CHUI SAI WILL BE NEXT CHIEF EXECUTIVE MacauNews.com.mo, Destination-Macau.com
Fernando Chui Sai On is set to be the only candidate in the upcoming election for CE. Ho Chiu Meng had been his main rival, but he announced to the Macau Daily News that he would not stand in next month's CE election. In order to run for the position, Ho Chiu Meng was required to resign from his current position as chief prosecutor and he has not done so.
It is said that Chui Sai was not Beijing's preferred candidate for the position. However, it seems unlikely that the changing of the guard in Macau will alter current laws regarding visas and the curbing of junk visitation in the near-term.
CITY OF DREAMS Destination-Macau.com
City of Dreams has had a less impactful first week than had been anticipated. While it was known that VIP and premium mass market play would take some time to get up to speed, there has been some surprise at unofficial marketshare numbers suggesting no meaningful sequential gain on the part of Melco-Crown.
MAY ROLLING-CHIP Destination-Macau.com
Two major takeaways from the May gaming revenue numbers:
- 1) SJM and WYNN gained considerably in terms of volume, as the number of rolling chips purchased overall was the highest since last August.
- 2) The gap between SJM and LVS (31% to 21%) has widened as a result of higher volumes for SJM and lower win-hold rate for LVS.
FLU PANIC Destination-Macau.com
The Macanese government has pledged to spend MOP100m on at least two flu shots for each resident. This comes as Hong Kong's chief has closed schools and nurseries to prevent the spread of the flu. This has caused some concern among casino operators, fearful that their business will be impacted by flu fears.
MACAU GOING THROUGH WAKE UP CALL REALITY MacauDailyBlog.com
The Macau Daily Blog posted an article outlining four "big phenomenons" [sic] hurting Macau.
- 1) Dropping EBITDA margins.
- 2) Mass Market has been squeezed
- 3) The product mix being put out is the same across the board. No "wow" factor
- 4) Junk tourism. Low value, low yield, for operators.
MACAU SAMPLES TASTE OF BOLLYWOOD MacauDailyBlog.com
Macau is enjoying a taste of Bollywood magic with a galaxy of Indian stars arriving in the city for one of Asia's most-watched film awards. Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman, who wrote the score for Slumdog Millionaire, superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Bollywood's leading couple Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan, are among those visiting the Las Vegas of the east for the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards.
MGM MIRAGE, MALAYSIA'S GENTING IN "EARLY" TALKS, CONSIDERING PARTNERSHIP Wsj.com
MGM Mirage, the casino company controlled by Kirk Kerkorian, and Malaysia's Genting Bhd. are considering a possible partnership, spokesmen from both companies said.
HIGH ROLLERS IN MACAU SLOWLY MOVING TO SLOT MACHINES scmp.com
High rollers in Macau are increasingly playing the slots. Slot machines remain a minor segment of the market, at 6% of total revenue. However, in Q109 slots accounted for some $743m in revenue vs $81.5m of revenue in Q104.
