The SAR’s casino operators appear to be lowering table limits to attract gamblers from satellite casinos slated to close by the end of this year, according to Citigroup’s latest Macao Table Survey. The survey was cited in a report by casino industry news outlet Inside Asian Gaming (IAG).
During visits conducted over the October “golden week” holiday, analysts George Choi and Timothy Chau noted that Galaxy Entertainment Group and Melco Resorts had opened new gaming areas with reduced minimum bets.
According to IAG, they observed 16 tables priced between HK$300 and HK$1,000 (US$39 to US$128) at Galaxy’s StarWorld and 15 tables priced at HK$500 to HK$1,000 (US$64 to US$128) at Melco’s City of Dreams. “We believe these are their attempts to garner business from satellite casinos,” the analysts wrote.
[See more: Macao’s satellite casinos are shutting early as staff leave]
The government has ordered the closure of all 11 satellite casinos in the city by year’s end, including the Melco-affiliated Casino Grand Dragon and the Galaxy-linked Waldo Casino. SJM Resorts, which operates the remaining nine, is expected to be the most affected and is working to bring two of these properties into its self-run portfolio.
Despite a reported 15 percent decline in premium mass players and a 14 percent drop in total wagers year-on-year during the visit, Citi said it remained positive about casinos’ golden week performance.
“We suspect the fall is due to this year’s eight-day National Day Golden Week being one more day versus last year, leading to some dilution in daily average visitation,” they wrote. The analysts noted that the average wager per player had grown by 1 percent year-on-year – boding well for a “solid Golden Week.”
