Casinos see increase over previous quarter but still low owing to pandemic
The Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau (DICJ) has revealed that Macao VIP gross gaming revenues in the third quarter of this year registered an increase of 55.7 per cent in relation to the previous three months. In the second quarter, Macao casino operators had reported MOP1.5 billion (US$187.8 million) in the VIP segment, with the following three months ending with a total of MOP2.3 billion.
However, numbers are relatively poor compared to previous years and from the MOP14.8 billion seen in Q1 2020, when Covid-19 pandemic impact could already be felt.
Gaming revenues rose by 228 per cent in October when compared to September, but even so, represented a 72.5 per cent drop when compared to the same month of 2019. The rise in the VIP results followed the overall results of the gaming market. In October, gaming operators raised a total of MOP7.27 billion, some MOP5.05 billion more than the previous month.
Macau casinos closed 2019 with MOP292.46 billion in revenue, 3.4 per cent less than the previous year, with authorities estimating 2021 will end with MOP130 million.
