Mass market baccarat continued to dominate Macau’s gaming landscape in the three months to 31 March 2022, with its share of industry-wide gross gaming revenue continuing to climb according to figures from the DICJ.
While Macau GGR plummeted to just MOP$17.94 billion (US$2.22 billion) in 1Q22 – its lowest level since the third quarter of 2020 – mass baccarat comprised 60.3% at MOP$10.82 billion (US$1.34 billion). That compares to 50.6% of GGR in the same quarter last year and 42.4% in 4Q19, the last quarter before COVID-19 impacted revenues.
VIP baccarat in the March quarter reached MOP$4.84 billion (US$599 million), representing just 27.0% of GGR – down from 38.3% a year earlier and from 44.7% in 4Q19. VIP baccarat revenues have been hit hard by mainland China’s war on cross-border gambling and the collapse of Macau’s junket industry following the arrests of former Suncity Group CEO Alvin Chau in November and Tak Chun Group CEO Levo Chan in January.
GGR across the board has been impacted by recent outbreaks of COVID-19 across parts of mainland China, which have resulted in travel restrictions and tighter border controls for those entering Macau.
GGR excluding baccarat in 1Q22 was MOP$2.28 billion (US$282 million) of which slot machines contributed MOP$1.10 billion (US$136 million), representing 6.1% of GGR and slightly down from MOP$1.15 billion in 4Q21.
The DICJ reported a total of 6,025 gaming tables and 11,615 slot machines in the market as of 31 March 2022, slightly down from 6,198 and 11,758 respectively as of the end of the December quarter.
