Junket operators and gaming companies in Macao are donating $22.5 million to help find a coronavirus cure. Good on them. Would that we could say half that about the government of China, which has bungled a localized virus into a global pandemic. As of last weekend, some 40,171 people had been sickened, far more than the 8,098 infected by SARS. Almost 910 deaths (SARS killed 774) have occurred—97 last Sunday alone—indicating that the pace of the disease is quickening. Over 3,060 new cases have been reported, including at least 66 on a cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan.
This is entirely the fault of a doctrinaire cover-up in the Chinese government. Global Gaming Business provides a handy summary: “Medical personnel quickly raised the alarm, but initially local officials 
refused to act, fearful in no small part of censure from Beijing. Thus, a critical period of several weeks passed that allowed the contagion to spread. The situation was made worse by the fact that, by the time the epidemic was officially acknowledged and the central government began to mobilize to treat and contain it, the weeklong Lunar New Year had arrived. It’s China’s busiest travel season, and it occurred as the contagion rapidly spread throughout Hubei [Province] and beyond.”
Among the victims claimed by the disease was Dr. Li Wenliang, an opthamologist at the center of the outbreak who tried to warn the public of the dangers. He paid for this not only with his life (dying of coronavirus) but with an official crackdown in which he was forced to recent his warnings. The truth has belatedly outed and Dr. Li has become a hero, even a martyr to his countrymen, as Beijing scrambles to belatedly look concerned.
Coronavirus has crippled the Chinese economic recovery on which the gaming industry was counting. Inflation has hit 5.5%, its highest mark in eight years. Factories are closed and assembly lines stand idle. (This, in turn, affects factories in Japan and South Korea, possibly rolling into the U.S.) According to the New York Times “legions of inactive workers 
suggest that weeks or months could pass before this vital motor of global growth is humming again.” Is it any wonder that Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox (left) and Las Vegas Sands President Rob Goldstein are looking at a 15-day casino closure in Macao as a best-case scenario? The economic effects of coronavirus are sure to reverberate throughout the rest of 2020. Reported the Boston Globe, “Over the weekend, the government promised tax cuts and subsidies to farmers, supermarkets, producers of medical supplies and companies that contribute to anti-disease work.”
“It’s like Europe in medieval times where each city has its checks and crosschecks.” European Chamber of Commerce in China President Joerg Wuttke told the NYT. Alluding to secondary infections among people who have not been to China, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that “we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.” And why is that? Because governmental officials in China tried to sweep coronavirus under the rug. Only now is the WHO being permitted into the country.
Even with Chinese New Year extensions having finally been lifted, relatively few people are venturing into the streets. Said the Grey Lady, 
“stores remained closed, and many residents worked from home or did not work at all.” Wuhan is on lockdown, in a classic case of bolting the barn door only after the horse has fled. Traffic is being quarantined, making it harder for some workers to return to their jobs. If measures taken in large, industrial cities are any precursor, Macao casinos will have to certify the health history of each and every employee, institute temperature checks and hand washing procedures, and report anyone with even a low-grade fever.
In the meantime, casino executives will have to fall back on the long-term business plan articulated by Goldstein: “The investment proposition in Macao, going back to the beginning, was always 1 billion or so people at your doorstep. We’ve always believed that the engine here would be, and should be, all those people across the border.” So close and yet so far.
* When there’s money to be made, resort-industry fealty to the Las Vegas Raiders is a mile wide and a microbe deep. When members of the Super Bowl-winning, rival Kansas City Chiefs hit Sin City, the red carpet was speedily rolled forth. Susan Stapleton has the groveling details: “Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight ends Travis Kelce and Blake Bell, running back Damien Williams, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, guard Cam Erving, and center Austin Reiter started the party Saturday morning with a 12:30 a.m. arrival at Jewel Nightclub at Aria. The nightclub decorated the space with custom Chiefs signs spanning the venue’s giant LED wall and ribbon, an oversized Chiefs flag waving high, and model servers dressed in Chiefs attire … The team took over three VIP tables and drank Don Julio 1942 and Ace of Spades Rose while dancing to a live performance by O.T. Genasis,” who needs a spelling lesson.
The fun didn’t stop there: “Over at Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell, Kelce, safety Tyrann Mattieu, running back LeSean McCoy, and others arrived after 2 a.m. Sunday morning to sit at a VIP table, which was branded with the Chiefs logo. Servers wore Chiefs T-shirts to present the group with bottles of Don Julio 1942, Patrón, and magnum bottles of Champagne, as well as an ornate sparkler presentation. As the bottles were popped, the group was surprised with oversized Lombardi trophy cut outs.”
What are these ‘Raiders’ of whom you speak?
Jottings: A federal judge has refused to cut the Gordian Knot between Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) and the state’s gaming tribes. They have been ordered to take their dispute to binding arbitration … Wacky billionaire Andrew Yang says he’s the best-positioned Democrat to beat Donald Trump, citing an offshore sports book’s odds as his impeccable source. Yes, we believe he was serious … L’Auberge Lake Charles was ground zero for a norovirus outbreak in Louisiana. The disease has infected 200 people … If you’re in New Jersey, Indiana or Pennsylvania, you can place your sports bets at Hooters, believe it or not. The breastaurant chain has partnered with Rush Street Interactive to offer this new amenity … Was Jim Murren‘s endorsement of Joe Biden (D) premature? Nevada polling shows Bernie Sanders (I) in the lead.
