Is poker going to be scratched in Macau?

Tencent, the company behind some of the most successful online gaming in China, as well as the WeChat social media platform, recently had to shut down a popular online Texas Hold’em game. The move came as regulators in the China have begun to take a stricter stance against gambling, which has also cause other companies to think about pulling out of the space. As regulators continue to clamp down on gambling, Macau some believe that Macau may be forced to give up on poker.

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) recently announced that it was cancelling an event that had been scheduled to take place in Macau. It was the second cancellation of a Macau-based event for the APT, and had to be relocated to the Philippines.

According to APT CEO Jeff Mann, “In August we had to cancel our scheduled event in Macau due to circumstances beyond either APT’s or our local partner’s control. We did not wish this to happen again given that some confirmations for the event including exact dates were outstanding. The fact is our Finale is becoming very popular with players from around the world and already some are requesting confirmed details so that they can make plans for the end of the year.”

That event was the APT Finale 2018, initially scheduled to be held in Macau from November 27 to December 8. Mann didn’t specify exactly why the event had to be moved, which only adds to the concern.