December 2019 posted the worst decline to the World Largest gaming hub on year to year monthly drop. The figures released by Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) show that the Chinese gaming enclave combined gross gaming revenue (GGR) dropped by 13.7 percent in 2019 when compared by the same month in 2018.
According to calvinayre.com, the decline was partly due to the visiting China President Xi Jinping to celebrate 20 years since the region was handed to China by Portugal. The security concerns prompted the stricter visa control for Macau travelers, which significantly impacted gaming revenue.
The decline in December gaming revenue caused the 2019 annual revenue to decline by 3.4 percent, the first year of negative growth has been recorded after two years of positive growth, including 2018 when a 14 percent growth was posted. The worst three years in Macau started in 2014 after Beijing decided to restrict cash flow to the region due to fear that embezzled public funds were being used in Macau’s casinos.
In 2019, Macau’s casino mainly relied on VIP gamblers, but they later focused on mass-market customers. This trend has been starred by junkets steering high-rollers all over the Asia-Pacific market. The recent decision by China’s central bank will boost the cash transfer from the mainland to Macau.
