Casinos confirm phased openings only

Macau casino operators plan to open in phases once the casino suspension order expires at midnight on Thursday, the Times has learned. It remains unclear whether any of the six operators intend to apply for inclusion in the government’s 30-day grace period, during which time limited operating conditions will be tolerated.

Five local operators – Galaxy Entertainment Group, Wynn Macau, Sands China, MGM China and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) – indicated today that they plan to return to full capacity only once the guest demand is sufficient.

The casino operators did not explicitly state whether they intended to apply for the extension period advertised by Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong.

On Monday, Secretary Lei said that some casino operators had expressed their intent to apply for the grace period during earlier meetings with the government. The top economy official added that no applications had been received at the time of his comments on Monday afternoon.

Today, casino operator SJM told the Times that it will partially reopen its casinos at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, but that “full operation will be restored step by step upon reviewing the actual situation.”

Galaxy Entertainment Group said it would “resume limited operation of its casinos and VIP rooms from midnight of February 20, and will gradually resume full service based on guest demand.” Galaxy also said that it was pleased “to see that the city’s prevention efforts, under the leadership of the Macau SAR government and with the full support from the community, have effectively contained the spread of the virus.”

Wynn Macau is also opting for the phased approach. “Beginning Thursday, we will open our casinos in a phased approach that matches guest demand and employee availability,” the company confirmed in an emailed statement. “We look forward to welcoming our employees and guests back to our resorts and we will continue to be vigilant in our health and safety procedures.”

Sands China said it welcomed the decision to reopen the city’s casinos, adding that its operations would resume “in a phased approach, in line with our continued support of the anti-epidemic preventive measures announced by the Macau government.”

“Sands China believes the reopening of the casinos will help spur Macau’s business environment and boost confidence, especially for the city’s local SMEs,” added the company in a note to the Times this evening.

MGM China also said it would partially resume operations of its casinos at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai starting from midnight on February 20 and that “full operations will be resumed gradually according to business conditions. We will follow the epidemic prevention measures and related suggestions of the government, placing the health and safety of our team members, guests and all Macau citizens as our utmost priority.”

Melco Resorts & Entertainment declined to comment when asked about its plans to reopen casinos.

The reopening of casinos comes amid the steepest drop in visitor arrivals in Macau’s history and an overall challenging moment for the local economy. Last week, immigration services indicated that the city was receiving about 2,000 daily visitors, suggesting that tourist arrivals are down as much as 98% in year-on-year terms.

UPDATED at 11 p.m. to include comments from Sands China and MGM China.