In spite of wishful claims that Macao is “no longer a gambling city,” Macao’s government netted 88.13 billion patacas (US$11 billion) in gambling taxes in 2024, an increase of 35 percent on 2023’s haul of 65.3 billion patacas, according to figures from Financial Services Bureau.
The amount was 5.4 percent, or 4.52 billion patacas, higher than the 2024 budget had forecast.
It meant the gambling industry contributed a whopping 80.5 percent to Macao’s total tax revenue of 109.5 billion patacas for the year. That’s a bigger proportion than the 77.3 percent it contributed to 2023’s total, in spite of efforts made by the government to diversify the economy.
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This year, the government has forecast that gambling taxes from the city’s six casino operators will come in at an even higher 93.12 billion patacas, making up 82.7 percent of total tax revenue for 2025.
January meanwhile netted 7.19 billion patacas in gambling tax revenue, representing 7.7 percent of the government’s forecast for 2025, data shows.
Casinos generated 226.8 billion patacas in gross gaming revenue in Macao last year. Under their current 10-year contracts, casino operators pay an effective tax rate of around 40 percent.
