Coronavirus: All Macau Casinos closed; Triton Jeju postponed; WPT Philippines remains with reduced guarantee
Germs spread easily in casinos and especially at poker events. Hundreds of players touching the same chips, money, cards, gambling machines. Players often carry hand sanitizers with them, some play with face masks.
It has never been as important to keep germs away from your body as right now. The Coronavirus is spreading worldwide and so many casinos and poker event organizers decide for drastic measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
All Macau Casinos closed
As more cases of the Coronavirus have been confirmed a decision has been made by the Macau SAR government to shut down casino operations from midnight on 5th February. All 41 Macau casinos will be closed for a period of two weeks, reopening on 21st February.
“It’s a very difficult decision, but one we have to make for the sake of the health of Macau citizens,” said Mr. Ho, who was recently appointed chief executive, the top official in Macau.
The closures are only affecting the gambling part of the businesses. Hotels, restaurants and shops in Macau’s integrated resorts will remain open.
Triton Jeju postponed
The Triton High Roller Series is the most prestigious series for Super High Rollers, such as Paul Phua, Wai Kin Yong, Aaron Zang or Stephen Chidwick. The tournaments always have an impact on the All Time Money Lists in poker and spark the attention of poker enthusiasts and media from all over the world.
But due to this „global emergency“ around the Coronavirus, which was called on Thursday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju has been postponed.
The traditional gathering of the world’s most ambitious High Rollers in South Korea was scheduled to start on 10th February, with 12 Super High Roller events in the Landing Casino running until 22nd February.
Triton Poker admits that the decision to postpone the festival was not easy, but the safety of their players and staff had priority.
Triton Poker announced that there will be an official announcement for a new date on 10th February.
Triton Poker Jeju 2020 Official Trailer:
WPT Philippines remains, reduces GTD to PHP12 Million
It has been announced by the President of the Philippines that people with foreign nationality will be banned from entry into the country if they had been to China, Hong Kong or Macau in the past 14 days. This excludes holders of a Permanent Resident Visa.
This ruling will have a significant impact on the World Poker Tour event starting on 6th February. The event will go ahead as planned, but with a reduced the guaranteed prize pool.
The Main Event Guarantee of PHP20 Million will be reduced to PHP12 Million but the All Bankrolls Kickoff Guarantee of PHP5 Million will remain unchanged.
Other events proceed normally
Meanwhile other international tournaments in the SEA region are taking place as planned or already running as scheduled. This includes the APPT Open Taipei(31st January – 9th February), which saw 238 total entries in its opening event, or the recently concluded Asian Poker Championship (APC) in the Metro Club at the Philippines, surpassing its PHP10 Million Guarantee with 541 total entries.
Wash your hands
The Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) will not affect most people any more severe than a common flu. It is not widespread in any area apart from some at-risk areas in the Mainland of China.
However, it is always highly recommended to wash your hands frequently and to not touch your face, e.g. your mouth and nose when handling cards and chips at a poker table.
