No segment of the Macau gaming industry has suffered more through the recent downturn than junkets. Once responsible for around 70 percent of all gaming revenue in Macau, the VIP business has been by far the hardest hit over the past 18 months with monthly revenue regularly down by over 40 percent year on year – slashing VIP business to around 50 percent of all gaming revenue.
Such a massive hit to the bottom line has forced a number of junkets to shut down, but defying the trend to not only survive but flourish has been one of Macau’s leading junkets, Tak Chun Group, who have opened two brand new VIP rooms in Macau and another in Korea in 2015.
It has been more than five years since Tak Chun’s Chairman, Mr Levo Chan, last granted a media interview but WGM was lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to sit down with Mr Chan for a lengthy chat about his company and the state of Macau’s junket industry.
Read all about it on page 22.
It’s November which means it is time for the World Series of Poker’s November Nine. With that in mind, we talk at length this issue with none other than WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel about poker’s most prestigious event.
Our insightful series on Responsible Gambling continues as we speak to the operators of one of Macau’s gambling addiction treatment centres, while we give our take on another major issue facing Macau’s gaming industry right now – smoking.
For sports fans, we look at Manchester United’s big gamble on previously unheralded youngster Anthony Martial this EPL season as well as prophesizing on which sports we believe would benefit most from cracking the lucrative Chinese market.
And our resident party people take us on a journey to Las Vegas to dine at the impressive Triple George Grill before returning to Macau to sample one of her newest nightspots – Ritz- Carlton Bar & Lounge.
As always, follow the dragon,
Andrew W Scott, CEO
Ben Blaschke, Managing Editor
