HONG KONG, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Gambling revenue in Macau
plunged 94.5% in July year-on-year, with casinos reeling from a
lack of visitors in the world's biggest casino hub despite a
loosening of quarantine restrictions which have seen only a
modest rise in gamblers.
July's figure of 1.3 billion patacas ($162.89 million) was
in line with analysts' expectations of a drop of around 95
percent.
Casinos are staring at heavy losses for the second quarter,
with not much hope for a near-term recovery as a resurgence in
coronavirus cases muddies the outlook for when China will
reinstate travel visas.
Even after easing curbs for some travellers, Macau saw only
around 2,000 visitors per day in July, a tiny fraction of the
108,000 daily average in 2019, as the individual travel scheme
through which visitors from the mainland gain entry remains
suspended.
($1 = 7.9810 patacas)
(Reporting by Clare Jim; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by
Kim Coghill)