Macau's gaming revenues fall 12% in first half of 2009

Local gaming sector generated us$ 1.04 billion, a decrease of 17 % from the same period of last year, according to the daily. In the second quarter of this year, Macao's gaming revenues amounted to us$ 3.23 billion, dropping by 2 % compared with the first quarter of this year.

In the first half of last year, local gaming sector raked in a total of us$ 7.43 billion, according to the figures previously released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Currently, there are six licensed casino operators in Macau, the only place where gambling is legal in China. SJM, a gaming company that is owned by local gaming magnate Stanley Ho, led Macau's gaming market with a share of 30 % in the first half of this year, while Las Vegas Sands, which runs the largest local casino Venetian Macao, maintained its second position with a share of 26 %, the daily said. Sands had a total of three casinos in Macao so far.

Meanwhile, other four operators, including Wynn Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, Melco Crown Gaming, MGM Grand Paradise respectively had a market share of 14 %, 12 %, 9 % and 8%, according to the daily.

With Melco Crown Gaming opening its flagship casino complex City of Dreams in June, number of local casinos has reached 32 by the end of the first half of this year, 19 of which are controlled by SJM.