Munich (dpa / lby) - After economically dramatic Corona years, the state government is again cautiously optimistic about the situation of its company investments - such as airports, trade fairs, breweries and casinos. The effects of "two very, very difficult years" have not yet been fully overcome, said Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU) on Wednesday in the state parliament's budget committee. But you can "become a little more confident again". Positive examples that things are really looking up again include shipping on lakes and casinos. The latter could even have reported profits again in 2022.
However, when presenting the new state participation report, Füracker also admitted that the overall situation remained somewhat uncertain, primarily because of the Ukraine war and its effects on energy prices and material costs, for example. "It will remain uncertain, let's not kid ourselves," he said.
According to Füracker, the state casinos recorded the highest gross gaming revenue since 2007 - namely 106.4 million euros. The number of visitors rose again from 247,000 in 2021 to 541,000. After many years of losses in the past, the casinos are back in the black again: For the past year, a net profit of around 19 million euros can be expected, Füracker reported.
In air traffic and at trade fairs, there was a slow return to normality last year, said Füracker. However, passenger numbers at Munich and Nuremberg airports are still well below the pre-crisis level. "We're not out of crisis mode yet," stressed Füracker.
In 2021, many company investments in the Free State had slipped into the red to an unprecedented extent due to Corona.
