In Macau and a leading political expert has reportedly announced that the enclave’s trio of American casino operators could soon find themselves being used as pawns in the ongoing trade war between China and the United States.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the MGM China Holdings Limited subsidiary of MGM Resorts International as well as the local Sands China Limited and Wynn Macau Limited subordinates of Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Wynn Resorts Limited respectively are set to see their Macau casino licenses expire in June of 2022. The source detailed that Priscilla Roberts, Associate Professor at City University of Macau, has now predicted that the three could well receive a ‘slap on the wrist’ from Chinese officials when they begin seeking to have these concessions extended.

Slight snub:

An authority on American politics and foreign affairs, Roberts reportedly made her ominous forecast earlier today at a meeting hosted by the France Macau Chamber of Commerce. She purportedly declared that China could use the casino license retendering process ‘to deliver a slap on the wrist to the United States without really getting the administration of President Joseph Biden too upset about what’s happening to the Adelsons and the Wynns.’

Roberts reportedly stated…

“I think it’s quite possible that American casinos will no longer be as welcome in Macau. There may be some pressure for these casinos to be more China operated, which may be an opening for localization, so to speak.”

Antecedent affiliation:

In addition, Roberts reportedly asserted that any future measures that may negatively impact American casino operators in Macau will likely ‘annoy Republicans much more than the Democrats’ due to the fact that the ‘industry has been heavily identified with the Republican party,’ She purportedly went on to speculate that the presence of foreign gambling operators in Macau ‘could become a symbolic issue a little bit like the Olympics,’ which was supposedly a reference to the United States’ effort to have the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing cancelled due to China’s alleged record of human rights abuses.

Protracted progress:

Although a Biden-led administration could well begin working towards improving relations between Washington, DC, and Beijing, Roberts reportedly finished by claiming that any such thaw would likely be miniscule owing to the current bipartisan view of China as being hostile towards the national interests of the United States.