Good morning. The house still has the pull. A CLSA survey shows Macau gaming taking a bigger slice of mainland visitors’ travel budgets, even as trip intentions remain broadly steady. Casino play now accounts for 41 percent of reasons to visit, the highest in the survey’s three-year run, while gaming’s share of planned budgets rose to 24 percent as entertainment and shopping lost ground. Meanwhile, Seaport expects July GGR to drop 7 percent to 9 percent year-on-year, with the World Cup still weighing on play and no relief in sight on reinvestment costs. In Australia, a $2.7 million US tariff refund has given Ainsworth an unexpected lift, with the slot maker raising its 1H26 profit guidance and cutting its net debt forecast.
What you need to know
- CLSA’s survey shows gaming regaining wallet share in Macau, with visitor budgets steady and growth concentrated among higher-income customers.
- Seaport forecasts Macau July GGR down 7-9 percent on World Cup impact, with margins staying pressured as reinvestment costs show no sign of easing.
- Ainsworth raises its 1H26 profit and cash flow guidance after receiving a $2.7 million tariff refund from the United States.
On the radar
- GKL, Paradise Co casino sales tumble month-on-month in June.
- Asia-Pacific casinos face softer demand and rising cost pressures: S&P.
- Japan leads OECD tourism growth as arrivals hit a record high.
- Hemisphere to run NZ safer gambling platform ahead of online launch.
AGB Intelligence
MACAU
Gaming takes a bigger share of Macau visitors’ travel budgets
A CLSA survey points to a renewed focus on casino play among mainland Chinese visitors to Macau, despite the city’s wider non-gaming diversification push. The report found that gaming accounted for 41 percent of respondents’ reasons for visiting Macau and 24 percent of planned travel budgets. Meanwhile, 79 percent of surveyed consumers said they intend to visit the city over the next year, indicating broadly steady demand.
Industry Updates
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Corporate Spotlight
How Crypto Adoption in Asia is Changing iGaming Payments
Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, explores how surging crypto adoption across Asia is revolutionizing iGaming payments, stating: “When I look at what’s changing fastest in Asia, it’s payment behavior,” as wallets, stablecoins, and seamless cross-border transfers become deeply ingrained in player habits. The winning operators will be those that offer fast, reliable, and local deposits and withdrawals. To make sense of it, Yevhen breaks Asia into two crypto realities.
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