It didn’t approach the record-setting numbers of the previous month, but Macau’s April casino revenue numbers still posted healthy gains, reaching MOP28.3 billion ($3.54 billion) for the entire month, a 13.2 percent increase from its numbers in April of the previous year, according to figures released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
The MOP28.3 billion number is also right in line with forecasts from analysts, a lot of whom point to the strength of wealthy Chinese gamblers who frequent Macau to enjoy their gambling fixes as the biggest contributor in the gambling destination’s increasing revenue numbers. The April also represents the second biggest revenue month Macau has posted in the year, eclipsed only by March, which posted a record MOP31.3 billion in revenue, and slightly higher than January and February, which posted MOP27.08 billion and MOP26.87 billion in revenue, respectively.
For the year, Macau has already earned MOP113.6 billion in revenue ($14.2 billion) a 14.4 percent improvement from revenue figures it posted in the same time last year.
With the impressive April figures, analysts figure May to be an even bigger month for Macau on the back of a week-long holiday that is expected to drive in tourism numbers in Macau, increasing the availability of mass-market gamblers to enjoy the thrills of casino gambling in Macau.
The VIP sector continues to account for the brunt of the gambling town’s revenue numbers. In the first quarter of the year (excluding April), Macau’s VIP market accounted for MOP57.8 billion of the overall MOP85.3 billion in revenues earned, 67.79 percent of the total figures in the year to date.
