Crown Melbourne to reopen facilities but casino remains closed

An easing of coronavirus restrictions in Victoria has seen Crown Resorts reopen some facilities at its flagship property in Melbourne.

Inside Asian Gaming reports that the casino will not reopen on June 11 and will remain closed until further notice.

Two weeks after suspending all operations as Melbourne was plunged into its fourth lockdown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, an easing of restrictions across the city will see Crown Melbourne recommence hotel as well as food and beverage facilities from Friday in accordance with the temporary restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government.

Those restrictions include a requirement for residents to remain within 25 kilometres of their own home and for individuals to check-in to their workplaces via QR code.

Home visits remain barred and businesses such as gyms and indoor sporting stadiums are still closed, but restaurants are allowed to reopen at limited capacity and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people are permitted.

Crown said that it will provide some payments to impacted staff during the ongoing suspension of gaming services.

“Crown Melbourne will continue to financially support staff who remain stood down, including the majority of gaming operational staff, by paying an additional discretionary payment,” it said.

“This includes eligible casual staff.

“Crown Melbourne will continue to work closely with the government and health authorities in Victoria and will respond to measures taken in relation to COVID-19.”

Crown had suspended operations on May 28 in response to Melbourne’s latest coronavirus outbreak.

Macau company loses monopoly on instant lottery and sports betting

The Macau government has refreshed a company’s rights to run instant lotteries and betting on football and basketball matches.

Macau SLOT had a long held monopoly on instant lotteries and sports betting in Macau, with the exception of betting on horse ratting.

Macau SLOT’s refreshed status as a concessionaire running instant lottery and sports betting runs from June 6, 2021 to June 5, 2024.

Thereafter, rights can be renewable if agreed between the city’s government and the company.

The gross revenue generated by instant lotteries and sports betting has occupied only a fraction of Macau’s overall gaming income in recent times.

In 2020, gross revenue from instant lotteries and sports betting reached US$67.9 million, accounting for only 0.89 per cent of the city’s overall annual gross gaming revenue.

Singapore locals see casino gross gaming revenue spike

A 12 per cent growth in gross gaming revenue at Singapore casinos has been driven by domestic demand, a report by brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein said.

“There is unlikely to be any significant increase in foreign visitation into Singapore for most, or even all, of the year,” analysts said.

Their report suggested 2021 gross gaming revenue for Singapore’s casino duopoly could be just under US$2.27 billion, with almost half of that coming from poker machines.

Chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp Robert Goldstein said that the recent “outsize” local demand for gaming would “dissipate” in Singapore once people could travel more easily.

The executive added that the “table side” in Singapore was more driven by “foreign play”, implying local demand was mainly for poker machines and electronic table games.

Sanford added that in the first quarter, poker machine business in Marina Bay Sands recovered to pre-pandemic levels, driven only by local customers.

But it noted that due to “resurgence” of COVID-19 cases in Singapore, casinos were operating at limited capacity until at least June 13.