Casino revenue hits highest level since January 2020

Gross gaming revenue (GGR) in May generated MOP21.19 billion, marking the highest monthly total since January 2020, just before the pandemic and local lockdowns.

The increase surpassed the previous post-pandemic peak of MOP20.79 billion set in October 2024, according to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

The surge in revenue was largely driven by the annual Labour Day Golden Week holiday from May 1 to 5, which drew over 850,000 visitors to the city. With Golden week’s daily GGR estimates reportedly exceeding MOP1 billion, the influx of tourists seen during this period significantly boosted casino activity.

Historically, May is a top-performing month for both tourism and gaming.

For the first five months of 2025, Macau’s casinos have generated MOP97.7 billion, up 1.7% year-on-year. However, this still amounts to about 77.7% of the revenue recorded during the same period in 2019 – the last full pre-pandemic year.

The government’s official full-year forecast for 2025 projects an accumulates gross gaming revenue of MOP240 billion, which implies a monthly average of MOP20 billion.

The Chief Executive previously warned in April that failure to meet this benchmark could result in a budget deficit, underscoring the importance of sustained growth in gaming revenue. So far, May is the first month to surpass this threshold.