Macau’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) reached MOP14.9 billion ($1.85 billion) in September, down 13.2 percent from MOP17.2 billion ($2.1 billion) in August.
Despite the super typhoon that hit Macau at the beginning of the month, which also caused casinos to shut down for several hours, the September tally was up 404 percent from the prior-year period, according to data released on Sunday by the local regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).
Macau’s casino GGR stood at MOP129 billion ($15.9 billion) for the nine months to September 30th, an increase of 305 percent from a year earlier.
In the city’s Chief Executive 2023 policy address last November, the Macau government estimated 2023 gross gaming revenue at MOP130 billion ($16.25 billion). As of September, Macau’s GGR has almost achieved the government’s goal.
Although Macau’s tourism recovery continues, the government has maintained its budget estimate.
The investment bank Citigroup recently predicted the SAR gaming revenue for the whole year is likely to reach MOP181.5 billion ($22.7 billion), which represents 62 percent of the 2019 level.
Macau’s GGR reached $2.1 billion in August, the highest monthly volume this year. The result is also the highest reported in the past 43 consecutive months, or since January 2020.
At the same time, Macau received over 17.6 million visitors in the first eight months of the year. While the tourism authorities expect to receive 24 million tourists by year-end.
