Macau GGR up 13.6% month-on-month in March

Macau has reported gross gambling revenue of MOP$8.3bn (US$1.04bn) for March, up 58 per cent year-on-year.

Macau.- Gross gambling revenue showed a marked improvement in March, up 58 per cent year-on-year and up 13.6 from February.

GGR for March came in at MOP$8.3bn (US$1.04bn), up from MOP$7.31bn (US$914.5m) in February.

The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau‘s figures show that Macau’s GGR for the first three months of 2021 combined stood at MOP$23.64bn (US$2.95bn), down 22.5 per cent year-on-year.

Investment bank JP Morgan said the sequential recovery was due to a relaxation of local restrictions and improving travel sentiment.

However, brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd said aggregate GGR in March was “lower than expected partly due to continued weak hold in the month.”

The Macao Government Tourism Office said that an average of 27,120 visitors per day arrived in Macau between March 20 and March 26, an increase of 109.5 per cent from the Golden Week holiday period in February.

Macau eases Covid-19 measures

Macau authorities have eased some Covid-19 countermeasures in recent weeks.

Health authorities have announced that arrivals from Hong Kong will now have to undergo a quarantine of 14 days instead of 21 days.

A negative Covid-19 test result is no longer needed to enter Macau’s casinos.

Macau’s casino regulator also announced that casinos may now allow players to stand at gaming tables, with the condition that such standing players stay at least 1 metre (3.3 feet) apart.

Macau’s secretary for economy and finance, Lei Wai Nong has announced a new stimulus package with measures that aim to help kick-start the economy.