澳門博彩業短期難好轉
2014 has been a year to forget for casino operators in Macau. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to get any better next year.
2014年想必已成了澳門賭場運營商希望忘記的一年。不幸的是，明年的情況也不太可能得到好轉。Gaming revenue in the former Portuguese colony will contract 1 per cent next year as the ongoing crackdown on corruption in mainland China continues to keep big spending Chinese gamblers away, according to a fresh report from rating agency Fitch. The forecast, Fitch says, reflects 'the persistent weakness in the VIP business, which seems to be spilling over to the premium mass segment'.
根據國際評級機構惠譽(Fitch)的新報告，隨着中國內地反腐鬥爭繼續令出手闊綽的內地賭客遠離賭場，預計明年澳門博彩業收入將縮減1%。惠譽稱，澳門賭場VIP業務持續疲軟，而這種疲軟似乎正在向大衆市場中的高端板塊擴散。
Gaming revenue growth is expected to be flat this year following five straight months of year-on-year declines.
在博彩收入連續5個月出現同比下滑的情況下，今年營收預計將與上年持平。
Revenues may record annual declines of 15 per cent to 20 per cent in the first quarter and a further 5 per cent drop in the second quarter before beginning to recover in the second half.
博彩收入在第一季度同比降幅可能會達到15%至20%，第二季度進一步下滑5%，直到下半年開始恢復增長。Some casino operators - such as Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands - have sought to take some of the sting from the retreat of high-spending VIP "whales" by focusing on mass market gamers.
一些賭場運營商，如永利度假村(Wynn Resorts)和拉斯維加斯金沙集團(Las Vegas Sands)，力求通過把業務重點放在吸引大衆市場賭客，來減輕VIP大客戶離場帶來的衝擊。However, Fitch reckons the problems affecting VIP traffic in Macau - corruption crackdown, slower economic growth in China and the rise of the Philippines as a rival gambling mecca - are going to weigh on the mass segment of the market as well.
儘管如此，惠譽認爲，影響澳門VIP客流量的因素，如反腐運動、中國經濟放緩以及菲律賓作爲另一賭博勝地的崛起，同樣會對大衆市場業務構成壓力。Still, the longer-term outloook is not all gloom for Macau, according to Fitch, which argues that: 'Despite revisions, we do remain favorable on Macau, as we continue to hold that Macau and the greater China market remain underpenetrated. We expect gaming revenue growth will be driven by new supply and infrastructure development and that the Chinese economy will continue to grow (6.8% in 2015 and 6.5% in 2016), anchoring mass market demand.'
不過，惠譽認爲，澳門博彩業的較長期前景並非完全暗淡無光。該機構指出：“儘管做出了修訂，我們還是認爲澳門和大中華區市場沒有飽和，因此仍然看好澳門。我們預計，新的供應、基礎設施建設、以及繼續增長的中國經濟（2015年的6.8%和2016年的6.5%）將支撐大衆市場的需求，進而推動澳門博彩收入增長。”
