Macau’s gross gaming revenues fell 87.8 percent year-on-year to MOP 3.1 billion (US$388.58 million) last month, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) announced on Sunday.
In February last year, the city’s gross gaming revenues stood at MOP 25.37 billion.
It was the gaming industry’s steepest year-on-year gross revenue fall on record since the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) in December 1999, according to official records.
Macau’s 41 casinos were shut down by government order between February 5-20 in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Most of the casinos reopened on February 20 but access to their premises continues to be subject to a string of restrictions until further notice.
Macau’s casinos are concessions and sub-concessions granted by the government which gives the latter considerable leeway over their operations. The casino sector is currently run by six rival operators.
For the time being, casino staff and gamblers must wear facemasks. Gamblers must have their body temperatures checked and present a health e-declaration to be allowed entry.
Macau’s casinos have suffered year-on-year revenue declines every month since October last year.
In 2019, only four months recorded revenue increases.
According to DICJ statistics on casinos’ monthly gross revenues of games of chance, which have been published on the bureau’s website since 2009/2010, last month’s revenues were the lowest since February 2009 when they amounted to MOP 7.91 billion.
Last month’s decline is the steepest since the 48.6 percent year-on-year drop recorded in February 2015, a year which recorded negative year-on-year growth every month.
In the first two months of this year, gross gaming revenues fell 49.9 percent year-on-year to MOP 25.23 billion.
Month-to-month, February’s gross gaming revenues were down by 85.9 percent.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
