Macao’s total gross gaming revenues stood at MOP23.642 billion in the first quarter of 2021, a rise of 8.2% compared with the previous quarter and a decrease of 22.4% compared with the same period of last year, according to the latest figures released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
VIP rooms recorded total gross revenues of MOP9.128 billion, accounting for 38.6% of total gaming revenues in the first quarter. Although the figure represented a rise of 3.7 percentage points in VIP baccarat’s contribution to total gaming revenues, it was still a far cry from pre-pandemic performance when VIP baccarat made up more than 70% of Macau’s total gaming revenues.
The past month of March saw the highest total gaming revenues in Macau since the Covid-19 pandemic in February last year; total gaming revenues in the past month hit MOP8.306 billion, a year-on-year increase of 58% and a month-on-month increase of 13.6%. However, the overall performance of VIP rooms remained sluggish. According to data provided by industry insiders, the total rolling chip turnover of junket operators in Macau fell by 4.2% to MOP46.5 billion in March while total income dropped by 36% to MOP1.15 billion.
Suncity Group and Tak Chun Group both broke the 10 billion patacas-mark once again in total rolling chip turnover in March. But Suncity saw a two-digit year-on-year decrease in rolling chip turnover in the past month.
