Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2023年2月 亞博匯 100 “Twenty years ago, almost all high-end customers were foreigners or Hong Kongers, and there were basically no high-end customers from China in the VIP lounges. All high-end customers were from other places like Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Korea or Hong Kong.” After the implementation of the Individual Visit Scheme in mainland China in 2003, which provided a means by which individuals could visit Hong Kong and Macau without requiring a business visa or to be part of a tour group, the source of gaming customers in Macau gradually shifted. But with Beijing cracking down on cross-border gambling, the need to move back towards a more foreigner-focused model – as challenging as that may be – has become apparent once more. Kwok agrees that it will not be easy to make the shift away from mainland customers but “Macau is no less competitive thanother places, as the operations at the Cotai Strip are already mature enough, and the facilities and gaming regulations are well established.” – Kwok Chi Chung 「澳門的競爭力不比其他地方遜色，因為金 光大道運作已經相當成熟，設施及博彩的法 規也非常完善。」 ——郭志忠 FEATURES 地方遜色，因為金光大道運作已經相當 成熟，設施及博彩的法規完善。澳門可 以讓外國客在博彩時有足夠的安全感及 信心。」 「澳門在20多年前，一樣都是以外 國客或香港客為主，當時貴賓廳基本上沒 有來自中國的高端客，全部高端客基本上 是外國的，來自泰國、印尼、日本、韓 國，或者香港。」 2003年中國內地自由行開放後，澳 門博彩客源逐步改變。但由於內地修改 關於境外博彩的法律，澳門客源需要轉 回到以外國客源為中心，但這個轉變明 顯是一個很大的挑戰。