Banking group Citi said it was maintaining its forecast for Macau’s July casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) at MOP21.0 billion (US$2.6 billion), representing a 5-percent year-on-year decline, as it expected the city’s gaming revenue to recover further once the FIFA World Cup 2026 concludes.
Macau’s aggregate GGR for the first 12 days of the current month was estimated at about MOP7.3 billion (MOP904 million). Daily average GGR during the previous week reached circa MOP621 million, approximately 5-percent higher than the MOP590 million daily run rate recorded during the first five days of July, Citi noted, citing industry checks.
The improved daily average GGR trend likely reflected the smaller number of World Cup matches played last week – eight in total, compared with 14 during the first five days of July – the banking institution suggested.
It added: “Based on industry sources, VIP volume fell circa 0 percent to 3 percent month-on-month and mass GGR fell about 2 to 4 percent month-on-month.”
“As there are only four soccer matches remaining in the [World Cup] tournament, we expect Macau GGR to continue to recover. Post-tournament, Macau’s star-studded event calendar should swiftly help Macau GGR return to normal,” Citi wrote. The FIFA World Cup is due to conclude on July 19.
Following that tournament, several Macau casino operators have scheduled concerts and other entertainment events throughout the remainder of July and August, according to GGRAsia’s review of promotional materials.
These include three performances of the Chinese-pop concert “The Music of Chan Fai Young: King of Pop” – featuring pop artists Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Bibi Zhou, Gigi Yim and Siu Fei, at Galaxy Arena during July 24 to July 26. The same Cotai venue – run by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd – is also due to host in August two concerts by Chinese pop artist Henry Lau; the music awards “Tencent Music Entertainment Awards 2026”; and a concert from South Korean pop group i-dle.
The Venetian Arena, operated by Sands China Ltd, is scheduled to host concerts by South Korean pop groups AND2BLE and ITZY, as well as Hong Kong artist Louis Koo, from late July through August.
Galaxy Entertainment and Sands China have also scheduled a number of smaller-scale performances across their Cotai resorts during the summer months. Studio City, promoted by Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, is due to host Hong Kong pop singer Hins Cheung in late July, followed by South Korean acts P1Harmony and Donghae in August.
