Macau’s mass-market gross gaming revenue (GGR) in the third quarter of 2021 reached nearly MOP12.81 billion (US$1.60 billion), accounting for 68.2 percent of the city’s aggregate casino GGR in the period. The mass-market GGR figure – including slot machine revenue – represented a decline of 24.1 percent from the second quarter, according to data released on Monday by the city’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
VIP baccarat, which in 2019 represented nearly half of all Macau GGR, accounted for 31.8 percent of the city’s casino GGR in the three months to September 30, at MOP5.96 billion. That was a decline of 29.9 percent from the preceding quarter.
Overall, Macau casino GGR in the July to September period stood at MOP18.76 billion, down 26.1 percent quarter-on-quarter.
A number of industry analysts mentioned in recent notes that the Macau VIP segment had recently been under commercial pressure, due to a combination of regulatory and pandemic-related factors. Some analysts have also suggested that – in the current market environment – VIP GGR has been “virtually negligible” for the sector’s profit.
The Macau government said in September it wanted to increase the share of the mass-market segment in the casino industry, and pledged to implement strict oversight on the allocation of new live-dealer gaming tables. The goals were stated in the draft version of the city’s second Five-Year Development Plan, which is currently under public consultation.
In the third quarter, mass-market baccarat alone made up 56.3 percent of all GGR, or MOP10.56 billion in money terms.
Revenue from slot machines reached nearly MOP1.08 billion in the third quarter, accounting for 5.7 percent of aggregate GGR in the period.
The number of live gaming tables in the Macau market stood at 6,302 at the end of the September quarter, up by 109 from the preceding quarter. The tally of slot machines as of September 30 was 11,449, versus 9,871 at the end of the second quarter.
