Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN JUL 2020 50 are not going to want to work for a company they feel hasn’t treated them well. And that will show in the workplace.” There is no doubt the challenges presented to gaming companies around the world, be they operators or suppliers, as a result of COVID-19 are unprecedented. Never have so many in the industry been impacted so heavily at the same time. The American Gaming Association estimates around 650,000 gaming employees across the US were affected by coronavirus lockdowns, including 206,000 workers in Nevada and more than 95,000 on the Las Vegas Strip. In Macau, where casinos closed for 15 days in February and customer numbers remain miniscule due to border restrictions, government regulations have prevented operators from laying off any staff. Nevertheless, more than 58,000 direct gaming employees – plus many more working in other areas of casinos and resorts – have been impacted, with many asked to take accrued holiday and sick leave or temporarily re-assigned to new roles. The Philippines, one of the hardest – hit nations in Asia, employs an estimated 132,000 in gaming nationwide, according to gaming regulator PAGCOR, of which 63,000 work for licensed IRs and casinos, 31,000 for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs), 27,000 in licensed gaming stations and 11,000 for PAGCOR itself. Singapore’s two IRs employ around 22,500 between them; Australia’s two main casino operators close to 27,500. Europe’s casinos employ well over 100,000. Yet the fate of those employees has varied wildly depending on a range of factors, from the jurisdiction in which they work to the financial constraints or priorities of their employers. The Las Vegas Strip itself is a case in point. While MGM Resorts and Caesars, both constrained Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts both spent considerable money keeping their Las Vegas staff on payroll during the COVID-19 shutdown. ラスベガス・サンズとウィン・リゾーツ両社は、新型コロナによる休業期間中、相当額を費やしてラスベガスのスタッフの雇用を維持した IN FOCUS