Game analysts believe that Macau’s casino industry will not be affected much in the near future as Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. Union Gaming analyst Grant Goverson said Macau’s casino industry was more affected by what happened to China’s economy than what happened in the United States.
Albano Martins, a local economist in Macau, believes that fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar will affect the MOP and Hong Kong dollar exchange rates. A weaker dollar could have a positive impact on Macau in the short term as it helps boost tourism. But it could also hurt the industry in the long run, as Macau produces little and relies on imports, which could lead to extreme inflation.
While Trump is not expected to have a significant impact on Macau, CLSA analysts believe Trump’s victory will have a positive impact on Australian gamblers Tapcorp, Ainsworth and aristocrats as a result of some of the domestic policies that the Trump administration is expected to introduce soon.
Analysts at CLSA said in a statement, “Trump is clearly pro-gambling, although Republicans have mixed views. We see more liberalization of casino gambling in the US to deal with budget deficits, which would be positive for aristocrats/insworths. It’s not clear what his views on gambling/online gaming are, but given his casino tendencies, we can speculate that it’s negative, but any move to open this market may prove positive for Tapcorp.”
Analysts believe Trump’s victory will not have much impact on the U.S. land-based gambling industry, either. Donald Trump is considered a pro gambling supporter and has been linked to Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, who invested in the fight to outlaw online gambling. But game analysts believe the casino industry is unlikely to benefit significantly from Trump’s victory, though Trump may be more friendly to the game industry than the average Republican.