Macao’s casinos generated a gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 19.74 billion patacas (US$2.47 billion) last month, according to new figures published by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DICJ).
This figure represents a jump of around 8 percent in comparison to the 18.25 billion patacas (US$2.26 billion) collected this January.
February’s GGR also marks a rise of 6.8 percent against the 18.48 billion patacas (US$2.31 billion) that was registered during the same period last year.
The latest result marks an end to two months of consecutive year-on-year decreases in Macao’s monthly GGR, which began last December.
[See more: Per-person GGR may never hit pre-pandemic levels, says analysts]
During the final month of 2024, local casino’s earnings fell by 2 percent to 18.2 billion patacas (US$2.27 billion). Analysts attributed this decrease to the strict security measures that were implemented during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s handover celebration visit to Macao between 18 and 20 December.
The following month, the GGR totalled 18.25 billion patacas (US$2.28 billion), a fall of 5.6 percent year-on-year. While that total marked a slight 0.27 percent increase over the earnings in December, the year-on-year decrease was considered surprising as January is normally a month in which Macao welcomes a significant number of tourists, who visit during the New Year and Spring Festival period.
For this year, the SAR government predicts the gaming industry will reap a cumulative GGR of 240 billion patacas (US$29.9 billion). While some analysts predict the actual figure could surpass US$30 billion, others have expressed concerns that the industry may never fully recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Francis Lui, chairman of Galaxy Entertainment, recently said that he is “confident” the government’s GGR forecast would be realised. Lui noted that even though the January GGR underperformed, “the performance in the second half of February has improved and exceeded expectations.”
