Macau casino gaming revenue hit US$11.4 billion in the quarter ended 30th June, a 5.5% increase over the same period last year that was driven primarily by continued strong growth in the mass-market segment.
The casinos have amassed $23.7 billion in gaming revenue through the first six months of the year, a 12.8% increase over H1 2013.
Mass-market gambling accounted for nearly 40% of the combined second quarter take, about $4.45 billion, according to figures released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. It was up more than 35% year on year. Most of it by far, more than 77%, was cash baccarat play.
It was a rough quarter for the VIP segment, whose 60.1% of the market was considerably off Q2 2013’s 67.3%. Revenue was down a sizable 16% from the first quarter, totaling $6.71 billion, a 5.8% decline year on year. It was the first year-on-year decrease since Q3 2012, when it dipped 1.1%, and was a major contributor to June’s first market-wide monthly revenue drop (minus-3.7%) in more than five years.
Softness in VIP has dragged down expectations for the year, with most analysts downsizing their forecasts into the low double digits.
Slot revenue amounted to $442.9 million in the quarter, up 3.8% and accounting for just under 4% of the market.
