One of the lesser-noticed visa restrictions put in place by the Zhuhai Customs and Immigration Authority almost two years ago, amid all the noise about the IVS curbs, was an important one for the junket operators. Previously, they had been making abundant use of a special kind of exit permit from the mainland that allowed Chinese passport-holders to use Macau as a transit point to a third country. All you had to do was show a ticket or, depending on the flexibility of the border officials, an itinerary that showed your final destination, and you would be able to stay in Macau for a maximum of seven days. It carried a price, for this was a kind of “visa on arrival” permit. The crackdown that began in earnest around the middle of 2008, when Beijing sent a very clear message to Macau that it wanted gaming revenue growth cooled, cut this permit off in addition to the squeeze that was placed on the IVS permits, whereby applicants could only apply once every three months.

Well, it’s back.

Our sources on the mainland tell us that the special exit permit – call it a transit permit – was reinstated without any announcement recently. Now, anyone with RMB200 in their pocket and an itinerary that shows the intention to go on to a third destination via Macau can get the permit at the Gongbei border.

This is obviously good for the junkets, who are masters of the people-moving business. High-rollers and medium-rollers alike can be brought from anywhere in China on a whim and whisked through Gongbei again with the greatest of ease. It also helps them to bring in any number of mainland xiaojie who can be deployed on the mass gaming floors of the concessionaires to recruit high-limit players in need of credit.

Not that the junkets need any help right now. According to Gary Pinge at Macquarie, the market is sizzling. His sources say that the third week of the month was just as hot as the first two weeks, and MOP17bn is well within reach – nearly double last year’s number. Walking the floors this week, we can attest to strong numbers on mass. But we have a hunch that there will be some interesting shifts in market-share numbers when they come out next week. Stay tuned.

Article used with permission and copyright to IntelMacau.com