. The customer journey starts with an augmented reality experience on mobile which sees the red Cartier gifting ribbon fly across the boutiques faade.

Unwrapping the Cartier red box: The boutique highlights the French luxury houses watches and jewellery, fragrance, leathergoods and lifestyle products in a gift box-themed environment

Inside, customers are invited to unwrap the gift box-themed space and discover Cartiers watches, jewellery, leathergoods, fragrances and lifestyle products. One of the highlights is the Cartier Profile application which offers personalised Cartier product recommendations based on various client preferences.

The space also features an interactive lighting wall game that immerses shoppers into Cartiers fragrance universe and a Cartier Karaoke Box that encourages them to sing along to the Love is All soundtrack and share their performances on social media.

Shareable experiences: Various elements in the store encourage customers to share their shopping experiences on social media. The pop-up is also supported by a WeChat Mini Program.

The Cartier ribbon takes flight on consumers mobile phones through an augmented reality application

Partner with us on WeChat and reach your key Chinese audience in Chinese. Stories related to the China travel retail market are featured each week on The Moodie Davitt Reports WeChat Official Account. Please scan the QR code to follow us and contact Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com for native opportunities.

The festive activation at the Cartier boutique resonates strongly with our consumers who are seeking elegant gifts and shareable experiences from brands to elevate their luxury stay in Macau, commented DFS Group Senior Vice President Watches and Jewellery Matthew Green.

We would like to thank Cartier for creating a truly memorable omnichannel shopping journey, filled with love, and hope our guests enjoy this special experience over the coming months.

In addition, a dedicated Cartier WeChat Mini Program enhances the experiences digital footprint by engaging with travellers pre- and post-trip.

Cartier Global Travel Retail Director Virginie Martignac added, It is a pleasure to share love from Cartier with travellers at T Galleria by DFS, Macau, City of Dreams this festive season with a creative and joyful multi-layered experience. We sincerely crafted this unique concept with the will to surprise and entertain our clients and immerse guests in the thrill of unwrapping the iconic red Cartier box.

Love is all: The omnichannel store was launched to coincide with various festive gifting periods including Christmas, Chinese New Year and Valentines Day

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Love is All: Cartier and DFS unveil festive omnichannel experience in Macau - The Moodie Davitt Report - The Moodie Davitt Report

*By Therese Tu

Health authorities today (Friday) called on citizens to reduce unnecessary gatherings, get vaccinated, and keep wearing masks, due to the surge of Omicron variant globally and the new COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre emphasized in a statement that citizens should keep wearing masks, take personal pandemic protection measures, and reduce non-essential gatherings such as wedding banquets, ceremonies and festival celebrations, since epidemiological investigations show that recent Covid outbreaks in Hong Kong and Mainland are related to large gatherings.

Also, Health Bureau calls on citizens to avoid going to medium risk and high risk countries, adding that if they need to leave Macau, they should take personal pandemic protection measures and pay attention to the pandemic situation of the destination.

Citizens who havent be vaccinated, and those who are qualified to get the booster shots, are encouraged to take the vaccine as soon as possible, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.

Health authorities in an press conference yesterday stated that all people over 18 years-old who have completed the first 2 doses of vaccines are encouraged to receive the booster shot from Thursday on, adding that people in urgent need, such as visiting foreign countries and Taiwan, can get the third dose after at least 12 weeks receiving the second dose.

In the announcement today, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre also emphasized that public and private facilities should strictly follow the pandemic prevention measures, such as monitoring body temperature before entry, social-distancing, and avoiding large public gatherings.

Health authorities do not rule out the possibility of making compulsory presenting negative COVID test certificates with a 7-day validity or vaccine proof as requirement to enter restaurants and entertainment venues, according to the press conference on Thursday.

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Health Bureau calls for reduction of public gatherings - Macau Business

VegasSlotsOnline News has provided its gambling industry predictions for 2022, including betting success in Canada and continued challenges in Macau. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Weve now endured more than two years of the new normal after Wuhan officials first detected coronavirus. Since then, the global gambling industry has changed in many ways. While some firms have struggled with the impact of the virus, others have grown larger than ever before.

Last year provided many highlights for the sector. The US sports betting industry continued to flourish, with states such as Arizona, Louisiana, Connecticut, and (briefly) Florida all opening their doors to legal wagering. At the same time, the rapid recovery of Las Vegas surpassed the expectations of many, while Macau casinos continued to struggle with restrictions on travel.

VegasSlotsOnline News has taken a look into its crystal ball

As we step into the unknown of 2022, VegasSlotsOnline News has taken a look into its crystal ball to provide some industry predictions for the coming 12 months. From sports betting in Canada to the adoption of a digital currency in Macau, the new year certainly poses some interesting possibilities.

One major highlight of 2021 was Canadas decision to open its doors to a multibillion-dollar industry. The nations legislators legalized single-event sports betting in August, officially introducing the vertical for the first time at the end of that month. Prior to this point, the countrys bettors could only place parlay wagers.

Parlay bets must combine three or more events into one wager. As a result, they are more complicated and more difficult to win than their single-event counterpart.

If the rapid growth of the US betting industry is anything to go by, Canadian sportsbooks are in for some major success in 2022. Estimates suggest that Canadians place CA$500m (US$399.5m) worth of legal parlay bets each year, but CA$14.5bn (US$11.6bn) worth of sports wagers overall. This means bettors previously wagered billions through offshore sportsbooks.

With sportsbooks now able to capitalize on this previously inaccessible market, operators are making their moves. In October, Penn National Gaming completed its $2bn acquisition of Toronto-based Score Media and Gaming Inc, owner of the most popular sports media app in Canada. PointsBet has adopted a similar tactic, increasing its Canadian exposure by signing partnerships with The Nation Network and Curling Canada.

With commercial sportsbooks and provincial gambling operators now chomping at the bit, VSO has no doubt that 2022 will be the year for betting to take Canada by storm.

For the past few years, the negative perception of gambling seems to have increased in the UK from both the mainstream media and government officials. As a result, lawmakers have decided to take action by reforming the industrys rules through the Gambling Act 2005.

an analogue law in a digital age.

Speaking in December 2020, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) Oliver Dowden described the Act as an analogue law in a digital age. The review officially began shortly after he made those comments, but not much has happened since then. The DCMS actually confirmed in February last year that changes wont take effect until 2022, making this year a real moment of truth for the UKs many gambling firms.

Undoubtedly, operators should anticipate some sweeping changes. A ban on front-of-shirt betting sponsorship deals for professional soccer teams is one of the most widely reported incoming reforms. This will have a major impact on the sector and its soccer partners, with nine of the English Premier Leagues 20 clubs boasting front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with betting firms this season.

Other possible rule changes under consideration include staking limits for online casino sites and a ban on controversial loot boxes in video games. The Gambling Commissions role is also currently under review partly as a result of its supposed failings in the collapse of soccer betting firm Football Index.

Whether all of these changes come to fruition is another story altogether, but VSO predicts UK gambling regulation will look very different by the end of 2022.

Casino operators in the global gambling mecca of Macau experienced a difficult 2021. According to figures from the Gaming Inspection Coordination Bureau, gross gaming revenue totaled MOP$83.86bn (US$10.82bn) for the year. While that might represent a 44% improvement from the COVID-stricken 2020, it is still down 70% compared with 2019.

2022 will pose fresh challenges outside of just coronavirus

Those difficulties are certainly not over as we wave goodbye to 2021. Macau is still struggling with the impact of COVID-19, recently announcing an imminent two-week ban on international travel, and 2022 will pose fresh challenges outside of just coronavirus.

The licenses of all six of Macaus casino operators are due to expire in June this year. Reports suggest that officials are prepared to renew those concessions prior to the expiration date, but not before they complete a regulatory overhaul in the gambling hub. Shares in Macaus casino operators plummeted in September when a regulatory consultation began, losing around $14bn in value altogether.

The public considered nine areas in this regulatory consultation. This included the length of gaming concessions, in addition to new employee protections and social responsibility measures. The government has also proposed increasing its supervision of the casino industry. As of yet, officials have not confirmed what reforms they plan to implement.

Something that could spice up life for Macaus casino operators is the possible introduction of digital yuan. In April, Macau chief executive Ho Iat Seng confirmed the government will work with Chinas federal bank to study the feasibility of issuing a digital currency. Although the regions gambling operators are reportedly against the idea, analysts believe the license renewals could force them to accept the governments plans.

With its regulatory overhaul, license renewals, and a new currency in the cards, VSO predicts Macau is in store for another turbulent year in 2022. That said, it is safe to predict that the region will continue to recover, albeit very gradually, from the devastating impact of 2020.

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VSO Analysis: 2022 Global Gambling Industry Predictions - VegasSlotsOnline

The New York Times will acquire sports news website The Athletic, the companies announced Thursday, the latest move by the iconic US newspaper in its diversification drive.

Acquiring The Athletic puts us in a position to be a global leader in sports journalism and offer English speakers around the world another reason to turn to the Times Company to meet their daily news and life needs, New York Times chief Meredith Kopit Levien said in a statement.

The newspaper company will pay $550 million for The Athletic, which has become a leader in sports coverage over the past six years as it took advantage of a tough environment for local media.

The transaction first reported by online technology publication The Information is expected to be finalized in the first quarter.

Levien said the addition will help the Times achieve its goal of more than 10 million subscribers, from eight million currently.

Founded in January 2016 by Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, The Athletic had about 1.2 million subscribers at the end of 2021, according to the statement.

It has grown at a rapid pace, launching a UK version in 2019 and partnering with Australian television group Optus Sport last year.

Italso has produced numerous podcasts, including The Lead, its most popular. But media reports say it has struggled to reach profitability and was considering a change in strategy.

The New York Times in recent years has used targeted acquisitions to diversify its audience by publishing everything from recipes to podcasts.

In 2016, it bought product-testing and recommendation site Wirecutter, and in June 2020 acquired Serial Productions, the studio behind the hit podcast of the same name.

According to Crunchbase, The Athletic has raised a total of $139.5 million from investors since its inception, and was valued at between $500 million and $1 billion when it last raised funds in January 2020.

The Athletic will become an independent subsidiary of The New York Times, and the founders will stay on as co-presidents, with Mather also serving as general manager and Hansmann as its chief operating officer, the statement said.

They called the deal a thrilling milestone in their goal to bring fans closer to the teams, players and leagues they love through deep, immersive journalism and storytelling.

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New York Times to buy sports news site The Athletic - Macau Business

Asian equities were mixed Friday as investors battled to instigate a recovery after this weeks volatile start to the new year, with the release of key US jobs data later in the day taking centre stage.

News that the Federal Reserve is planning a more aggressive campaign to fight surging inflation rattled global traders, who have enjoyed almost two years of cheap cash that has helped push some markets to record or multi-year highs.

The Feds decision to remove the support put in place at the start of the pandemic comes as the worlds top economy continues to show resilience, with unemployment falling, despite supply chain snarls and rising energy costs that have sent prices racing.

Minutes released Wednesday showed the positive view on the recovery has led the US central bank to start hiking interest rates sooner and quicker than had been expected.

There were also indications officials were considering reducing its massive bond holdings, putting further upward pressure on lending costs Treasury yields are set for their biggest weekly jump since 2020, according to Bloomberg News.

The minutes sent markets plunging around the world, with tech firms among the worst hit as they are more reliant on debt to fuel growth.

And Wall Street extended losses Thursday, though the selling was less severe.

Asia fared a little better, with Hong Kong, Sydney and Seoul rising more than one percent each, while Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta also rose. Tokyo pared early losses to end flat, with Shanghai, Wellington, Taipei and Manila lower.

We knew coming into 2022 that the Fed was going to be a creator of volatility within the market and were seeing that right out of the gate at the start of the year, Lindsey Bell, at Ally Invest, told Bloomberg News.

The good news is that things seem to be stabilising a little bit after (the initial) knee-jerk reaction.

Eyes are now on the release of the closely watched non-farm payroll figures for December, which could impact the Feds decision on when and how quickly to lift rates.

A figure way above the forecast 447,000 new posts could force officials to take a more hawkish tilt, which would likely weigh further on equities.

Crude markets built on their recent run-up as concerns about the impact of the fast-spreading Omicron Covid variant fade, allowing traders to focus on the demand picture.

While crucial consumer China continues to battle outbreaks by imposing new lockdowns, unrest in producer Kazakhstan and a drop in output from Libya was providing support.

Oil has rallied in recent weeks as financial markets have dismissed Omicron, rightly or wrongly, as a temporary aberration, said OANDAs Jeffrey Halley.

That momentum accelerated this week, despite OPEC+ hiking production, and now we have Kazakhstan and Libya disruptions adding to the bullishness.

Bitcoin was also under pressure, falling for a second day to $41,008, a level not seen since the end of September.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5 percent at 23,417.98

Shanghai Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,579.54 (close)

Dollar/yen: UP at 115.93 yen from 115.89 yen late Thursday

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1301 from $1.1297

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3542 from $1.3534

Euro/pound: UP at 83.45 pence from 83.44 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.0percent at $80.24 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.0percent at $82.79 per barrel

New York DOW: DOWN 0.5percent at 36,236.47 (close)

London FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,450.37 (close)

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Asian markets mostly up as attention turns to US jobs - Macau Business