澳门博彩业短期难好转
2014 has been a year to forget for casino operators in Macau. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to get any better next year.
2014年想必已成了澳门赌场运营商希望忘记的一年。不幸的是，明年的情况也不太可能得到好转。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'.
根据国际评级机构惠誉(Fitch)的新报告，随着中国内地反腐斗争继续令出手阔绰的内地赌客远离赌场，预计明年澳门博彩业收入将缩减1%。惠誉称，澳门赌场VIP业务持续疲软，而这种疲软似乎正在向大众市场中的高端板块扩散。
Gaming revenue growth is expected to be flat this year following five straight months of year-on-year declines.
在博彩收入连续5个月出现同比下滑的情况下，今年营收预计将与上年持平。
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会达到15%至20%，第二季度进一步下滑5%，直到下半年开始恢复增长。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.
一些赌场运营商，如永利度假村(Wynn Resorts)和拉斯维加斯金沙集团(Las Vegas Sands)，力求通过把业务重点放在吸引大众市场赌客，来减轻VIP大客户离场带来的冲击。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.
尽管如此，惠誉认为，影响澳门VIP客流量的因素，如反腐运动、中国经济放缓以及菲律宾作为另一赌博胜地的崛起，同样会对大众市场业务构成压力。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.'
不过，惠誉认为，澳门博彩业的较长期前景并非完全暗淡无光。该机构指出：“尽管做出了修订，我们还是认为澳门和大中华区市场没有饱和，因此仍然看好澳门。我们预计，新的供应、基础设施建设、以及继续增长的中国经济（2015年的6.8%和2016年的6.5%）将支撑大众市场的需求，进而推动澳门博彩收入增长。”
