Macau's casinos generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 22.125 billion patacas (US$2.73 billion) last month, representing a year-on-year growth of 19.0 percent, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has announced today.
July’s GGR was the highest so far this year. In the past five years, only January 2020 generated slightly higher casino takings, at 22.126 billion patacas.
Month-on-month, GGR last month rose by 5.0 percent from the 21.064 billion patacas recorded in June.
In the first seven months of the year, GGR rose by 6.5 percent year-on-year to 140.896 billion patacas.
Macau’s government-concessioned gaming industry is run by six rival integrated resort (IR) operators: Sands, Galaxy, SJM, Melco, Wynn, and MGM. Under their concession agreements with the government, the IR operators are required to strengthen their non-gaming attractions and support Macau’s cultural heritage promotion and old-quarter renewal projects. The operators pay 35 percent of their GGR as direct gaming tax to the government, in addition to an additional 5.0 percent in levies for funding a range of public causes. However, the gaming law, amended in 2022, allows the government to lower the additional levies (officially termed "contributions") for various reasons, such as when operators expand their foreign client markets or face unforeseen adverse developments affecting their business operations.
In the first half of the year, according to the latest available official gaming statistics, baccarat generated 84.7 percent of local casinos' GGR among their 16 games of chance. Gaming machines produced 5.7 percent of GGR in the first six months, while roulette, Europe's classic game of chance, generated a mere 0.47 percent.
