Analysts expect April’s numbers to show an even sharper drop. It fell 88 percent in February when authorities suspended casino operation for two weeks. Macau’s gaming revenue fell 80 percent in March from the year before, according to government figures. The S&P 500 casinos and gaming index has lost 51% this year, more than double the 24% dip in the S&P 500. The global business of gambling - which thrives on air travel and large groups of people in close proximity - is one of the hardest hit as the world goes into lockdown. The same has happened in Australia, South Korea, the Philippines and Cambodia. In Las Vegas, the casinos have been forced to close in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Pedestrians wearing face masks walk down the street, with a backdrop of the Grand Lisboa casino, following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Macau, China March 24, 2020.
