It is however unclear if this was a one-off event, partially due to the disruption in tourism fluxes caused by last month’s Typhoon Vicente, or the beginning of a trend, as VIP gaming revenue growth had already been slowing down in previous months.
VIP gaming accounts for around 70 percent of all Macau’s casino gross gaming revenue. In the opposite direction, mass market gaming revenue is estimated to have grown between 25 and 30 percent year-on-year in July, said J.P. Morgan analyst Kenneth Fong in a note to investors.
Macau casinos took in us$ 3.1 billion in July, up by 1.5 percent over the same period last year. Official figures released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau show that this was the slowest growth rate recorded year-on-year since June 2009.