Gross gaming revenue (GGR) from Texas Hold’em poker in Macau during the first quarter this year reached MOP242 million (US$30.3 million), a quarterly best for the segment since the city’s casino regulator started publishing data on it in 2008.
Such GGR was up 3.0 percent year-on-year on the MOP235 million recorded for the first three months of 2024, show data from the regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. Macau’s full-year 2024 Texas Hold’em poker GGR of MOP883 million had been a high since the city’s government started issuing figures for the category.
Texas Hold’em poker has had mixed fortunes in Macau over the years. Its previous modern-era annual GGR record was MOP446 million in 2019. It fell back to MOP35 million in 2020, coinciding with travel restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The game had seen a revenue comeback in Macau in stages since 2023. Industry commentators had remarked to GGRAsia at the time that while this segment was not one of the most profitable for casinos because of the rake model, it had been helpful as a marketing tool to attract younger customers and non-Chinese tourists.
Snapshot casino floor checks by GGRAsia around the city suggest Texas Hold’em poker zones might be on the retreat again. At least two Texas Hold’em poker zones in Macau – both observed as being active since 2023 – have recently shuttered.
One was at MGM Macau, run by MGM China Holdings Ltd, on the city’s peninsula. The zone – recorded as being active as of June 2023 – was already out of service by March and is now converted into space serving Shanghai-style food and also drinks. That is based on GGRAsia’s recent site visits, and information from industry sources. A Texas Hold’em poker area at sister property MGM Cotai, known to have been active as of June 2023, remains in service.
A Texas Hold’em poker space at Grand Lisboa Palace, SJM Holdings Ltd’s Cotai resort, had been observed in operation as of August 2023. The area appeared closed as of mid-April, according to GGRAsia’s observations.
Other Texas Hold’em poker zones in Macau in operation as of last week included one on the main floor of Wynn Macau, a property run by Wynn Macau Ltd on the city’s peninsula; and at The Venetian Macao, a Cotai casino resort run by Sands China Ltd.
