Macau lifts casino social distancing rules

Venetian Macau, S.A. (VML) has canceled all social distancing requirements at its properties, including limits on the number of gaming table seats and the number of activated slot machines on casino floors, according to the company's 2022 directors' report¹. The measures were canceled in early January 2023¹.

The rules had been imposed during Macau's COVID-19 controls. When casinos resumed, they were required to roster no more than 50 percent of casino staff at any one time¹. The report states that all social distancing rules, including the requirement to reduce table seats and activated slot machines compared with pre-COVID-19 levels, were canceled in early January 2023¹.

The change came as travel rules eased.

The report gives the scale of the properties affected¹.

The financial backdrop was weak.

What it means for players

For anyone gambling in Macau, the practical effect is that casino floors at VML properties are no longer required to keep table seats or slot machines out of use to meet social distancing rules¹. The report does not state how many seats or machines were previously kept inactive, so the size of the change at each property has not been reported. The report also does not say whether other Macau operators have lifted the same requirements, so it is not known whether the change applies across the market or only at VML properties. Rules inside Macau casinos, including table games and slot machines, are covered in the site's Macau casino rules guide.

What happens next

The report gives no further dated steps on social distancing. It states that the timing and manner of a full return to normal operations at the group's casinos, restaurants and shopping malls will be assessed gradually according to business volumes¹. It also states that the duration and severity of the pandemic and its related effects remain uncertain, and that the potential future impact on the company's results, cash flows and financial position cannot be determined¹.