LT Game, the Macau-based game provider to casinos around the world, will halt shipments to the US. This comes as China and America engage in a tariff war, started by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
At the time of writing, the tariffs on China sit at a maximum of 145%. However, Trump has signalled a u-turn, which could throw all of this under the bus. For now, though, it would cost far too much to ship and sell the machines in the US, rendering it a futile effort.
LT Game announced this last week, April 15, with the news coming as the company increases its production lines, producing more slot and table games.
LT Game moves on from the US – for now
The company will now focus on expanding through Asia and Europe, as countries like Thailand enter the latter stages of their Entertainment Complex bill. Speaking to the media, reported by Inside Asian Gaming, LT Game’s chairman and managing director, Jay Chun, said:
“The demand in the Asian market is still very high.
“The Philippines is currently the largest market in Asia, and countries such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Cambodia are also growing rapidly.
“LT Game plans to expand into the European market and has an office in the United States.”
“Overall, overseas sales are concentrated in the Asian markets, especially the Philippines and Cambodia.
“The US market accounts for a relatively small proportion of sales, but due to the high tariffs brought about by the trade war, there will not be a focus on the US market for the time being.
“We won’t be selling to the US in the short term. We’ve held off for the time being because the tariff on a gaming machine is more than 100%, and it’s hard to compete with products made in the US.”
Chun believes that once the tariffs have been lifted, which he estimates will happen “within a few months”, then they can “consider reselling to the North American market.”
