Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai has said that the government – for the time being – will not consider adjusting its forecast for this year’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 236 billion patacas.
Sam made the remarks while speaking to reporters on Saturday at Government Headquarters, where he welcomed visitors to the mansion’s annual two-day Open Day, which ended yesterday.
When drafting its 2026 budget bill late last year, the local government expected Macau’s GGR to reach 236 billion patacas, (a monthly average of 19.67 billion patacas) in 2026.
Macau’s monthly GGR saw a year-on-year decrease for four consecutive months: 12.1 percent in June, 8.4 percent in July, 1.2 percent in August, and 1.2 percent in September.
In the first nine months of this year, GGR rose by 3.2 percent year-on-year to 187.116 billion patacas – representing a monthly average of 20.79 billion patacas.
Since January, accumulated GGR growth has fallen from this year’s high of 24.0 percent year-on-year to its lowest rate last month.
Asked by the media about the government’s forecast for Macau’s GGR for full-year 2026, Sam noted that the official estimate was 236 billion patacas, with the cumulative total at the end of September standing at 187.1 billion patacas, leaving nearly 50 billion patacas to be generated to meet the predicted figure.
Although GGR fell year-on-year in each of the past four months, the crucial month of October saw a year-on-year increase in the number of visitors to Macau during the seven-day National Day holiday period, Sam pointed out, adding that the government is closely monitoring whether the rise in visitor arrivals is translating into higher GGR. There are currently no plans to adjust the full-year GGR forecast, Sam said.
The Chinese mainland’s National Day “Golden Week” holiday ran from October 1 to 7.
However, Sam was quick to add that after the release of this month’s GGR, the government would assess the possibility of adjusting its GGR forecast for this year.
Sam noted that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau’s GGR had risen steadily over a period of 3.5 years since early 2023, but had begun recording year-on-year declines in June this year. The local government will continue to assess whether these declines resulted from temporary internal and external factors or a high comparison base relative to recent years, he said.
Sam acknowledged that the gaming industry is the most important sector in Macau’s economic structure, accounting for 80 percent of the government’s current revenue and playing a vital role in the local economy and public finances.
Sam noted that as a micro-economy heavily dependent on a single sector – tourism and gaming – Macau faces fixed expenditures of 80 billion patacas per year, acknowledging that over-reliance on a single sector leaves the city relatively vulnerable to risks and challenges.
Sam also underlined the local government’s commitment to ensuring sound public finances and advancing its “1+4” appropriate economic diversification strategy in order to strengthen Macau’s economic momentum and overall competitiveness.
The local government’s 1+4 model aims to consolidate and diversify the development of the city’s tourism and leisure industry, i.e., the “1” element, while putting special emphasis on promoting the development of four new key industries, i.e., the additional “4” elements, namely (+1) big health mainly driven by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), (+2) modern finance, (+3) high-tech, and (+4) MICE and commerce as well as culture and sport.
Meanwhile, the Government Information Bureau (GCS) said yesterday evening that the two-day Open Day of Government Headquarters recorded 16,520 visits.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre) holds hands with two girls at Government Headquarters on Saturday, the first day of the building’s annual two-day Open Day. – Photo: GCS
