Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

China trade war potential casualties include U.S. casinos in Asia

In Macau

John Katsilometes

Sands Cotai Central, which sits just across from Venetian Macau.

As the U.S. and China steam toward a full-fledged trade war, American casinos across the world could become collateral damage.

“The risks for Sheldon Anderson’s Sands casinos are quite high,” says China Market Research Managing Director Shaun Rein. “It is quite possible that China will target his casinos specifically because he is a [Donald] Trump crony. It is possible they will ratchet up police surveillance of his Macau properties in order to spread fear among high rollers and even middle class gamblers that they are being checked in on by the authorities. Or they will launch an audit of their books. Either way, a move could be viewed as having plausible deniability that the government cloaks as a crackdown on corruption or tax evasion.

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