November’s premium mass revenues surge 37% over 2019 levels

The premium mass gambling segment is experiencing a 37% increase in the average bet per player, up to HKD22,251 this November, compared to the same month in 2019 – with Galaxy emerging as a leader in the surge.

As the gaming sector is undergoing significant uptick, the growth is attributed to high-profile events and robust luxury retail spending by mainland Chinese visitors amid its economy regaining momentum.

Analysts from Citigroup noted that despite a 21% decrease in the number of gamblers, the total premium mass wager reached approximately HKD9.5 million.

The rise in wager amounts was significant during the week-long National Day Holiday where the all-time high bet per player of HKD29,633 was recorded in October.

Gaming operator Galaxy captured nearly 38% of the market share, while Sands China holds about 20%, although it saw a decline from around 20% in October to 14% in November thus far.

According to Citi, The Horizon room at Galaxy alone saw the day’s highest single-room wager totaling HKD1,866,000, while players at Sands China Plaza’s Apex room averaged wagers of HKD63,077 each.

The gaming industry is also benefiting from the events recently in the city, including the two-week Macau Grand Prix, and concerts by Teens in Times and Westlife.

Back in September, Citi analysts observed that the rise in revenues could be largely attributed to the abundance of whales.

Whales refers to players who wager between HKD100,000 and 500,000 per hand.

In their survey, the analysts found that the average minimum bets across Macau are on the rise, indicating an improvement in player quality within the mass sector.

Gaming taxes

at MOP51.5 billion

The government has acquired more than MOP51.5 billion so far this year in gaming taxes up to October, according to data released by the Financial Services Bureau. The value exceeds the forecast for the entire year 2023, which had been set at MOP50.8 billion. Gaming taxes from January to October represent more than 50% of the total revenue that the government had estimated for this year, which was at MOP130 billion. LV