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This is what draws the most bets at Macao’s casinos

According to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, 84 percent of gross revenue earned from gaming in the first quarter of 2023 came from this one game.

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According to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, 84 percent of gross revenue earned from gaming in the first quarter of 2023 came from this one game.

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UPDATED: 22 Dec 2023, 12:26 am

Macao raked in some 34.8 billion patacas in gross revenue from different gaming activities in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest figures from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

The figure is only 47 percent of the average gross revenue the territory earned from gaming each quarter in 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – but it puts Macao on course to achieve the government target of 130 billion patacas for the year.

Of the first quarter’s revenue, more than 29 billion patacas, or almost 84 percent of the total, came from baccarat or VIP baccarat, the DCIJ figures show.

[See more: Top gaming industry figure backs calls for diversification]

Baccarat is a card game played between player and banker, with both vying to get the highest score. The game attracts punters because the house has a low competitive edge compared to other casino card games. Baccarat is booming not just in Macao but Las Vegas.

Analysts at JP Morgan say mass-market gross gaming revenues in Macao have been restored to “about 65% from pre-COVID levels” so far in 2023. 

The level “comfortably” exceeds estimates for the first three months of the year, researchers said.

 

UPDATED: 22 Dec 2023, 12:26 am

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