The event was originally supposed to be held from May 19 to 21 but was pushed to July 28 to 30 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The newest rescheduling is also a direct response to the pandemic.

However, organisers also faced criticism from the industry before, when they announced the first delay, as some of the possible attendees expressed their disbelief that the exhibition can safely take place in the summer.

“The health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees and employees is paramount,” said COO of Reed Exhibitions China Josephine Lee. “The rapidly evolving situation makes it too difficult to host G2E Asia in a safe environment this summer.”

The decision was made after consulting both the customers and the Macau government, with hopes that in winter the industry would begin to recover. The organisers promise to keep a close eye on the situation and issue further updates as needed.

Despite the ups and downs, Macau remains in a fairly stable position when it comes to gambling as it’s predicted that by the end of the year, Macau will experience a slow but steady recovery.