Macao’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) dropped 49.6 per cent year-on-year to MOP 2.9 billion last month, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) announced today. In September 2021, gross revenue was MOP 5.8 billion.
GGR rose 35.3 per cent month-on-month which can be attributed to the city’s slow recovery after the June Covid-19 outbreak. September’s numbers also represent the highest revenue since May of this year. In the first nine months of the year, GGR amounted to MOP 31.8 billion, down by 53.1 per cent year-on-year.
Today marks the start of the Golden Week holiday, which was meant to bring in an increase in the numbers of tourists from mainland China. However, last week, authorities in Guangdong and Zhuhai told residents to stay at home during the week-long holiday to stick to zero Covid-19 targets. The streets of Macao are relatively empty since this morning.
Macao’s six gaming operators ran 37 casinos at the end of June.
The government is currently reviewing proposals by seven bidders for the maximum of six gaming concessions to be granted from 1 January 2022 onwards.
The bidders comprise of the city’s six current gaming operators: SJM Resorts Limited, Galaxy Casino Company Limited, Wynn Resorts (Macau), MGM Grand Paradise Limited, Venetian Macau Limited, and Melco Resorts (Macau) Limited. The seventh bidder is GMM Limited, which is linked to Malaysia’s Genting Group.
The concessions will have a duration of up to 10 years, according to Macao’s amended gaming law which was promulgated earlier this year.
