Positive June for Galaxy

SJM Holdings continued to lead the pack, but its market share dropped to 26 percent in June from 29 percent one month before. Sands China has yet to reap any major gains from the opening of Sands Cotai Central in April. Its market share for last month stood at 18 percent, just one percentage point up month-on-month.

Melco Crown Entertainment was fourth, with a 13-percent market share; Wynn Macau came close, with 12 percent. MGM China Holdings again rounded off the rankings, with a 9-percent market share.

Meanwhile, analysts Grant Govertsen and Felicity Chiang from casino research firm Union Gaming Group say June gaming revenue was below analysts’ expectations due to the typhoon that impacted Macau on Friday and Saturday.

According to them, the signal eight typhoon kept many visitors from Hong Kong at home over the long holiday weekend. In addition, the typhoon dissuaded some day-trip visitation from Guangdong, they said.

Macau casinos took in us$ 2.9 billion in June, up by 12.2 percent over the same period last year. “We expect the market to register modest growth in July and August, a function of difficult comparisons in terms of absolute dollar levels recorded last year,” Mr Govertsen and Ms Chiang wrote in yesterday’s investor note.

“We think the gross gaming revenue volumes for these months should be similar to the us$ 3.18 billion-plus recorded this past May, which would imply gross gaming revenue growth in the mid/high single digit range.”