Macau casino operating expenses up 45.4% in 2021

Operating expenses grew to above MOP9.95bn (US$1.23bn) last year.

Macau.- Macau’s Statistics and Census Service has shared data from the Macau government’s Gaming Sector Survey for 2021. One notable figure is that operating expenses across the city’s gaming sector rose 45.4 per cent year-on-year to MOP9.95bn (US$1.23bn).

The costs of complimentary goods and services provided to customers, such as hotel accommodation as well as food and drink rose by 59 per cent, to about MOP7.37bn. Total gaming industry spending increased by 15.2 per cent year-on-year to MOP 53.48bn. After operating expenses, the purchase of goods, commission paid, and customer rebates saw the largest increase, up by 18.1 per cent year-on-year at MOP 11.14bn.

Salary payments to employees hit MOP20.1bn, up 2 per cent year-on-year despite a 3.1 per cent drop in full-time employees as of December 2021 (54,839). Employee compensation accounted for 37.6 per cent of total industry spending.

Non-operating expenditure in the gaming industry in 2021 was nearly MOP7.78bn, compared with nearly MOP7.33bn in the previous year. That was mainly due to an increase of 15 per cent in interest expenses to about MOP4.46bn.

The total revenue of the nine companies in the gaming industry (including lottery and sports betting) was close to MOP90.81bn. The figure was up 42 per cent when compared to the previous year, mainly due to a rebound in tourist arrivals. Gaming service revenue was MOP60.32bn, a year-on-year increase of 45.1 per cent.

In 2021, the industry’s total value added, measured by its contribution to the overall economy, was MOP62.65bn, up 49.7 per cent year-on-year.