Most surveyed gamblers spent under MOP1,000

A total of 52 percent of Macau casino visitors admitted to spending less than MOP1,000 (USD125) on gambling during their trip to the city, according to the recently published Macau Visitor Profile Survey Fourth Quarter Report by the Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) at Macau’s Institute for Tourism Studies.
The findings revealed significant growth from the 38 percent of visitors whose gambling fell under MOP1,000 in an ITRC survey of Macau visitors in the second quarter of 2015, implying that those who’ve been forced to “tighten their belts” go beyond the high rollers.
The Q4 2015 report shows the results of a field survey of 1,042 visitors’ identities, spending habits and reasons for traveling between October and December 2015, of which around 26 percent of respondents said they had gambled during their trip.
The Q4 survey indicates that a total of 20 percent of gamblers admitted they wagered MOP5,000, down from 25 percent in the second quarter. Twelve percent of the survey participants said they spent MOP2,001 to MOP5,000; 16 percent spent MOP1,001 to MOP2,000; 20 percent spent MOP501 to MOP1,000; and 32 percent spent under MOP500.
About 60 percent of the respondents were female, while 72 percent of visitors were under 35 years of age, and 65 percent held a tertiary level education degree.
Meanwhile, China’s weakening economy was observable in the ITRC’s recent report, as the proportion of visitors from mainland China fell – 62 percent, down from 68 percent in the second quarter.  Hong Kong accounted for 18 percent while Taiwanese visitors rose to 10 percent.  Other Asian countries accounted for nine percent, while the rest garnered a mere one percent.
Moreover, the report indicates that 43 percent of Q4 visitors were same-day guests, while more than half of tourists stayed overnight, 81 percent of whom stayed in Macau for two or three days. Sixty-
one percent were repeat visitors, and 59 percent had visited more than three times in the past five years. Staff reporter