Las Vegas Strip gambling still far behind Macau but leads over Singapore

The island nation's two casinos produced us$ 5.85 billion in gaming revenues in 2012, an 8 percent increase over 2011. That figure fell short of the us$ 6.2 billion produced by the Strip's more than 40 casinos. Macau is the world's largest casino market with us$ 38 billion in gaming revenues in 2012.

Las Vegas Sands operates the Marina Bay Sands, which collected 2012 gaming revenues of us$ 2.94 billion. Malaysia-based Genting, which owns Resorts World Sentosa Island, Friday reported us$ 2.91 billion in gaming revenues, as part of the company's fourth-quarter earnings announcement.

After the Singapore casino market ramped up in 2010, many analysts predicted the region would surpass Las Vegas. Singapore officials legalized two casinos in 2006 as a way to boost tourism, but mandated that gaming would be just a small portion of the overall project. While the increased casino gaming revenues produced took analysts by surprise, business slowed in early 2012.

Union Gaming Group principal Grant Govertsen, who is based in Macau, said Singapore's high-end "seems to be recovering" while mass market gamblers "continue to be muted." Singapore requires local residents to pay an entry fee to visit the casino areas of the two resorts.

"With that in mind, we would expect Singapore gross gaming revenue to grow in the low or mid-single digit range in 2013," Govertsen said. "As such, we would expect Las Vegas Strip gross gaming revenue in 2013 to remain ahead of Singapore."

Govertsen said Genting has been focused on more mass market customers to Resorts World with the focus on Malaysia and Indonesia. But there may not be many new customers to be found, he said:"The local Singaporean market essentially maxed out."