澳门博彩业费尽心力进入新时代
Billionaire casino tycoon Lui Che-woosays Macau’s gaming industry was heading into a “new era”, following a sharp drop in revenue caused by Beijing’s crackdown on corruption and ostentatious spending.
亿万富翁、赌场大亨吕志和(Lui Che-woo)表示，在中国政府打击腐败及奢靡之风的运动导致营收急剧下滑之后，澳门博彩业正进入“新时代”。Mr Lui’s Galaxy Entertainment yesterday reported a 9 per cent rise in full-year revenue to HK$71.8bn (US$9.3bn), making it one of the sector’s better performing operators in 2014. Melco Crown, for example, suffered a 6 per cent drop in income over the same period. However, Galaxy admitted 2014 was a year of two contrasting halves, with group revenue falling 15 per cent in the quarter ending December 31. Mr Lui called last year “one of the most challenging periods in the history of Macau”.
昨天，吕志和旗下银河娱乐(Galaxy Entertainment)报告全年营收增长9%，达到718亿港元（合93亿美元），从而使该公司成为2014年业内表现较好的赌场运营商之一。相比之下，新濠博亚(Melco Crown)在同一时期的利润遭遇了6%的下滑。不过，银河娱乐承认2014年前后两个半年的对比十分鲜明。在截至12月31日的一个季度内，集团营收下滑了15%。吕志和称，去年是“澳门史上挑战最大的时期之一”。
Robert Drake, Galaxy’s chief financial officer, acknowledged that China’s high-profile campaign to root out corruption, along with the slowdown in the economy, had taken its toll on the sector in the second half of the year. Turnover in Galaxy’s VIP gaming rooms dropped 16 per cent in the fourth quarter, in keeping with broader trends in the sector.
银河娱乐首席财务官罗伯特•德雷克(Robert Drake)承认，中国高调的反腐运动和经济放缓，在2014年下半年令博彩业付出了代价。该年第四季度，银河娱乐博彩贵宾室的营业额下滑了16%，与业内整体趋势相符。
Analysts expect overall gaming revenue in Macau to start growing again in the second half of this year, though largely thanks to the favourable base- effect of last year’s contraction.
分析师预计，澳门博彩业总体营收会在今年下半年再次开始增长，不过这在很大程度上要归功于去年缩水导致的较低基数。Like high-rolling gamblers, investors have shunned Macau’s casinos over the past year. Bloomberg’s index of Macau gaming companies has fallen 55 per cent since January 2014. Galaxy’s shares have fallen 56 per cent.
和出手阔绰的赌客一样，去年投资者也回避了澳门赌场。自2014年1月以来，彭博(Bloomberg)澳门博彩企业指数已下跌55%。银河娱乐的股价也已下跌56%。Galaxy announced a special dividend of HK$0.28 per share while noting that it is “virtually debt free” with a net cash position of HK$8.2bn. Last year it paid two special dividends totalling HK$4.9bn.
银河娱乐公布了一项每股0.28港元的特别股息计划，并指出该公司“几乎毫无负债”，净现金头寸达82亿港元。去年，该公司曾支付总计49亿港元的两次特别股息。Shares in Galaxy finished 3.2 per cent higher yesterday, in a broader market that was up 1.5 per cent.
昨天，银河娱乐股价收盘时上涨3.2%，相比之下大盘上涨了1.5%。
