Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has released figures showing that gambling revenue fell 2.4% in the second quarter, and was down 12.2% from the second quarter of 2008. Over the first six months of 2009, revenue decreased by 12.5% from the same period last year – a fall attributed to visa restrictions on mainland visitors as well as the economic downturn.

In the second quarter, revenue from Greyhound Racing rose from the first quarter but all other revenue, including casinos, saw a fall. VIP Baccarat gross revenue was down for the second quarter although baccarat, including Mini Baccarat, rose. Slot machine revenue remained the same for the first two quarters of 2009, as did revenue from Texas Hold’em Poker. Fortune 3 Card Poker rose from MOP2 million between January and March to MOP10 million between April and June.

The number of slot machines operating in Macau increased by over 1,500 in the second quarter, following the opening of the Melco Crown property, City of Dreams. The number of gaming tables also rose to 4,390, which is 392 more than in the first quarter but only slightly above the number operating in 2007 in 28 casinos. There are now a total of 32 casinos in Macau, nineteen of them owned by Stanley Ho’s SJM. Until 2002 SJM had a monopoly on casino gambling. (E-07.20.09)

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