• About Us
  • The Team
  • Advertise with Us

The latest news on the gaming industry in Asia

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
  • Home
  • Macau
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Rest of Asia
  • World
  • Industry Talk
  • Trends & Tech
  • iGaming
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS Feed
    • LinkedIn

Cotai table minimum bets better than expected: MS

Jan 16, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  


Cotai table minimum bets better than expected: MS

Brokerage Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd says the market is “comfortable” about seeing Macau visitor numbers return to pre-Covid levels, but that the spend per visitor is “unknown”. The commentary followed a recent visit by the brokerage’s analysts to Macau.

“Ease of travel between Hong Kong and Macau is similar to pre-Covid levels,” wrote analysts Praveen Choudhary, Gareth Leung, and Stephen Grambling in a Sunday note, following their “first trip” to Macau in three years.

According to the memo, the Morgan Stanley team walked around the casino floors of a number of Macau properties on Thursday and Saturday night, noting that most “Cotai casinos had at least 60 percent tables with players”.

“Minimum bets on the peninsula were generally MOP500 [US$62.20] and, in Cotai, MOP2,000, which is higher than our expectation considering low utilisation,” stated the analysts.

“We believe this will help the second-half 2023 and 2024 win, table, and day productivity numbers,” they added.

In a short accompanying audio, Mr Choudhary said the institution had learned during the visit to Macau that junkets “were not providing capital to premium-mass [customers], but only to a few VIPs that also used to play in mass areas”. Those, he added, made up a “small percentage of the overall mass-market business”.

Macau cancelled with effect from January 8 most of its travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, dropping all testing requirements for inbound travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The authorities on the Chinese mainland also substantially eased from January 8 travel restrictions with Hong Kong and Macau, with most Covid-19 controls scrapped.

Macau is gradually resuming a number of transport services between the city and Hong Kong, as well as connections to cities in mainland China. The Morgan Stanley team said the frequency of ferries and buses between Macau and Hong Kong “can go up manyfold”.

“Land travel via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge can easily bring more traffic compared to 2018,” it added.

More than 153,000 visitors entered Macau between Friday to Sunday, an average of just over 51,000 arrivals during the three-day period. The city recorded on Saturday its highest daily total of visitor arrivals – at 55,845 – since a local Covid-19 outbreak in mid-June last year, according to official data.

According to a Macau government estimate in 2019, the city can only accommodate up to 40 million visitors per year. But since then, “Macau has added 15 percent casino rooms and expanded capacity at different immigration channels and introduced high-speed stations,” stated Morgan Stanley.

The institution added: “Thus, Macau can support much high visitor numbers in future. This could help Macau generate higher mass revenue, if spending per capita can be maintained.”

Based on the brokerage’s observations, minimum bets on many of the city’s casino tables “have not been lowered (despite lower visitation), which should support higher table productivity”.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Available Macau casino tables busy at tail of CNY hols
    Available Macau casino tables busy at...

    Jan 27, 2023  

  • Macau economy to see double-digit growth in 2023: AMCM
    Macau economy to see double-digit...

    Jan 27, 2023  

More news
  • Macau, APAC early gainers in China tourist return says Fitch
    Macau, APAC early gainers in China...

    Jan 27, 2023  

  • G2E Asia in-person for Macau in 2023, first time since 2019
    G2E Asia in-person for Macau in 2023,...

    Jan 27, 2023  


Latest News

Available Macau casino tables busy at tail of CNY hols

Available Macau casino tables busy at tail of CNY hols

Jan 27, 2023  

Some Macau casinos visited by GGRAsia on Thursday, actually had tables that were closed, notwithstanding strong consumer demand during Chinese New Year (CNY). The reasons for some tables being...
Read More
Macau economy to see double-digit growth in 2023: AMCM

Macau economy to see double-digit growth in 2023: AMCM

Jan 27, 2023  

Macau, APAC early gainers in China tourist return says Fitch

Macau, APAC early gainers in China tourist return says

Jan 27, 2023  

Sign up to our FREE Newsletter

UB8V5.qr.16(Click here for more)

Pick of the Day


384,600

Aggregate number of visitors to Macau during the first six days of the Chinese New Year holiday break



Most Popular

  • Available Macau casino tables busy at tail of CNY holsAvailable Macau casino tables busy at tail of CNY hols January 27, 2023
  • Macau economy to see double-digit growth in 2023: AMCMMacau economy to see double-digit growth in 2023: AMCM January 27, 2023
  • G2E Asia in-person for Macau in 2023, first time since 2019G2E Asia in-person for Macau in 2023, first time since 2019 January 27, 2023
  • Galaxy Macau’s new arena to host K-pop group BlackpinkGalaxy Macau’s new arena to host K-pop group Blackpink January 9, 2023
Copyright 2014-2023 TEAM Publishing and Consultancy Ltd / All rights reserved
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us